by Cindy Stark
A moment later, she was in front of Luke again, his arms around her. Her stomach turned as he took off, and her heart thundered along with the horses' hooves. She wasn't quite sure what they'd find, but from all indications, it wouldn't be good.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Mother of God.
Luke kicked his horse to a faster speed when he realized the lights he saw were the headlights of a car angled skyward, and it looked like a small fire burned in the grass. Someone had rolled a vehicle off the highway. As he drew closer, he could see that the upside down vehicle was a truck, and there was also another SUV off the opposite side of the road in a ditch. He didn't recognize the truck, but the red Bronco belonged to Caroline Delaney.
He galloped to Caroline's vehicle and jumped off his horse before Hades had come to a complete stop. Lily followed him down.
The whole ghastly scene unnerved him. The lights on the vehicles were still blazing, but other than that, it was deathly quiet. Hades whinnied his nervousness.
The scent of gasoline permeated the air, and even an idiot would realize this bad situation could get much worse if that grass fire met the leaking gasoline.
A dog barked from inside Caroline's SUV as he approached. He jerked open the door and found her slumped to the side, her seatbelt the only thing holding her in the driver's seat. The front windshield had been shattered, and she had a stream of blood trailing from a gash on her forehead, over her eye, and down her cheek.
In the backseat was little Emma still buckled in her car seat, staring at him with tear-stained, shocked eyes. Their black Border Collie stood watch next to her, growling at Luke. "It's okay, boy," Luke said to the dog.
"Good God," Lily said as she leaned over his shoulder. "Not Caroline and Emma. Where's the baby?"
Emma's bottom lip started to quiver and fresh tears pooled in her eyes.
"It's okay, sweetie," he said to Emma. "I'll get you out of there." He opened the back door and released the latch on her toddler seat.
"She didn't have the baby with her," he said to Lily as he shoved the frightened little girl into her arms. "Take Emma and call for help. Come on, Boo." The dog jumped from the vehicle. "There's fire and gasoline, and I need to get Caroline to safety."
"What about the driver of the truck?" Lily asked, her words echoing the fear that screamed in his head.
"I don't want you going near that fire. Take Emma, Boo and the horses and walk down to the bend in the road. Sit in the grass by the ditch. I'll get Caroline and then check on the other driver."
He swallowed his panic as he hurried to remove Caroline from her car. Getting her lifeless weight from the vehicle wasn't easy, but adrenaline gave him extra strength. He had no idea how bad she was hurt, but his priority at the moment was getting everyone a safe distance from the fire. He hoped he didn't hurt her worse by moving her, but the whole scene could blow at any moment.
When he reached Lily, he laid Caroline softly in the grass. "She's breathing. See if you can stop her bleeding."
"Luke."
He met Lily's frightened gaze and leaned down to give her a quick kiss on the head. "It's going to be okay." He kissed Emma, too. "I'll be right back."
Fear pumped through him as he hurried back to the truck. The scent of gasoline was much stronger on this side of the road, and Luke eyed the fire that burned a short distance away. It must have started when the vehicle rolled.
Luke dropped to his knees next to the driver's side of the truck. No one was inside. The roof had caved in, and pebbles of glass covered the area. He stood and quickly looked around. A lifeless mass lay ahead on the road. "Fuck."
He rushed over to the body, finding a bloody, gory mess. No sense checking for a pulse. There was no help for that poor soul now.
The scene around him grew suddenly brighter, and the hairs on his arms stiffened in response. The flames had found the gasoline.
He turned and ran like hell.
The sound of Lily screaming his name disappeared into a loud explosion. The percussion of it knocked him to the ground. He skidded across the pavement, the rough asphalt shredding his knees and palms until he rolled.
Then it was quiet.
He struggled to get air into his lungs. Wasn't sure he could move. But he was alive.
Then Lily was there, holding his face in her hands and kissing him. "Oh, thank God." She kissed him again. "Are you okay? Can you sit up?"
