River on Fire (River's End #5)

by Leanne Davis

  He finally glanced at Hailey. “What the hell are you still doing here?”

  Hailey’s tongue felt thick at his sudden attention on her in front of the other firefighters, over a dozen of them, and his entire family. His fierce tone was challenging and angry.

  “I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” she whispered. All of her previous sureness of his response to her was quickly dissipating.

  “Joey. Relax. It’s been a stressful few days for everyone. She’s been so good. Even helping us.” Erin spoke up.

  Joey’s mouth didn’t relax. “I thought you were gone… I thought you were safe. Fuck. Do you have any idea how dangerous this thing coming towards us is?”

  Her knees nearly gave out, not from her own fear, but her realization that his anger toward her stemmed from his fear and concern for her safety. She wanted to touch him, to just reach out and cling to him. But she couldn’t now. This was about as serious as life got. They were in a life or death emergency and Joey was working with all his strength and smarts to save them.

  “I need all of you to leave now. Please. It’s classified as a level three evacuation, so you know that means: we’re not dicking around. We’re getting ready to fight for our homes.”

  Jack’s jaw was firm as he replied, “I won’t leave. Not without knowing where Ben is. This is… this is my home. My land. I intend to fight for it.”

  “Fuck off, Jack! You have no idea how big and erratic this is. It isn’t like anything you’ve ever witnessed. It’s going to eat us up like everything else in its path. The entire valley. If anything is left standing, we’ll be damn lucky for it. Erin, Allison, Kailynn, all of you, go pack. Now! Quickly!” Joey turned and left the crowd, grabbing Hailey’s arm and jerking her forward. He proceeded to drag her towards the barn, away from everyone’s eyes.

  Once inside the barn, he almost slammed her against the wall, not out of anger, but a desperation that overcame him. His mouth crushed hers as he lifted her up so her hips had nowhere to go beneath his. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he pushed her into the wall and kissed her again. She clutched his neck and his hair, the sooty, black grime covering everywhere her fingers landed. Soot, ash, and utter destruction.

  When he finally tore his lips from her, he pressed his forehead against hers and began breathing in giant puffs. His chest went up and down in an almost violent repetition. “What are you doing here?”

  Tears fell from her eyes, and Hailey tried to wipe them, but they only flowed faster. “I couldn’t leave you like that, Joey. Realizing how much danger you could be in, well… I had to stay here.”

  “What did you think you could do?” She touched his cheek and his harsh gaze finally softened. “What, Hailey? You need to leave. This wildfire isn’t human or merciful. It’s like a runaway freight train of heartache coming. I don’t know how else to describe it.” Fear made his eyes glisten and Hailey bit her lip. Could she let him go? Sure, it was so much easier and nicer, but she chose not to.

  She kissed his lips, which seemed softer and sweeter now than they did during his nearly crushing assault. “I love you, Joey. I just had to tell you that. I wanted you to know.”

  His eyes closed and his chest rose and fell harder with each breath. She clutched his shoulders, unable to penetrate all the layers. “Why now? Because you’re scared?”

  “I was scared to tell you before. Now? I just need you to know. Don’t you want to know?”

  He sighed and replied, “Course I want to know. I want you to promise me now to leave. I have to get back to work.”

  “Joey…”

  “Please.” He leaned his mouth against her cheeks, her temple, and her ear where he whispered, “Please leave immediately or I can’t function and do my job. Right now, I need to think clearly and rationally.”

  She nodded, still clutching him. “I promise I’ll go with Erin and the rest of them.”

  He nodded his approval and let her go, sliding her legs back down to the ground. He patted her face until a small smile appeared. “Now, you’re wearing the fire,” he told her, adding, “I’m sorry.”

  She shook her head, touching her face. “I don’t care. I just care about you being safe.”

  He stepped back. “You promised me, Hailey, so don’t forget.”

  “Why do you keep saying that? I plan to go with everyone else.”

  He sighed. “Because Jack won’t leave. Ian and Shane will stay on too because he’ll stay, no matter what I insist upon. They won’t leave this place no matter how big the fire gets. So I need to know right now that at least you did.”

  “Surely they won’t go against mandatory orders.”

  “Oh, yes, they surely will.”

  He grabbed his hard hat, which was also covered in black soot. It fell off his head when they started pawing each other upon entering the barn.

  “I have to go now. Just make sure you do too.”

  He spun around and started to leave the barn. It wasn’t lost on her that he had no response to her heartfelt declaration. But that was understandable under the circumstances; his head and heart were preoccupied with all the destruction, evacuation, and fear. He personally knew what was coming. He had a job to do that was far more important than her silly feelings about their relationship. Ben was still missing and there were too many who wouldn’t evacuate…

  She quickly scurried after Joey, returning to the main house to find Erin’s hands on her hips. She was stomping her foot. “Fuck that, Jack! It’s my home too. You can’t stay here and expect me to just leave you behind.”

  “Yes, I can. You can’t stay; it’s too dangerous. But I need to.”

