In the distance she could finally hear the sirens and prayed they arrived before the flames reached the barn.
“Isabelle? You okay?” Mac’s voice came from the other end of the building.
“I’m okay. One more horse, and then we can get out of here.”
“I’ve got him,” he said. Through the thickening smoke, she saw him heading for the last stall. She tried to draw in a breath and got a lungful of smoke that sent her into a coughing fit.
“Get out, Isabelle!”
She had no choice. She couldn’t breathe. But she couldn’t leave Mac. “Just hurry,” she pleaded. She dropped to the dirt floor and found the air still smoky, but better. She managed to grab a lungful, then shot to her feet. “Mac?”
“Go!”
“Where are you?” She let out another cough, feeling like she was suffocating. Flames flickered from the other end of the barn and terror seized her. “Mac! We have to go now!”
“I’m right behind you.” He sounded a little farther away than that, but good enough. Isabelle headed for the door, following the last horse. Right before the exit, the mare whinnied and reared, coming down hard. Isabelle scurried backward and then around to the side. She started to grab the halter when the horse reared again, knocking her back. She slammed into the stall wall and sat there for a brief second to regain her senses. Choking and wheezing, she stumbled to her feet and slapped the horse on the flank.
Her lungs burned, and her eyes streamed tears from the smoke.
She burst outside and was hit in the face with a blast of water from the hose. Sputtering, she nevertheless let it wet her lips and tongue while she stole a quick look to make sure Mac was truly right behind her. She didn’t see him, but she couldn’t see much of anything at the moment. “Mac!” The word came out a croak rather than the yell she’d intended.
Cody Ray hurried over to her. “Rinse your eyes and your face, hon.”
She did so, only to clear her vision. She needed to see. “Mac didn’t come out.”
Two fire trucks raced up the drive. Even before the wheels stopped turning, firefighters were unloading from the vehicle. Their shouted orders carried through the smoky haze and they scrambled into action.
Cody Ray fell back, as did Ben.
Isabelle surveyed the flames licking at the side of the barn. Where was Mac? As if she’d summoned him, he appeared in the opening of the building and staggered out, holding Milo. Cody Ray let out a short yell and met Mac as he raced toward them. Cody took the dog. “I didn’t know he’d gotten away.”
“He’s okay,” Mac rasped, then let out a long cough. The dog proved his words by letting out a bark even though he was panting hard.
One of the paramedics hurried over with an oxygen mask and slapped it on Mac’s face. Then did the same for Isabelle. She pulled in a deep breath and let her gaze roam the faces around her. Then the property. Someone had started that fire. She didn’t have any proof other than the feeling in her gut. She had to check on Lilly and Regina.
With everyone preoccupied with putting the fire out, Isabelle pulled off the oxygen mask and made her way through the chaos to Regina’s cruiser.
As she passed the nearest fire truck, she caught movement from the corner of her eye. She spun toward it and something slammed into her shoulder, sending her crashing to the ground with a cry.
* * *
Mac had gotten a good dose of the smoke, but after inhaling the oxygen and clearing his lungs, he started to feel better. His main concern was Isabelle. In all of the chaos, he didn’t want to lose sight of her. Only he had. He ripped the mask from his face. “Isabelle?” A faint cry reached him and he whirled to see Isabelle go down. He bolted toward her. “Isabelle!”
A dark figure peeled away from the fire truck and darted for the tree line. “Not this time, buddy,” he muttered. “Isabelle, are you okay?”
“Yes, get him!” She stumbled to her feet and Mac altered his course slightly, keeping the black-hooded man in his sights. The guy was fast, but determination burned in Mac’s blood. He pushed hard, running full out, dodging anything that might trip him up.
The guy scrambled over the fence.
“Police! Stop!”
Ben’s cry came from behind him. Glad he had backup, Mac kept going, his boots pounding the ground, closing the distance. He came to the fence and never slowed. At the right moment, he placed his hands on the top board and vaulted over in a copycat move.
At the tree line, the figure stumbled, tried to right himself, then went down. He started to roll to his feet, but Mac was faster. He dove a shoulder into the man on the ground. The impact jarred him, the pain of the contact shooting through his arm and into his neck. But he heard the breath whoosh from the man’s lungs as he jerked, choking, and gasping to breathe. Mac rolled to his knees, reached out and ripped the hoodie away from the guy’s head. “Drew Baldwin,” Mac said between gritted teeth. “Nice to meet you.”
Ben reached them and Mac shoved his prisoner back to the ground and yanked his hands behind his back. Ben cuffed him, and Mac sat back to catch his breath. He was more winded than that little run should have made him, and he figured he had the smoke to thank for that.
Coughing, he stood and helped Ben get Baldwin on his feet. “You’re done.”
Baldwin snarled. “Lilly’s mine. No one’s keeping me away from her.”
“Right. You keep telling yourself that while you’re sitting behind bars.”
