“Maybe, but I’d like to think that eventually she would have learned from her mistakes. That she’d grow up and find love, real love, with somebody who wouldn’t ever think to let her go.”
“She did.”
Thea glanced over at him. “What?”
Mack couldn’t believe no one had told her. Not even him. Customarily, he wouldn’t give out information on other victims in a car accident. But it was important Thea knew the truth of the night her sister died. “Eileen didn’t die by herself in the accident. Gene Allgood was with her that night. His parents said they were on their way to the justice of the peace.”
Thea’s eyes glittered. “Eileen was getting married?”
Her fingers felt cool against his as he squeezed her hand. “I never found a marriage license at the scene of the accident, but Mr. Allgood said his son had been seeing Eileen since he’d come back from the war. They’d been dating about a year when they died.” They rocked in silence for long moments before Mack spoke again. “I really thought someone had already let you know. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about.”
It didn’t seem like that to him, not when he could feel the pain she bore. “But...”
She interrupted. “You just told me my sister had found love, was on her way to get married to the man she loved. I remember Gene from Sunday school. He was a good guy who loved the Lord. Maybe he took Eileen to church. Maybe she had a chance to meet the One who loved her most of all.”
Thea would look at the situation that way, with a hope and optimism no one else who’d gone through what she had would lay claim to. It was one of the many reasons he loved her. Mack reached into his pocket. Maybe now was the time to give her Mrs. Williams’s letter and resolve Eileen’s memory once and for all—so they could move on from it together.
“Mack, would you mind if we checked on Momma? I don’t like the idea of her being out there in that house all alone.”
“We can run her back over to Ms. Aurora’s.” Leaving the envelope in his pocket, Mack pushed to his feet. Then they would go home, and he’d lay his heart out to her. Tell her he wanted their marriage to be real.
Mack could only pray she wanted that, too.
Chapter Fourteen
Thea straightened in the passenger seat and stared out over the inky blackness yawning before her. “I sure did have a good time with you today.”
Mack glanced over at her as he turned the squad car out of the square. “Are you saying you usually have a bad time with me?”
She laughed. “You’re fishing for a compliment.”
“No, I’m not.” But there was a teasing quality to his voice, a playfulness that almost made her think she was back in high school. “I just like to know I can still show a lady a good time.”
“Taking her shopping for a crib. That’s always a good first date.”
“Hey, don’t forget the rocker.”
“Sarah is going to love that rocking chair, especially when she doesn’t feel so well and she wants to cuddle.”
They fell into spurts of conversation followed by moments of companionable silence that felt so easy. Within minutes, they were working their way through the shadows until they reached the smooth surface of the paved road.
Mack broke the awkward silence. “Do you smell that?”
Thea sniffed, the taste of salt and something acrid coating her throat. “Is that smoke?”
In the dim light of the dashboard, Mack reached down and unhooked the receiver from its place next to the radio and brought it to his mouth. “Myrtle, this is Mack. I’m out on Cheathem Hill, and there’s a distinct smell of smoke in the air. Has anyone called in to report a fire out here?”
The radio cracked and hissed for what seemed like an eternity before Myrtle replied. “Just got a call in. Sent the fire crew to number twelve Cheathem Hill Road.”
Number twelve! The air shot out of Thea’s lungs as if she’d been struck by a baseball bat. Frantic, she pushed herself up to the edge of the seat and dug her nails into the leather dashboard as she searched the darkening sky for signs of smoke. “Momma.”
The radio receiver dropped to the floor at her feet, then Mack’s strong arm pushed her back into the seat as he gunned the engine. “Hang on, sweetheart. We’re almost there.”
Time slowed to a crawl as the world narrowed, her heart pounding out a frantic beat in her ears, her palms moist beneath her gloves. A glimmer of light sparked through the trees up ahead, growing as they drew nearer. When Mack pulled into the front yard, Thea opened the door and jumped out even before the car slowed to a stop. Reddish-gold flames shot high above the treetops in the rear of the house, casting an eerie silhouette against the night sky. Embers floated in the air like the lightning bugs she and Eileen used to chase across the front yard as children. A loud crack to her right caught her attention and she watched as the awning crashed into the front porch railings, sending sparks high into the air.
“Momma!” Thea dashed from one end of the house to the other, then surged forward.
A familiar pair of arms caught her around the waist and pulled her back against his chest. “You can’t go in there.”
“But Momma’s in there, Mack.”
“I know, sweetheart,” he whispered against her ear. “But let’s look at this a moment and see if there’s a way we can get your mother out without getting either of us killed.”
Mack was thinking of going into that inferno? No! What if something happened to him? How could she live if he walked into the flames and never returned? Thea looped her arms around his waist and hung on for dear life. “You can’t go in there.”
“Listen to me.” Mack gave her a gentle shake that caught her attention. “I have to do this, you know that. But you’re going to have to let me go if we want any chance at saving your mom.”
Thea knew what he said was true. No matter how hard she fought him, eventually he’d go in after her mother. It was his nature, to protect those under his care even unto death. It didn’t make it any easier for her to let him go.
