Cowboy on the Run (17 page)

She tried to clear her vision, to see through the heavy layer of thick smoke as her eyes blurred and burned, and her throat threatened to close up. Coughing, her throat rebelled in pain; her lungs screamed for fresh air. How had the barn gone up in flames so fast? Thank god she’d been able to unstable the horse, but now she was...

Trapped.

Jessie froze, comprehending the daunting truth of her situation...looking death square in the face.

The bright headlights of Nate’s truck caught her attention, and she sighed in desperate relief. Ironic, she thought as she was bound to the barn, flooded with thoughts of him and their children. With death knocking on her door, she had complete faith in him. Why did it take the thought of dying before she could trust him?

Jessie’s legs refused to move. One thought circled in her head...this was it. She would die unless Nate was able to save her. Inhaling, she ignored the painful protest of her throat. A dark shadow appeared, and she heard J.W.’s neigh of protest as the horse reared upward trying to buck his rider off his back in fear.

The odd detail of seeing the headlights of Nate’s truck on one side and him on the other was muddled together as her smoke-fogged mind played out parts of her life. Images of her kids, her dad...Nate’s smile, flashed like scenes from a home movie.

An ear splitting sound raged above, swallowing the crackle of the fire and shaking the barn to its foundation. The splintering of wood suggested the roof was not going to hold much longer. Her gaze locked with Nate’s across the flames. And then he was gone as the flames licked higher and higher, blocking her view.

Suddenly, a body crashed into her, and a wet, heavy blanket shrouded them. Despite her fearful protests, she let Nate shove her to the back door of the barn, and pushed through the circle of flames.

She landed hard on the dirt, the weight of him on top of her stealing her breath. The damp horse blanket clung to her skin and steamed as if it were on fire. The heat of the covering scorched her ankles and bare legs as Nate rolled, tossing it off of them as Jessie began coughing, unable to inhale air.

The thunder of the roof giving way stole her attention, and she gasped, sucking in a deep breath. Jessie stared at the collapsed structure in shock before locking her gaze with Nate. One more minute and she would have been crushed beneath the burning timber.

She opened her mouth to tell him, but he placed a finger on her lips. His dark, sapphire gaze held her captive as the tender touch of his fingertips moved on, skimming across her cheekbones as if she were as delicate as fine china. She needed this, the feathery brush of his caress reinforcing the fact she was still alive.

The warmth of his lips encompassed her mouth in a gentle kiss. The heat of his arms wrapped around her and she melted like soft butter in his possessive grip. The hardness of his body, molded firmly into hers, caused an intense sensation and unleashed a sudden surge of life-affirming yearning.

Nate pulled back and gazed at her with a long, thoughtful stare. His fingers trailed along her exposed skin, burning her flesh with his molten touch, hotter than she could have imagined and several degrees higher than the blaze from the barn. Such sweet torment; she sighed, deeper in the depths of a fire now than she had been mere moments before.

He kissed her again with a frantic urgency, his lips hungry, greedy for more. Aware only of Nate, she returned the kiss with equal passion as his lips, his scent, his entire essence overshadowed everything else.

When he pulled away abruptly, Jessie read uncertainty in his stare. Hazy with desire, she forced herself not to reach for him, keeping a safe distance. This game they played was one of pure torture. And she couldn’t seem to stop herself. She loved him, despite the continuous justification her response had been from almost dying. Realizing how close she’d come to losing her life...

Kissing him...had just been a natural reaction, she reasoned to absolve her actions. Tasting his lips simply cemented the fact she was still alive. As if life was still within her reach.

Nate jumped to his feet. The loss of his body heat wasn’t quite as chilling as his angry glare.

He extended his hand to help her to her feet. “What were you thinking, Jessie?”

She stared at his hand blankly, unable to understand, stunned by his question and the abrupt change in demeanor. Needles of irritation prickled under her skin, and she shook her head. The man’s moods changed like the weather.

“What are you talking about?” Refusing his assistance, she got to her feet on what was left of her reserved strength. Her limbs shook, and she questioned if her legs would be able to hold her own weight.