The guy lunged at him, but Ben yanked him back. “Stop it. You’re not going anywhere. Make things easier on yourself. You’re already looking at attempted murder. Want to add resisting arrest to the charges?”
His words brought Baldwin to a stop. “What are you talking about?”
Ben pushed him forward. “Not to mention attempted kidnapping.”
“She’s my kid! It’s not kidnapping if she belongs to me. You can’t keep me from my own child. I have rights!”
“Yes, you do,” Ben said. “Why don’t I tell them to you right now?” He did while Baldwin protested throughout the recitation.
Mac ignored the sputtering man. And when Ben was done and Baldwin had agreed he understood his rights, Mac pointed to the barn. “That your handiwork?”
A shrug from Baldwin sent Mac’s fingers curling into a fist. He forcibly relaxed them and took a deep breath. Then coughed. It would take a while for the effects of the smoke to wear off. “Oh, yeah, you’ve got a lot of charges coming your way.”
“Mac!” Isabelle ran toward them, her eye wide. “You got him.”
“We did. Ben and I made a good team.” He shot her a slight smile, but her eyes never wavered from the man in custody.
“Finally,” she breathed. “It’s over.”
“I’ll get out,” Baldwin said. “I’ll be back.”
She raised a brow. “I guess we’ll see about that. I’m sure attempted murder will be taken a bit more seriously than the trespassing charge, but you won’t be back anytime soon.”
“Why does everyone keep talking about attempted murder? I haven’t tried to kill anyone. I just wanted my baby.”
“Yeah, so you can really stick it to Zoe, right?”
Isabelle looked ready to deck the guy herself, so Mac stepped in and took her hand in his. “Don’t argue with him, Isabelle. He’s going to deny all but probably the lesser charges.”
“Like kidnapping and arson?”
“Something like that.”
“I didn’t try to murder anyone!” They had reached Ben’s cruiser. Ben opened the door and pushed the man into the back seat. “I’m telling you I didn’t try to kill anyone!” Baldwin shouted.
“Because running me and a friend down in the middle of a crosswalk was going to be good for our health?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Throwing a hammer through the window
of my van was helpful?”
“Hey, I was just trying to distract you, that’s all. I wasn’t trying to hit you.”
“Kicking the fence down so the bull could get out and come terrorize—and possibly kill—a five-year-old? How about that one? That’s attempted murder in my book.”
“I didn’t kick any fence down. What bull?”
“Come on,” Ben said. “We’ll work all this out at the station. You have a lawyer?”
“No. I don’t need one.”
“Yes, you do.”
“You just read me my rights. I don’t have to have a lawyer. I don’t need one because I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Was the kid really that stupid?
Ben slammed the door and Baldwin’s words were cut off. Ben opened the driver’s door and slid into the seat. “If you want to come down to the station and listen to the interrogation, Creed will probably let you. I mean, you did tackle the guy.”
“You can take the man out of the uniform,” Mac said, “but once a cop always a cop, I guess.”
“If you’re sticking around and want to get back to it full-time, talk to Creed. He’s got the money to hire two more deputies.”
Mac’s heart leaped and he squelched it as reality hit him. Isabelle and the children were safe now, his work on the ranch was pretty much done, and he had enough money to put the down payment on his land. He could leave anytime now.
Why wasn’t he a lot more happy about that? “Thanks, but I’ve got plans of my own and they don’t include law enforcement.” And yet, he couldn’t help the surge of adrenaline at the thought. Bringing down Drew Baldwin had been incredibly satisfying. “Shoot me a text if Creed says it’s all right for me to be there when he questions the guy.” He would be observing behind the interrogation room mirror, but that was all right. And then he could leave when he felt like it was time, without worrying that Isabelle and the children were in danger. For some reason, the thought didn’t bring the relief he thought it would.
Ben nodded and shut the door. Mac turned to Isabelle and caught her frown. “What is it?”
“Why do I have the feeling that you’re thinking of leaving?”
He wouldn’t lie to her. “I’ve thought about it, but I’ve still got a few things to do around here. We have a Day at the Ranch to put on.”
Her eyes smiled at him. “Yes, we do.” She paused. “And, Mac? If you feel it’s time to leave, you don’t have to give me thirty days.”
Her words shot arrows through his heart, but there was something more than the thought of leaving. Something else wasn’t sitting right with him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He just knew it had to do with Drew Baldwin and the man’s many protestations about some of the incidents that had involved Isabelle. Why would he freely admit to attempting to kidnap his own kid, yet deny he tried to kill Isabelle?
Because he thought a jury would have more mercy on a father who just wanted to be with his child? Mac had no doubt Drew Baldwin couldn’t care less about raising his daughter and that he was only going after her to spite Zoe, but for a jury, he’d play the loving father who’d been done wrong by his vicious girlfriend.
He might not be as stupid as Mac thought. Maybe he was actually being incredibly smart and was already setting up how his defense would play out. That had to be it.
What else could it be?
