by Kim Redford
“I inhaled some smoke, but I’m okay.”
“Are you sure?” Fern asked.
“I’m an EMT. I’d know, and I’d go if I thought there was a real need for it.”
“If you’re not going to the clinic, take the EMT kit to the house with you,” Sydney said. “If you feel a need, you can keep track of your blood pressure and stay on oxygen till you’re back to normal.”
“Will do.” Craig rubbed his chest. “Right now, I feel like a horse kicked me.”
“Maybe one of them did and you didn’t notice.” Sydney chuckled at her own joke to lighten the moment as she replaced the oxygen tank and mask in its bag, then handed it to Fern.
Fern appreciated her attempt at humor, so she laughed, too.
“By morning, I’ll probably be sore all over,” Craig said. “But I don’t care. I saved two horses and that’s what counts.”
“It sure does,” Sydney agreed. “Looks like Slade’s ready to pack it in. Let me go help him.”
Fern watched her walk away, more grateful than ever for their volunteer firefighters.
“If I’m not going to the clinic and they won’t let me help here, why don’t we go to bed?”
“I can see you’re going to be trouble now that the trouble is past.” She slipped the strap of the bag over her shoulder.
“I’ll definitely need some TLC.”
“Come on.” She stood up. “Let’s get you home, get you a shower, and get you comfortable.”
“I like the shower part. I think I’ll need a lot of help.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “I bet you do.”
“And you’ll be willing to help?”
“Let me help you up.” She held out her hand. “We can negotiate how much more help you need later.”
“I’m pretty good at negotiations.” He used the fence to leverage upward before he took her hand. He stood still for a long moment as he looked at what was left of the barn. “What a loss.”
“But not as big a loss as it could have been.”
“True enough.”
“Do you think you can you walk to your truck?”
“Think so.” He took a few unsteady steps, straightened his back, and walked to the booster.
Slade finished rolling up the hose, then glanced at Craig. “Looks like you’re going to make it.”
“Yeah. Thanks to you. And Sydney.”
“Anytime.”
“I owe you a round of drinks at Wildcat Hall.”
“I’ll be happy to accept them.” Slade gave him the once-over. “Are you sure you don’t need the clinic?”
“I’ll be okay. If not, I’ll go there in the morning. Right now I just want to go home.”
“If you need anything, we’ll be down here.”
“I’ll call my foreman and let him know what’s going on. He and the cowboys should be getting close enough to be in cell range.”
“Don’t worry about it. Save your throat. I’ll bring them up to speed when they get here. And I’ll call Sheriff Calhoun. I suspect he’ll want to take a look and ask us to collect samples.”
“Do you know what started the fire?” Sydney asked.
“No idea,” Craig said. “We weren’t here. And I haven’t been in any position to check it out.”
“He’s still not.” Fern squeezed Craig’s hand. “He’s going straight home to rest.”
“Good idea,” Sydney replied. “We’ll take over.”
“Thanks,” Craig said. “I’ll be on top of things tomorrow, but for tonight, y’all know where to find me.”
“Thanks again,” Fern said. “Both of you come see us at the Hall soon and we’ll treat you right.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” Sydney reached inside the rig, pulled out the EMT bag, and handed it to Fern. “Keep an eye on him.”
“Thanks. You know I will.” Fern walked with Craig to his truck, feeling exhausted from the ordeal. She wanted nothing more than to get in bed and sleep for a week.
“I can drive.” Craig glanced at her, obviously seeing if she’d object.
“Are you sure?”
“It’s just up the hill. Get in and let’s get.”
She did exactly that, but she watched him carefully as he eased into the front seat and drove away from the fire site. He seemed to be okay, but she would definitely keep close watch till morning.
He drove up to the gate leading to ranch house, then he hit the opener above his head and the gate started slowly to swing open.
She gasped. “Stop.”
“What is it?”
“Look!” She pointed at the dozen white roses wrapped in green cellophane attached with a big white ribbon to the gate.
Chapter 27
“I’m so sorry.” Fern slumped in her seat, holding both the EMT kit and the oxygen bag in her lap, as she stared at the roses in horror. “It’s my fault. Barn…you…horses…all are my fault. I never dreamed he would escalate this far. I didn’t even know he knew about you and the ranch. I’ll pay to replace the barn, of course. But the time, the effort, the worry I can’t correct.”
“Fern, please stop it.”
“I was right. If I’d left the first moment he appeared in the Hall, this would never have happened to you. I should’ve gone. I will go. It’s the only way to deal with a person who is not in their right mind.”
“It’s not your fault. I don’t blame you.”
“I’ll leave. I’ll go tonight.” She turned toward him, feeling even sicker at the sight of soot smeared across his face from the oxygen mask. He needed to be cared for now, not put under even more duress.
“No, you won’t.”
“You’d better take me straight back to the cabins. You can be checked out at the clinic.”
“Fern, please, stop eating at yourself like this.”
“I’ll pack a bag. Ivy can drive me to the airport in Dallas. I’ll go so far he’ll never find me.”
