by Em Petrova
She just needed to keep going. Focus on her goals. For one, she’d given Mindi’s question about the fair some thought, and she wanted to have the mare, named Ladybug for her reddish brown coat, trained and ready. So far, Ladybug responded to all the coaching Brennah threw at her. Seeing her sold to a good rider would fulfill one of Brennah’s childhood dreams. She was so close… She couldn’t slow down now, when the horse showed progress.
This afternoon, she’d work extra with Ladybug and stay up late to do her laundry.
With a solid plan in place, she felt better. She finished with the barn and moved to the chicken coop. After a dirty half hour, their pen was fresh and clean as well. Time for grooming the llamas.
The six ladies were about ready for a shearing. With thick, fluffy coats, they resembled women at a ball wearing party dresses and the puffs of hair on their heads funny hats.
As Brennah passed their pen, she realized she’d forgotten to grab the new clippers she’d just purchased. Turning for the house, she passed by the horse trough she’d dunked Dane Moon in.
A giggle rose up. Lord, had she really done that? She couldn’t believe her own actions sometimes. Crisis mode, they called the moment in vet school. When you jumped into action in an emergency and hardly remembered a thing until after the crisis passed. She giggled again. The sexy cowboy definitely wouldn’t appreciate being thought of as a crisis.
In the house, she grew distracted by the heap of laundry and threw a load into the wash. Then her stomach reminded her that she hadn’t eaten lunch on time in a week, so she grabbed a sandwich.
Long minutes later, she stepped out the door again and jerked her head up. Smoke. A whiff of the smoke on the wind. No, much more than a whiff.
Something’s on fire!
She took off running. Skidding around the corner of the house, she faced her entire world—barn, pens, animals… and beyond that, her field on fire.
Red-orange flames licked across the land, devouring all the high grasses she had yet to find someone to cut into hay for her animals. Behind the fire, she saw charred and blackened ground with streamers of noxious smoke rising into the sky.
A choked cry ripped past her lips, and she took off into the field after her horses.
The flames hadn’t reached them yet, but the scent of danger riding on the breeze had them pawing the ground and darting around in panic.
“Yaw! Get home!” This morning when she turned them out to pasture, she never could have guessed their world would be burned to the dirt. How did it happen? No lightning strike caused this—it hadn’t rained in a week. Maybe some careless tourist tossed out a cigarette or something, and the fire had come all the way up from the road.
Or the Moon Ranch.
Running at one of her horses, she spread her arms to shoo the animal to safety. Quickly she realized the fire had them too riled to react the way she needed, and after several breathless sprints around the field, angry tears stung her eyes.
She needed help. When she yanked out her cell phone and dialed the Moon Ranch, she didn’t think about anything but getting someone over here. As soon as a man’s voice projected into her ear, Brennah’s brain engaged fully. What the hell was wrong with her? She didn’t need the Moons—she needed the fire department.
But the Moons are closer.
“Moons’.”
“It’s Brennah, your neighbor at the Connally place. My field’s on fire! Help!”
She didn’t wait for a response from the person on the other end, just quickly dialed the fire department.
The wind began kicking up—and she might’ve been in danger of losing her home and barn as well. Oh God…Stokes was supposed to be a place of fulfilling dreams and finding new ones. Now the flames licking across the ground at a rapid pace threatened all of that.
The next few minutes passed in that crisis mode she was becoming far too familiar with, and her entire focus centered on trying to save her animals. As soon as she got one horse corralled, another attempted to run into the flames. Her lungs burned, her muscles cramped. But she couldn’t give up.
“Brennah! What the hell’s going on?” The man’s shout made her whirl, and she saw Dane Moon running her way.
She waved a hand toward her field and the half dozen horses in a terror. “I need to get them in!”
A splintering noise made her whirl in time to see her llamas breaking through their fencing. Her heart seized in her chest.
Dane grabbed her arm and whipped her out of the way just as the animals stampeded by her. She cried out and twisted from Dane’s grasp. Darting forward, she threw her arms out to chase the llamas away, but they took off toward the fiery field with the horses.
“Fuck!” Dane grabbed a shovel and ran after them.
* * * * *
“Yaw!” He waved the shovel at the horse, and she galloped away. Thank fuck she ran in the right direction this time.
The fire raged, gaining ground far too fast. The woman ran around, frantic and screaming at her animals, who continued to panic and bolt away.
Suddenly the idea came to him—use one of the horses to round up the others.
As a mare trotted past, he caught onto its mane and threw himself onto her back. Her muscles bunched beneath him, prepared to toss him off, but he held on and dug in his knees. For five seconds flat, he clung as the mare bucked madly.
All those wild rides as a kid paid off—he remained seated and got the upper hand. He wheeled the horse around and circled the field that wasn’t yet burned, using their motion to push the llamas and horses into a cluster.
The woman continued to wave her hands and scream to get her llamas out of harm’s way.
Now that he heard her name, he remembered Brennah Peterson being a couple grades under him in high school. She’d sure grown up in the past years and now held the position of veterinarian in Stokes.
No time to think on it, he continued to make short swaths across the field, herding the animals.