  “Then I stay too. Wherever you are, I stand beside you, and vice versa.”

  Jack suddenly gripped her shoulders and stared into her eyes, almost shaking her. His face was as grim as Joey’s as he repeated, “My son is missing. The fire that’s coming isn’t like anything we’ve ever dealt with. I need to stay here. The horses need me and I have to get water on everything around here that I can defend. I have too many things I have to do. The lives of the animals matter very much to me. But I need to find Ben also. I can’t do it here. Please Erin, I need to know that you and Charlie are safe and… that you’re out looking for Ben. I am with you as always, but I need you to do this for me right now.”

  Her entire body sagged and she flung herself at Jack. He caught her and pressed her against his chest with all of his might. She was crying hysterically. “I’ll go, then, and I’ll keep Charlie safe… and make sure everyone is out looking for Ben. Don’t worry, Jack, we’ll find him… we’ll find him… I love you…” Hailey turned away as her own eyes filled with fresh tears. The other couples were exchanging the same sentiments and embracing.

  AJ came walking up with Kate behind him. “I heard it’s coming here and Ben’s still missing. What do you need from me?”

  Jack let Erin go. AJ had Kate’s hand in his, and he turned to her and nodded, his gaze holding hers. He seemed so resolved in his duty. “You got this, my Kate. I need you to take care of Cami.”

  Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I got this,” she whispered before letting him go.

  “Go out and cut the fences down on all the orchards,” he ordered with a quiet, ominous tone. Hailey tilted her head. For God’s sake, why? Jack caught her puzzled look. “For the animals to shelter under. The main body of orchards should remain standing.” He turned back to AJ. “Gather all the horses in the pasture closest to the river. I’m hearing some grim stories…” Jack shuddered. AJ nodded and left to follow Jack’s orders. Ian said goodbye to his new wife and followed after Jack. As did Shane. Jack quickly turned to Joey, who was just getting back into the truck he drove up in.

  “I knew you wouldn’t evacuate. Watch your fucking back, brother,” Joey said softly. Hailey was close enough to hear them.

  Jack nodded and grabbed Joey in a tight hug. “You do the same.”

  “See you on the other side.”

  “The other s
ide,” Jack echoed, but their eye lock and exchange left Hailey in a cold panic of fear. They were scared. Both of the men were visibly unsure what awaited them on the other side and their place in it.

  Hailey saw Erin crying. She was nearly doubled over. Hailey raised her chin. No, this was not her home or her life, but right now, she was the one who had the least to lose. She could best help them by taking the lead. Hailey dried her tears and started after Erin. Grabbing her, she lifted her up to standing. “Come on, ladies, I’ll drive. Let’s go find someplace where our help is most needed. We’ll go to… to a command center where we can start looking for Ben.” She had no idea where that might be or even if there were a command center, but it sounded like the responsible thing to do.

  Joey’s gaze was on her. He nodded and smiled from a distance and she nearly glowed under his approval. Waving his hand in farewell with a final smile, Hailey did the same before she attended to the multiple tasks at hand. She had no idea where to head or what they’d find, but she was sure she could still drive and might have been the only one who was thinking clearly enough to do so. She jogged with Erin and Kailynn to their houses. Finding the keys to the large Suburban, she turned on the ignition of the old vehicle that started after several attempts. She first went to Allison’s house and helped her load all of their baby stuff as Allison’s tears streamed like a waterfall. She told Hailey softly, “I’m so scared.”

  Hailey gripped her hand. “We all are.”

  Nodding, Allison strapped her baby in the car seat and piled in beside her.

  Next, they got Kailynn. Carrying just one small bag, she helped her father limp toward the vehicle. She glanced at Hailey with hot tears streaming from her face. Next came Erin, who had Charlie with her, and each one was clutching a bag. Bare-bones necessities. Kate and Cami came running down the road from their house, which was across the street from the ranch. Yep, they too were carrying only one bag each. Hailey’s heart ached for all of them as she gripped the steering wheel and hot tears threatened to blur her vision. Her blood, rushing with adrenaline, made her body tremble. No. She could not succumb to her own fear. Joey was counting on her to get his family to safety. And that was what she fully intended to do.

  Hailey called out, “Is everyone here? Got all the essentials?”

  Their choked affirmations were followed by a thick silence that descended upon all of them. Hailey punched the accelerator when she saw the ranch gate up ahead. They could see three men crossing the fields in the distance, herding the frantic horses that kept dancing and galloping erratically together. There were no longer any working sprinklers due to the power outage. The men waved as Hailey drove through the gate, and Hailey thought she might puke. It seemed so final. And so scary. The sky glowed further upriver, a ridge of red that looked like a dark spine running along the mountains. Plumes of black smoke billowed. When the flames finally broke over the crest of the mountain, she fled the ranch. Dust swirled behind her as she sped way too fast on the unpaved road. On the main highway, dozens more cars zoomed by. It was a universal panic flee. They watched the distance growing between the ranch and them as thick smoke hung in the foul air, raining burned bits of the towns and trees already engulfed by the inferno.