Craig took a deep, ragged breath, then coughed several times.
“Please, let me go.”
“Fern, we can either let this tear us apart or we can use it to draw us closer together.”
She caught her breath at his words, spoken in a raspy tone due to the smoke inhalation but delivered to her with so much sincerity that they stopped the whirl of her mind.
“It’s your choice.” He glanced at the roses, then back at her with absolute determination in his eyes. “You can run, but if you do, I’ll go with you. There is no way I’ll leave you anywhere in this world defenseless against that man.”
She was trying to be strong. She was trying to be practical. She was trying to save all she held dear. And yet, everything kept turning to dust in her hands. How had it come to putting Craig’s ranch on the line? Horses could have died. Cowboys could have been trapped in there. Every building could have gone up in smoke. Fortunately, they’d seen the fire before it was too late. But what about next time? She felt terrified and furious at the same time. Even worse, she felt vulnerable…and trapped in a no-win situation. If she couldn’t run, what could she do to stay safe and keep those she loved safe?
“You’re overthinking the situation,” Craig said quietly in his rough voice. “Two choices. We go or we stay. And I do mean we.”
She wanted to touch him, but she resisted the impulse. If she felt his warmth, his love, his tenderness, she’d start to cry, and if she started, she wasn’t sure she could stop. It’d just been too much, too long, and she’d been so shaken by her near loss of him. Then again, maybe it was that simple. Her near loss of him.
She took a deep breath, feeling righteous anger well up in her. How dare some stranger think he could come into her life and not only threaten but actively try to destroy those who loved her and whom she loved? She wouldn’t have it. And she wouldn’t let the stalker def
eat her…not while she had breath left in her body.
“We—and I do mean we—stand and fight right here in Wildcat Bluff County.” She reached over and squeezed Craig’s hand to make her point.
“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”
“But not tonight. You need to rest.”
“Tonight. We don’t have a moment to lose.” He pulled out his phone, hit speed dial and speakerphone.
“Sheriff Calhoun here.”
“Guess you heard about the fire at my ranch,” Craig said.
“I’m on my way right now.”
“It was the stalker. He left white roses on the gate leading up to the ranch house.”
“Don’t touch the flowers. We might get lucky if he left prints.”
“Doubt we’ll be that lucky, but we can try,” Craig said.
“Either the guy isn’t in the system or he’s using an alias,” Sheriff Calhoun said. “I checked for him by name.”
“I’m not surprised.” Fern leaned toward the phone. “Everything about him has been suspicious from the first.”
“It’s gone too far,” Sheriff Calhoun said. “We can’t predict what this stalker will do next, so we have to be a step ahead of him.”
“I’ll leave cowboys on guard duty at the ranch 24/7.”
“What about the Park?” Fern asked.
“I bet the Settelmeyers will mount a round-the-clock watch,” Craig said. “We couldn’t have better watchdogs.”
“You’re right,” Sheriff Calhoun said. “Once they hear about this fire, they’ll be armed at all times. I wouldn’t want to be that stalker if he runs into them.”
“I wouldn’t, either,” Fern said. “We just need to keep everything stable until after Wild West Days.”
“We’re working on it,” Sheriff Calhoun said. “I already have deputies pulling extra duty. I’ll step it up in town. Out there, well—”
“That’s okay,” Craig cut in. “We’re on alert now, so there won’t be a repeat out here.”
“Good,” Sheriff Calhoun said. “Craig, how are you feeling? Shouldn’t you be up at the house in bed?”
“That’s what I keep telling him.” She gave Craig a little gentle rebuke of a smile.
“That’s where we were headed when we saw the roses.” Craig returned her smile with a slight nod, as if thinking about what they would do in bed if not for all the interruptions and trouble.
“Get on up there,” Sheriff Calhoun said. “We’ll gather what evidence we can get at the barn and take the roses on the fence. When you’re feeling up to it, just stop by the office and make a statement.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to interview us tonight?” Craig asked.
“There’s no need to put you through any more right now,” Sheriff Calhoun said. “Shut the gate behind you and we’ll do the rest.”
“Thanks. That’s exactly what we’ll do.” Fern felt much better now that the sheriff was on the job and she could take Craig up to the house.
“We’ll see you tomorrow,” Craig said.
“Take care.” And Sheriff Calhoun clicked off.
“I still think I ought to go down and help.” Craig coughed several times.
“They’ve got it under control.” She patted the containers on her lap. “We need to get you in the house. You still need oxygen. And I want to check your blood pressure.”
“I’m okay…or well enough. I don’t want that guy to win on any front.”
“He won’t win, not in the long run. Tonight we need to regroup and plan how we go on from here.”
“Guess you’re right.”
“I’m not alone in wanting you at home. That’s EMT orders from Sydney, too.”
He chuckled, nodding in agreement. He drove through the open gates, then shut them behind his pickup.
Finally, she felt a little safer as he eased up the rise to the front of the house. It’d be dark soon, and she wanted to be safely indoors before it was hard to see outside.