She brushed off Nate’s attempt to help steady her by offering her his arm.

“Why were you in the barn? Are you trying to kill yourself?”

“No,” she answered him. “I was saving Lilly.”

Her mind raced to the kids, and the possible consequences of her actions. Guilt tore at her. Such a foolish move almost cost her life. And her children their mother.

As if reading her mind, Nate said, “Our kids are fine. William’s keeping an eye on them.”

She nodded in relief, and reveled in the way he had said “our kids.” Would she ever get used to the sound of it?

“Yeah, I saw him heading to your ranch then...” Her voice wavered as she stared at what was left of the barn. “What could have started the fire?” Her gaze was drawn to the many young men scattered around, every one of them armed with a bucket of water or a loaded shovel of dirt. Who were all these strangers?

A faint memory of Nate mentioning a camp for boys resurfaced. She sucked in a relieved breath, thankful the fire was under control, no matter who was putting it out. The structure was now little more than a large mound of glowing embers with half a wall still standing, a reminder of how lucky she was.

A thick, blackish-gray smoke hovered over their heads and ash filtered down from the sky like dirty snowflakes. She couldn’t stop her mind from trailing... Ashes to ashes...
It could have been me
.

“I guess it depends. The barn was old, but it was in fairly good condition. You still store the majority of your hay in there? How much did you have crammed in this year?”

She scowled. Of course, he would remember the way she had always been a notorious hoarder, storing as much hay as possible for the cold winter months.

“Was the hay dry?”

Her thoughts were still focused on how close she had come to her demise and hoping the amount of hay wasn’t responsible.

“The hay, was it dry?” Nate asked again

His irritation pulled her out of her thoughts, and she sucked in a deep breath. Every good rancher knew never to store damp hay—depending on a hot day and several other factors, it could combust. Which was probably what happened.

Swallowing the doubt, she was certain the hay they’d stored the other day had been dry.

The dozen snakes re-appeared in her mind, but she kept it to herself, not willing to consider someone had planted them
and
started her barn on fire. Too many coincidences. Too hard to believe.

“It looks like no one was hurt,” Nate stated, sparing a glance in her direction, an unconcealed expression of concern worn on his features. “Except for the barn.”

Jessie’s attention returned to the stable, and her thoughts shifted to building a new structure.

“Lucky for you, I have a bunch of boys who love to work.” Nate pointed to the group.

Jessie nodded her head, returning her focus on the several young men still putting out the fire. Suddenly, everything began to make sense.

“You introduced Doyle to me as heading the O-K Corral. I take it the Corral was a home for troubled teens?” The conversation she and Nate shared in his barn came to life again, and she shook her head in disbelief.

When he had spoken of his plans, she’d made light of the confession, thinking it was simply another of his pipe dreams. Just one of many things he had often thought to do, but never followed through. Again, Nate surprised her.

Shocked, Jessie realized how wrong she’d been. “I can’t believe it. You did it. You actually did it.” Proud of him, she realized how much he’d changed from a troubled teen himself to the man before her. “What was it you called them? Law benders?” She smiled at the memory.

In an instant, her thoughts changed direction. With her mind still reeling, she searched for a reason the barn had gone up in flames, and the notion of stocking wet hay just wasn’t settling in well. Was it too much to question the possibility one of the boys could be at fault?

“A candy bar my ass! Law breakers? They wouldn’t dare—” She stopped herself in mid-sentence, controlling the sudden surge of anger.

“Wouldn’t dare what, Jessie?” Nate probed her to finish her sentence.

“Set a barn on fire?” she questioned uneasily. Despite her doubts, a slight awareness such suspicions could be without warrant filtered through.

Nate cocked an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. “What exactly are you implying, Jessie? How quick you forget they just put your barn fire out. Does that sound like criminals to you?” he snapped, walking away from her.

Alone with her thoughts, Jessie realized how judgmental her comment had been. She watched the boys as they handed bucket after bucket of water down a line they had formed. It was an amazing display of teamwork. They were truly dedicated to putting out the fire,
her fire
, as Nate had so eloquently stated.

