By the time they’d finished dinner and desert, everyone was looking forward to the next day including Sean, who had seemed to have had a change of heart when it came to Marc. She didn’t know why, but she didn’t care. There would still be problems down the road, but at least they were getting along. Marc even managed to guilt Sean into helping clean up before bed, something she’d never been able to do.
As he was coming in the back door from emptying the trash, Sean said, “We need a bigger house. Just in case you’re wondering I’m sleeping with my headphones in so I won’t be able to hear anything. Goodnight.” Then walked out of the kitchen before Scarlet or Marc could reply.
They stared at each other for a second, then covered their mouths to stifle the laugher that came after the shock. “What just happened?” Scarlet asked.
“I don’t know, but that’s not the same kid,” Marc said. “You heard him, he can’t hear a thing,” he added, pushing her out of the kitchen and turning off the light.
Sean heard his mother’s bedroom door close and the lock engage and smiled. Something had happened to him this afternoon when he’d been standing on the porch listening to his mother talk about his father. He realized that she was more than just his mother. His request to go with Marc had been a desperate attempt to avoid the idea, but as they’d rode in silence into town, he realized that it wasn’t actually such a bad thing.
Marc seemed to make her happy. Everyone had told him so including Hiram who had come down on him pretty hard the last time he’d seen him. He’d know that he was being selfish but hearing Marc stand up for him had made him realize that he was throwing away not only a change for his mother to be happy, but for himself to be happy as well. As much as he loved Hiram, it wasn’t the same as having a dad; he was more like a grandfather, and he needed a father.
Once he’d opened his mind to the possibility, he had much easier to let himself open up to Marc, and instead of a battle of wills, they’d discussed the feasibility of Sean getting his own horse. Marc had listened and offered suggestions, treating him like a man instead of a kid, which he appreciated. He might have taken advantage of the situation a little getting the new game system and TV, but it was something he and Marc could share.
He did put his headphones on before he fell asleep, just in case, and feel asleep thinking of the next day and the fun they were going to have now that the tension was gone. It was nice to be home in his own bed. As fun as the summer had been, he was ready to come home and go back to school. He missed his friends and there was a girl he found who he’d missed over the summer. If he was lucky, he’d run into her in town tomorrow.
The next morning, they all met for breakfast at the diner, then tromped upstairs so Marc could show off the apartment. He’d barely been able to eat his breakfast because he was so excited. Sean hadn’t seen it yet, refusing every time Marc had offered, so when he came to the top of the stairs, it was quite a shock to him.
“You did this?” he asked, unable to hide the respect in his voice.
“Well, most of it was under all that drywall, but I did all the work in the kitchen and the bathroom. I hired an electrician too. Wiring in these old building is tricky,” Marc said, clearly proud of what he’d accomplished.
After a quick tour, it was clear that Michael and Marc were going to be a while, a lengthy discussion already underway about the best way of tiling on old brick without doing damage, so Annabelle, Scarlet, and Sean left them and headed across the park to do some shopping. It was mostly an excuse to wander around the pretty streets and gossip about the people they passed. Sean disappeared not long after they left, promising to meet the back at the diner in a couple of hours so they could go riding.
Eventually, the men joined them and they spent an enjoyable morning snooping around town. Michael, as Marc had predicted, was completely in love with Miner’s Ridge. “It has such possibilities. I’d love to see some of these old building returned to their original condition,” he said as they walked into the bookstore.
“I knew you’d think that, but you have to remember that in the winter, this place dies. There’s nothing to pull people in,” Marc said, laughing as Michael gaped at the built-in shelves on the walls.
“This is incredible, these are the original shelves,” Michael said, running his hand along one worn ledge.
Just then, the owner came out of the back and asked if he could help him with anything and Marc knew that he’d be on his own for a few minutes while Michael asked his numerous questions about the building. As he wandered around the bookstore, he realized that there was an amazing array of out-of-town newspapers. Picking up the copy from Los Angeles just for fun, he stopped breathing for a second. There on the front page was a big picture of Scott and an angry headline about his lawsuit against their father.
He’d had no idea that his brother was still up to his old tricks; his father didn’t talk about Scott and neither did he. Throwing down some money on the counter for the paper, he took it outside and sat down on a bench to read the article. What he discovered was that his dad had decided to sell the business to Terrell Industries for a huge sum of money, but once it was sold, it would become a part of Terrell Industries and no longer under their control.
Marc thought that was an excellent idea. Scott had no business running it anymore, he didn’t want to and neither did Michael. In his opinion, it was a perfect solution, but obviously Scott didn’t agree. The fact that the story had made front page news meant that it hadn’t been a fair fight. Scott was probably trying to use his tricks on his father, but even he knew that it wouldn’t work. His dad had the upper hand, always had and always would.
When Michael joined him on the bench, he said, “I wish you’d told me about this. I feel like I should do something. Dad shouldn’t have to face this alone.”
“He’s not, he’s got a team of lawyers on his side. I offered to come home, but he told me not to. We’re going to head that way when we leave here anyway. Don’t you even think of going back there, that would only make Scott worse.”