Another explosion rocked the ground before he could answer, and Lily screamed in surprise. He pulled her to him, instinctively covering her for protection. A chunk of red metal landed not six feet from them.
Emma's cries blended with the crackling of the fire. None of them were through the crisis yet. There was still the grassfire to worry about. Luckily, they'd had a wet spring and they were upwind from the fire, but the sooner help arrived, the better. He rolled off Lily. "We need to move." His breath came easier now. He helped Lily to a sitting position. The world spun a bit, but not so much that he couldn't stay upright. "You okay?"
"I think so," she answered, her eyes wide. "You?"
"Yeah." He got to his knees, and together, he and Lily stood. He took a couple of steps, pain radiating through his body from the hard landing. Lily picked up his hat, and he pushed it back onto his head.
With Lily's help, they made their way to Emma and her mother. The horses seemed to be tied to a fence post, and Luke was grateful Lily had had the forethought to have done that, or he'd have another worry on his mind.
He dropped to the ground, needing a moment to catch his breath. Lily had removed her outer shirt, and Emma now held it to the gash on her mother's head.
"Good job, Emma." Lily took over as the little girl jumped into Luke's embrace, her outright crying now turning to soft sobs. "She's lost a lot of blood, but her pulse seems strong."
"It's okay, honey. Everything is going to be okay." Luke removed his shirt and handed it to Lily. "Put this over Caroline's torso to help keep her warm. I'm sure her body is in shock."
"I called 9-1-1. What is taking so long?"
Luke snorted. "A drawback to living in the country. The EMTs will have to come from Roosevelt. That's a good fifteen to twenty minutes."
"No." Fear echoed in her tone. "She could—that could be a really bad thing."
"I know." The only thing they could do was pray Caroline held on that long and that the brushfire didn't rage out of control before then.
* * *
It seemed an eternity before Lily could hear sirens in the distance. Luke had called Caroline's husband shortly after the explosion, and he had shown up five minutes later with blankets, flashlights and some medical supplies. She was amazed at the calmness he'd shown while he and Luke had applied a gauze compress to her wound instead of Lily's shirt and had covered Caroline and Emma with warm blankets. Luke had put his t-shirt back on, but Lily couldn't bring herself to don her blood-soaked cotton shirt again.
Caroline's husband took his daughter and held her while he sat next to his wife, his face a mask of worry and anguish waiting for help to arrive.
When the ambulance drew closer, Luke stood, waving to them so they would know where to locate the injured person amongst the scene of devastation. Two fire trucks and a sheriff's SUV followed directly behind, filling the surrounding area with flashing red and blue lights.
Two young EMTs, one male and one female, hurried from the ambulance. Luke and Lily stepped back as the two began to work efficiently checking Caroline's injuries. The illuminated surroundings dimmed as the firefighters fought to extinguish the fires.
"Luke. What the hell happened?"
Lily looked up, surprised to find Milo approaching them outfitted in a deputy sheriff's uniform, his brows knitted together with concern.
Luke stepped across the highway toward him as the EMTs loaded Caroline into the ambulance. "I don't know, Milo. We found Caroline's vehicle in the ditch and the other one overturned. We were able to get Caroline and Emma safely away before they blew. Unfortunat
ely, the other driver…well, there wasn't hope for him." He glanced at Lily and motioned her forward. When she was within reach, he pulled her to his side, wrapping a strong arm around her. She didn't resist the comfort.
She exchanged solemn greetings with Milo as the ambulance pulled away. Caroline's husband and Emma followed in his truck. Luke had insisted on taking care of Boo who now sat panting at Lily's feet.
"They said Caroline's stable." Lily leaned into the safety Luke offered as the emergency vehicle faded into the distance.
"Glad to hear that." Milo removed a small notepad from his pocket. "I couldn't believe it when the call came through. That whole family has been through a lot lately."
"Yeah." Luke sounded hollow, tired. "Let's hope she doesn't have internal injuries. Thank God, Emma didn't get hurt."