  Hailey’s stomach cramped, and tears flowed amidst intermittent sobs from all the occupants of the overloaded vehicle. Even Rosie, the baby, seemed to sense the tension and remained quiet. Cami cried against Charlie’s shoulder. He stared out the window, his face pale and sickly looking.

  “It’ll be okay,” Hailey said to no one in particular, knowing what a useless, stupid platitude it was. She didn’t know what else to do at a time like this. She was the obvious outsider and had the least to lose. But Erin sat across from her in the front seat, and she responded. Wiping away her tears, she smiled and nodded at Hailey. Hailey nodded back.

  “Hailey’s right. As long as there is one Rydell left breathing, there will always be the Rydell River Ranch.”

  And with those haunting words, Hailey turned the last corner and the ranch disappeared from the rearview mirror.

  Chapter Fourteen

  HAILEY DROVE TO PATTINSON only to find it in a state of complete evacuation too, along with the neighboring golf course community. The only safe place now was the Columbia River, shining cool and blue against the imminent mushrooming clouds of black smoke.

  Darkness was descending rapidly. They drove further down the highway, towards Brewster, unclear where they were going or what they would do when they got there. The Red Cross shelters had already moved forty miles away. When the kids got hungry, food was brought out from some of the bags, along with bottles of water. They pulled into the local high school where firefighters and volunteers from across the state were set up. There were multi-colored tents and a makeshift camp.

  They all got out of the Suburban still clutching their meager belongings. Erin recognized a group of women and a rancher. They embraced, crying, eagerly asking each other for any new information. “Where’s Jack?”

  “He stayed behind,” Erin said quietly.

  They shook their heads. “Damn fool.”

  Erin stiffened her back. “We have forty-plus horses. He couldn’t just leave them to… to burn alive.”

  Hailey offered her hand on Erin’s shoulder in support. This wasn’t the time for criticism or judgmental comments. The rancher sighed. “It’s hit Pattinson. At least ten homes burned up, and many more are still in its path. We’re on alert here. It now appears to be circling around from the west and south. The Columbia is the only break that can stop the southwestern front right here in its tracks. It’s a fifty-mile long firestorm. Never seen anything like it before.”

  As more neighbors and community members joined their group, that seemed to be the consensus… It was like nothing anybody had ever seen before. They’d all survived wildfires before, even big ones. And a disastrous flood occurred in 1948 as well as plenty of hard winters. This was not a forgiving landscape. But never before had anything destroyed so many affected areas or left such a vast wasteland in its wake.

  The fire traveled almost twenty-five miles down the valley before it hit Pattinson, something no one foresaw. That morning, the citizens of Pattinson awoke and believed they were safe and would be okay. From a measly eighteen thousand acres, the blaze grew to an estimated two hundred thousand acres by the day’s end. Another town, further up at the north end of the fire, was flattened too.

  There was utter confusion. People stood around, staring up at the blazing mountains in awe. They couldn’t help gawking at the limitless size and power of the conflagration. Glowing in deep red embers made it even eerier against the night. Some people wailed and cried, while others could only stand in stunned wonder and respect. The kids began to grow frightened. Rosie was long ago snuggled against Allison, and Cami was crying in Kate’s arms, becoming hysterical at times for fear that AJ could be in danger. Charlie stood beside Erin, now totally pale and frozen with terror.

  “Erin, come, and bring your family. You can stay with us.”

  Erin nodded and hugged the kind man and woman who offered. Hailey followed her, learning they were cousins of Jack’s dad. They were an older couple that lived in a large house with plenty of river front footage on the Columbia River. They gave the family blankets and set up spare beds to use. The fire had been dubbed the River’s End Complex fire, owing to the first four places where it ignited just outside of River’s End. In only three days, it had obliterated almost four hundred square miles and burnt down more than three hundred homes, not to mention all the outbuildings, shops, and garages. Even the orchards and fields were not wet enough to survive the relentless heat.

  There were now almost twenty-nine hundred firefighters working the fire, two hundred and twelve fire engines, and thirteen bulldozers, trying to contain the staggering one hundred eighty-two-mile perimeter. And still they couldn’t get any kind of containment accomplished.

  They awoke the next morning, after little sleep. The smoke
and flames were still glowing red hot above and around Pattinson. It was even visible from the Columbia River, where they quietly shuffled out on the green lawn to watch. All night long, the whirling blades of helicopters hummed above them, scooping giant buckets into the Columbia and filling them with water to drop off on the fire lines. There were so many fire lines and fronts that despite the manpower and all of their most earnest efforts, they made little progress… It was like spitting on a blazing football field to put out the flames. Coffee was being served and they went back in the house to eat breakfast. Quiet filled the room. The fear everyone felt was beyond words.

  Then a neighbor Erin knew came to the house with more news. “The north flank of the fire is kicking up again from the wind this morning. They’re worried it could swing back around to the valley. It came right down to the edge of River’s End last evening… now their primary concern is whether or not it’s going to burn up the other side of the river.”