“That it’s going to be really hard to let you go.”
“Then don’t.”
“We can’t do this forever, Seth. At some point we’ll have to come clean.”
“But what if we could? Maybe it’s a little backward—I’ll give you that. But what if we played this all the way out and we actually worked? Crazier things have happened.”
He wasn’t wrong. After all, what they were doing wasn’t all that different than an arranged marriage, right? She had heard many success stories where a bride and groom met only briefly before walking down the aisle. Heck, she had even seen a reality television show with that very premise.
But something deep in her being couldn’t determine if the reward was greater than the risk. And was she willing to risk all of this—both her heart and Seth’s—just to find out?
“I don’t know what to do, Seth. But I do know one thing. If I stay here with you tonight, there’s no way we’re not having sex.”
His chest stopped mid-rise. “I’d have to agree with you on that.”
“For that reason, I think I should head back to my trailer for the night. Even if I stay here and sleep on the couch, I don’t think it’ll give us the space we need to keep things PG.”
“What about PG-13?” He nuzzled his nose against her neck and pressed his full mouth on the sensitive flesh there. She squirmed as his tongue met the slope of her neck in a way that made her toes curl.
“Um, yeah. No chance of that either.”
He drew back. “Josie, I hope you know I’ve never felt this way about someone after only knowing them a week.”
“I hope you know I don’t pretend marry any ol’ cowboy that comes along, either.”
He laughed a little, but then his expression became serious, his eyes sober. “I care about you, Josie. I’m falling for you. Hard. And I want a future with you that has the potential to bring us right back to where we are now, but when that time comes around, I want it to be for real.”
Josie wanted all of those things but couldn’t find the way to say it. Instead, she leaned over and kissed Seth and somehow, it filled in all of the gaps where her words were lacking.
Josie shivered inside her sweatshirt and threaded her hands together in the front pocket. It was dang cold, near freezing. Seth had protested about a hundred times when she made the offer, but it made no sense for him to hike to the barn to feed Hank when she would be passing by on her way to her fifth wheel. She was happy to take the midnight shift.
Stars dotted the black sky above like pinpricks in a heavenly tapestry. There was the familiar farm smell, sharp and earthy, and it seemed heightened this hour of night. She could see the funnel of flickering light coming from the old dairy barn and could hear the bugs that buzzed in its glow yards before she made it to the entrance of the rundown structure.
“Hello?” Josie stepped into the barn. Her boots crunched pieces of straw as she made her way down the breezeway aisle, sending an eerie shiver down her spine. “Anyone here?”
“In here with Hank.” Tanner’s voice still startled her, even though she’d sensed she wasn’t alone. “Just wrapping up.”
She peered into the stall to see Seth’s older brother with the baby calf practically sitting in his lap. The red glow from the heater clipped to the stall wall tinted them a pinkish hue and Josie could feel the radiating warmth even from a distance. “I didn’t realize you’d be here,” Josie said. “I came by to cover Seth’s shift for him.”
“Already taken care of it.”
The generous gesture took Josie by surprise. So much of their relationship felt like a competition, at the very least a constant contention. Tanner’s selfless act was out of the ordinary, no question, and it made a wariness bubble up in Josie that she almost felt guilty about. People could do good things without ulterior motives, right? “That’s really nice of you, Tanner. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know I didn’t, but I do remember what it’s like to be a newlywed.” He took the sleeve of his shirt and wiped the calf’s milk mustache with the fabric edge. “I figured you two could use your alone time. I texted him telling him so, but seeing that you’re standing right here, I assume he didn’t get it.”
“I don’t think he did.”
“It’s fine. He can owe me one. I gotta take the boys into town to get some new cleats tomorrow, so tell Seth he’s on for the early afternoon shift. From there on out, we can get back to our normal feeding schedule.”
“I can do that. No problem. Thank you again, Tanner. I really do appreciate it and I know Seth does, too.”