SIXTEEN
Something was wrong, and for the life of her, Isabelle couldn’t pin down where her anxiety was coming from. She should be relaxed and happy. She’d had the best night’s sleep since...well, it seemed like forever, and she’d just talked to Cheryl, who was bringing the children home after school. They’d be here for the Day at the Ranch festival tomorrow, which should have had her jumping for joy. And she was happy. Very happy.
And yet...
Isabelle took a sip of her coffee and looked out over her land, trying to convince her troubled soul that all was well. “Lord, give me peace,” she whispered. “Or tell me why I’m still antsy.” While the restless feeling never dissipated, she felt better for the prayer. And for one thing that she’d finally settled on early this morning, after talking to the children on the phone and hearing their excitement about coming back.
There was no way she was going to sell. Not now, not ever.
This was home. She was doing what she was supposed to be doing, and just because it was hard and overwhelming at times, it didn’t mean she should give up and quit. She’d admitted one more thing, as well. She wanted to adopt the kids. All of them. It was a complete long shot, but not out of the realm of possibility. Katie’s father was going to be in prison for life for murder and her mother was a drug addict who couldn’t get straight. Danny’s parents had been killed in an auto accident and simply had no other family to care for him. Zeb’s background was closer to Katie’s. So there was the real likelihood that she could wind up with one—or all—of the children on a permanent basis. But for now, she waited.
Mac’s door opened and her heart did that funny little beat when he was around. She’d fallen for the man but was trying to tell herself it was just because he’d saved her life a few times.
She grimaced. Ah, who was she kidding? She was going to be heartbroken when he left. And her heart said that was going to be sooner rather than later.
She forced a smile when he sat next to her and propped his boots on the railing. “How are you this morning?” he asked.
“Sore. Trying not to think about my still smoldering part of the barn and pasture. But I’m all right. What about you?”
“Other than the occasional cough, I’m fine. And glad this is all over.”
“Me, too.” She couldn’t hold the smile and it slipped back into a frown.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I’m not sure, to be honest. I still have a very unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach.”
He sipped his coffee. “It’s been a rough time, Isabelle. It’s not any wonder that you might still be having some anxiety about everything that happened.”
Was that it? Just some sort of weird PTSD thing? She forced the smile back on her face. “You’re probably right.”
He studied her. “But you don’t think so.”
She shrugged, a small lift of her shoulders. “I don’t know, Mac. I keep going back to Drew Baldwin’s admission about some of the things and his denial about others.”
“I’m going to sit in on the questioning in about an hour. Why don’t you come with me?”
“You think they’ll let me?”
“I don’t see why not. If anyone has a right to listen to what that man has to say, I’d think it would be you.”
She nodded. “I’ll text Creed.”
“Good.”
She sent the text, then said, “The kids are coming back after school. I talked to them this morning and Katie asked if you were still here.”
“I’m still here.”
She faced him. “And I’m glad for that.”
Mac lifted a hand to her cheek and his eyes held hers for a long moment. She could clearly see that he wanted to kiss her but was giving her time to back away if she didn’t want him to. In the span of those few seconds, Isabelle considered the fact that he was leaving even though he knew she wanted him to stay.
Maybe she needed to make that exceptionally clear.
She leaned forward and he met her in the middle to close his lips over hers. She stilled for a split second at the touch, then returned the kiss, hoping she revealed the contents of her heart in the gentle exploration.
When he lifted his head, the storm clouds in his eyes saddened her—and gladdened her in a weird way. He was conflicted. Part of him wanted to stay, while the other part was urging him to go before he got his heart broken once again. Maybe he just needed some time. “Why did you want to kiss me when you’re already planning on le
aving?” she asked.
He cleared his throat. “I’m not sure. I haven’t kissed anyone since my wife died and, honestly, I wasn’t sure I could.”
“So that was an experiment?”
“What? No. No way. Please don’t think that. I’m...floundering. I’m sorry.” He stood. “Isabelle, I think you’re a beautiful, amazing woman, and I’ve never met anyone quite like you.”
“Not even your wife?”
He smiled. “You have some of the same qualities, of course. You’re kind, you think about others before yourself, you always try to do the right thing. Those kinds of things. But you’re also very different. Jeanie could never have run a place like this. Organization was definitely not her strong point.” He shrugged and drained his cup. “You’re two different people and I’m starting to see that’s okay.”
“Oh.” She cleared her throat. “Well...um...that’s good.” It was, right? “I don’t want you to leave, Mac,” she finally said, her voice soft.
He closed his eyes for a split second as though her words had pained him. “I know. I’m not sure I want to, either, but trying to figure out if I have to.”
Before she could ask him to clarify that confusing statement, he rose. “I’m going to check and make sure everything in the barn is ready for tomorrow. The dunking booth is arriving in an hour, and Cody Ray said he’d get it where it belongs.”
Tears surged to the surface and she blinked them back. “Thank you. You’ve done an incredible job around here. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”
He nodded. “You’re welcome. I’m going to go grab my key, then we can head to town if that works for you.”
Peril on the Ranch Page 13
