The Wrangler

by Lindsay McKenna

  “Yeah, sure, I got it.” He wrapped the paper up and shoved it into one pocket.

  “Here’s where you meet me for the rest of the money.”

  Reading the paper, Zach recognized a forest service road out in the middle of nowhere, south of town. “I know where this is at. I’ll be there at six the morning after the cabins are torched.”

  Grunting, the man turned around and left.

  Zach stood there, his heart pounding with happiness. Maybe word was getting out that he’d do jobs like this for good money. The wad of bills felt good in his bulging pocket. Understanding the man wasn’t about to give his name, he saw him disappear around the corner of the barn. He heard the growl of a diesel truck engine start up. Hurrying down the aisle, Zach saw a black Chevy pickup heading quickly out of Downing’s main gate. He’d memorize the vehicle so he could recognize it next time he saw it. Smiling excitedly, his mind spun with possibilities of having enough marijuana on hand to last a long time.

  As he went back to mucking out the stalls, Zach wished he knew the man’s name. Maybe, if he did this torch job right, he’d have more for him later on? Then, he could have a steady job doing things like this, and making good money. Using the pitchfork, he scooped a bunch of cedar shavings into the wheelbarrow outside the stall he was working in. The snort of horses soothed Zach’s nerves. His heart pumped with excitement. He’d never torched anything before, so this was a new kind of gig for him. It seemed easy enough. Knowing his older sister wouldn’t approve, nor would his grandmother, he had no one to celebrate his good fortune with. Tonight couldn’t come soon enough!

  * * *

  VAL TOSSED AND TURNED IN BED. Frustrated, she finally flopped onto her back and opened her eyes. Why couldn’t she sleep? Was it a full moon tonight? She always experienced broken sleep during the full moon. Whatever the energy, it affected her adversely. But no, it was actually the new moon and the sky outside looked like spilled black ink. Lying there, Val stared over at the nightstand to her right. The clock read 3:20 a.m. Maybe it was the excitement of the appliances and furnishings for the cabins arriving this morning? Or was this all about Griff? Closing her eyes, Val sighed in defeat. She sat up, facing the large window with ruffled white curtains around it. She drank from the half-filled water glass next to her bed. Rubbing her eyes, she felt wired. Why? Frowning, she looked toward the window. Things seemed unusually bright outside, considering there was no moon. Val pushed off the bed, landing on bare feet, and padded across the cool polished wooden floor. She smoothed out her rumpled pink cotton nightgown that fell to her knees. Approaching the window, she pulled back the drapes.

  A cry tore from her lips. “Oh, my God!” There, on the horizon, were tongues of red and orange flames leaping into the sky. The cabins! Val couldn’t see them, but she could see the fire above the top of the evergreen grove. Panicked, she turned on her heel and raced for the door. She tore it open, ran across the hall and jerked open Griff’s bedroom door.

  “Griff!” Val’s voice cracked as she ran into his room. He was sleeping on top of the covers, on his belly, wearing only a pair of pajama bottoms. He didn’t move. She gripped his shoulder and shook him hard. “Griff! Wake up! The cabins are on fire! Get up!”

  Disoriented, Griff jerked out of his deep, heavy sleep. He’d heard Val’s cry, the panic in her voice. He leaped out of bed, saw her turn and run down the stairs. Sleep was torn from him as he raced across the hall to the window in Val’s room. His eyes widened, a breath of disbelief exploding from his lips. The cabins were on fire! Wheeling around, he ran back to his room, threw on some clothes, socks and boots as swiftly as he could. Thunking quickly down the stairs, he saw Val on the landline phone, talking with the Jackson Hole fire department. He raced past her and threw open the main door. The screen door slammed behind him as he rushed out onto the porch. The air was thick with smoke drifting their way. He could see the orange glow near the lake hidden by large stands of forest trees between the cabins and the ranch.

  He hurried to the pickup truck parked at the bottom of the porch and in moments was spinning and racing toward the fire. His mind was wild with unanswered questions. There was no way he could fight a fire. How many cabins were involved? Griff gripped the wheel hard as he pushed the truck to maximum speed, bumping heavily along the rutted dirt road. Skidding around the large curve, he gasped.

