“He’s my first call, but he won’t be my last. Let’s go.”
CHAPTER FORTY
IT WAS JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. THEY’D HAD A LATE SUPPER IN HIS SUITE, then gone to bed, both of them feeling restless and uneasy in some inexplicable way.
Cain kept thinking of what Jenny had said about Anna Hobbs, and his mind swirled with possibilities, discarding some, reviewing others. He remembered the first time he had seen Anna in Jerome. It wasn’t long after he had slept with her in Scottsdale. He’d been surprised to see her in town. He’d thought he’d made it clear he had no interest in continuing the relationship, such as it was.
The Grandview remodel was well underway at the time, and he had begun coming up to supervise the final stages. Anna had stopped by the hotel a couple of times, but he had always been busy, and she had left after just a few minutes.
He remembered another occasion, remembered seeing Anna at the Copper Star. He had begun stopping by for a beer with Jake Fellows or one of the guys in Jake’s crew. He’d liked the atmosphere and been intrigued by the pretty little bartender. He’d talked to Jenny a few times, eventually remembered her from high school.
He’d been attracted to her almost from the start.
At the time, they’d been remodeling part of the Copper Star, getting ready to open a new batch of rooms. He’d been laughing at something Jenny said when Anna sat down on the barstool beside him.
Cain had chatted with her politely, then excused himself and gone back to the Grandview. After that, she’d shown up several more times, even gone out to the ranch. Now he wondered . . .
He’d know more after he heard from Nick. Until they figured things out, he would just continue to keep a close watch over Jenny. Not an unpleasant task, he thought.
That was when he heard someone banging on the door to his suite. At this time of night, whatever was happening couldn’t be good.
Jenny stirred as he climbed out of bed, grabbed his white terry robe, and shrugged it on.
“What’s that noise?” Jenny sat up in the bed.
“I don’t know. Someone’s banging on the door. I’ll go find out.”
But Jenny was already up and pulling on her robe, following him into the living room. They were both bar owners, a business that stayed open late at night. Problems were a barkeep’s constant nightmare.
The pounding came again, harder this time. Cain jerked open the door. “What the hell—”
“There’s a fire at the Copper Star! The whole town is pouring into the streets!”
The color leached from Jenny’s face. “Oh, God! Summer and Dylan are in there!” Turning, she raced back to the bedroom.
“We’re on our way,” Cain said to the guy in the hall, closing the door and hurrying to catch up with her.
In minutes, they were dressed and rushing down Hill Street toward the Star. With fire and police vehicles blocking the streets, parking would be impossible. Faster just to run, so they did.
Even from a distance, they could see the flames spreading rapidly through the upper story of the building, the glass panes in the rooms upstairs starting to explode from the heat.
He could hear Jenny praying as they ran. Cain thought of the people in the hotel, thought of Summer and Dylan.Dylan’s a firefighter, he told himself.He’ll know what to do.But as the flames leaped and grew, Cain started praying himself.
* * *
Summer could see flames eating through the ceiling of the room. “Oh, God, Dylan, we’re trapped up here! What . . . what are we going to do?” She was shaking all over, more terrified than she’d ever been in her life.
Dylan was in the bathroom, wetting down a couple of towels. He draped the soggy fabric around her shoulders.
He caught her arms. “Listen to me. I’m getting you out of the hotel. Then I’m coming back for anyone who hasn’t gotten out already.”
Smoke was seeping into the room from every direction, and the roar of the fire in the hall was so loud she was terrified of what would happen when Dylan opened the door.
He draped the other towel around his own shoulders, pulled Summer’s towel up over her head, and handed her a wet washcloth. “Put that over your face. You ready?”
Summer clutched the towel together in front of her. “No, Dylan. We get everyone out who is still on the second floor. You might not have time to come back for them if we don’t.”
She could see by the look in his eyes it was true. He gripped her shoulders and kissed her quick and hard. “Hang on to my belt. No matter what happens, don’t let go.”
