by Kim Redford
“Speak for yourself.” Ken pointed at Jack, laughing. “Digital will be here forever.”
“Till something better comes along,” Nathan called over his shoulder as he stepped outside.
“Maybe I’ll invent it!” Ken ran out the door.
“It’s good to have some young blood around here,” Jack said. “Keeps us from tottering off into our memories and going stale.”
“I’m thinking your blood is young forever.”
“You never know.” He chuckled, adjusting his two long, silver plaits. “Stranger things have happened.” He walked over to the front door, paused, and looked back. “I’ll take over later. For now, you better get that nap before you’re accused of having old blood.”
“Hah!” She wadded up a piece of paper and threw it at him.
He batted it aside, laughing, then shut the door behind him.
She took a deep breath, feeling very grateful. How had she gotten so lucky to have so many true friends? Maybe it wasn’t her. Maybe it was Wildcat Bluff County. And her family’s legacy.
Still, Jack was right. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on the past. She had too much to do and too many depending on her. When she’d thought about returning to Wildcat Bluff, the last thing on her mind had been helping others, planning with others, creating a community. She’d expected to hole up in her uncle’s home while she led a solitary heal-my-wounds kind of life until she was strong enough to get back on her feet.
She stood up, smiling at her innocence. From the first moment she’d set foot back in the county, she’d been thrust into a raging river. She wasn’t nearly out of the rapids yet, and maybe she never would land on a quiet shore. For the moment, she couldn’t even imagine such a life. Wildcat Bluff had become the welcome center of her universe.
She picked up her purse, stepped outside, and closed the door behind her. She started toward Uncle Clem’s home—no, her home now—and stopped, turning toward the gazebo.
With spring in the air, she wanted to be outside a moment, so she took the path that wound between wildflowers and flowers gone wild. Rich colors filled her sight. The willow was clothed in bright green, with silky fronds undulating gently in a soft breeze.
She stepped into the cool interior of the gazebo, inhaled the sharp scent of medicinal water, and walked over to the basin. She ran her fingers under the stream of water, wondering how she could let this special place go now that she’d reconnected with it. Yet, in her time back in Wildcat Bluff, she’d learned that the present was more important than the past. She’d wanted to keep this place in stasis, never changing, never evolving, never moving, just like her uncle’s home. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe she should let go. Maybe it was time to get on with life.
She closed her fingers as if to hold the water in her hand, but it kept slipping through her fingers and rejoining the constantly moving flow that slid outside and back into the earth. She relaxed her hand, letting go, and felt freed herself to move forward, taking the best of the past with her into the unknown future. Now she could give Shane the gift of water, just as he had so freely given her the gift of love. And she would still find a way to save KWCB’s legacy.
With a soft stroke on the side of the basin and a look around at the beautifully designed interior built by artistic hands, she said goodbye and walked outside. Jack was definitely right—she wasn’t leaving the past as much as taking it with her. She’d always have the memories of the wonderful times.
She didn’t look back as she quickly walked to what had been her uncle’s house but was now her very own home. She stepped inside and glanced around the interior. Every single piece of furniture, every single book, every single plate had been picked by him and used by him. She felt comforted here. At peace here. At home here.
Yet she realized that this feeling of being at home wasn’t just in her uncle’s refurbished Quonset hut. She was at home in Wildcat Bluff County, with people she loved who loved her in return.
She set her purse down on her uncle’s table, walked across her uncle’s living room, and sat down on her uncle’s bed.
And then she smiled, lying down on the bedspread of her bed in her home.
Chapter 28
Eden jerked awake, feeling disoriented and confused for a moment as she glanced around. Everything appeared the same, except the shadows outside were longer. She remembered a sound—something loud and discordant enough to penetrate her deep sleep. She ought to be up and alert anyway, so she could take over the late shift from Rae Dell.
She tossed back the warm throw and put her feet on the floor, still completely dressed in jeans, shirt, and boots. She felt messy and groggy, but also uneasy. Had she left all the doors unlocked again? She just couldn’t get used to locking up here, although she should practice better safety with Graham on the prowl.
Maybe Jack, Ken, and Nathan had returned to the station and slammed the doors after Nathan parked his truck in front. If so, she’d better go see what they’d found in town. She hoped they’d located great material.
She opened the front door. No, she hadn’t locked it, but it didn’t seem to matter now. No vehicles were parked outside the Den, so maybe they’d already come and gone. She’d probably heard doors slamming shut before they left. If they hadn’t wanted to disturb her, they would’ve left photos on the desk in reception. She was anxious to see if they’d uncovered something helpful.
As she started to step outside, she remembered her phone. She wasn’t used to being without it, particularly since her LA contacts had only her cell number to reach her. She went back to her purse, pulled out her cell, and slipped it into a front pocket. All set to go, she shut the door behind her.
Feeling good after her nap and earlier decisions, she playfully set the swing to gyrating before she stepped off the deck and headed toward the Wildcat Den. She delighted in the fresh spring air, a mockingbird’s elaborate song, and the sheer pleasure of knowing she was in the right place at the right time in her life.