Tanner shot Josie a look like he was going to say more, but then his lips pressed tight and he redirected is attention to the calf that began to doze off with its head resting upon his thigh.
“Goodnight, Tanner.” Josie turned to go and was certain her ears deceived her when she heard a faint, “Night, sis,” in reply.
23
Seth
Seth wasn’t one to believe in premonitions, but there was no other way to describe it.
He had been lost in a dream, swallowed up in the illusion of reality that coupled with a deep slumber. In his vision, Josie had Bruiser on a lunge line, circling ‘round and ‘round the pen while she stood in the center, rope in one hand, whip in the other. Flames kicked up from the stallion’s hind hooves, making sparks skitter across the ground like a matchstick striking sandpaper. As the horse sped into a higher gear from a lope to an all-out gallop, Josie kept time, pivoting on her heel to turn with the beast. Embers bounced and raced over the sand in a kindling that grew brighter and stronger with each lap the horse made around the pen.
Then, with one powerful thrust, the back end of the mustang kicked into the air, bucking wildly toward the night sky in a burst that turned everything an orange glow. A wall of fire swallowed up the pen and all within it.
Seth vaulted from his bed and rushed toward the window. His stomach twisted like he was about to become sick, and when the amber blaze of the barn met his frantic eyes, he nearly retched, the visual confirmation of all his fears too much to take in.
His pants and shirt weren’t even all the way on and he was already out the door, fumbling to button himself up while he jammed his feet into his muddied boots.
“Josie!” he shouted, flying down the porch steps two at a time.
There was no reason for her to be out at this hour, but his gut knew he would find her there. His heart dreaded just what shape she might be in.
“Josie!” he yelled again, covering more land with his stride than he ever had on horseback.
“Over here!” A raw voice screamed from the paddocks, then choked out through a sputtering cough, “With the rescues!”
The old dairy barn creaked in the distance as a support beam crumbled, snapping it in two like a brittle wishbone. Shards of red-hot wood splintered to the ground below and within seconds, the stacked bales of hay stored there ignited, the dry grasses the perfect tinder to set the entire barn ablaze. Flames shot up the rustic walls and sparks flared, sending dime-sized cinders spraying out like a fourth of July firework.
“I can’t get them to go!” Josie cracked the whip on the ground, right next to the stallion’s hooves, but he wouldn’t budge. The five horses huddled together and the more she prodded, the more they remained mulishly immobile. “We have to get them out of here, Seth!”
Another crack. Seth cast a glance over his shoulder just as the barn roof caved in the middle, decimating the structure as it fell to the ground with a shake that made the earth move. Flames instantly swelled, plumes of smoke billowing in thick, ebony clouds.
Seth tugged his bandana from his back pocket and quickly tied it at the back of Josie’s head for a mask, then he ripped a strip from the hem of his shirt to twist a makeshift one for himself. Smoke burned his eyes, the dry, intense heat singeing his lashes and brow. His lungs felt like they were on fire, just like everything else around them.
He yanked on her hand. “We have to get
out of here, Josie.”
She shook free. “We have to get them out of here.” She slapped Bruiser on his rump and the horse kicked out in a narrow miss, fear evident in his panic-stricken eyes. “Tanner already got Hank and he’s opening up the pasture gates for the cows now. These horses are all that’s left.”
She was as unyielding as the animals she fought to free and Seth knew he would never be able to convince her to go. Not when the animals were in such immediate danger.
“What can I do to help?”
“Open up those panels.” She nudged her head toward the paddock fence rails surrounding them, the threatening fire encroaching steadily just on the other side. “We’re not going to be able to guide them out through the narrow gate, so we’ll just have to let the heat push them that way. I’m praying they still have some survival instincts left, because there’s not much more that we can do.”
