by Becky Avella
His shoulders slumped. In the best conditions it would take at least four hours to drive over the mountains to the west side of the state, and he didn’t know which roads the fire crews had closed. He couldn’t afford the time.
“I can’t...”
She held her hands up like she was surrendering. “I don’t mean drive her there—I wouldn’t dream of asking that right now. I just need to get her to Bob Salinger’s place up on the Flats. He’s a friend of my dad’s, and I know he’ll fly her out of here if I can explain things to him. Then Gram can catch a commercial flight out of Sea-Tac to my dad’s base in Yakutat.”
“Alaska?”
“Yeah.”
Arlene was going to put up a massive fight when she heard what Deanna was planning, but he understood Deanna’s motivation. Arlene didn’t need to be here. She would be safer with Deanna’s dad. “I know Bob. I can get you to his place.”
“Once she’s safe. I’m all yours.”
He caught his breath. “Excuse me?”
“You got a crew hired to round up your herd, right?”
Sean nodded. “I do.”
“Admit it, I’m better on a horse than any of them. I could help you.”
“No doubt. But there’s not much they can do now that the fire is so close. We’ll probably be evacuating soon anyway. Wildfire isn’t something to mess around with. Why get close to it if you don’t need to?”
She cocked her head and gave him an annoyed look. “Are you seriously saying helping you save your ranch is more dangerous than what we’ve already been through today?”
“I’d rather see you on that plane with Arlene.”
Deanna lifted her chin. “I’m not leaving town. I’ve got too much invested here to walk away. I can’t leave The Hangar or my airplane or my horse. You know that.”
“A man can hope. So, what else do you need?”
She hung her head and stared at her boots. “I can’t pay...”
“Done. Next?”
Deanna’s face flamed. “I’m only asking for a loan, that’s all. They emptied my purse back at The Hangar.”
Even if she’d wanted to go with Arlene, Sean doubted she could afford it. If only there was a way around her pride to offer her the money. She had no idea how much he wanted to help her. She was doing him a favor, not the other way around.
“It’s no problem, really,” he said. “But that’s only one favor. What else?”
She put a hand on his shoulder. Flashing him a gorgeous grin that made his knees wobble, she asked, “Can we please get you a new shirt?”
FOURTEEN
The Texaco station was the only store open, so Sean filled up the gas tank while Deanna ran inside for some food. She returned carrying beef sticks, Cokes and a brown paper bag.
After distributing the food, she tossed Sean the bag with a grin. Inside it, he found a stiff orange T-shirt. Printed across the front were the words Where in the World Is Kinakane, Washington?
He turned, horrified. “I’m supposed to wear this?”
“I could go back in and get you the hot-pink one instead, if you want.”
“It’s not so bad,” Arlene added, hiding her mouth behind the back of her hand. “You can wear it during Roundup and fit in with the tourists.”
“Thanks, I guess?” he said.
Sean swapped shirts and then steered the old truck up the steep grade to the area the locals called the Flats. The actual town of Kinakane was nestled down in the valley along the river, but many people lived and farmed on this higher elevation. Deanna’s house, Bob Salinger’s place and the airport were all up here on this plateau. It might make sense for their plans that Sean steered them in this direction, but it wasn’t right.
If he kept driving west, he’d eventually reach the Cascade Mountains. He was moving far away from the hospital where he should be sitting in vigil for Jim. And if their progress were plotted on a map, it would show them traveling in the complete opposite direction of Loomis and Callaghan. His stomach twisted. Yes, Sean had promised Jim he wouldn’t go to the hospital, but when he’d made that promise, Jim was expecting him to head home to fight the fire. Instead Sean was still running away, getting farther and farther away from where he needed to be.
Deanna squeezed his knee. “Jim’s going to be okay.”
“I should be with him.”
Sean’s eyes stung. No tears fell, but he turned his face from her just in case. He didn’t want her to think he was crying.
“You shouldn’t beat yourself up. You and Jim? You’re both cut from the same cloth. Hero material. If he were in your shoes and you were the one in that hospital, he’d be doing exactly the same thing that you are. He’d choose to help, too.” Her words were like a balm, soothing. Was she right? Would Jim make the same choices?
Deanna lifted her hand and rested it behind his head. She massaged his neck, easing away some of the tension.
“He’ll understand,” she said and dropped her hand back into her lap. Sean wanted to grab her hand and place it back where it was, to ask her to keep rubbing away his guilt.
He sighed. He’d committed to this; no use playing the “would’ve, could’ve, should’ve” game now. The plan was to go to the airport first and retrieve his truck from the parking lot. They were probably on a fool’s errand. The men after them had been too systematic up to this point—why would they have left his truck untouched? They had to know he and Deanna took off from this airport and that they hadn’t walked to get there. Still, it was worth checking. He didn’t have a lot of faith in this old Ford they were in now. It had been a godsend when they needed it, but Uncle Paul hardly ever used it anymore. Sean couldn’t even remember the last time he’d seen it running. Who knew when it would give out on them?