Mack studied the house for a long moment. “It looks like the fire started in the back right-hand corner, near the kitchen.”
Thea nodded, her eyes burning from the smoke. “But Momma doesn’t stay in there much. At night, she usually sits in the front parlor and listens to the radio while she knits. Maybe that’s what she was doing instead of packing.” Thea didn’t know the woman her mother had become in her absence.
Mack eased his hold just a bit as if he didn’t trust her not to bolt. “Do you have a rain barrel?”
“Over there, under the downspout, but...” She grasped the arms that held her. “Let’s check around first. Maybe she got out on her own.”
“I don’t have time to argue with you about this.” He circled her wrists in one hand and gently pulled her toward the back of the car and opened the trunk. In the distance, the sound of sirens filled the night air. After a brief search, Mack pulled two snowy-white cloth diapers from their recent purchases and wadded them up in his hand. “Rain barrel?”
She pointed to the far corner of the house. “Mack, please.”
“Stay here, Thea or I’ll handcuff you to the car.”
Of all the... “Fine, go get yourself burnt to a crisp.”
Mack cut her next words short as he trapped her chin between his thumb and forefinger and stepped closer, the lines of his handsome face blurring into a pleasant haze. Her breath caught as he lowered his head, his lips a gentle brush against his own before settling over her mouth in a too-brief kiss.
She felt disoriented by the time he lifted his head and pressed something into her hand. “This is for you, sweetheart, with all my love.”
Before she could react, he ran across the yard to the rain barrel then, with wet
cloths in hand, Mack disappeared into the fiery inferno.
* * *
Mack pressed the wet cloth against his nose and mouth, and sucked in a heavy breath, the heat pressing at him from all sides, as if he’d stepped inside a raging furnace. A watery film formed over his stinging eyes. The smoky fog that settled in the front hallway grew thick and dark toward the back of the house, tiny flames licking the doorway to the kitchen.
He didn’t have much time. When lit, these old houses went up like seasoned kindling. He only had a few minutes, maybe less, to find Mrs. Miller and get them to safety.
Father God, help me find her.
He turned left, took a quick look around the dining room then headed to the room across the hall. Dust motes stirred in the murky air, a cloud of whitish gray smoke billowing from the lit fireplace, piles of folded paper crinkled like an accordion into black ash. With one corner of the wet cloth, he wiped soot out of his eyes and glanced around. In a wingback chair near the hearth sat Mrs. Miller, her head slumped to one side, her mouth gaping open, the irregular rise and fall of her chest a sign she was breathing, but just barely.
Mack hurried across the room, knelt down in front of the woman and folded the other wet cloth he’d been holding against her face as he tied it into place. “Hang on, Mrs. Miller. I’m going to get you out of here.”
A loud crack beside him split the opposite wall into two sections, fiery fingers burning a path along the seam up to the ceiling. Time was running out. Grabbing her hands, Mack dragged the woman to the edge of the chair, planted his shoulder against her midsection and lifted her onto his shoulder. He shifted her weight to get a firmer grip on her then turned.
The smoke had thickened, leaving the room obscured in shades of black and gray. He moved forward until his knee connected with the blunt end of a table, and then he retreated. Without a clear path, there was no way he could get them to the hall and out the front door. Mack’s lungs tightened, his nose and throat on fire despite the makeshift mask plastered to his face. Watery tears blurred his vision, and his legs wobbled underneath him.
The imagine of Thea, the devastation he’d seen in her expression as they’d pulled up to the house, pushed to the front of his thoughts. She’d lost so much already—her father, her sister. Mack would do everything in his power to help save the only person in this world she had left.
Please, God, for Thea’s sake.
A glimmer of light from a nearby window caught his eye. Heat closed in around them, the struggle to put one foot in front of the other becoming more difficult as he pushed toward the exit. Mack punched the elbow of his free arm through the glass, felt a sharp sting against his back as he stepped across the window sill. Drops of water sizzled against his skin, his lungs bursting for air. Just a few more steps...
“Mack!”
Thea! He opened his mouth to speak but the words caught in his parched throat. His legs buckled and he collapsed to his knees. A weight lifted from his shoulders as the darkness he’d tried so hard to evade overwhelmed him.
* * *
Thea pushed back a matted lock of hair from Mack’s face, her fingers lingering a moment longer than was necessary. Reassured by the steady rise and fall of his chest, she felt his skull, telling herself she was checking for any lumps or cuts the medics might have missed. Though she couldn’t deny the comfort she found in touching him, in knowing he’d survived.
Crazy man! What had he been thinking, running into the growing flames like that? Didn’t he know how close he’d come to being killed? How close she’d come to losing him without ever telling him how much she loved him? How much she wanted him in her life? The thought sent a cold shiver down her spine.
“Here’s some water for when he comes to.” The fireman who had introduced himself as Bobby handed her a glass jug. “The medic just finished checking out your mother. She’s fine, though little confused. I do have to ask. Was there a child in the house we didn’t know about?”
Thea shook her head. “Why would you ask that?”
