He nods, tight and grim. “All right.”
We walk toward the barn together, urgency kicking into our steps.
Behind us, the horses nicker nervously, sensing the tension. It’s darker than it should be, heavy, hot, thick with smoke.
And I swear the ridge looks closer than it did an hour ago.
Twenty minutes turns into fifteen.
We’re lining up water troughs near the creek when headlights swing across the pasture. A truck rumbles toward us, big and loud, unmistakably the Harlan brothers.
Silas climbs out first, broad shoulders, jaw set as stone, eyes glittering with the kind of determination that makes you feel ten times braver just by standing near it.
Cody jumps out next, adjusting his glasses, already scanning the field, calculating wind speed and fire trajectory.
Duke comes last, carrying a cooler and two huge jugs of water, like we’re prepping for a tailgate instead of a potential evacuation.
“Evenin’,” Duke says with a grin that doesn’t match the situation. “Heard y’all needed muscles and snacks.”
“Both welcome,” I say, clapping his shoulder.
Silas strides right up to me and grabs the front of my shirt.
“You okay?” he demands.
“Yeah,” I say, startled. “’Course I am.”
He smacks the back of my head lightly. “Don’t lie.”
Cody clears his throat. “We passed the ridge on our way in. Flames are high. If the wind shifts again…”
“Then we cut firebreaks,” Silas says. “Bucket line by the creek. Move all livestock to the lowest part of the pasture. Keep vehicles ready. Contact neighbors.”
I look over my shoulder at Wyatt. He’s still wearing his slightly too small bee suit, the veil pushed back on his head as a weird bonnet.
Duke chuckles. “I like the new look, Doc.”
Wyatt sighs. “Please don’t start. Was helping move the neighbor’s bees.”
Silas crosses his arms and looks at me. “Where are your kids?”
“With Abilene,” I say. “She’s watching them.”
“Good.” He nods. “She’s steady. Smart. Keeps calm.”
I try very hard not to picture her standing on her porch with the twins, firelight reflecting in her hazel eyes, worry tugging at her mouth.
I fail miserably.
Marshall steps forward, taking command because it’s second nature.
“We need to finish what we started. Duke, you help me move the last horses. Cody, figure out the safest perimeter. Silas…”
“I’m with Jesse,” Silas says without hesitation.
I blink. “Me?”
“You panic quieter than the rest,” he says. “Worries me more.”
