Wildfire

by Roxanne Rustand

In the final building, she’d just made it halfway to the first stall when an odd sound made her turn around.

  Her heart lodged in her throat at the sight of a tall, dark silhouette of a man standing in the doorway, backlit by the flickering orange and red sky.

  And then another man joined him.

  Shorter. Stocky. With a coil of rope held at his side.

  “If it ain’t Ms. McAllister,” the taller one sneered.

  The voice was deeper than she remembered. But she knew exactly who they were.

  Trace and Lonnie Bassett.

  “Please, help me. There’s horses in here, and we’ve got to stop that fire!”

  “Stop it? It’s too late for that,” Lonnie snickered. “That fancy house of yours will be cinders in no time, and these barns will be next. You ain’t getting help anytime soon.”

  Horrified, she started backing up as they advanced on her, one slow step after another, as if they were stalking prey. “Y-you started the fire? Why?”

  “It’s business.” Lonnie’s voice was smug. “It’s just a real shame that you had to be in the way.”

  Another fifteen feet back and she’d be up against the far door. Trapped without a weapon. And she could only imagine what they intended to do.

  “W-we went to school together, remember? Same classes. And the senior prom—remember that? My date and I gave your truck a jumpstart.” She scrambled desperately for any shared experiences she could think of—anything to personalize herself and make them pause. “And remember the rodeo—”

  “Shut up! This ain’t about you. It never was.”

  “But—”

  Past their shoulders she caught a swift movement—someone crouched low and moving toward Lonnie and Trace, heading into the barn. Lonnie started to turn around.

  She screamed to distract him as she darted to one side of the aisle and ducked into a feed room. She grabbed a gallon of fly spray and twisted off the wide lid, then held it down at her side, hidden behind her thigh. It’s not much, Lord, but please, please, make it work.

  She peered around the corner, and at that instant, Josh barreled into Trace’s back, throwing him off balance. They crashed to the concrete floor in a tangle of arms and legs, with the sound of fists hitting flesh.

  Lonnie hovered for a split second, then he turned to zero in on her, his eyes glittering and his breathing harsh. “Looks like it’s me and you. This oughta be fun,” he growled.

  He closed the distance between them in four strides, the rope still in his hand. She could smell his breath, his sweat. He bared his teeth in a semblance of a smile—

  With one swift movement she swung the gallon jug, spun, and sent the bitter, pungent liquid into his face.

  He screamed, then sputtered and coughed, clawing at his eyes. Staggering blindly against the stall doors, he fell halfway to his knees with a guttural moan, then stumbled toward the barn door.

  She turned to see Trace face down on the concrete floor, one arm wrenched up high behind his back as Josh knelt next to him.

  “Tessa,” he said. “Hurry—get me some baling twine.”

  She spun around and grabbed some twine from the feed room, then helped Josh securely bind Trace’s hands behind his back.

  They found Lonnie out at the water tank, scrubbing frantically at his face. Josh secured his wrists in front, so he could still splash water at the caustic residue.

  Multiple sirens sounded in the distance, a nightmarish, discordant sound that promised help was on the way.

  “I called 911 about the fire, so they should be sending a number of units in,” Josh said. “There’s not much we can do alone.”

  Towering flames shot into the sky as more pine trees were consumed. “Maybe you should stay with these guys, but that fire is getting too close,” she cried. “Just an ember could burn the house down. I’ve got to do something!”

  Grabbing a water hose from the barn, she ran for the hydrant at the side of the house closest to the flames, and started spraying the exterior walls and roof.

  Acrid smoke billowed across the yard coupled with waves of intense heat. But now, a half-dozen fire trucks and emergency vehicles were pulling in, plus several patrol cars.

  And Tessa bowed her head in thanks.

  Three days later, the smell of wet cinders still hung in the air, but luckily the firefighters had been able to contain the blaze to a little over fifty acres.

  “Guess its time for me to go,” Josh said, surveying the blackened landscape on the hillside above the barns and house. “Are you going to be all right?”

  Tessa nodded. “I still can’t believe Lonnie and Trace came after us like that. I know they’ve been in a lot of trouble over the years, but we’ve all known each other since school. How could they do that?”

  “Greed. They were promised more money than Ellen Miller ever could’ve paid.” Josh gave her a wry smile. “I suppose she figured they could hardly sue her for the difference.”

  “I can’t imagine her dwelling on revenge for all these years. It must’ve poisoned everything else in her life.”

  “Michael said she was in fourth grade when Claire evicted her family from their rental house. The family ended up homeless for a long while, and then her parents split up. Since they hadn’t lived in Wolf Creek for very long no one recognized Ellen when she moved back as an adult.”

  “So she was here, quietly waiting for her big chance—and she got it.”

  “She undoubtedly hoped you’d default on that loan, but she was also behind your other troubles at the ranch, according to Michael. She probably figured Trace was the perfect partner, because no one would look any farther than his own checkered past if he was ever caught. He and Lonnie have your missing cattle, by the way. They were planning to ship them later on, once people weren’t watching for them any longer.”