"I know." Lily wondered if the little girl would ever recover from the horrific experience. "I'm worried about Caroline." She couldn't believe this was all for real. Lily put a hand over her mouth as a violent tremble started deep inside her and radiated outward. She inhaled a shaky breath as the magnitude of what they'd just been through overtook her.
Luke finished giving Milo the rest of the details from their encounter. When he finished, a hush filled the void.
"She would have died if you hadn't gotten her out, Luke." Lily's voice hitched on the last word. "You almost died saving her."
Luke folded her in his arms and held her tightly against him. She buried her face in his chest. He was strong and solid and exactly what she needed at that moment.
"Man, you're a mess." Milo's flashlight flickered across them. "I think you might need medical attention yourself, Luke. You're bleeding."
Lily let go, trying to assess Luke's injuries, but he shooed her away. "I'm fine. I just need to get home and clean up."
Another violent shiver rolled through her.
"You're cold," Luke said, and pulled her to him. "I need to get her home, Milo."
"Sure. I think I have what I need from you for now. I'll call if I require anything else. Why don't you let me take their dog, too? You have enough to deal with, and he likes me."
Luke agreed, and Milo headed back toward his vehicle with the black dog following along behind.
Luke hugged her. "If you'd like, I can ask Milo if he'll give you a lift back to the cabin. It's chilly out, and you've been through an ordeal tonight."
"No." She shook her head. "I want to ride back with you. I need the time to collect myself."
"Okay, but you're on Hades with me. I'm sure the horses are super-spooked right now, and I'm not going to take a chance that Charlee might try to throw you."
That was more than fine with Lily. Being tucked safely against Luke was exactly what she wanted at that moment. She let him help her onto Hades's back and sighed when he climbed up behind her. She leaned into him as he spurred the horse forward, Charlee following along a few paces behind.
They rode the distance in silence, Lily lost in her reflections of the tragic night. When they arrived back at the barn, Luke insisted Lily wait in his truck with the engine running so she could get warm while he took care of the horses.
Lily curled into herself and huddled against the leather seat while she waited. She'd seen both sides of life tonight. The fragile side, where one mistake could force a soul from this earth whether a person was ready to go or not. And the strong side, where a man would risk his life for a neighbor and where a mother would fight the odds to stick around for her family.
Life was precious. She didn't know how many days she had left on earth, and look how much time she'd wasted being angry with Ethan and her sister. She was done with that. Done with them. This was her life, and she wasn't wasting it on worthless people any longer.
The driver's side door opened, startling her from her thoughts.
"You okay?" Luke asked as he climbed inside.
"Yeah. You?" This had been a much more traumatic experience for him.
He scrubbed his face and nodded. "Hell of a night. If you'd like, I can drive you straight home, and my dad and I will get your car to you tomorrow."
She shook her head. "I'm okay to drive."
It took them less than three minutes to travel the distance between the barn and the cabin where her car was still parked. Life had turned in a whole different direction since the time she'd exited her car earlier that day. It seemed like weeks had passed.
They arrived, and he shut off the truck, sending their world back into darkness. Like the true gentleman he was, he insisted on opening the door for her. She stepped down to the pavement below.
The world was entirely peaceful as he walked her to her car. She hesitated next to the driver's side, not wanting to dig the keys out of her pocket. "Are you headed home, too?"
He held up his hands. "I'm going to clean up first, and maybe chill here for the night. I don't really feel like a drive across town at the moment." He paused, as though waiting for her to speak. "Would you like to come in?"
"Could I?" She heaved a sigh of relief. "I don't feel like being alone at the moment. Hannah's gone for the night, and I could use someone to talk to."
"Absolutely. I'd love the company, too." He wrapped an arm around her and led her to the house.
CHAPTER NINE
Luke flipped on the lights as they walked inside the cabin. A golden glow fell from the rustic chandelier and bounced off the warm log walls. Lily was greeted again by the smell of a freshly-cleaned home, and the interior beamed with old-fashioned comfort and cheerfulness. Luke held up his hands, giving Lily her first glimpse of the damage he'd sustained from the blast. "I should probably clean these."