  All six cabins were on fire! My God! Slamming on the brakes, Griff stopped within a hundred feet of the first cabin and leaped out. It was fully engulfed in flames. The light they caused made it easy to see as he rapidly worked his way up the line of blazing structures. The last cabin was barely burning. Running to the front door, Griff saw it was ajar. Looking around for just a moment, he saw no one. He smelled the heavy odor of gasoline when he stepped inside. The fumes hung in the air, choking him. The fire had just started and was racing along one wall of the cabin.

  Griff knew there were huge canvas drop cloths left on the porch by the workman who had finished painting yesterday. Grabbing one, he quickly worked to snuff out the flames. Coughing from the smoke, his eyes watering from the heavy fumes, Griff worked nonstop to halt the spread of the voracious flames. The canvas was thick and heavy. When he slapped it against the wall, the flames were instantly doused. Hurriedly, he moved to catch the rest of the fire. Flames licked upward, burning the backs of his hands and his lower arm. Griff didn’t care. This cabin had to be saved!

  Just as he smothered the last of the flames and staggered out onto the porch, dizzied by the smoke and fumes, Griff heard the wail of sirens in the distance. Good, the fire department was almost here! Turning, he leaped off the porch with another canvas drop cloth in hand, heading for the next cabin. There, too, the door was wide open. He jumped up on the porch. The fire was eating into two walls. Could he stop it? Unsure, Griff dived into the cabin, the smoke instantly enveloping him. Choking, coughing, his eyes watering, he started at the worst end of the west wall, throwing the canvas against the flames.

  Dizzied and disoriented, Griff worked his way from the first wall to the other, which was barely starting to burn. Over and over, he used the stout canvas to smother the flames. By the time he’d snuffed it out, the wail of sirens surrounded him. Collapsing on the floor, Griff coughed violently. Crawling toward the door, canvas in hand, Griff managed to drag himself out onto the front porch. It was there that he met two of the firefighters, a hose in hand and wearing breathing equipment. Yelling at them, he said, “It’s out. Get to the others!”

  They nodded and quickly went to the cabin next door. Griff couldn’t take a deep breath. He lay down, gasping and trying to fight the anxiety racing through him.

  “Griff!”

  Val’s voice broke through his panic. Looking up, he saw her in jeans and a T-shirt, her uncombed hair falling around her face, eyes wild with anxiety. Griff sat up just as she fell on her knees at his side. He felt her hand grip his shoulder, her face close to his. He could see her pupils were large and black. Her breath was ragged, her lips parted as she rapidly assessed him.

  Val wrapped her hands firmly around his shoulders and asked, “Are you all right?” Griff’s eyes were dazed-looking. Tears were running down his drawn face. He was having trouble breathing. Oh, God, no! The cabins could burn, but he couldn’t die! Val tried to think clearly. “Are you having trouble breathing?” Her voice turned demanding as she shook him. His eyes finally focused on her.

  “Y-yes…smoke…inhalation.” Griff sagged forward, coughing hard, gripping his chest with his hands.

  “Stay here!” Val ordered. “I’ll get help.”

  Griff felt Val leave his side. He struggled to breathe, his whole world focused on getting air into his lungs. In the distance, he could hear orders and shouts of men above the roaring flames. There were firefighters with hoses running for the fully involved structures like silhouettes against the roaring flames. Finally, he got a breath, sat up and s
aw the firefighters valiantly working to stop the cabins from being burned. It was no use. Three were completely enveloped by flames and Griff knew none of them would be saved. He watched as two firefighters were ordered to start pouring water on the side and roof of the cabin where he sat. The water would prevent any sparks from setting it or the roof on fire.

  Griff felt slightly better when Val returned shortly with a paramedic. He lifted his hand in greeting to the woman paramedic. Val crouched near him, her eyes anxious as she placed her arm around his shoulders.

  “I’m Cat,” the paramedic said as she squatted down in front of him. “How are you doing?”

  “Smoke inhalation…I think….”

  Cat set the oxygen tank aside and pressed the stethoscope to his heart and listened. “Can you take a deep breath, Mr. McPherson?”

  “No, I can’t.”

