Montana Ranch Series: Love on Willow Creek, Lightning over Bennett Ranch, One Touch at Cob's Bar and Grill, Last Chance for Love, Love Under an Open Sky

by Dawes, Casey

  “What happened?” She folded her arms to hide her sudden attack of the jitters.

  Wally swiped his hand through his short brown hair and cursed. “It’s the storm. Lightning just struck the stables, Miss Melody. The whole thing is up in flames. Angus wants everyone back on the ranch.”

  “Oh my God.” She hadn’t heard the storm break with the loud music and commotion inside the bar. She peered up at Max as his face tightened in concern. He draped her jacket over her shoulders, handed Melody her purse and then slid his arm around her waist. She hated how much she needed his support. “Are the horses okay?”

  “Not sure.” Wally scowled at Max but Melody didn’t care to make introductions. “We gotta go. Angus and the guys are trying to free the horses now.”

  Melody rushed to the exit with Max and the others hot on her heels. She burst through the doors as rain sprinkled from scattered clouds. The storm passed but the sky remained starless. Max grabbed her hand and together they wove through a dozen or more vehicles to reach his Ford in the wet parking lot.

  She swallowed the lump of fear in her throat as she climbed into the passenger seat. She didn’t know what she’d do if she lost her sweet stallion, let alone the other horses.

  Max steered his truck out onto the road. “Don’t worry, Mel. Everything will be fine.”

  Melody wished she could believe him. “No, the worst has yet to come.”

  Chapter Six

  Melody and Max reached Bennett Ranch within minutes. Fire licked the metal stable roof, lit the surrounding darkness in stark relief and filled the air with heat. Smoke streamed through the upper portions of Dutch doors and from open windows as ash drifted down like gray snow. Light rain moistened her hair as tears streamed down her face. The fiery snap-crackle-pop beat at her eardrums.

  A small crowd had gathered by the building. Her mother and sisters-in-law watched from the porch of the main house as her father argued with someone on his cell phone. Angus shouted orders as her brothers, Harvey and the ranch hands used blankets, garden hoses and buckets of water to contain the fire.

  Several horses waited in a nearby pasture, safe and away from the flames, and a sliver of hope seeped into her heart. A few ranch hands petted and brushed the horses likely in an effort to comfort them. She hurried toward the field, climbed over the fence and then grasped the face of the first horse she came to. Soot discolored the mare’s lovely white coat, her tail twitched and her eyes appeared glassy. Melody counted seven horses, Lightning not among them, and all appeared shell-shocked.

  The wind blew but the fire had yet to reach the other buildings or the trees that bordered the property. Blackened beams and roof panels had destroyed the paddocks and blocked the entrance into several stalls. She assumed a strong gust had blown the fiery debris. Movement through the open upper half of a Dutch door caught her attention but she didn’t know if she saw Lightning or just flames and flickering shadows. Melody hurried back to the crowd and found Max as he watched the flames shoot higher into the sky.

  A loud crash echoed within the stable. The crowd hushed and it seemed that everyone held their breath. Two ranch hands emerged from the open doorway and the crowd shouted their relief. Parry and Bart appeared fine despite the ash and muck that covered their skin and clothes. They hurried away from the fire and her father and Angus rushed to meet them. Melody couldn’t help but wonder if they volunteered to rescue the horses or if someone ordered them to do it.

  “There’s one more inside.” Parry pulled down the bandana he’d worn to shield his mouth and nose from the smoke. He leaned over to catch his breath. “The fire ain’t so bad yet, but the roof just collapsed near the backend. Rubble’s now in the way and we can’t reach his stall.”

  “Breathe deep. It doesn’t matter.” Wayne squeezed his shoulder. “You and Bart saved seven horses. You guys did the best you could. I don’t want to lose you too.”

  Melody clasped her hands over her mouth, her hope dashed. The crowd surrounded the men who risked their lives for the horses but no one seemed to care about the Rocky still trapped inside.

  She couldn’t let it end this way.

