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“Look, Mr. Cawthorne, I had nothing to do with any effort to sabotage the ranch. Your grandfather was a kind man, offering me a job when pretty much no one else did. He was there when my wife got sick, making certain we ate. He even paid some of her medical bills.”
“He’s not lying,” Jackson said from behind me. “But the responsible person can fucking wait. Didn’t you say Jessie is tending to the horses?”
“Fuck. Yeah.” Oh, my God. I grabbed my phone, dialing her number, running one hand through my hair as I glared at George. When it went straight to voicemail, I ripped the keys from my pocket. “If you did this, I promise you that you’ll face my wrath. Call 9-1-1.”
I rushed to my truck, jumping inside, immediately turning over the engine. If anything happened to her, I would kill the person responsible. I noticed Jackson and George climbing into the former foreman’s truck, determined to follow behind me. At this point, I didn’t know what to think. But there was no way I was letting anything happen to her.
As I barreled down the driveway, I tried her number again. “Come on, baby. Answer the goddamn phone.” When it went straight to voicemail a second time, I tossed the phone onto the seat, pressing down on the accelerator. Within seconds, I was easily able to see the dark smoke billowing in the sky. There was no time to lose.
An adrenaline rush swept through me, every muscle tense. I rounded a corner with enough speed, two tires lifted into the air, coming down with a hard thump. Given the backend shifted to the right, I almost lost control of the vehicle, struggling with it until I could accelerate once again.
“Come on. Come on.” I slammed my hand on the steering wheel, not going fast enough. By the time I made the last turn, sweat was rolling down both sides of my face. Her truck was right there in front of me, Big Red’s color glimmering in the bright sun. Several ranch hands were moving horses from the corral into the pasture to safety. Fire had already licked up from the back portion of the barn by at least twenty feet. Soon the entire barn would be fully engulfed in flames.
I skidded to a stop, slamming on the brakes and throwing the gear into park. As soon as I rushed outside, Luis jogged toward me, his face sweaty.
“Thank God, you’re here. I tried to call you,” he said, George and Jackson immediately flanking my side seconds later. “We got most of the horses out, but Thunder is trapped inside.”
“Where is Jessie?” I yelled, scanning the area.
“I don’t know. By the time I got here, the horses were trying to escape the corral. She went out for a ride. There’s a fucking lock on the door.” Luis wiped his face with his arm. “I was just heading to get a bolt cutter.”
“Who the fuck could have done this,” I snarled. Jackson grabbed my arm.
George backed toward his truck, as if the man was feeling guilty.
“They’re going after Jessie to get to you,” my brother said, giving me another strange look.
“She’s inside.” I was certain of it. I rushed toward the barn, yanking at the padlock. “Fuck. I need bolt cutters, now!”
“I’ve got them,” George yelled as he raced in my direction.
I could hear a horse whinnying. Thunder. It had to be Thunder.
“The fire department is on its way,” Jackson said from beside me.
“We don’t have that kind of time. Hurry. Fucking hurry,” I told George. Whether or not he was to blame remained to be seen. At this point I didn’t give a shit. All that mattered was getting her out safely. There was so much smoke, cracking sounds coming from inside. I would bet the roof was caving in.
George strained with the lock but as soon as I heard a snap, I ripped at the thick piece of steel, pitching it aside. There was no time to hesitate or assess the situation.
“It’s too hot!” Luis said from behind me.
“Like hell it is.” I rushed into the blackness, narrowly avoiding being hit by falling debris. “Jessie! Where are you?”
Hearing nothing but the crackle of wood, a hard slam coming from the opposite end, I took several steps into the smoky space, barely able to see. The stench was horrific, forcing me to cover my mouth. I stumbled over a fallen board, struggling to see anything in front of me. “Baby. Jessie. Where are you?”
I could hear sirens in the distance but by then the entire barn would be up in flames, it was burning so hot. I’d never heard of a structure going up this fast unless some kind of accelerant was used. And there was no doubt the odor was of gasoline. While the anger continued to swell inside me, so did the fear that I would lose her.
The goddamn barn was huge, Thunder’s stall near the back. I kept going, barely able to breathe. Another cracking sound drew my attention seconds before a roof truss collapsed, taking me down with it. The pain was terrible, the breath completely knocked out of me.
“Jessie. Thunder.” Even my voice was hoarse as I tried to claw my way from under the heavy beam.
Another whinny drew my attention and suddenly out of the blue, Thunder appeared, hanging his head low.
“Jesus, buddy. You’re alive. Where… is… she?” Coughing, I managed to kick the truss, but one leg remained pinned to the barn floor. This wasn’t going to happen. No. I refused to allow her to die because of me. “Go. Find her. Show me the way.”
He reared up on two legs over me and I was certain his disorientation had taken a toll. Bellowing, I covered my head, bracing for the impact of his hooves. The hard cracking sound was right next to me. Suddenly, I realized the horse had likely just saved my life by managing to kick the beam off me. I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the anguish, wrapping my arm around his neck. “You saved me, boy. Let’s find her. Find Jessie.”
Crack!
