His cell rang, and he drew it to his ear. Suddenly, his entire body tensed, and his foot slammed against the accelerator. “I’ll be right there.”
Mia clutched the dash, her mind spinning. “What’s going on?”
“The ranch is on fire.” Seth’s face darkened, even in profile.
She gasped as the trees flew by outside. “On fire?”
“Yes.” He fishtailed the truck around a bend and quickly righted it. “I’d take you home, but there isn’t time.”
“Is everybody out of the house?” she asked, tensing.
“Yes. That was Alice, our housekeeper. She said they’re all out.” Seth shot through the entrance to the ranch, and a faint glow hinted on the horizon. The glow turned bright orange with a blaze rippling across the north side of the house. Erik and Ben held hoses, squirting water onto the rippling fire. Ben’s was connected to the house, Erik’s to the nearby shop.
Alice stood to the side, her face and sexy nightgown black with soot, shock on her smooth features.
Seth yanked to a stop and propelled out of the vehicle before the engine stopped sputtering. “Are you sure nobody else is in the house?” he yelled.
Ben nodded. “We’re clear.” Tears and burns marred his silk pajama bottoms, while the bare skin on his chest had reddened. Seth ran and kicked open the shop door, emerging with a large bucket. Dodging around the edge of the building, he returned with it full of sloshing water. Graceful as ever, he rushed toward the fire to quench the flames before hurrying back for more water.
Mia slid from the truck and ran to Alice. Tucking an arm around the older woman, she angled them both away from the fire. Alice’s jerky movements slowed their progress, but Mia finally helped the housekeeper into the truck, standing next to the passenger side door with it remaining open. “Just take several deep breaths,” she said, patting the woman’s arm. The fire crackled with an evil mirth while sirens trilled in the distance.
The exterior wall buckled out with an angry growl. Heat rushed toward her, and she jerked back, her breath catching.
Flaming shingles and boards crumpled. Erik shouted and bent at the waist, covering his head. Flames danced down his back. He cried out, flailing around, trying to pat his shoulders.
Seth bellowed and ran full-bore for his brother, bringing him down with a powerful tackle. Flipping him around, Seth smacked the flames away with his bare hands.
Mia grabbed a blue Afghan throw from the back seat and ran toward the men, ditching her heels on the way. Reaching Seth, she tossed him the blanket. He quickly smothered any remaining flames.
Erik levered up to his knees, sighing in relief. Soot marred his blond hair, turning it dark. “Thanks. That was close.”
Burning shingles wafted down to the earth. The night filled with swirling red and blue as the fire trucks screeched to a stop. Firefighters jumped out, grabbing hoses and hooking them up to the hydrant.
Seth hauled his brother up and reached for Mia’s arm. “Let’s get out of the way.”
Mia shrugged him off and grabbed his hands. “How badly are you burned?”
He started and glanced down at his sooty hands. “I’m not. My hands are fine.”
Mia flipped his hand over and sighed in relief. It was dirty but not burned. How odd. A small cinder singed her arm, and she yelped.
Seth turned her by the shoulders and gently shoved her toward the truck. “Please go make sure Alice is all right.”
Mia nodded, ducking her head to keep from breathing smoke. She stumbled along the uneven ground and grabbed her shoes as she went. Finally, she jumped into the driver’s seat in the truck and shut the door.
Alice sneezed. “You all right?”
Mia glanced at the older woman. Soot covered her hair and chin, and the strap of her negligee was ripped. Apparently, there was more than a professional relationship between the housekeeper and Benjamin Volk. “Yes. You?”
“Yes.” Alice wiped her bloodshot eyes. “Are the boys okay?”
“I believe so.” Mia turned to watch the firefighters battling the blaze. Seth and Erik continued using the hoses, while Benjamin spoke to a man wearing a fire marshal’s badge. Mia coughed out smoke. “I think Seth kept Erik from being burned too badly.”
Alice hugged herself and rubbed her arms. “Seth has always protected that boy. Always.”
The man was rather protective. He worked in tandem with his brother, both of them angling their water streams for the best coverage, not speaking but fighting the fire in perfect sync and staying out of the way of the larger fire hose. They were both muscled and strong looking, battling the flames with a gracefulness that reminded Mia of wild animals. “They seem close.”
Alice nodded, her voice softening in the quiet cab. “They are, though the age difference seems much larger than their mere five years. Seth saved Erik’s life once, you know.”