  She dashed toward the stable as the memory of Lightning’s birth flashed through her mind, followed by the first time he allowed her to ride him. Her gaze narrowed on the blackened double doors that hung ajar in the frame as she pushed aside bystanders in her way. Someone grabbed her waist, lifted her off her feet and carried her away from the building. She kicked and screamed to no avail.

  “Don’t act stupid. You can’t go in there!” Max shouted over the hiss of the fire and her angry shouts. He tightened his arms around her like two metal bands.

  Her heart pounded so hard that she feared it might burst. “Lightning is in there. I have to try!” She struck her fists into his sides and tried to stomp on his feet. Then she saw her father and her unwanted suitor as they headed straight toward them. She dragged a deep breath down her throat, gagged with the intake of smoke and then gripped Max’s forearms with her fingers.

  Wayne and Harvey stopped a few feet away. She had always viewed her father as a strong, larger-than-life character but now he faced her with tears in his eyes. He hunched over as though he’d injured his back. Ash smudged his face and clothes. Harvey breathed heavily and stared at Max so hard that she was surprised daggers didn’t shoot from his eyes. Shocked that the self-obsessed man helped her family in a time of crisis, she assumed he would have left the ranch after he found that she’d snuck out.

  None of that mattered, however, with Lightning’s life at stake. “I thought you had the stable electric-proofed, Dad. You hired a whole crew of men last year to install new copper rods and different kinds of conductors to prevent this. What happened?”

  “I don’t know, honey. The insurance company will investigate it tomorrow.” He flattened his palm over his chest and coughed. His gaze drifted to Max but he didn’t say a word to him. “I’m relieved you got my call. The fire started about ten minutes ago but I had to take necessary precautions before I sent any men in there. We can’t get Lightning out now. It’s too dangerous.”

  She had turned off her cell phone as Max drove to town because she expected her parents to call and complain. She wouldn’t have known about the fire if not for the guys at Cob’s. “No. No! I won’t accept that. We still have time. The fire hasn’t spread to every part of the stable yet, right?”

  Wayne spread his arms. “The Livingston Fire Department is on their way. Just wait.”

  “Wait? Lightning could die from smoke inhalation, not just from fire.” She craned her neck to stare at the man who held her. “Let me go! I won’t forgive you for this, Max. I don’t care what I said earlier. I love that horse. Please.”

  Max cursed and then buried his face in the crook of her neck. He kissed her before he glared at her father. “Hold her. Don’t let her follow me.” He pushed Melody into the older man’s arms and then ran off toward the stable.

  Melody shouted for him to come back, afraid she’d lose both the man she loved and her beloved horse. The crowd gasped as Max rushed inside but no one made a move to go after him. Sirens wailed in the distance but she feared that help would arrive too late. She’d be damned if she’d let Max endanger his life while she stayed safe like a spoiled little princess. She pried out of her father’s arms and then kicked Harvey in the groin as he tried to intercept her sprint toward the fire. They screamed at her to stop but she ignored their pleas.

  Heat assailed her as she crossed the threshold. Her gaze scanned the long aisle that stretched from one end of the building to the other. Smoke streamed around the closed doors of the washroom, canteen and food storage areas. Fire blazed above her head and streams of gray smoke clung to the high rafters, but the flames had yet to engulf the entire stable. The heat reminded her of a cranked-up sauna, times one hundred. She struggled to see and breathe and
she almost missed the horse’s neigh through the roar of the fire. Melody pulled her jacket up over her head, breathed into the bodice of her dress and hurried down the aisle.

  An old blanket covered crispy panels of fallen ductwork near the horse’s stall as strips of fiery wood and insulation dangled from the ceiling. Max tried to pull the Rocky into the hall—he had already tossed another blanket over Lightning’s head and wrapped a lead rope around the stallion’s neck—but the horse didn’t budge.

  “You have to coax him,” she called out as she crossed the rubble. Wisps of smoke escaped the fabric barrier and drifted around her legs. She coughed as she hurried to his side.

  “Why are you in here?” He wiped his sweaty, ashen face with his shirtsleeve as liquid streamed from his bloodshot eyes. “Melody, get out.”