Seth jerkily rushed toward the panels. When his hand met the pipe, he recoiled, the smarting pain from the heat the metal retained making him flinch. He tucked his hand back into his shirtsleeve and used the fabric as a barrier while he attempted another grip on the panel. Heaving with all of the strength he could muster, he unlatched the first section of fence, then the second, until half of the paddock paneling was unhooked and laid flat on the ground.
Even with the fencing gone, a barrier remained. Flames taller than Seth pierced skyward in a taunting dance that trapped them within its hellish inferno ring.
“The water trough!” Josie exclaimed. They raced to the hundred-gallon tub that was only three-quarters full. Josie grabbed a nearby grain bucket and passed it off to Seth, then took another up in her hands. Together they scooped pail after pail, dousing the flames until the fire diminished with a simmering hiss.
“Come on, Bruiser!” Josie cried once on the other side of the enclosure, her hoarse voice cracking on the syllables. “Move!”
She doubled at the waist, racked with a guttural sob that left her a crumpled heap in Seth’s arms.
“We have to get out of here, Josie,” he said a second time. This time, he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He’d carry her out of danger if he had to.
“They’re not moving!”
“They will,” he assured, but only half believed it. “They’ll get out of harm’s way now that there’s a clear path to take. Trust me.”
Josie just shook her head over and over as they backed away from the paddock and the blazing remnants of the barn that looked like some special effect from an action movie. Seth had never seen such destruction take place in a matter of mere minutes. Whinnies squealed in unison with Josie’s cries, and her sounds were only partially muted as she wept into his shirt.
In no time, the opening they had just created was swallowed up in new flames. Seth sheltered Josie against his chest to keep her from glimpsing the hopeless sight. The wall of opaque fire obscured the desperate horses imprisoned on the other side, but it couldn’t contain their hysterical neighs of despair.
Then, like a promise in the night, a distant siren wail sent a wave of sheer optimism rippling through Seth’s body. Thank God, help had finally arrived.
“The fire department’s here!” He shook Josie, peeling her from his chest where she burrowed.
The back of her hand smeared across her eyes, blinking and unbelieving.
At the same time, Seth’s mother and father rushed out from the farmhouse, both in robes that they cinched tightly around their waists as they ran toward the commotion.
“Is everyone okay?” Mitch’s slack-jawed gape matched his rounded eyes.
“Where’s Tanner?” Donna cried, just as Amy and the boys sprinted up behind her. She hauled her grandsons into her arms to shield them from the devastating display. “Where is he?”
“He’s opening up the gates for the cows,” Josie said, her composure only slightly regained. “But the rescue horses are trapped.”
“Not for long,” Seth assured. A fire truck, followed by an ambulance, slowed in between them and the barn, and the chief jumped down from the first vehicle once it came to a full stop. Seth filled him in on the situation with the horses and the crew got right to work with a synchronicity that could only come from working as a team day in and day out.
Seth knew there was nothing more he could do and that it was best to leave the firefighters to their job, but a helplessness still tugged at the core of his being. His family ranch was being swallowed whole before his very eyes and it was a chilling, stark reality that he was powerless to save it.
Mighty surges of water flooded from fire hoses angled toward the barn, quenching the ailing structure and smothering the angry flames. The chief called out orders and his crew moved quickly to meet the demands. Their presence provided a modicum of control in the midst of utter uncertainty. Popping sounds of igniting beams. Neighing from terrified creatures. The whooshing rush of water that attempted to overpower the persistent flames.
It was all a cacophony of chaos and then, with one eardrum shattering whinny, Bruiser vaulted over the hedge of fire like an Olympic equestrian jumper. Seth had never seen a sight so majestic, so unbridled, and when the four remaining mustangs followed his lead, Seth couldn’t keep from weeping. Tears, hot and insistent, trailed down his cheeks and skated along his jaw.
“Josie, look.”
Bruiser reared on his hind limbs, kicking out his front hooves as he tossed his head wildly like a grand send off before bounding for the open pasture, his herd mates on his heels.
“They’re free,” Josie whimpered at the sight.
