by T. J. Kline
“What in the hell do you think you’re doing? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Dirt smudged her cheeks and he could see blood drying against her temple. “What the hell happened?” He reached a gloved hand toward her before yanking it off and reaching for her again. “You’re bleeding.”
“I’m fine.” She gripped the front of his jacket. “Why did you go in there? You know what Cana is capable of, what he could have done to you.”
“I had to or we wouldn’t have gotten the fire out. It would have killed him.”
She shoved against the front of him, causing a spiral of pain to radiate from his shoulder to his chest. “Better him than you!” She turned away from him, walking a few steps.
“Emma? Look at me.”
When she turned back to face him, Ben could see the tears in her eyes, streaks cutting through the dirt on her cheeks, breaking his heart. She swiped at her face, smudging the dirt even more.
“You could have been killed.”
“But I wasn’t.”
“You risked your life to save my ranch, to save my animals.”
Ben shrugged and winced as pain cut through his arm. Her gaze landed on his shoulder where Cana had managed to bite through the turnout coat. Blood seeped through the jacket but most of the brunt had been taken by the SCBA harness.
“You need to have the EMTs look at that.”
“Later.” Ben couldn’t believe she’d put herself between him and the wolf. She could have been killed. Winding his arm around her waist, Ben pulled her close, dropping his mouth to hers. Emma smelled like wood smoke and earth. She tasted like sweet honey but she felt like heaven.
“Let me go. I didn’t do anything.”
Brandon struggled against the handcuffs in the backseat of Andrew’s patrol car. She’d already given her statement to Andrew so they knew Brandon had confessed to her but Emma didn’t have the self-control to approach him, she couldn’t even look at the man. She’d never been so disillusioned in her life. She’d trusted him, counted him a confidante, more than she ever had Jake. Where she and Jake had argued over the future of the ranch, Brandon had been a friend, a shoulder to cry on, a voice of reason when she’d felt like no one would listen. Now she knew it was all a ruse, a way for him to gain information to use against her.
She saw Jake approaching the back of the ambulance where she sat with Ben. Jake had been the one to get the animals off-site, or sedate those who had to stay, including Cana, until they could clean up the mess left behind by his brother’s actions.
“Emma? Do you think we could talk for a minute?” Jake hung his head sheepishly, glancing up only briefly.
She looked at Ben. “I’ll be right back, okay?”
He glared at Jake and even she didn’t miss the warning note there. “Don’t trust him,” he muttered.
Emma squeezed his hand as she rose from where they sat at the back of the truck and followed Jake a few feet away. She’d barely approached when he held up a hand.
“Emma, I’m sorry. I didn’t have any clue what Brandon was doing.”
When he met her gaze, she could see the wetness in his eyes and felt her heart constrict. She might not agree with Jake’s methods but he cared about these animals, almost as much as she did, but she also couldn’t forget that night at the bar. She wasn’t sure how to respond so she waited for him to say more.
Jake shook his head. “I just can’t believe he thought he was doing this for me. That he thought this would help anything.”
“How did you know to come here?”
“I didn’t. Not really.” He shoved his fists into his pockets. “He sent me this cryptic text that it was finally our time and that I should come say goodbye to Conrad. I was still pissed about being fired but I would have never let this happen if I’d known what he was planning. I had no clue he’d go this far.”
Emma had to respect the fact that he didn’t look away even when he admitted his anger over being dismissed. “Are you sure it hasn’t been him all along?”
“You mean, Brandon spray-painting the entrance?”
She raised her brows in silent answer.
“I . . . I don’t know anymore. I never would have believed it but now . . .” He shook his head, looking at his feet again. “I’m just glad nothing worse happened. The fire is out and I don’t think we’ve lost any animals.”
“I lost half of my alfalfa crop. Winger is loose somewhere. People were hurt; anyone could have died. Most of these animals are going to be agitated for weeks. My ranch could have burned to the ground.”
“I know.” She could see the remorse in his eyes, the guilt he felt. “I came as soon as I got his text.”
“But you saved it. If it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t have known about the sprinkler system. Everything would be gone,” she admitted. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. My jealousy over you running Sierra Tracks is likely the reason any of this happened.” Jake shook his head. “If I’d just—”
“Brandon is responsible for his own decisions.” She looked back at his brother in the patrol car, still yelling about his innocence. “Unless you encouraged it.”
“I didn’t,” he insisted.
“Then don’t take his crimes on your shoulders.”
“But, I—”
“Jake, stop. You have your own faults.” She twisted her mouth to one side, thoughtfully. “Look, you might be an opinionated, judgmental ass but I had a hard time believing you’d put animals in danger the way Kit was.”
Jake frowned. “Thanks a lot.”
She let her lips curve into a ghost of a grin. “Oh, come on. We’ve had plenty of differences of opinion on how this place should be run.”