  “Forget it.” She pushed past Max and grasped the horse’s face with her palms. “Don’t worry, baby, Mama’s here. You have to come with us.” She nuzzled her face against his dirtied coat and rubbed his neck with her fingers. Her heart pounded like a freight train about to derail but she kept her voice calm and soft. If she acted afraid, the horse would respond in kind. She only hoped that Lightning listened to her voice and not her heartbeat.

  Max grabbed her arm. “There’s no time. We have to leave, Mel.”

  “I can’t.” She pulled back and snatched the rope from his hand. “I’m a freakin’ nut job when it comes to horses, you know that. I can’t lose Lightning. He trusts me. He depends on me. Go if you must, but I won’t leave without him.” Melody turned back to the terrified horse and stroked his mane. She pulled on the rope and the Rocky slowly followed her out of the enclosure.

  Max stood back as Melody led Lightning across the rubble. Stray flames licked at the Rocky’s legs and the animal screamed in protest. Melody pulled the rope harder and Lightning hurried forward and away from the rubble.

  The building trembled as part of the roof collapsed a few stalls down. The insulation that dangled above Lightning’s stall fell and scorched the bedding. Her stomach churned. That debris would have set the horse on fire had she and Max not freed him from the stall.

  Lightning jerked the rope out of her hand. He ran straight for the open doorway as Max grabbed her and followed the horse. The timbers above them shook and debris fell. They dodged a singed metal tube, weaved around debris that littered the aisle and hurried out of the stable. They both collapsed on their knees as soon as open air enveloped them.

  Her father and two firemen raced toward them. Wayne scooped her up in his arms and the firefighters heaved Max to his feet. She felt dizzy with the forward momentum of her father’s long strides away from the fire and she welcomed the solid earth once he eased her down on the wet dirt and grass. She blinked several times to gather her bearings.

  Melody caught Max’s tired gaze as the firemen in bulky clothing helped him to the ground beside her. One of the firemen then draped a blanket over her shoulders and strapped an oxygen mask to her head. The other did the same for Max. She breathed through the rubber tube and watched as Angus caught and then led Lightning toward the rescue pasture.

  Sirens blared and red lights flashed from the large fire engine parked several yards away. The firemen connected several hoses to the tank and blasted water at the flames. Two other firefighters rushed a long yellow hose toward the fire hydrant that the county installed down the driveway a few years ago. Water soon pumped through the thick line and the two men returned to blast the roof. Dark smoke rose from water-on-fire contact and orange cinders burned to black. Three firemen raced into the burning building, equipped with hoses and protective gear, but she doubted that they could save much of the collapsing structure.

  The firefighter removed her mask and asked her to breathe into a small inhaler. He checked her body for burns but the fire miraculously didn’t touch her. His partner, however, found a few burns on Max’s arms which he cleansed and patched. The firemen headed back to the truck after Max breathed easily without the mask.

  Melody scooted closer to Max and hugged him. “You crazy cowboy. I can’t believe you raced in there. I didn’t know you were hurt.” Her gaze drifted to his tattered shirt and the white gauze wrapped around his right bicep and left forearm.

  “I went in so you wouldn’t. I tried to protect you.” Max brushed the back of his fingers down her cheek. “I’m fine but the flames touched Lightning’s legs. He needs a vet.”

  Her father knelt beside them in the mud. “The regular vet and another that specializes in fire treatment are on their way. They’ll take care of the horses.” He swiped his hand through his hair. “Do either of you need a doctor? I should’ve called for an ambulance already.”

  She glanced at her dad. “No, that’s okay. I think we’re good for now. We should go to the hospital tomorrow for a check-up, though, and for lung x-rays if needed.” She didn’t want to chance lung damage from smoke inhalation.

  Max grimaced at his bandages. “Yeah, that wouldn’t hurt.”