As she neared the station’s front door, she caught a whiff of smoke, but it was so faint she figured ranchers might be enjoying an early evening blaze in their fireplaces or maybe the smell came from the residue of their recent brush fire. In any case, she really didn’t want to think about fires, controlled or uncontrolled, so she thrust aside even the idea of an acrid scent.
She took the few steps up to the entry, opened the door, walked inside, and checked the desk. No photographs. She glanced around the room. Everything appeared as she’d left it. What had awakened her? Not Jack, Ken, and Nathan. She shrugged, deciding it didn’t really matter. She’d just go back, fix something for dinner, and invite Shane to her home—now that it seemed like home—before she went to work.
She’d turned to go outside when she caught a whiff of smoke again. She froze in place, feeling her blood run cold as she sniffed the air. Yes, she definitely smelled smoke. And it was inside, not outside.
She glanced back around reception but saw nothing suspicious. She focused on the closed door to the sound studio. Shane had warned her about a possible fire hazard in there. Maybe he’d been right. Maybe not. But she was taking no chances. She leaned across the desk, grabbed the black phone’s handset, and dialed 911. Nothing. She tried again. Still nothing. She listened for a dial tone. Nothing. Maybe there was a fire and it had already destroyed the phone line. She dropped the useless receiver on the desk.
As she paced back to the open door, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and hit speed dial.
“Miss me already?” Shane answered in a deep voice.
“I think there’s a fire in the Den.”
“What!”
“I smell smoke. If there’s a fire, it must be in the studio because I’m in reception and it’s not here.”
“Get out of there!”
“No. I’m not about to lose KWCB.”
“That place is a tinderbox. If
it goes up, it’ll go fast and furious.”
“I remember enough from our classes to know I don’t want extra oxygen in here.” She slammed the front door tightly shut.
“You’re not going to leave, are you?”
“Right now, I’m the only one here to stop the fire.”
“I’m on my way. Please don’t—”
“There’s a good chance I can control the blaze in time.”
“Okay, Eden, I know you’re going in there,” he said in a resigned voice. “I want you to be safe, so listen to me.”
“I’m listening.”
“First, feel the doorknob. If it’s hot, wait for the firefighters. If it’s not, then you can cautiously enter.”
She walked across the floor and clasped the knob. “It’s not hot.”
“Do you have gloves?”
“No.”
“I’ve got some in my truck,” he said. “Do you have canisters?”
“Yes. I bought two class C fire extinguishers. I thought dry chemicals would be best in the studio.”
“Good. I’ve got a couple of cans in the truck,” he said to the sound of a pickup door shutting. “I’ll call Hedy on my way down.”
“Thanks.”
“Are you still determined to go in there?”
“Yes. If I can save KWCB, I must try.”
“Will you go in the bathroom and wet a towel to cover your nose, so you don’t breathe the fumes?”
“I’m going there now.” She ran into the bath, grabbed a hand towel, held it under the faucet until it was dripping wet, and ran back to the studio door.
“I wish you’d wait for me. I’ll be there in a moment.”
“Can’t do it, but I’ll be careful.”
“You better be.”
Now or never. She slipped her phone into her pocket, placed the wet towel over her nose, and slowly opened the door a crack. She caught the acrid scent of an electrical fire, but she didn’t see a roaring blaze bearing down on her. She cautiously opened the door wider and flipped on the inside lights.
She couldn’t see flames, but the room was rapidly filling with smoke. She had to do something fast. Fortunately, she had the chemical fire extinguishers. She didn’t want water anywhere near her equipment—she didn’t intend to forfeit anything to a fire.
She edged into the room, searching for the source of the blaze. She quickly decided that her best bet was to get the cans and go straight to the tangle of wires behind the board, since that was the most likely origin.
But she couldn’t locate the extinguishers. They weren’t where she’d left them. Somebody must have moved them out of the way, because she’d kept them near the board. She glanced around but still didn’t see them. She looked up and gasped in shock. A line of fire was licking up the wall toward The Highwaymen poster—talk about bad mojo if it got charred to a cinder.
Now she was having trouble seeing, so she dropped to her knees for clearer air and bumped into the two cans under the board. She couldn’t imagine who’d put the canisters in such an inaccessible place, on top of them being in the way of sitting down. But she’d found them. Now to remember how she’d been trained to use them. PASS came to mind, as in Pull the pin, Aim the hose, Squeeze the lever, and Sweep the hose.
First things first. She dragged a canister out from under the board with one hand while holding the towel over her nose with the other. She pulled the pin, aimed, squeezed, and caught the blaze full blast before it could reach The Highwaymen. Good mojo.
She got down on her knees again, dropped the towel because she needed both hands, and squeezed under the board. She coughed, trying to clear her throat as she felt the heat, heard the sizzle, smelled burning electrical wires, and inhaled toxic smoke. She dropped flat on her stomach and swept the hose back and forth, coating everything in sight, slowing the fire but not putting it out. She thrust the empty can out from under the board and grabbed for the other one. She missed it, but she felt something sharp and metal under her fingers. A key. What was it doing here? Didn’t matter. She thrust it into her pocket, then grabbed the other canister.