Plus Sean missed his own rig. With everything else about this insane day being so unpredictable, it would be nice to have a little familiarity. It’d be a lot more comfortable, too. Deanna was stuck in between him and Arlene, straddling the gearshift with her knees practically to her chin. And the shot-out windows, the ripped-up upholstery, the musty smells—it was all getting old. Sean would not be sad to leave behind the old beater.
“Maybe we’ll catch a break for once,” he said.
* * *
The tires of Sean’s truck were slashed, the windows broken and the ignition had been ripped out.
“Looks like you’ve got them scared,” Gram said.
“Oh, is that what this is?” Deanna asked, her tone laced with sarcasm. “Yeah. I’m sure they’re shaking in their boots.”
She kicked one of the flat tires. Sean didn’t deserve this. But what about today had been fair? In her estimation, nothing bad should ever happen to someone as good as him. Then again, nobody was asking her how things should be.
Maybe Gram was onto something, though. Sean had said they were loose ends. After all the fear Deanna had felt, it was strange to consider that maybe their pursuers were as scared as she was. Whether that was true or not, disabling both their vehicles was a practical move. Whoever was after them did not want them skipping town. They wanted Sean and Deanna stuck where they’d be easy to find.
Easy to silence.
Sean’s words from earlier resurfaced. “You can’t testify if you’re dead,” he’d said.
As they drove away from the airport, Deanna tried to lighten the mood. “At least we still have wheels,” she said, reaching forward to rub the truck’s dashboard. “I’d rather have our Beast than be running from these guys on foot.”
The next stop would be Bob Salinger’s place and Deanna still hadn’t told Gram her plans. The sooner Gram was far away from Kinakane, the better, but it really wasn’t fair to spring this on her. Oh, by the way, Gram, you’re leaving for Alaska right now whether you like it or not.
Her shou
lder bumped against Gram’s beside her. Deanna’s throat tightened. She rubbed her fists into her eyes and fought for composure. She had to be tough. Once she told Gram her plans, Gram would fight back. And that would be bad because Gram might actually win. Was she strong enough to send away the one and only person she knew with absolute certainty loved her?
Well, if she wanted that someone to stay alive, she’d better cowgirl up real quick.
Deanna closed her eyes, the loneliness already enveloping her. “Gram. We’ve got to talk...”
* * *
Bob understood the gravity of the situation and agreed to help. If they could only convince Arlene to get on the plane.
“You didn’t even give me a chance to pack a bag!”
To say she was upset by Deanna’s plan would be an understatement. She and Deanna stood toe to toe, hollering up a storm. Sean couldn’t tell who was going to win the argument, but eventually, Arlene threw up her hands and conceded, “You’re all a bunch of bullies, but I know when I’m outnumbered.”
An hour and a half later, she was in the air. As the small plane flew away, it carried a weight off Sean’s shoulders. He now had one less person he was responsible for keeping alive.
Before she left, Arlene had pulled Sean aside. “I’m trusting you with my girl. You’ll protect her?”
Of course that had been an easy promise to make. Would it be an easy promise to keep?
Deanna’s face was turned toward the sky, as if she planned on standing guard until her grandmother returned. “I miss her already.”
“She’ll be back,” Sean said. Deanna had lost so much today. He stepped closer, unsure of how to comfort her. Her blond hair almost glowed in the dark, and those sweet, frowning lips? He couldn’t take his eyes off her mouth. She looked so vulnerable.
He’d be lying to himself if he thought he was really over his feelings for her. It was still evident by the way his stomach fluttered, in the way his chest ached. And this day spent at her side, working together to survive, had only made him feel more connected to her, not less. Sean would be content to stand there staring at her until the sun came up if she’d let him. He was suddenly aware of the fact that they were all alone. No one was shooting at them or chasing them. No one was chaperoning them, either.
Warmth spread through his core, and his chest and stomach contracted. She was lost in thought, unaware of how closely he studied her profile. But he was aware of every detail of her, even the rise and fall of each of her breaths. He was so close to her now. All he would have to do was bend down and let his own lips find hers. He could prove to her that she wasn’t alone. Help her see that Arlene wasn’t the only one who cared.
But he’d made this mistake before. The summer before his junior year in high school. One night after a rodeo in Republic, he’d thought he’d finally won her. There’d been a connection and one perfect kiss behind his horse trailer. A kiss he’d replayed over and over again for years.
The next week in school, she’d pretended like he didn’t exist. By Wednesday, his dad was missing. By Friday, she was dating Austin. They’d hardly spoken to each other since then, leaving him confused and lacking the confidence to ever try again. Now it seemed as if Blake Ransford was trying to move in on her. It could be that history was about to repeat itself.
Deanna rubbed her arms absentmindedly, breaking Sean’s resolve. He pushed aside his doubts and the memories that didn’t deserve his attention. That was high school; this was now. They were adults and she was worth the risk. Reaching for her, he turned her by her shoulders, the heat from their bodies telling him how little distance separated them. Deanna’s eyes searched his, questioning him without words.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“Not at all,” she whispered.
He hesitated for only a second, looking for permission. When she closed her eyes and tilted her head up, he stopped thinking. It didn’t matter if it was the right thing to do anymore. The moment he’d dreamed about since he was seventeen had finally arrived.