“But I can’t let Dad face him alone. I’m different now, Michael, I can handle Scott,” Marc said, getting angry.
“I know that, but Dad won’t let you, and he’ll be worrying the whole time you’re there,” Michael said, then added, “Why don’t you call him? He made us swear not to tell you. I told him that was a bad idea. Keeping secrets is never a good thing, no matter the reason.”
“I guess you’re right. Let’s go meet the girls. I was really hoping that this part of my life would leave me alone for a while,” Marc said, getting to his feet.
Marc was determined not to let what he’d discovered ruin their fun that afternoon, but he did fill Scarlet and Sean in on what was happening. It took almost the entire ride to the ranch where Sean worked to explain since Sean didn’t know the whole story, but he’d told Scarlet to treat him like an adult so he did the same. When he’d finished his story, Sean didn’t say much, but Scarlet could tell that he was thinking about the problem. She couldn’t wait to see what he’d come up with.
Chapter 11
She wasn’t disappointed either. Sean had put his problem-solving skills to use and figured out the perfect solution. They were headed up the trail, the wrangler who came with them way up ahead, giving them space since they were all experienced riders. Sean rode up next to Marc as soon as the trail opened up and cleared his throat as if he was getting ready to make a speech.
“If you’re worried about your dad, why don’t you invite him to come out here for a visit? I’ve got it all figured out. Michael and Annabelle could move their RV up here and he could stay in one of the guest rooms. I’d let him use my room, but...” Sean quietly said, waiting for Marc’s reaction.
Marc only had to think about it for a second. “That’s a great idea. That park where Michael and Annabelle are now isn’t all that nice and it’s beautiful up here. Do they have space?”
“I’m sure we can make something work, the owners are
really cool,” Sean said, excited now that his idea had been accepted.
By the time the ride was over, the whole thing had been arranged. Marc had been so excited at the thought of seeing his dad that he’d called from the trail. His dad would be on a plane in the morning, thrilled to have an opportunity to spend time with two of his sons. He’d been waiting anxiously for an opportunity to see where Marc was living. They hadn’t talked about Scarlet, but his dad knew that he’d met someone, it was clear in the way he talked even if Marc was being secretive.
By the end of the next day, Marc’s dad was there and they’d moved Michael and Annabelle up to the guest ranch. The owners had found them a secluded spot by the river to park it, there was even an electrical hook up close enough for them to use. Thanks to its proximity to the stream, it wasn’t as dry there as it was other places. Sean was proud of what he’d accomplished, solving what he thought of as a grown up problem.
Over the weekend, Scarlet’s life had suddenly gotten much easier. Sean was getting along with Marc like they were old friends and his family was great. Although she was a little sorry to see it, business in the diner was beginning to slow down, giving her a chance to slow down a little as well. The only big worry on her mind was the lack of rain, day after day. They all watched the sky hoping for dark clouds on the horizon, but they never came.
The temperature had started to drop as August came to a close, but with no rain, the fire danger remained as high as ever. The last time she’d been up at the ranch to visit Michael and Annabelle, there’d barley been a trickle of water in the creek, a sure sign that they were in a world of trouble if it didn’t rain soon. It was so dry that the smallest spark would ignite a blaze that would be impossible to stop.
Scarlet worried about Sean and Marc’s family up on the mountain but couldn’t think of a good reason to make them all come down, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t always watching the sky. One afternoon, only a few days from Sean’s last day on the ranch, she heard cheering in the street. Following the noise, she found that there were dark clouds on the horizon and a wind that promised to blow more in. The forecast had included rain, but it had many times before and no rain had come, but these clouds held promise.
As the sun went down, everyone watched as the storm grew on the horizon, hoping that it would make the leap over the mountain and bring the rain they needed so much. By the time she and Marc got to her house that night, the wind had increased and there was the smell of rain in the air. Scarlet wanted to celebrate, but she knew that it was still too soon. The storm could turn and miss them just as easily as it could dump inches on them in the night. After one last check, they went to bed, hoping they’d awake to the sound of rain in the morning.
But it wasn’t rain that woke them, it was pounding on the front door. Scarlet stumbled out of bed, faster than Marc, who followed behind her. When she opened the door, it was clear why someone was pounding on her door. On the side of the mountain in the distance, she could see a huge glowing patch of red. Gasping, she stumbled past Kevin and stood on the porch trying to figure out exactly where the flames were coming from.
As if reading her thoughts, Kevin said, “The fire’s high up the mountain right now, Sean’s safe, but it’s moving fast and supposed to spread thanks to the wind. They’re evacuating people right now. I think we better be prepared.”
“I have to go get Sean. Can you handle the diner? Get the whole staff in, go into ration mode, you know what to do,” Scarlet said, already heading back into the house, pushing Marc out of the way.
Marc seemed to come out of the trance he’d been in. “I’m coming with you. Michael might need some help getting out of there. They won’t want him to leave the RV, it’s a bomb in a fire.”