"Luke. Oh, my God." She took his hands and inspected them. "Why didn't you say something?"
He tried to steal them back. "I'm okay."
"No, you're not." The fleshy part of both palms was raw and red. Bits of dirt and tiny pieces of gravel were imbedded in them. She narrowed her eyes. "You do need medical attention."
"I'm fine." He pulled away and headed into an adjoining room. Lily followed him into the large, state-of-the-art kitchen. He walked to the sink and turned on the faucet, jerking his hand back as the water touched raw skin. "Son of a bitch."
Lily grasped his arm, putting her weight behind her grip to hold him in place. "You have to wash them clean, or they'll get infected. I know it stings. Give me your hand and don't look."
He eyed her. "I don't need you to wash my hands for me. I'm a big boy."
She shifted her weight onto one hip. "It's not going to kill you to let me help you. Besides, I could really use something to do right now."
One side of his mouth turned up in a grin, and she knew she'd won. "I'm gonna curse."
"Doesn't bother me."
She adjusted the temperature until it felt neutral to her wrist before she lifted his palm and ran it under the water. Sure enough, he let go a string of curses. She squirted a dab of soap in her hand and gently rubbed it over his raw flesh. Rough bits of rock broke free, and she rinsed it again beneath the faucet.
She frowned when she spied a larger piece of gravel imbedded at the base of his palm. "This might hurt."
He inspected his hand. "Damn." He nodded. "Do your worst."
"I'm sorry." She apologized in advance before she squeezed his flesh together and then slipped her nail along the edge of the tiny rock and scraped. The invader popped free, and the vacant hole filled with blood. "It's out, but I think I should make it bleed a little more to clean it out good." She squeezed until a large bead of blood overflowed the hole. Then she rinsed it again.
She grabbed a paper towel and patted his hand dry. "Next?"
He switched hands, and she was happy to see this palm was not as bad as the first, with only a few minor abrasions. She was able to quickly wash and dry it. "Better?" she asked and glanced up.
"Thank you." He stared at her for an endless moment. Jolts of energy snapped between them, but he didn't move. She wanted to reach out and erase a smudge of dirt from
his cheek, but she didn't dare.
"Do you have a band-aid?"
"I don't need a bandage. I need a beer." He turned and walked around the other side of the island counter to the fridge, putting emotional and physical distance between them. "Want one?"
"Sure." She sighed. "I could use a drink after this day."
He popped off two caps and carried their bottles into a corner of the great room. He flicked a couple of switches, turning down the lights in the house and turning on a massive gas fireplace.
She took a beer and sank down on the rug in front of the fire, letting the heat from the dancing flames warm her. "What? No real logs?"
He dropped onto a comfy-looking sage-green couch near her, setting his hat on the table next to him. She longed to touch his face, to ease his weariness, but that would lead to some serious complications that she wasn't sure she was prepared to deal with.
"I prefer a real fire, but with guests in and out, this is safer and cleaner." He took a long swallow and sank farther down on the couch, stretching his legs out in front of him. "Still cold?"
"A little. I probably should have kept my shirt, but it had so much blood on it."
He nodded. "I still can't believe what happened. I sure as hell hope Caroline is okay. She's got a husband and two little kids counting on her."
"I know." She took a drink, the cool liquid soothing her tight throat. She hadn't realized she'd been so thirsty.
"I could come down there and warm you up, but that might not be such a good idea. Would you like me to get you a blanket?"
Her blood heated at his suggestion. "I'm okay. The fire feels good." She shivered under his scrutiny, her nipples tingling as they tightened. The sexual tension in the room increased tenfold, messing with her resolution to keep things friendly between them. She dropped her gaze from his, looking at the carpet, his boots, his jeans.
She sat up straight. "Luke? Your pants are shredded at the knees."
"I know. I was there when it happened."