In the distance, two fire trucks flew up the driveway, and right behind were a collection of the vehicles belonging to the fire chief and more than a few neighbors. When he saw Zayden’s truck, he clamped his jaw.
The minute he got the call about a fire, he heard the words again: If we want to take that field over there, we’ll take it.
With the tractor gone and the field up in smoke... Damn, he’d screwed up by thinking his debt with Big John had been covered by an old pickup and a few bucks.
He closed in on the group of animals, herding them into a small bunch. Brennah grabbed a rope and made a perfect lasso. She snagged the first horse with ease, and someone rushed forward to lead her away. She made a second toss and missed. The terrified horse danced off, but he pushed his own mount into its path so she didn’t break away from the others again.
Brennah stopped in her tracks and looked up into his eyes. Their gazes locked, and his stomach knotted at the fear and pain reflected in her deep brown gaze. Christ, she was so pale.
I’ll see them all safe, he wanted to say, but the rumble of fire trucks rolling through the field to the line of flames kept him from doing so. The firefighters positioned the two trucks where they could extend their long hoses to span the field.
His connection with Brennah broken, he yelled at the horses and llamas. What felt like hours passed as he worked to get the animals to safety, all the while shooting glances at Brennah. The woman better stay out of danger.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Zayden suddenly run into the thick of things, rope whirling above as his head as he lassoed another horse. Brennah grabbed the lead and took off around the side of the house, most likely tying the horses up in a safe place.
Using his mount, Dane pushed a horse toward Zayden.
His brother lunged forward and slapped the rump, sending the mare to another neighbor, who secured her with a lead rope.
Dane stared at the destruction. Could he really be responsible for this? For the men who’d come running with rakes and shov
els, the team of volunteer firefighters and more than a dozen terrorized animals who were now without a pasture to graze in?
He put his head down and leaned into his mount, guiding her around a few of the llamas that wanted to scatter to the four winds. He’d never spent time around llamas, but they seemed like flighty and unpredictable creatures and he didn’t care to ever see them again.
Brennah appeared in his line of vision as she darted by again. The woman had stamina, probably driven by adrenaline. He doubled his efforts to lighten her load and end this ordeal for her. Damn, if this really was his doing...
He’d find a way to fix it.
When they finally got the animals in hand, Dane guided his mount around the house. He slid off and Brennah ran over, rope in hand.
“I got it,” she said.
For a moment, he watched her battle to get the horse tethered. He couldn’t stand by while she struggled anymore. Dane took the rope from her and quickly looped it around the horse’s neck.
Shouts sounded from the fire crew. Brennah spun toward the commotion, prepared to take off again.
Dane put a hand on her arm. “Let the firefighters do their job. You’ll just be in the way.”
She blinked up at him as if she didn’t understand English.
He studied her pale face and chestnut-colored hair trailing over the feminine curve of her cheek. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head. The expression in her eyes had his stomach knotting tighter. Did she know someone had set fire to her field? Or that he could be the reason behind it?
“Thank you, Dane.” Her voice broke. “For everything.”
Christ.
His throat clogged off, and it didn’t have a thing to do with the smoke cloud hanging over her ranch.
* * * * *
“Dane.”
He looked up at Zayden’s rough tone. Here comes.
“You move the tractor?”
Yep, the time had come when his brother kicked him out in the cold.
“Not exactly.”
Zayden’s hard look burned through him.
“Two guys were loadin’ up when I got home today.”
“Two guys— What?” He braced a hand on the porch railing, a vein throbbing in his neck.
“I don’t know who they are, but they didn’t appear to be from around here.” Just tell him it’s your fault.
Could he fix things before his brother and Mimi found out?
Zayden steadied his gaze on him. “Two guys took the tractor? How?”
“Loaded it on a flatbed, chained it down.”
“Jesus Christ! Who the hell—” He released his hold on the railing and tore the hat off his head. “Goddamn that man.”
Dane stared at him. “Who?”
“The fucking old man. It’s gotta be Dad. The guy owed half the countryside money, and someone’s come to collect.”
Hell, he didn’t even think of that. Maybe he wasn’t really to blame.
This here tractor is owed to us.
Dane had never heard anyone from Vegas talk that way, including Big John or his goons.
Zayden turned again, latching onto the rail with both hands as he stared out at the empty spot where the tractor had been parked. “Wait—they took the old truck too?”
Shit, Dane forgot all about that. Too many things gone wrong in a short span of time.
He crossed the porch to his brother’s side. “The truck’s still back at the tack shop. Could be a dead battery, but I suspect it’s the alternator.”
“Damn,” he said quietly. “I rebuilt it twice already.”
“Well, clearly you’re shit at it.”
Zayden sailed a don’t-tick-me-off look his way.
Dane drew a deep breath. Might as well tell him the rest.
“I didn’t get any of the things on your list either. The guy at the tack shop wouldn’t let me use your credit line, and I don’t have any cash.”
Zayden looked at him. “Jesus, Dane. Why didn’t you say you’re runnin’ low?”