She pulled the pin and started another sweep, sweating from the heat, coughing from the fumes and smoke that were irritating her throat. Still, she kept coating the wires until she began to feel light-headed and black spots swam before her eyes. But she wouldn’t stop, not until she’d used up every bit of chemical in the extinguisher.
“Eden!” Shane called as he set down two canisters, grabbed her legs, and tugged her out from under the board. “Let me take over. I’ve got fresh cans.”
She tried to respond, but nothing could get past her swollen throat. She started to stand up, but she felt woozy and couldn’t quite make it.
“You’re scaring me.” Shane picked her up, carried her through reception, and eased her down on the top step outside. “Slade and Craig are on their way.”
She already felt better in the fresh air, so she glanced up, noting he’d pulled on his firefighter gear for safety. She squeezed his hand, then pointed back into the station.
“Are you okay? I won’t leave you if—”
“Go,” she whispered, wishing she could put more emphasis on the word, but she could tell he got her meaning clearly enough.
“Okay. Stay here.” He ran back inside.
She sat on the top step, taking deep breaths to purify her lungs while wanting to be with him, finishing off the blaze. Fortunately, she’d bought the fire extinguishers and had them handy, or the outcome would have been vastly different. She coughed, trying to clear her lungs as she kept inhaling clean air.
She heard the booster’s siren wailing out on Wildcat Road before the rig barreled between the white fences and came to an abrupt stop in front of her. Slade leaped down, grabbed a canister, and ran past her into the station. Craig hurried over carrying an EMT field kit.
She shook her head, indicating she didn’t need it, and pointed at the station. “I’m okay. Help inside.”
“Slade’s got the fire covered. You’re my priority.” He checked her pulse and blood pressure while looking into her eyes. “Your numbers are okay. Any chest pain? Difficulty breathing or swallowing?”
“Water, please.”
He pulled a bottle of water out of his kit, cracked the top, and handed it to her.
She took a long swallow, letting it slide down her throat to wash away the chemical taste and ease the constriction.
“Better now?” He knelt, watching her closely.
“Much better.” She took a deep breath and another swallow of water.
“Oxygen?”
“I don’t think so. My throat—”
“It’ll probably be scratchy for a bit, but it should heal with no problem. You might want to stop by the clinic for a second opinion.”
“I’m fine.” And she did feel much better as she sipped water.
“I can take her to the clinic,” Shane said as he came out the front door followed by Slade.
“Really, I’m okay. Hoarse is all.” She smiled up at them. “Thank you all so much.”
“You had the blaze well under control by the time I got here, so we just finished it off.” Shane squeezed her shoulder.
“Did we save everything?”
“You’ve got a big wiring problem, but I imagine it’s fixable,” Shane said, getting a nod from Slade in agreement.
“That’s wonderful news. Well, not about the wiring, but about everything else.” She felt a vast sense of relief that they could still broadcast, at least once repairs were made in the studio.
Slade walked back to the rig and set his extinguisher inside before he came back. “Odd fire.”
“Yeah,” Shane replied. “I hate to say it, but…”
“Right.” Slade looked down at Eden. “We’ll want to do some tests before you clean up, but I suspect ar
son.”
“Arson!” She jumped to her feet, felt dizzy, and leaned into Shane.
“Careful.” He put an arm around her waist to steady her.
“But that’s impossible,” she insisted. “Somebody is there most of the time and we lock up at night.”
“Was it locked this afternoon?” Shane asked.
“No. I intended to return after my nap.” She thought back. “A loud sound woke me. Do you suppose…”
“I doubt we can prove a thing,” Slade said. “But Sheriff Calhoun ought to have a look.”
“Why would Graham try to destroy something he wants?” she asked, feeling more puzzled than ever.
“More publicity?” Craig asked as he closed his EMT kit with a snap.
As Eden thought about the scope of that idea, Nathan drove up and parked beside the booster.
“Are you okay?” Jack hollered as he got out of the pickup. “Hedy let us know about the fire.”
“Just fine,” Eden called out to relieve his mind, feeling the strain in her throat but knowing it was a small price to pay for saving KWCB.
“I’m recording this incident.” Nathan got out from behind the wheel with camcorder at the ready.
Ken followed them, eyes downcast. “If Morning Glory hears about this, she might not let me come back—danger and all.”
“We’ll put in a good word for you,” Shane said, smiling at him. “I bet she’ll understand.”
“Looks like y’all got stuff sorted out here.” Jack glanced around the area, then refocused on Eden.
“Might not have been an accident,” Slade said.
“No-name’s doing?” Jack asked.
“Can’t know. At least not yet.” Shane glanced up at the Den as if he could find something that would explain the problem.
“I suppose this fire will be in the news.” Eden wondered if she’d ever get a quiet moment in Wildcat Bluff.
“If not, we’ll make it news,” Nathan said, insisting. “Suspicious fire at the Wildcat Den. Eden Rafferty saves KWCB, her family’s legacy.”