Emma looked around her at the trees in the darkness, charred and bare from twenty feet up, reaching into the sky, like the skeletal fingers of so many corpses. How was she ever going to come back from this? While the buildings still stood like brick sentinels, the landscaping was destroyed, both from fire, water and being trampled or driven over. Fencing was cut in order to allow the firefighters quick access but would need repairs and she knew there were bound to be animals that were traumatized by what had happened, far beyond what she could treat.
But they’d survived. She ran a hand through her tangled hair, brushing back the strands that had fallen into her face.
“Emma, how can I help?” Jake asked, as if he could read the direction of her morose thoughts.
“I don’t know that you can. I hate to say it but I think your brother managed to achieve his goal.”
As the sun rose, Ben watched Emma as she urged Winger back into her mew. The bird circled several times, looking for her customary place to land and finally settled on the edge of one of the artificial perches over her usual tree branches.
“I’m just glad she stuck around,” Emma muttered. Ben knew she was talking to herself but he nodded anyway. Emma picked up several feathers that fell off the raptor as she flew across the mew. “I have no idea how I’m going to convince her to hunt now. She’s terrified.”
Ben had no idea how she could tell but saw no reason to doubt her. “Emma, you need to get a few hours’ sleep. Everyone is fed and safe, at least for now.”
Several enclosures had been too damaged to release the animals back inside and the occupants had either been moved to another location on the premises or transported to a new facility temporarily.
She closed the door behind her, glancing back at the bird one last time. “I need to check on Cana.”
“Okay, I’ll go with you,” Ben offered.
“No. He’s had a rough night and you might just stir him up.” She couldn’t hide her disappointment. “He was doing so well too. I’m not even back to square one with him. I’m thrown back fifty.”
“We’ll work through it.” He slid his hands to her shoulders, massaging the tension from the muscles bunched there.
“We?” Emma glanced back at him, turning to face him and letting her hands fall on his for
earms as he reached for her waist, pulling her closer.
“Yeah, we. You don’t think I’d let that beast take a bite out of me and run, do you?”
“Ben,” she began, taking a deep breath.
“Don’t Emma,” he warned. “Don’t even try to push me away again.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, tucking her head under his chin. She wound her arms around him, leaning into his chest, pressing her cheek against his heart. He inhaled the scent of her, the smell of smoke still lingering in her mussed hair and realized again how lucky he was that she hadn’t been hurt. Ben felt her smile just before she leaned backward, looking up at him.
“Push you away? I don’t think so.” Her eyes were bright and suspiciously damp. “I finally asked for help and you showed up. Not only did you take on the danger of your job but you took on mine too without even thinking twice.” She reached up, cupping his jaw with her hand. “You’re either the most hardheaded man I’ve ever met, or I’ve finally met someone even crazier than I am.”
“Crazy?” Ben smiled down at her. “Don’t you mean brave, daring and practically superhuman?”
Emma laughed, the sound making his pulse race and his exhausted body feel thirty pounds lighter. “No, I’m pretty sure I meant crazy.”
Before she could say any more, Ben dipped his head, capturing her mouth with his. The smoke they’d both inhaled was on her breath but he could still taste Emma—sweet, honeyed, fiery, tempestuous Emma. His tongue danced with hers in familiar intimacy and he groaned at the desire that instantly ignited. Her hands slid up his chest and her fingers curled around the nape of his neck as she sighed. Emma whimpered in protest as he withdrew and pressed his forehead against hers.
“You need to get some rest. It’s been a long day.”
“It has,” she agreed, lifting her gaze to his. “But rest isn’t what I’m thinking about.”
“No?”
She shook her head, still keeping their foreheads touching. “I’ve finally found someone who understands my need for adrenaline and wants the same, someone who feels as passionately about protecting those who can’t protect themselves and is willing to risk everything to help.” She brushed her lips over his. “I want you to stay. Not just for tonight. I want to fall asleep in your arms and wake with you, Ben McQuaid.”
“Are you saying you want to toss out the rulebook for good?”
She wrinkled her nose and gave him a guilty grin. “We probably should. I mean I broke one of the rules.”
Ben felt his chest constrict as he went down the list they’d come up with—no calling it dating, no ties, no one else . . . Damn. Please don’t let it be that one. Ben closed his eyes, waiting for her to tell him which it was.
“I promised never to lie to you and I did.”
Ben’s eyes opened, meeting her gaze, even as he prayed it wasn’t true.
“I love you, Ben. I think I have almost from the start but I just didn’t want to believe it was possible because I was too afraid to let myself trust someone else to understand me or my passion.”
Ben wound his fingers into her hair. “Are you saying I wore you down?”
She nodded, her smile beaming, her eyes alight with every bit of the emotion she professed. “But I’m glad you did.” She stood on her toes, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Now, let’s go take a shower because we both smell like smoke.”
“Umm,” he murmured against her lips. “Can I wash your back?”
“And everything else.”
He grew hard just thinking about holding her as the water washed over them. They were both bone weary but he just wanted to hold her, tonight, tomorrow and forever. She reached for his hand, dragging him toward the house. “I’m feeling a little dirty.”