He joined the line, and she heard him bark out several orders. The boys respected him, regarding him with evident admiration. She watched in awe and bewilderment. Taking on this kind of responsibility wasn’t something the old Nate would’ve done.

Grabbing a discarded shovel, she positioned herself between Nate and a teen with dark hair. The boy grinned, his white teeth a sharp contrast against the grime on his smoke-blackened face. Apparently, the young man enjoyed the hard work.

A pang of guilt shot through her.

“I’m sorry about what I said about the boys,” she said to Nate, tossing a shovel full of dirt onto the embers. “It’s just that I’d seen your truck, and then you were there on J.W. Well, it struck me as odd...all I could see was the light, so bright in fact I thought you were using a spotlight because I saw three of them,” she continued, despite the shaking of his head. “The one on top blinded me. I had to look away.”

“My truck?” he questioned, facing her. “It couldn’t have been my truck. You were just seeing things. Your eyes play tricks on you when you go through something like you just did.” His forehead wrinkled in deep thought. “Still, I don’t like you implying my boys would do something so destructive. They’re good kids...”

Jessie could tell he didn’t want to believe the worst, but had a seed of doubt started to take root?

Chapter 21

“Are you sure you are okay?” Alan asked.

The concern in his stare made Jessie’s breath catch in her throat, and she fought the pang of guilt spoiling the contents in her stomach. Clearly, the man was worried about her safety. This was the third time he’d asked if she was all right. Hell, he hadn’t given her a moment to herself since she clocked in.

“Of course, I am. The fire happened two days ago. I’m fine,” she assured him, trying not to let the irritation she felt come out in her words. “Besides, I’m not pushing it and only working a few hours of the early shift like you suggested. And now, I’m officially off the clock.” She untied the strings of the small apron around her waist and folded the cloth in half, neatly placing it on top of the bar.

“In that case, you can come in your normal time tomorrow.” He flashed a smile. “If you’re sure you’re okay. I just care about you. I never want to see you get hurt.” Alan came out from behind the bar and held his arms out as if to comfort her with a hug.

“Sounds great,” Jessie said, and moved toward the bar’s door, successfully dodging his outstretched limbs. Once out of the bar, she hesitated. Working her regular shift meant she would be home all day to suffer through relentless hours of watching Nate work.

Jessie chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully. The ranch had been a construction zone for the past two days. It wasn’t as if she didn’t appreciate all the hard work going into building the barn. She did. But, since stating the boys could have been responsible for the fire, he had avoided her at all costs.

The worst part, the young men had been amazing, a point of guilty friction between her and Nate. As if they needed any other source of abrasion. She scowled, blaming herself for the dark thoughts she’d implied.

Of course, she’d paid dearly for it. Watching Nate work and not being able to speak to him had been pure hell. For starters, he was always shirtless, displaying his fit, sexy body.

She often found herself as immersed in his work as he was, consumed by the way his biceps flexed with every nail he hammered. Or appreciating the way his tool belt hung low on his lean hips, accentuating his trim waist and muscular thighs. Even when he was drenched in sweat, she wanted to remedy the problem, fantasizing like a fool about sponge baths and such. Hell, yesterday she hadn’t been able to keep her gaze off of him.

Night was worse. Even in her sleep, she dreamed about him. When she closed her eyes, the visions were so vivid every carnal touch came to life, waking her with his signature scent of leather and male in the air. Sleep had been impossible.

Nate, on the other hand, seemed to care less about her. Ever since the fire, he barely spared a glance in her direction. He never acknowledged her, other than an occasional good morning accompanied by a forced smile. And it was killing her.

Jessie pulled into the drive and scurried into the house with plans to change out of her work clothes and help with the barn. She quickly threw on a fresh tank top and slipped into some shorts. As soon as her foot hit the bottom stairs on the way back out, she slammed into Rosita in the hallway.

The scent of lemons filled the air, despite the firm grasp the housekeeper managed to hold on the pitcher of lemonade. However, the stack of disposable cups she had balanced in her other hand fell to the floor. The plastic tumblers landed with a thud then scattered across the wood planks.