For the first time since stepping from one nightmare into another, Seth was able to breathe easy. The same couldn’t be said for Josie. She coughed and hacked, choking on the smoke that enveloped them like a dense, dark vapor. Seth gasped when she suddenly went languid like a rag doll in his arms.
“Help!” he screamed. “Somebody, help!”
A young paramedic bounded across the dirt with his medical bag, hollering for his partner to follow. The second rushed over, pushing a stretcher. Seth stood there gaping as they peeled Josie from his grip and strapped her onto the frame to take her vitals. They rattled off numbers that Seth didn’t know the meaning of and spun the gurney around. As if in a fog, Seth stared blankly when the ambulance doors slammed closed with Josie secured behind them, lights flashing in red, disorienting swirls. The siren kicked on. Dust sputtered out from the vehicle’s tires and Seth remained frozen in place until the ambulance became a distant speck on the two-lane road outside their property.
“Who are they taking away?” Tanner suddenly jammed up behind them on his horse. He swung down from the animal and gathered the reins in his hands. “Who was that?”
“Josie!” Donna’s voice trembled. “They’ve taken Josie. Mitch, go get some clothes on and then get the truck warmed up. Anna, you take the boys back to the main house and phone us if the fire spreads any further. Tanner—are you okay to drive Seth down to the hospital? Your father and I will be right behind you as soon as we’re changed.”
It was apparent that Seth was in no condition to drive himself. He could feel all awareness drain from his face, just a vapid expression coating his despondent features.
“Sure, I can take him.” Tanner nodded. He looked over at his boys. “Colby, I’ll need you to take my horse and put him in the small pasture behind Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Sally and Scout are already over there. If, for any reason, the fire heads that direction, I’ll need you to open the gate and let them free. You understand?”
“Yes, sir,” Colby answered. “I understand.”
“Come on, Seth.” Tanner took his brother by the shoulders. “Let’s get you to your wife.”
24
Josie
“There’s someone here to see you, Miss Josie.” The nurse adjusted the nasal cannula, fluffed the pillow behind Josie’s head, and gave her a sly grin, complete with a wink. “Is that man out there really your husband?”
Josie didn’t know how to
answer that and when she opened her mouth, she had to strain her vocal chords to even create a whisper of sound.
“Don’t waste your energy answering, girl. All I’m saying is that he is mighty fine and you two make a beautiful couple. Your chart said you weren’t married, but he’s saying otherwise. You good with him coming in for a visit?”
Josie nodded. Her nurse squeezed her hand and then gave her a pat on her shoulder before gathering the thin sheet to tuck it under Josie’s chin. “Alright. I’ll send him right in. And if you need anything, you know which button to push. I’ll be just down the hall.”
Josie mouthed the words thank you.
The room was a sterile, cold, white box. Monitors beeped on a machine next to her and tubes snaked into a bruised patch of skin on the back of her hand. There was a window with the shades drawn shut, but she could see strips of light slip between each blind, casting long shadows on the tile floor that made it look like a grid.
It was morning. Maybe afternoon.
How long had she been here?
“Knock, knock? Can I come in?” Seth’s hushed voice filtered through the cracked open door. “I brought a few friends.”
“Friends?” Josie asked. Her throat felt raw like she had swallowed a handful of sand.
“Just Tiffany, Tammy, and Tawnya.” He toed open the door and stood in the threshold, three half-dead potted plants in his arms. “I thought you could use a little something from home to spruce up the place.”
Josie laughed but the effort hurt her lungs. They felt stretched thin like an overfilled balloon.
“I’ll just put these right here.” Seth lowered each pot to an empty side table next to the hospital bed and then wiped his palms on the thighs of his jeans. He gave Josie the most helpless look. “Oh, Josie.”
“I’m okay,” she said quickly, but the cough at the end didn’t do anything to add truth to her words.
Take the Reins (A Cowboy's Promise Book 2) Page 17