He pulled her to a stop with him. He wanted to tell her, to make sure she knew exactly how much he loved her, but he wanted it to be special the first time he said it and his mind immediately went to work planning out his move. In the meantime, he didn’t plan on leaving any doubt in her mind exactly how he felt. For now, he’d have to settle for showing her how much he loved her, starting with their shower.
“Well, I think I can take care of all your needs, ma’am.”
“Can you wear the sexy turnout coat, too?” She shot him a wicked smile and a wink. “Because I’ve got a fire I need you to put out.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Emma stared at the Grand Opening banner stretched across the front of the sanctuary gate. As the parking in front of her house filled up with visitors, she glanced over at Ben, standing to one side with Andrew, Sadie and Monique, all wearing their polo shirts, waiting for their assigned groups before taking the visitors around on the tour.
“Ready whenever you are.” Jake’s voice crackled over the radio but even the static couldn’t mask the excitement in his voice for this, the first of many tours of the newly renovated Sierra Tracks Animal Sanctuary. He may not have wanted them in the beginning but he and Emma had come to a mutual understanding about the purpose of tours which would focus on the preservation of the animals, not objects trained to perform for a profit.
She’d debated for several weeks about whether or not to bring Jake back on staff but, in the end, she’d agreed with Ben and Andrew’s assessments that Brandon had acted alone in trying to sabotage her. Jake had worked hard over the past two months to clear her name in Hidden Falls, even going as far as to recruit several donors for landscaping and rebuilding the areas that had been destroyed by the fire. While he and Emma still didn’t always agree on what was best, she realized he kept her focused on the big picture and would help her achieve the vision she had for Sierra Tracks. He’d become her indispensable right hand and she’d officially titled him the assistant director.
“Welcome to Sierra Tracks. I’m Emma and I’m going to introduce you to our trainers, Sadie and Monique, as well as my volunteers, Ben and Andrew. Everyone will get a colored card and that will indicate which group you’ll be with.” She passed out the cards to the large crowd, excitement welling in her chest. This was the first group to see the improvements since the fire.
After dividing the groups and sending them on their way, Emma followed Ben’s group to the cage where Kit romped playfully for a moment before sprawling out over a log. Davis had done his job and taught Kit to be a bobcat again before Emma had released Davis back to the foothills last month, completely healed of his foot injury.
“What you’ll see here is a young bobcat that was rescued from a tree a few months ago,” Ben informed the group. “In fact, I was the one who climbed the tree to rescue him.”
There were a few appreciative sighs from the ladies in the group. Emma couldn’t help but smile at the memory of Ben showing up at her door with Kit in a box, or how sexy he’d looked at the time. So far, over the past few months of their relationship, little had changed. She still found him as sexy as ever, but now she saw those muscles up close, ran her hands over them as they made love each and every night. However, now she knew there was far more to him than just sex appeal. He was gentle and tender yet determined and just as stubborn as she was when he wanted to be. He’d shown her that he loved her in so many ways, each and every day, but he still hadn’t said the words.
At first, she’d assumed he hadn’t because he didn’t want to pressure her. As more time passed, she wondered at his reasons. She saw the emotion in his eyes, knew about his past with his ex-girlfriends, including the one who had stolen most of his belongings and his car, but she also knew what they shared was different, and went so much deeper than anything either of them had ever had before with anyone else. She and Ben understood and appreciated every part of the other, their hopes, dreams, fears and goals. They had literally risked their lives for one another and would do it again without hesitation. They were equals.
Whispers began to sound around her and tugged her from her thoughts. She glanced around, realizing that the other three groups had come closer, circling behind their group of visitors.
Ben reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box, flipping the lid open to reveal a simple diamond solitaire, glinting in the rays of the morning sunlight, dazzling her as her eyes blurred. “What is this?”
He smiled and shot a look at Andrew who gave him a thumbs-up sign in return. “My brother knew before I did what would happen and I hate to admit it, but he was right. I’ve fallen for you Emma Jordan and I want it to be official. Marry me? Not because you need me to rescue you, but because you’ve rescued me.”
Unable to speak, she lifted her hand to cover her mouth. Ben dropped to one knee, still holding her hand. “Say yes.”
Emma couldn’t help the sudden anxiety that rose up in her. How had she gone from never wanting a relationship, never letting anyone close, to loving one man so completely. Several women in the groups began to shout out their input.
“Say yes!”
“What are you waiting for?”
Emma looked down at Ben, eager to say the one word he needed to hear. “On one condition.”
“Anything.”
“I’m your last fiancée.”
“As long as you don’t pawn my stuff, I think I can promise that.” Ben gave her a guilty grin.
“Just put him out of his misery already, Emma,” Andrew shouted from one side.
“I’ll clean as many pens as you want if you just say yes,” Ben teased, his eyes dark and liquid, tender and expressive, giving her a glimpse into the deep wellspring of his heart.
“I love you, Ben.” She bent down and cupped her free hand against his cheek, letting her hair fall to block them from the view of everyone else. “Yes,” she whispered against his lips.