I heldmy shirt collar over my nose and mouth, my eyes burning from the thickening smoke all around me. I was determined to reach them. The fire seemed to intensify the deeper I went, the heat feeling like a fucking sunburn against my skin.
But I was nearing the southeast property line of Thornbrush. I knew if I walked nearly a mile away from the fire, I’d reach a trail that separated the dense pines from the ranch. The trail ran along the fence line. I could get around it, then, and hopefully reach Penn and Lina. We’d have to start evacuating the horses.
Fear and love fueled me. My muscles were straining and my lungs burned, but I didn’t fucking care. I needed to reach them before it was too late.
lina
“Penn!” The fire was spreading, catching every dry blade of grass, cutting off my path. Junior was already scooping her up. Panic was rushing through my veins. “I’m coming!” I yelled, rushing over to the stock tank and turning on the spigot. The well-line thumped and sputtered with air before a gush of water rushed out to fill the bone-dry trough.
The hum of an ATV sounded in the distance, and I spun around to see Romy with Charli on her back in a carrier behind the wheel.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
The last thing I wanted was to risk Romy and Charli. Jude would never forgive me.
She didn’t even respond, her chin set stubbornly as she jumped off the vehicle and ran to unstrap the buckets she had on the back.
“I saw the fire from the house,” she explained, rushing over to me. Charli bounced at her back, oblivious to everything as she sucked her fist. “I already called the fire department.”
We did not have any time to wait. Who knew how long it’d take for firetrucks to reach us out here.
“Thank fuck.” I sighed, taking a bucket from her.
We both rushed over to the stock tank, scooping up water and running to extinguish the flames.
Junior wrestled to get Penn in the truck. But I was so proud of our girl. She was thrashing, kicking, and biting. Doing everything possible to make it challenging for him to keep hold of her as he dragged her back to his truck. The flames separated us, only giving me glimpses as the fire moved like waves in the ocean.
The fire was spreading fast—too fast. It had already jumped to the other side of the trail, lighting the forest on fire.
I paused in shock, taking in the blaze around us. Dried grass and sagebrush was starting to light, spreading toward us, scorching the earth black.
“Romy!” I cried. “Our ranch is on fire!”
I couldn’t believe it. My family’s land. My home. How were we going to stop this?
We were driven by fear and panic, filling bucket after bucket of water, dousing out what flames we could as it licked across the pasture.
“Penn!” I heard a terrified cry.
I spun toward his voice and froze, seeing Reed sprinting toward Penn and Junior.
“Daddy!” she yelled back, still fighting against Junior’s hold.
“Get your fucking hands off my daughter!”
Desperate now, I grabbed another bucketful. “We need to find a break in the line,” I told Romy. “Reed is over there. We need to get them out of there!”
My heart pounded with my feet. I didn’t stop. Frantically moving my way down the fence line with each bucketful.
“Junior!” Reed roared.
He was pointing his pistol at Junior, who now stood frozen at his driver’s side door, Penn still thrashing against his grip.
“You’re not going to shoot me, Reed.” Junior’s voice was unnervingly calm. “Not when I have your daughter.”
“Let her go.” Reed leveled his eyes on Junior, aiming well above Penn.
I wanted to cry out to him, but I was too scared that any distraction meant taking his eyes off Penn for a single second. A single, precious second Junior could use to throw Penn in his truck, creating an even greater barrier to reach her.