  “I’m sorry all this happened—the fire, the lies, everything,” her father said to her surprise. His face reddened as she frowned. “I found out a few months ago that Fortaine bought Dawson’s old ranch. I figured you’d find out eventually but I didn’t want you to know. I didn’t tell Angus, your mama or anyone—no one can keep a secret in this town—and I wanted to prolong the inevitable.” He rubbed at his creased brow. “I called up the ranch hands tonight to question them after I found your note and a man’s hat in your bedroom. That’s when Angus told me that you knew.”

  Max intertwined his fingers with hers. “I already told Mel everything. We need to talk but I want her with us when we do. I won’t meet with you in secret this time. You can’t bully or bribe me to leave her again.”

  Melody’s father placed his hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “I didn’t expect that you would and, after what you did here tonight, I won’t ask it. Thank you for trying to stop my girl. You showed a lot of courage when you went into that fire. Both of you did.” He smiled at Melody and leaned close to kiss her forehead. “Maybe I made a mistake all those years ago, and maybe I didn’t, but you’re an adult now. You’ve proved that to me so many times over the years but I refused to acknowledge it. If this man is your choice, then so be it.”

  Tears pricked her eyes as she hugged him. “I never thought you’d say those words, Dad.”

  He stood after she pulled back and returned to Max’s embrace. He stared at the stable as the fire died down. “Well, I always wanted to add a second story to the stable and I don’t have a reason to procrastinate any longer.” He chuckled and then shook his head. “I’ll get your mother now. I told Dave and Steve to keep her in the house after you raced into the fire. She flat-out panicked and rushed off the porch. I believe she had every intention of following you in.”

  That surprised her. She watched her father hurry through the crowd toward the house. Several ranch hands watched her, including Harvey, but she didn’t care. Nothing mattered but the second chance that she once dreamt of but never expected.

  Melody smiled at the man that she’d missed for so long. “You’re in no shape to drive back to Bozeman. You’ll stay here tonight. I don’t care what you say.” She blushed beneath the soot that covered her face as his eyebrows shot up. “In a guestroom, so don’t get any ideas.”

  He grinned. “Oh, I have lots of ideas. I’m just in no shape to fulfill them.” She laughed softly as he stroked his fingers over her dirty curls. “Life’s an adventure, darlin’. It’s time we share it together.”

  “I love you, Maximilian Fortaine. Thank you for coming home.” She pressed her lips to his and breathed in the air that left his mouth. “Willow Creek hasn’t been the same without you.”

  Lightning Over

  Bennett Ranch

  Book 2 - The Montana Ranch Series

  Amber Daulton
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  One Touch at the Cob’s

  Bar and Grill

  Book 3 - The Montana Ranch Series

  Lauren Marie

  Anna looked at the dance floor and smiled. She felt a little tug at her heart and wanted to race out there to kick up her heels, but it was Friday night and she needed to work. Cob’s was busy, and more people kept coming through the door. The orders flew in and she and the owner, Jack Howard, kept them moving out to the waitresses.

  She’d been hired at Cob’s shortly after she arrived in Willow Creek and loved it. Every night something different happened. Most of the customers were great. Like anyplace else she’d worked, there was always one bad egg and fortunately, that one worked back in the kitchen of Cob’s. The chief cook, Harry, could be a cranky guy with a terrible attitude. He and Jack argued on a regular basis about corn. Harry was a really good cook, though. According to Jack, Chef Ramsey was Harry’s hero. That caused Anna to laugh every time she thought about it.

  Anna arrived in the small town just over six months ago on a Greyhound bus. She’d had no particular destination in mind and just liked the looks and feel of the place. She’d found a furnished-pay-by-the-month apartment on the day she arrived and landed the job at Cob’s by the end of the week.

  She still laughed about her interview with Jack. To call it unusual would be logical. The first question Jack asked her was if she liked corn. When she said yes, he’d shaken her hand. Then he asked her the only other question...When could she start? It had to be one of the shortest interviews in the history of bartending, she’d thought at the time. She gave him a copy of her license and started work the next night. She and Jack worked the taps pretty well together. They’d only experienced one crash in six months. Not too shabby, she thought.