“I don’t know about you, but I’m thirsty,” Hudson said after the seventh or eighth song. Some of them had been slow, but most were upbeat. “Want to grab something to drink?” He led her to the bar, his hand sliding to the small of her back.
Reese melted into the gesture, feeling an odd sense of comfort in the protective touch. She’d always been so independent—probably a big factor in her boring love life—but with Hudson, she didn’t feel the need to be. She liked how it felt, knowing he would keep her safe no matter what.
With a couple of locally brewed beers in hand, they walked away from the crowd, toward the back of the deck. Reese welcomed the gentle breeze and hushed music. “This is so much fun. Thank you for thinking of me.”
Setting his bottle on the deck railing, he ran both his hands from her shoulders down to her wrists. The lighthearted atmosphere turned a notch more serious. Something important lingered in Hudson’s eyes. Reese swallowed hard, starting to shake. Whatever he was about to say, she felt as if it would change everything.
“Reese, I’ve never felt—” His cell buzzed in his pocket. He glanced down at it, then back at her. “I’m not answering that. Reese, I’ve never—” It buzzed again, and he groaned. Reese sucked in a giggle.
“Answer it. It might be important.”
Hudson fished his phone out of his pocket. The light in his eyes dimmed when he saw the screen.
“Who is it?”
“Hello?” Hudson answered the call, his expression tense. “I’m on my way.”
“What happened? Is it Ronnie—”
“It’s the ranch.” Abandoning their drinks, he grabbed her hand. “There’s a fire.”
Chapter 15
Hudson
Hudson sped across the country roads, spotting the flames a mile out. Reese held his hand, but neither of them spoke. The sheriff didn’t give him any details on the phone, not that Hudson gave him a chance. His only thought was of the horses.Please don’t let it be the stable. He’d sooner his house burn to the ground than the barn.
He skidded to a stop behind the sheriff’s truck. A fire truck was spraying water to the south—in the opposite direction of the barn. Hudson let out a hefty sigh of relief. “It’s just one of those old sheds,” he told Reese as they hurried to meet Sheriff Brady.
“What happened?” Hudson asked.
“Not sure,” Sheriff Brady said. “Neighbor called it in. Good thing we got here in time. It was spreading quick. You use those outbuildings for anything?”
“No. Just storage. There’s a tractor—” The truth hit Hudson square in the chest. One he couldn’t prove but knew to be true just the same. “It’s a warning.” Hudson pulled off his hat and ran his hand through his hair.
“Warning for what?” Reese asked, tucked beside him. Despite the disaster consuming him, it felt darn good to have her at his side. Had the sheriff not called when he did, he would’ve spit out the most important question of his life. Now it would have to wait.
Sheriff Brady looked at him expectantly.
“Ran into Paul Whitfield in town yesterday,” Hudson explained. “He’s just one of the guys unhappy with my decision to keep hunting banned. Because he’s farming the west hundred acres, he’s the most outspoken. Can’t prove the fire’s connected to his annoyance with me, of course.”
“Not unless they find anything in the ashes,” Sheriff Brady said, apology in his tone.
“I’m going to check on the horses,” he told the sheriff. “Even if they aren’t bothered by the smoke, they might be rattled from all the sirens.”
“I’ll come with you,” Reese said.
In the barn, they found Jed and a girl feeding Lucy and Ginny apple slices. Hudson had been so caught up in his plan to ask Reese to marry him that he completely forgot to look for Jed at the concert. “How long have you been here?” He felt the squeeze of Reese’s hand that warned him his tone came off accusatory. “I’m just wondering if you saw anything. A truck or ATV. Anything out of the ordinary.”
“Nothing useful. Just a truck speeding down the road, but it was too dark to even see what color it was.” Jed shook his head. “We were a mile down the road when we saw the flames,” Jed explained. “Called it in, but someone beat us to it. Came right back to make sure the horses were okay. Do you think someonesetit on fire?”
“We’re not sure,” Reese said when Hudson hesitated. “The important thing is that everyone is safe.” She pinned Jed with her stare. “Are you going to introduce us to your friend?”
Jed couldn’t hide the blush on his cheeks even in the dimly lit barn. “This is Aimee Maxwell. She just moved to town, to her grandparents’ ranch.”
Hudson had a strong suspicion that Aimee wasn’t yet college age, giving Jed extra incentive to stick around. But tonight was not the night to press the issue. There were more urgent matters. “The horses got fresh water?”
“Yes,” Jed answered. “Fresh hay too.”