  “We’ll get you on oxygen,” Cat said, quickly fitting a cannula around his head and nose so he could breathe in pure oxygen from the nearby tank.

  Val tried to steady her shaken voice. “Is he going to be all right?”

  “We need to transport him to the hospital to get checked out by a doctor,” Cat told her. She took Griff’s pulse and wrote the info down on a piece of paper she’d retrieved from the pocket of her dark blue uniform.

  The oxygen was like life to Griff. He was able to breathe deeply and instantly his fear and anxiety dissolved. Val at his side, her hand on his shoulder to steady him, was all he needed. Looking over at the burning cabins, his heart broke. Val’s stricken face mirrored how he felt. She was crying. Griff reached over and gripped her hand to try and soothe her. He knew Gus had spent her personal money buy the cabin packages. Now, three of them were gone. Griff knew this wasn’t an accident. Anger warred with grief. Who had done this?

  Griff’s hand was steadying to Val. She gripped his, dividing her attention between him and the cabins that were being quickly tamped down by the firefighters. Searching his face, she asked, “Are you feeling better?” The noises were loud and she could barely hear herself think. Between the roar and crackling of the fire, the water hissing from the hoses onto the flames and the growl of the pumpers sending the water through the hoses, it was controlled chaos.

  Griff turned and said, “Better. Much better.”

  Cat put her hand on his other shoulder. “Looks like you have some second-degree burns on your hands, too. I’ll be right back. We need to get you on a gurney and to the hospital.”

  Griff grimaced. “I can walk and I feel fine.” He lifted his hand and saw it was reddened with some blisters across it. “I’ll be okay, Cat. I want to stay here.”

  Val said, “No way. You are going to the hospital, Griff.”

  “She’s right,” Cat said. “I need a doctor to check your throat and lungs. You may not feel it now but smoke can burn them. An hour from now, your throat tissue could swell and shut off your breathing. You could suffocate to death. I don’t think you want that, do you?”

  Griff scowled. “I guess I’ll go.” Turning, he said to Val, “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Does Miss Gus know what’s happened?”

  “Yes, she heard me on the phone calling the fire department.”

  Griff sighed. “Damn. I’m sorry, Val. Someone did this on purpose.”

  “Yes.” Her voice shook. “I called the sheriff’s department right after I called the fire department. Deputy Sheriff Cade Garner is here on scene. He’s already beginning his investigation.”

  “Good.” Griff struggled to his feet with Val and Cat’s help. The paramedic carried the portable oxygen bottle for him. He continued to hold Val’s icy hand. There was devastation in her eyes. Leaning down, he tenderly kissed Val’s cheek. Her skin was damp from the tears. Griff promised her, “We’ll get through this. You stay here and take care of Gus. I worry what this will do to her. Okay?”

  Skin softly tingling in the wake of his kiss, Val jerkily nodded her head. “You just get well, Griff. If you have to stay at the hospital, call me. I’ll come and see you as soon as we get this fire taken care of and Cade has completed his investigation.”

  His mouth pulled into a grimace. “I’m not staying that long in the hospital. I’ll be back.” Reluctantly, Griff released Val’s hand. How badly he wanted to kiss her parted, tear-stained lips. Every cell of his being wanted to protect her, hold her and keep her safe from a world suddenly gone insane. But he couldn’t. Hospital first, and then he’d get home as soon as possible.

  Griff was in the hospital bed wearing a blue gown when Val came to visit him late the same morning. Dr. Jordana Lawton had been the emergency room physician on duty when they’d brought him in. At least he knew her and when she told him he had to stay twenty-four hours under observation, he didn’t argue with her.

  “Hey, how you doing?” Val called, gently closing the door. She saw the unhappy look on Griff’s face. He hadn’t shaved and the stubble accentuated his grim expression. Her heart beat hard remembering how brave he had been. Val walked to his bedside and slid her fingers gently across his gowned shoulder. Both his hands and his right forearm were wrapped in dressings. “It’s good to see you, Griff.” Her voice quavered, but she didn’t care. Leaning over, Val kissed his wrinkled brow. His hair was mussed and uncombed and it gave him a rebellious look.

  Straightening, she watched his green eyes flare with pleasure after her kiss. Val wanted to kiss his mouth, but this was the wrong time and place.