Low didn’t begin to explain the depths of his empty pocket. “Figured he’d let me use credit. Anyway, I went out to find the truck wouldn’t start and didn’t make the trip to the feed store either.” No point in mentioning the altercation with Haskell.
“We got enough food for Mimi’s chickens for a day or two.”
Dane dropped his gaze to his boots and ran a hand over the beard sprouting on his jaw. The stench of smoke still clung to his skin.
Zayden kicked at the worn floorboard on the porch. “Don’t worry about the truck. And I’ll call the sheriff about the tractor, though a lot of good it will do if it’s Dad’s doing.”
“Yeah…”
“How’d you get home anyhow?”
“Walked partway, then Ouray picked me up.”
“He’s a good guy.”
“Always was.”
They stared at each other. Dane could confess everything to his brother, but he couldn’t bring himself to utter a single word.
“I’m gonna take a shower and head over to the neighbor’s to check on things there,” he said.
Zayden nodded. “That woman seemed plenty shook up.”
“Anyone would be. Can I do anything around here for you before I go?”
With a shake of his head, Zayden pushed away from the rail and started to the front door. “Later, I’ll get Esme to run me down to the tack shop and see if I can get the truck started. If not, I’ll need you to help me tow the old girl home later.”
“Let me know if I can help.” He meant it, and that surprised him. “Z, I want you to know…”
His brother eyed him, waiting.
“Well, I didn’t always do the things for people that I should. All those times you needed help here and I ignored you and went off to make trouble.”
Zayden pushed air through his nostrils. “You were a kid.”
“So were you. I should have been more supportive knowing that.”
Reaching out, Zayden gripped his shoulder. “You’re gettin’ soft in your old age.”
His lips tipped at the corner. “Not sure that’s a good thing.”
“Hard to say. Maybe if you show that side to your wife—”
He shook his head, cutting off his brother. “Liz and I are through.”
“Damn. It’s gotta be hard.”
“What is?” He needed to know what regular people thought about love, relationships and life. Dane was far from normal, but Zayden seemed to have hit that description over the past few months.
“Well… losing someone you love must be hard,” he said.
Dane looked away. “Only thing I loved about Liz was fuckin’ and fightin’. Everything else was a scam.”
Zayden clapped him on the back. “Then at least you won’t be stewin’ for her.”
Their gazes connected, and they shared a chuckle. Dane stepped toward the door. “I’ll be up at the neighbor’s for a while.”
Zayden nodded.
When Dane went into his room, devoid of all his old junk and not at all like his childhood space, he stripped off his smelly clothes and dropped them on the floor. On second thought, he picked them up and placed them neatly into the hamper. Mimi didn’t need to look after him, but he knew before long the dirty clothes would vanish and then appear neatly folded on top of his dresser like old times.
His mind roamed over everything that happened in his long-ass day. At least Zayden hadn’t accused him of anything. But if this really was on his head—and he aimed to find out as soon as possible—then he’d broken Zayden’s trust and hurt Brennah in the process.
After a brief scrubbing, he dressed again and took off on foot toward Brennah’s place. He considered cutting across the field to investigate the start of the fire, but the ground might still have hot spots. So he took the road instead. The walk would do him good—give him time to think about what to say to her.
I owe a thug. They took my brother’s tractor and burned your field. I’m sorry.
He couldn’t tell her that, and he wasn’t owning up to anything ‘til he knew he’d done the crime.
I can still do the time, though.
Turning his head, he looked beyond the shield of trees between the road and her ruined field. His mind turned over the earth and reseeded even as his feet carried him to her house with a plan in mind.
That and the urge to check in on her, to make sure she was okay and some of the color returned to her cheeks.
* * * * *
Brennah jerked her head up from the pillow of her arms. The doorbell. Someone was ringing the doorbell.
Had she been sleeping? Fog coated each crevice of her brain, and the wetness of drool on her forearm shocked her with the knowledge that she’d come inside after the firefighters all left, sat down to catch her breath a minute… and fallen dead asleep.
A more insistent knocking made her stumble to her feet. How long had she been out? She never fell asleep in the middle of the day, but judging by the low light coming through the windows, evening was falling.
When she reached the door, she expected to find one of the volunteer firefighters, coming to check on things after the blaze. But she opened a crack wide enough to see a tan Stetson and the muscled cowboy sporting it.
She quickly swiped at her lips to remove any residual drool.
He met her gaze. “Hi. Just thought I’d see if everything’s okay up here.”
“Uh. Yeah. It’s fine. I think.” Her heart suddenly did a flip-flop. She hadn’t even thought of the possibility the fire wasn’t out ’til now.
“All looks okay to me.” Dane nudged the brim of his hat with a knuckle, giving her a clear look at his face. His carved jaw sported more than a five o’clock shadow, dark hair spreading over his upper lip and…
She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. At the age of fifteen, if someone had told her Dane Moon would be checking on her someday, she would have fallen down laughing.
“Uh… I also wanted to apologize…for that morning.” He looked at her as if she still had drool on her face.
“Don’t worry about it. No harm done.” Except to her brain, which was releasing increased levels of dopamine, with incited high levels of pleasure, resulting in heightened focus and emotion toward him.