James nodded. “Then we will definitely head out as soon as possible in the morning. I can show you the horse you can ride if you want to inspect it now.”
“Actually, I was hoping we could travel there in the carriage. I am not that skilled at riding.”
“Fine. Probably be a much more comfortable trip.”
Chapter Sixteen
Geordie frowned as he slowly woke up. He immediately wondered what had pulled him out of his comfortable sleep. He looked at Belle, who was burrowed under the covers so only the top of her head was visible. Two days of searching through papers and worrying about her aunt had left her exhausted.
He moved closer to her, wrapped his arm around her waist and was just closing his eyes when he suddenly realized what had woken him up. Geordie took a deep breath and cursed. The smell of smoke had ended his gentle slide back into sleep and he sat up. As he got up and moved to the window, Belle sat up and pushed her hair out of her face.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” she asked. “Something is wrong, isn’t it?”
“I think someone has set your barn on fire.” He started yanking on his clothes. “We need to get your animals out fast.”
He yanked his boots on and hurried down the stairs. Just as he pulled open the front door he heard her following him. They both raced for the barn and Geordie tried to find exactly where the fire was, finally spotting it at the back corner of the roof.
Belle was fighting to open the doors when he ran to help her. The moment they started to open it, the two of them were driven back by a wave of heavy, choking, thick smoke. When it cleared enough for them to see, they both ran inside, and Belle went straight to her animals, Abel raced in to help her, but he followed a little more slowly, staring up at the place where he had caught a glimpse of flame.
Opening the rear door of the barn, Bella got a bucket of water from the well just outside the barn and handed it up to Geordie, who had found a ladder, then ran to get another one. As he tossed the water on what flame he could see, he realized what would allow her to save her barn with only a good patch on the roof. The roof leaked, so the hay stored in the loft had not actually caught fire.
He turned to tell her and saw that he had an odd bucket brigade. Robbie and Will both helped to pass water to him and yet stay off their injured legs. “Ye have wet hay up here, Belle, and it isnae catching fire well at all. The fire either dies out or sputters as it tries to catch hold.”
“Then we best smother it well, as a sputtering fire still has the potential to become a dangerous one.” She turned to look at their ragged bucket brigade and gasped as six young men came running up to them from Bennet’s land.
“Did someone ring the fire bell?” she asked.
“I pulled it a few times, Belle, when Rafe brought us here,” Abel said. “I’ll take the goats out.”
“Thank you. Put them in the outdoor pen. I will get the donkey and a couple of horses.”
Belle hurried up the ladder to help Geordie as the helpers brought by the bell made a stronger, more efficient bucket brigade. It did not take long to soak down all hint of fire. She looked at the soaked hay and sighed. That was going to cost her. So was the rebuilding of that corner of the barn roof. A moment later Geordie was by her side.
“That willnae take long to fix,” he assured her, and several of the men gathered around murmured their agreement.
“Hell, MacEnroy, that should be an easy fix for a man who helped build a stockade.”
Geordie spun around to stare at the man standing behind him. “James! Did ye just get here? Oh, do ye need our help now?”
“Just arrived, and am actually going back soon. My mind has turned to staying in Maine.” He took Geordie by the arm and turned him toward his horse. “There has been a bit of a complication. Remember the lady on the train?”
“Aye.” Geordie had a bad feeling about what was coming.
“I heard from her a few days ago. Nice letter except for the sad news that her mother had passed. A little gossip then a thank-you for giving her my address. I wrote back with condolences and reaffirmed that it was fine for her to have my address. Signed off with the words that she should get in touch if there was anything she needed. Maybe should have left that off,” James muttered.
“Why? Nice thing to say. Proper.”
“Oh, I know. My mother worked hard to teach us what was proper and courteous and all that. Just wish she’d taught us what the hell to do if someone took us up on it.”
“What has happened?”
“She is dead now, too, might have been dying when she wrote to me. Probably just checking to see if she had the right address. It seems someone hunted her down for that chest of coins. Killed her mother and then tried to beat the truth out of her. Her neighbor came and shot him. She had her injuries tended to, but it wasn’t enough. The beating was too harsh. She asked if we could look after Morgan, save her from the harsh life of an orphanage.”
“Oh, hell. And ye cannae take her in?”
“I could. Even my folks were willing. But Morgan wants you, old friend. She was very clear on that.”
“Why me?”