Sean leaned forward and kissed his golden girl.
* * *
Deanna’s chest ached from the sweetness of Sean’s kiss. She melted against him, and all the loneliness evaporated. For a moment she forgot about everything except how good it felt to have his strong hand cradling her head, his fingers entwined in her hair and his warm lips brushing hers.
She could feel the intensity he held at bay, handling her as if she were the most precious thing in the world, something he treasured. She should be treating him the same way. This was a mistake.
Her mind screamed at her to stop this, to pull away and talk some sense into him. She knew better than to think she had something to offer a man like Sean long term. It was just a kiss, but Deanna knew Sean was the loyal, committed kind of guy. And she’d hurt him once—she’d do it again.
It was something Deanna had tried to explain to Gram. Before Gram climbed into Bob’s airplane, she had nodded her head toward where Sean and Bob stood making final arrangements for her trip. “He’s a keeper, Deanna. You should hold on tight to that boy.”
“Why? So I can break his heart?”
Gram looked puzzled. “Why would you do that?”
“Because that’s what we do, isn’t it? No one in this family has any staying power.”
“I stuck, didn’t I?” Gram said.
“You’re different. I’m not strong like you. I’m like my parents.”
Deanna’s mom had been only seventeen when she gave birth to Deanna. She’d been working in the canneries, doing any odd job she could find to earn her way out of Alaska and the poverty that held her there. She was close to making her big escape the day Tony Jackson swept into her life and ruined it. Deanna had been only a month old when Mom dumped her off with her father. “I can’t do this,” she’d said and then left.
And Dad? If he had to stick around in Kinakane any longer than two weeks, he started pacing by the front door.
That was the legacy they’d passed on to Deanna. There was plenty of evidence to show she was made from the same stuff, too. She’d been freaked out by her strong feelings for Sean after he kissed her in high school, and then when his dad disappeared, she hadn’t known how to help, so she’d abandoned him when he needed a friend the most. That’s what she did. Whenever life got complicated, she jumped in her airplane and flew away just like her dad always did. Hadn’t she done that very thing to Blake Ransford just this morning?
Gram had cupped Deanna’s cheek. “You haven’t had the best examples to teach you this, honey, but you need to understand that this staying power you’re talking about isn’t inherited. It’s decided.”
“I’d only hurt him.”
“Choose not to, then.” Gram had said it as if it were the easiest thing in the world.
What if it really was that easy? Decide not to hurt him and you won’t? Right now, feeling Sean’s arms wrap around her, she never wanted these kisses to end. She wanted to hold on tight. She wanted to decide to keep him. But she was so afraid.
Deanna pulled back. “What are you doing, Loomis?”
His smile was lazy as he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “It’s not obvious?”
“I’m no good at this,” she said.
“I disagree,” he whispered in her ear and then kissed her cheekbone.
She held him back at arm’s length. “I mean it. I don’t have the best track record when it comes to relationships. You know that better than anyone.”
“I seem to recall some talk about fools earlier today up in your plane,” he said.
“Like fools rush in?” she asked.
“No,” he said. “Like fools play it safe and miss out.”
Deanna rested her forehead against his strong chest and sighed. He was so solid. So good. And she was out of excuses. “Well, th
en, don’t ever say I didn’t warn you.”
FIFTEEN
Back in the Beast, Sean pulled at his new shirt’s too-tight collar. It was made from scratchy, unlaundered material. He looked ridiculous in it, but in the big scope of things, he didn’t mind a beat-up truck and a silly tourist T-shirt. He had Deanna beside him, and they were finally heading in the right direction: home.
His shoulders relaxed. He could breathe easier. There was still plenty to worry about. But the memory of kissing Deanna and the knowledge that she was coming home with him to the ranch gave him peace. He wouldn’t have to guess if she was safe. He would know it.
Now if he could keep his mind on the road and off how much he wanted to kiss her again.
And again.
* * *
A few minutes later he turned the Beast into her driveway and parked in front of the double-wide trailer she shared with Arlene. Deanna would pack a bag and feed and water her horse, Star, for the night, and then they could finally get out of town so he could fulfill his promise to Uncle Paul. He would get there before the flames did.
Sean grinned as he turned off the ignition. Things were turning around. It was about time.
Deanna fiddled with her seat belt and then kissed Sean on the cheek. “This shouldn’t take long,” she said.
But movement outside the truck caught Sean’s eye. His internal radar pricked.
“You expecting someone?” he asked. He squinted into the darkness where the truck’s headlights illuminated a dark figure sitting on the front porch. “Get your gun out.”
Sean went to put the truck in Reverse, but he recognized the man waiting. Blake Ransford stood up to his regal height and set his Stetson on his head. He lifted his hand in a slight wave.
“What’s he doing here?” Sean said through his teeth.
Deanna leaned her head back against the seat. “Oh. I’m pretty sure he’s here for me.”
The heaviness returned to Sean’s shoulders. Maybe things weren’t so settled after all.
* * *
Deanna shut the truck door but kept her hand on the cool metal. She was stalling. Avoiding the hard stuff once again. She’d successfully postponed this conversation with Blake for so long she’d almost forgotten she still had to have it.