“I’m going to park in front,” he said. “It’d be the quickest exit.”
“Do you think he’s done something in the house?” She felt her breath catch in her throat at the idea of the stalker so close to them.
“No. I didn’t mean to alarm you. It’s just a precaution. The house has an alarm system. If he entered, it’d alert us.”
“Okay. That’s good. And a relief.”
“Come on.” He opened the truck door, then glanced over at her. “Do you want me to carry any of that to the house?”
“I’ve got it.”
“Wait here. I want to go inside and check around, just in case, before you come inside.”
“Craig, if there’s trouble, I want to be with you.”
“It’s simply a precaution. I don’t expect trouble.”
“We haven’t expected trouble all along, but still—”
“Fern, please wait here. I won’t be long.” And he was out the door and walking up the path to the house.
She locked the doors, waiting but not liking it. She didn’t want to be separated from him, but she didn’t want him to think she didn’t trust him to take care of them either. She needed to accept that he was the experienced EMT and firefighter. He knew best about his health. He also knew best about security in his home. Still, she wanted to be with him. She clutched her purse, the EMT kit, and the oxygen bag to her chest. And waited some more.
Finally, he walked out the front door and beckoned her.
She stepped down, carrying everything, and made sure the doors were locked behind her. She went to him, feeling a little unnerved being outdoors between the pickup and the house. She quickly walked past him and into the house, breathing a sigh of relief when he shut and locked the front door.
“Okay?” He took the EMT kit and oxygen bag from her, then carried them through to the kitchen where he set them on top of the bar.
She placed her purse on the bar, too, then turned to look at him in the overhead light. He looked rough, as if he’d been on the wrong end of fighting a fire. Yet he also looked tough and determined to succeed no matter where he went or what he did. And she was with him all the way.
“Why don’t you sit down and breathe more oxygen?” She tried to sound gentle, but she saw the immediate frown on his face.
“I’m okay. I want to drink a glass of water and get a shower.” He grinned at her, eyes lighting up with mischief. “Want to join me?”
She smiled in return, hoping he really was that well. “How about we start with the water?”
“On second thought, there’s water in the shower. Let’s go straight there.”
She couldn’t keep from chuckling at his attempt to seduce her so quickly after the devastating fire. “Are you forgetting you just lost your barn?”
“I’m trying to forget it. Why don’t you help me?”
“Craig, really, what do you want? I’m trying to help you. I still feel terrible about the fire…about everything.”
“Why don’t we help each other forget the fire, the barn, everything that’s been plaguing us for so long?” He walked over to her and held out his hand. “I don’t need coddling. I need loving.”
And that was all he needed to say. She wrapped her fingers around his hand and went upstairs with him. He opened a door, flipped on a light inside, and motioned for her to precede him.
She couldn’t keep from smiling as she stepped into a room with floral wallpaper and delicate Queen Anne furniture with crochet doilies on the chest, dresser, and nightstands. It was a very feminine room except for the king size bed with a black leather headboard and gray-and-black geometric bedspread.
“I know how it looks in here, but it works till I get time to fix it to suit me.”
“If it suits you, that’s all that matters. You might be able to make the styles work
a little better together.”
He chuckled, nodding in agreement. “I did combine two small bedrooms to make a decent bath and closet. Why don’t you take a look?”
She stepped into the adjacent room and gave a happy little sigh. Lots of space and lights and a bathtub and shower and long vanity table with a padded stool in sparkling white. Lots of fluffy gray towels. Lots of scented soaps and lotions and bath salts with Morning’s Glory labels.
“Let’s get a shower. I want to wash away the stench of the fire.” He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his chest.
“You are pretty smelly.” She chuckled as she turned in his arms and placed a soft kiss against his lips, tasting soot. “Are you sure you’re well enough?”
“If there’s anything wrong with me, I’m sure a few kisses from you will cure it.”
“How about a little more than a few kisses?” She stroked down his chest to clutch the big buckle of his belt.
“I’m feeling stronger by the moment.”
“Just what I wanted to hear.” She whirled away from him, walked over to the stool, and sat down. She tugged off her boots as she watched him.
He sat down on the edge of the tub. He pulled off one boot, then the other. He stopped, watching her, waiting for her.
She tugged her crimson T-shirt up over her head and tossed it on top of her boots. She wore a red, lacy bra underneath, and she saw his eyes darken as he looked at her. She smiled, knowing what he was thinking and enjoying it.
He jerked his T-shirt up over his head and dropped it on top of his boots, smiling at her, too.
They were so much in sync that she felt her heart rate kick up in anticipation of where they were going after such a long, long day. If they ever deserved a treat, this was definitely the time. She stood up and slowly lowered her jeans till she kicked them off and sat back down.
He shucked off his jeans, too, so that he was wearing nothing more than dark blue briefs…and that smile.
She unhooked her bra, then ever so slowly let it slide down her arms to fall to the floor. Now, who would be next to strip off the final bits of fabric that barely covered them? She stood up, gave him a sultry smile, picked up two washcloths, and walked over to the shower.