  “Better now.” Griff reveled in the warmth of her breath as she’d kissed his forehead. The intimacy was real and genuine. “How many cabins were lost?”

  “We lost three. You and the firefighters saved the other three.” Her hand tightened briefly on his shoulder. “You could have died.”

  “I didn’t, though.”

  “No, but the fire chief said what you did to save those cabins was beyond courageous.”

  Griff saw the gleam of pride in her eyes and the soft tremble of her lower lip. Her voice was unsteady. But who wouldn’t be shaken up under a circumstance like this? Rallying beneath her glowing look, he managed a slight shrug. “Anyone would have done it.”

  Val gave him a look of tenderness. “You’re a hero in our eyes, Griff. You were so brave.”

  Feeling heat nettle his cheeks, Griff drowned in Val’s blue gaze. An overwhelming emotion, something he’d never felt before, tunneled through him and opened his swiftly beating heart. “How is Miss Gus? I’ve been worried about her.”

  “She’s spitting angry but all right.”

  “I think we all are.”

  “I’m worried, Griff. Cade said it was arson. He’s got samples of the accelerant and is taking all his findings to the lab. After Cade came to talk to us once he’d completed his investigation, Gus got even more upset.”

  “Does Cade have any idea who would do this?” Griff demanded, feeling his own anger surge.

  “No. But he said there were boot prints around the cut barbed wire where the guy got onto our property. He’s taken moldings of the prints. And there were tire tracks nearby. He made moldings of them, too.”

  “I’m sure they don’t have boot prints in their computer system,” he said, trying to hide the bitterness in his tone.

  “Gus thinks the fire is Curt Downing’s doing. When she told Cade, he said that there’s no evidence pointing in that direction. At least, not yet.”

  Griff had a feeling Downing was involved, too. The guy had caused way too much drama over the property to be completely innocent in this event. Reaching out with his bandaged hand, Griff held Val’s fingers. He searched her dark blue eyes. “How are you doing?”

  Haltingly, Val said, “I’m in utter shock.” She curved her fingers around his. “I’m more worried for you. Jordana said there were no burns in your throat, thank goodness.”

  “I’ll be okay.” He held up his ot
her arm. “First- and second-degree burns. Nothing that won’t heal fast.”

  “Slade called,” Val said. “Jordana had let him know that you were going to be here overnight for observation. He’s coming over to visit you in a little bit.”

  Warmed by that knowledge, Griff said, “That’s good. Maybe he’ll have some ideas of who could have done this to you and Miss Gus.”

  “He’s lived here all his life. My brother knows the bad guys around here.”

  Val sighed. “That’s what Jordana said. Slade knows where all the rats hide.”

  Lifting Val’s hand, Griff boldly pressed a kiss to the back of it. He could smell a slight lemony scent. Val had showered before visiting him. “Seeing you is all I really needed, Val. Thanks for coming.”

  As Griff released her hand, Val swayed forward. Catching herself, she drowned in Griff’s uplifted gaze. His eyes were narrowed upon her. She could feel his need for her. All of her. In that moment, Val realized she wasn’t erecting the barrier of fear that always came up when a man looked at her in that way. Had trust finally taken root between them? Shattered her past? Shaken by the possibility, Val eased her hand from his shoulder. “I’ll be back tomorrow at this time to pick you up and bring you home.”

  “That sounds good.” Griff appreciated the sway of her hips as she walked to the door. “Tell Miss Gus to take it easy,” he called after her. “We’ll rebuild starting tomorrow.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  A DRONING SOUND awoke Val the next night. Her bedroom window was open to allow the cool night air in as a sort of natural air-conditioning. She had been sleeping lightly because of the arson fire last night. As well, Griff wasn’t here and, feeling unprotected, Val had not slept well. Plus, Gus was looking pale and sad.

  The sound continued to come closer and closer. Throwing off her sheet, Val quietly left her bedroom, padded down the wooden stairs on bare feet and hurried to the door. As stepped out on the porch, the sound of the approaching airplane was very close. Moving away from the ranch house, Val looked up. She definitely saw a plane, but there were no red and green blinking lights on its wings to indicate its position. It was so strange!