  “Lonnie and Trace had their own reasons to see the McAllisters suffer,” Tessa said sadly. “Not that it excuses what they did, but my mother had some sort of influence on the foreclosure of their ranch when they were kids.”

  “Which is probably why all three focused on your mother’s ranch—and you because you run it. They wanted vengeance.”

  “What about the cabin burglaries? And Edward’s death?”

  “Michael thinks Trace has been breaking into cabins for a good year, and has been making quite a haul. A deputy found a big stash of stolen property at his place. His fingerprints matched those found at the murder scene, too. No word yet on a confession, but my guess is that Edward surprised him during a burglary, and Trace panicked.”

  “And Danny?”

  “The judge has already released him.”

  Her heart lifted, despite the enormity of everything that had happened. “Thank goodness.” She tried to swallow past the lump in her throat as she looked up at Josh. “You were wonderful, the night of the fire. I can’t thank you enough for all you did.”

  “I’m just glad I came back in time.” He climbed on his Harley and started the motor, regarding her with troubled eyes. “I…do owe you an apology about that magazine article. I finally read through it, and saw why you were so upset. The magazine used my photos with someone else’s text, Tess. I guess mine didn’t quite represent the magazine’s world view.”

  “But your name was on that draft—and mine.”

  “I asked that they be removed.” His wry smile reappeared. “The other writer gladly agreed.”

  “Thanks.” She studied the gleaming chrome on his Harley to avoid meeting his eyes again. “That article would’ve put me in an awkward position with the other ranchers here, and it doesn’t represent what I believe. But did you lose all the money, then?”

  “Nope…and I’ve already sent it on to Lara’s family, toward a memorial scholarship in her name. That’s all I really cared about, not the byline.”

  She nodded, touched by his thoughtful gesture, but unable to find the words that would make things right. Knowing. With grim certainty, that he wouldn’t have packed his thing
s if he didn’t want to finally escape Wyoming…and her.

  “I won’t forget you, Tess. I prayed so hard, when I saw you facing down Lonnie and Trace—I couldn’t imagine this world without you in it…even if you and I are a continent apart.”

  She smiled sadly at that. “I was praying, too, believe me. But you really came through for me. If you hadn’t been there—” She shuddered, trying not to imagine what could’ve happened.

  “At least this time, I was able to make a difference.” He sighed heavily, the expression in his eyes far away. “Second chance…different outcome. I’ll always thank the Lord for that.”

  She looked up at him, wanting to wrap her arms around him and never let him go; realizing that such a gesture would just make this moment all the more awkward. “Thank you. For everything. I’ll never forget what you did for me.”

  Their gazes met, locked for a long moment. Then he smiled in farewell and revved the engine before roaring down the lane in a cloud of dust.

  Leaving her feeling…empty. Alone.

  But, life would go on. Danny was back, and two new ranch hands would be starting next week. There would be pack trips, and chores, and all of the endless jobs at the ranch to keep her busy. She really wouldn’t have time to miss him at all.

  With a sigh, she headed for the tack room in the main barn. She stopped just inside the door…and blinked.

  A saddle stand had been pulled into the center of the room. It held a blanket-covered saddle—probably one of the older ones that Danny was helping her restore.

  But oddly enough, there was some sort of ribbon tied to the saddle horn, and an envelope lay on top of the blanket. Bemused, she moved closer and found her name on the envelope. She slid a finger under the flap and withdrew the handwritten letter.

  Dear Tessa,

  I know I’ve caused you a lot of pain over the years, and wish I could somehow make everything right.

  This saddle doesn’t begin to cover it all, but at least it might make you smile. I had a friend buy it online, so you wouldn’t see my name as a bidder.

  The sheriff recovered your saddle with the other stolen property in Trace Bassett’s garage.

  God Bless,

  Josh

  She gently lifted the blanket away, and there was her beautiful, custom made saddle—its silver polished and gleaming, the leather buffed.

  Only now it wasn’t just a beloved gift from Uncle Gray, but it would always be a link to Josh, who’d managed to steal her heart…twice.

  She closed her eyes. In so many ways, she was a strong, take-charge woman, who let nothing stand in her way.

  So why had she let him walk out of her life?

  He’d left once before and made it just to the highway before turning back. This time, he wasn’t stopping until he hit I-80 and was well on his way out East.

  Miles. It would just take lots and lots of miles, and he’d be over Tessa McAllister for good. He wouldn’t think about her smile, or her beautiful eyes, or her inner strength. He wouldn’t think about how she made him feel, or the way he felt whole just being with her.

  He wasn’t going to think about her at all.

  A half hour south of Wolf Creek, he started to slow down…just for safety.

  An hour south, he started looking in his rearview mirror, as if he could catch a glimpse of her face.

  After one more mile, he gave up. Turning around, he pushed the bike up to sixty-five.

  Anything worth keeping was worth fighting for, and he was going to fight for Tessa. If it took years, he was going to prove to her that she could count on him, no matter what.

  He hadn’t seen another vehicle on this desolate highway in over an hour. Ahead, just a speck of dust on the horizon, he could see one now.

  It drew closer.

  His heart did a flip-flop in his chest when he realized it was a truck from Snow Canyon Ranch, and Tessa was behind the wheel.