“It’s just that...” Bobby stopped, as if searching for the right words. “Your mother keeps talking about someone called Eileen and how it’s her fault the baby died.”
Thea shook her head, the sudden pain that tore through her being almost physical. She remembered what Ms. Aurora had said about the three days Eileen had been in labor. Had Eileen’s baby not survived her traumatic delivery? Had her mother buried the loss so deep that she’d latched on to the idea of Sarah as Eileen’s baby, even though it wasn’t true?
“The medic is giving her some water. Sometimes dehydration can cause confusion, too.”
“Thank you, Bobby.” Thea swallowed. “I appreciate all you guys have done.”
A set of white teeth smiled sympathetically from a soot-stained face. “I just wished we could have saved the house, but these old places go up so fast. It was a wonder Mack was able to get your mother out like he did.”
Mack! How would he respond when she told him that Sarah might not be her niece? She drew some measure of comfort watching his chest continue to rise and fall. “Why hasn’t he come to yet?”
“Probably got a little smoke inhalation. What he did, going in after your mother, takes a lot out of a person. Give it some time,” Bobby said before heading back toward what was left of the house.
All things she knew as a nurse, but knowing it didn’t calm the unsettling fear she had. If only Mack would wake up. Thea unbuttoned her coat, tugged it off then folded it and gently lifted Mack’s shoulders slightly to angle it under his head as a pillow. She grabbed one of the clean cotton diapers she’d brought from the car and soaked it with water, wringing out the extra fluid before gently wiping away the patches of soot on Mack’s face.
Even wearing grit and cinders, he was still the most handsome man she’d ever known. Smoky lines of soot marred the intelligent slash of his brow as well as the high cheekbones that were a throwback to some Cherokee ancestor. She skimmed the cloth down the ridge of his nose and detected a small knot unnoticeable to the eye. When had Mack broken his nose? As a boy in a playground scuffle? Or maybe later in his duties as sheriff? Thea shivered at the other dangers Mack might have faced.
She stilled as she came to his mouth, the memory of that brief kiss before he ran into the flames making her lips tingle even now. Well, maybe it was more of a brush of his lips against hers but she’d felt it down to the deepest depths of her soul. Her pulse picked up speed. What would it be like if she never had the chance to kiss him again? Never had the opportunity to bask in the warmth of his smile again? Her heart would never recover.
“Like what you see?”
Thea lifted her gaze and met Mack’s dark blue eyes. There was a playful gleam in them, as if the past two hours had never happened, but she also found something that hinted her answer mattered to him. The thought sent a tiny thrill up her spine. She sniffled and leaned close, pushing her hands through his hair. “Are you fishing for a compliment?”
“Would that be so bad?”
Thea shook her head. “After what you’ve done, I don’t think there would be enough words to tell you...” The thought of what could have happened, of all that had changed in the course of the last hour, clogged her throat.
“Come on, you can do better than that.”
“I know what you’re doing, trying to get my mind off of...” She waved her hand toward the burning structure. “That.”
“Thea, you can do this.”
His way was probably better than her making a fool over herself. Thea sat back on her heels as if she needed to get a better look. If the man was fishing for a compliment, she’d certainly give him one. “You’re...passable.”
“That’s it? Just passable?” He leaned up on his elbows, his face within a whisper of hers.
Maybe she should lean forward just a hair and kiss him. Her h
eart stepped up a beat at the thought. “You know you’re terribly handsome.”
Her breath caught as he came even closer, his handsome features blurred. “I’m glad you think so.”
Her eyelids fluttered shut, his warm breath a soft caress against her cheek. The fear she’d felt as he’d run into the burning house seized her again. She could have just as easily lost him. Thank You, Lord, for this man.
“How’s he doing?”
Thea pulled away, heat rushing up her neck and into her cheeks as she glanced up at the fireman. She sat back, her hands pressed into the folds of her skirt. “The patient is doing fine.”
“Patient, huh?” Mack whispered with a hint of laughter in his voice.
“Good,” Bobby answered, then addressed Mack. “You gave the little lady here quite a scare. She was worried sick.”
“Nice quality for a man’s wife to have, don’t you think, Bobby?”
The man glanced at Thea, then looked at Mack and gave him a crooked grin. “I thought I heard something about you getting married. Congratulations.” He turned and headed back toward the men near the house.
“You were a little worried about me?”
“Maybe,” she conceded. She’d been more than a little worried. She’d been frantic. Why wouldn’t she be? She loved him, more than she’d ever believed it was possible to love another person. The man had been willing to risk his life to save her mother, knowing the kind of person the woman was. Knowing what she had done with Eileen’s first child.
If Mack did ever come to love her, he wouldn’t care what other people thought about her family, only how he felt about her. That was why she loved him so completely. Is that why she’d gone through with this marriage? Because she knew at her very core that there would never be another man she could make her wedding vows to?
“How’s your mother?”
Thea cleared her throat. “Fine. The medics checked her out but want to take her to the hospital as a precautionary measure.”
The Baby Barter Page 21