They were dressed and on the road in minutes; Kevin on his way to the diner to prepare for the evacuation that was coming. They’d been through this once before, but that year it hadn’t been as dry as it was this year, this fire would be difficult to put out. It felt like it took forever to get to the ranch, each mile seeming more like ten as the fire got larger and larger the farther they got up the mountain.
When they finally pulled in, it was to find Michael, Annabelle, and his dad loaded up and ready to leave. “Where’s Sean?” Scarlet shouted over the noise of the engines.
“I can’t find him. Someone said that he jumped in one of the trucks of volunteers headed out to fight the fire. I’m sorry, Scarlet. I would have stopped him if I’d known, but he’s gone,” Michael said, clearly worried about Sean. “I’m going to drive this down and come back. I’ll get a ride up there and see if I can find him.”
“We’ll wait here for you,” Marc said. “I’m going to go with you.”
“I’m going too,” Scarlet said.
“No, you’re not, it’s too dangerous. They probably wouldn’t let you go anyway. I know you’re worried, but once they realize that they’ve got a fourteen-year-old boy up there, they’ll send him back,” Marc said, hoping his words were true. It would be a mad house up there right now, no real organization at this early stage of the fire, Sean might just slip through the cracks and get put on the fire line.
As they sat and waited, a line of trucks pulled into the clearing and began to unload their cargo. Tents and a temporary kitchen were set up as well as what looked like enough electronics to run a small country. Scarlet was having a hard time sitting still. She wanted to do something to find Sean, but there was nothing she could do.
Marc understood her frustration. He too wanted to be up there looking for Sean, but not until Michael got back. “I have an idea. Let’s go see if we can be of any help.”
Scarlet thought that Marc had an excellent idea, just sitting here was going to drive her crazy, she had to do something to fill her time. “I’m in, I can’t sit here anymore doing nothing.”
Before she knew it, she was back in the kitchen helping make food for the firefighters who were on their way. Setting up a food line for hundreds of people took some work and she was happy to be distracted. Marc wandered off to see if he could find someone to talk to about getting Sean off the mountain but discovered that there was no one who had enough time to worry about one boy.
“My best advice would be to go up there yourself. I shouldn’t tell you that, but that boy doesn’t belong up there. Go up there and get him, then get him out of there as fast as you can, this is a dangerous fire,” one of the firefighters told him when he asked.
When Michael and Annabelle got back from town, he and Marc were on the next truck heading for the fire. The closer they got, the worse the air became, the heat from the fire scalding their lungs, ashes and embers raining down on their heads. Neither of them had ever experienced anything like it before; it was like hell on Earth. It was impossible to talk though the noise, but they exchanged a look that said it all. Sean was way out of his element, any boy his age would be.
When the truck finally stopped, Marc’s heart sank. There was no organization up here, just a bunch of men digging trenches and trying to establish a fire line. Grabbing some gear for both of them, Marc said, “You go one way and I’ll go the other, our only hope is to find him ourselves.”
“We’ll find him, there can’t be that many people up here,” Michael said, donning his gear and heading off in the direction Marc had pointed.
Marc was surprised at how heavy the gear was and realized that even as big as Sean was, the gear alone would have been difficult for him to manage. As he walked the fire line, he checked each man he came to, some he actually had to approach if their physical appearance was close to Sean’s. He was beginning to lose hope when Michael found him and shook his head negatively, then fell into step next to Marc.
Up close, the fire was much larger than it looked from down below, covering nearly a mile already; the fire line extended a lot farther on this side than the other. Finally, as they reached the last man, they saw Sean. He was standing paralyzed by the fire raging in front of him, his shovel lying on the ground
next to him.
Marc could see the trees he was standing in beginning to smoke and knew it was only a matter of time before they burst into flames. Then the wind began to blow. What would have been a gentle breeze on any other night came down off the mountain, rippling and feeding the flames which grew higher as they watched. That breeze was followed quickly with what could only be described as a gust of wind, and the trees around Sean burst into flames.
He looked around him as if in a daze, apparently unable to move. Marc was already running when the trees burst into flames. He was screaming Sean’s name, but the roar of the fire swallowed the words up before they could reach Sean. Marc was so focused on Sean that he could only see the boy standing in the middle of an inferno, he was unaware of the other men running away from the fire.
Michael could only watch as his older brother ran into the flames, threw Sean over his shoulder, dodging the flames of the burning trees as they crashed to the ground around them, and ran toward him. The wind continued to blow, now coming in steady gusts that created a swirling mass of flames so thick it was impossible to see through it. But some internal sense told Marc which way to head with his precious cargo and he sprinted past Michael, screaming for him to follow.
The fire line was on the move, eating up vegetation and trees as it roared toward them, a monster bent on destruction, absorbing anything in its path. They bailed into the back of one of the trucks, Marc almost throwing Sean in before climbing in after him. When Marc finally managed to pull off Sean’s protective helmet, the boy was out cold, but breathing steadily. He gently tried to wake him, his heart pounding so hard in his chest that he thought he was going to pass out.
Finally as the truck came to a screeching halt at least a mile from the fire, Sean opened his eyes and his voice scratchy said, “Where are we?”
Hold Me Close: BWWM Romance (Brothers From Money Book 6) Page 11