  They both pulled off to the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by sagebrush and sand, with the jagged peaks of the Rockies off to the west.

  “I made a mistake,” she said simply. “I’ve spent too much of my life second-guessing decisions, analyzing things to death. Imagining that I’m in control. I’m finally realizing that maybe it isn’t all about me. Maybe it’s time to take a leap of faith, and trust in God for what He has in store for us.”

  He cupped her face in his hands. “I love you, Tess. I think I always have, only it took nearly losing you to make me realize just how much. Before we mess this up one more time, I need to ask you—will you consider marrying me?”

  She smiled and moved into his embrace, her head against his chest. “I love you, too, and believe me, you don’t need to ask me twice.”

  EPILOGUE

  The first blush of sunset cast the meadow in a rosy glow, as the wedding party gathered beneath a cathedral of towering pines. The Rockies, peaks still frosted with winter snows, soared skyward on the horizon.

  From the edge of the meadow, where four surries and a number of saddle horses waited, came the sounds of jingling harnesses and soft whinnies. Children, impatient for the ceremony to begin, frolicked through the bowed grasses, picking bouquets of wildflowers. Off to the side, two members of the Wolf Creek Community Church played a violin and a portable Celtic harp, and the haunting, heart-breakingly perfect notes hung in the air, so beautiful and pure that Tessa felt her eyes burn.

  Josh put his arm around her waist and drew her closer. “In October,” he whispered, “it will be our turn.”

  “Can you imagine how lovely it will be, with all of the blazing fall colors out here?” She smiled up at him, her heart overflowing with love and joy.

  Who would have thought, just a year ago, that life would change so completely when she and her sisters came together to help their mother? Claire had always been a divisive force in the family, yet now her health had brought them back together in ways none of them could have predicted.

  Tessa looked across the small crowd to where Janna and her husband stood talking to Pastor Lindsberg. Rylie and Ian, their blended family, were both excited about Janna’s announcement last week—she and Michael would be welcoming a new little one in December.

  Leigh—who had taken an emergency vet call this morning and who had just arrived at the meadow ten minutes ago, was now dressed in an ivory, antique Western-style wedding dress from the 1800s, with a matching, feather-trimmed hat and ivory lace-up boots. The wonder was that she didn’t have a matching stethoscope draped around her neck, but she’d certainly found her perfect mate in Cole, whose new horse ranch was already prospering despite several setbacks. With their mutual interests and the obvious love they shared, Tessa had no doubt that their union would last forever.

  Cole’s young daughter Brianna was dressed like Rylie, in full-length, rose-colored lace bridesmaid dresses that matched those worn by Janna and Leigh, and watching the girls giggle and pirouette in their outfits made Tessa smile.

  “Could there be a more perfect day?” she looked up at Josh and felt as if her heart could burst. “I don’t think I’ve ever been happier. Look—even Claire seems to be enjoying this. Who would’ve guessed?”

  Sure enough, Claire stood with Sofia and Gus at the far edge of the small meadow, near the rocky cliff that would serve as backdrop for the ceremony. And she was smiling…a rare expression that took years from her face.

  When Josh just looked down at Tessa with compassion in his eyes, she knew what he was thinking, and it added a melancholy note to her joy. Claire had been increasingly forgetful lately. The doctor had warned the family that she could become more temperamental as her Alzheimer’s progressed. But though she’d been irritating and demanding all her life, it was ironic that now—with her faculties fading—she was becoming more pleasant than anyone could ever remember.

  Only those changes marked the grim progress of an enemy she couldn’t defeat with her customary, hard-edged determination.

  “Look!” Rylie shouted, po
inting skyward. “Eagles!”

  Three of them circled low overhead, soaring in intertwining circles, riding the thermals in a graceful ballet before finally disappearing over the treetops.

  “That felt like a blessing,” Tessa said, squeezing Josh’s hand. “For all of us.”

  “Did you ever memorize that verse from Isaiah about eagles?”

  She grinned, trying to pull the words together correctly. “But they who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.”

  “Good job!”

  She tilted her head. “It was a favorite, when I was a kid, and I just looked it up this week. I’ve been thinking about my journey lately—I spent so many years angry at God about my pregnancy, and about losing the baby. I guess I wanted to make everything His fault. When really, I should have turned to my faith for strength and healing and comfort.” She looked up at Josh with a rueful smile. “I would’ve been so much better off.”

  “I went through the same thing after Lara died. God was there, offering everything I needed to get through it all, but I turned my back on Him just when I needed him most. The one good thing was that it made me really look at my faith…and now I feel closer to Him than ever. It’s given me a feeling of peace that I can’t begin to describe.”

  The music faded. Then, after a heartbeat of silence, the pure, sweet notes of “Beautiful Savior” echoed through the clearing, sending shivers dancing across her skin—the perfect hymn for this glorious setting.

  The crowd moved toward the chairs that had been set up facing the rocky altar. The pastor took his position in front of them, and behind the small congregation, Cole took Leigh’s hand, ready for their walk down the aisle.

  “I guess we’d better get over there—they can’t start without their wedding party,” Tessa murmured. “Ready?”