Page 130 of Falling for the Playboy Pilot

I grabbed the second oxygen mask from my pack. It took me a second to pull off the towel covering Pickle’s face. I covered Pickle’s mouth and nose with the mask. His breathing was shallow but steady. Good enough. I didn’t have time to wait for him to wake up.

“We’re getting out of here,” I told Janna, helping her sit up. “Can you ride?”

She nodded, though her movements were sluggish. The oxygen was helping, but she was still weak from smoke inhalation. Every second we stayed in this inferno was another second closer to death.

I half-carried, half-dragged her outside to where the horses waited. Honeycrisp was dancing nervously. The second horse, one of Martha’s geldings, was pulling against his reins.

“Easy, girl,” I murmured, steadying him while I boosted Janna into the saddle. She swayed but managed to grab the horn and hold on.

Going back for Pickle was like diving back into hell. The smoke was so thick I could barely see my own hands. I found him where I’d left him, unconscious but breathing behind the oxygen mask. Dead weight. All muscle and no help.

Getting him outside was a nightmare. I dragged him by his arms, my ribs screaming in protest with every step. By the time I reached the horses, sweat was pouring down my face and my lungs felt like they were full of glass.

“This is going to be interesting,” I muttered and hauled him up onto the horse with me.

I grabbed the reins and kicked Honeycrisp into motion. We needed to move fast. The horse clearly had the same idea. The fire was closing in on both sides, and the narrow corridor I’d flown through was getting smaller by the minute.

The smoke was so thick I could barely see ten feet ahead. I had to trust Honeycrisp to find her way home, to follow whatever instincts horses had that kept them from running straight into flames. Janna still had the oxygen mask pressed to her face.

“You’re okay,” I said, though I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince her or myself. “We’re getting out of here.”

She nodded but didn’t speak. Smart. Save her energy.

The horses picked their way through the debris-littered street. We made it back into the woods. The heat from the flames was behind us, giving us a little breathing room.

I hopped out of the saddle and took the oxygen from Pickle and did my best to put it over the horse’s snout. Poor thing was carrying twice the weight and the smoke couldn’t be good for them either.

Janna watched me and took off her mask. I understood what she was saying. I took it and held it to her horse’s face. I had no idea if it was helping but I’d done it for dogs, raccoons, and even a bear cub once.

“Alright, let’s move,” I said and climbed back into the saddle. “Put the oxygen back on.”

“What about you?” Her voice was so weak. It sounded like she’d been screaming for days or was battling the worst case of laryngitis.

I shook my head and quickly put the oxygen back on Pickle. “I’m fine.”

I pulled my shirt back over my face and spurred the horse on. I thought I heard planes overhead, but it could all be in my head. I pulled my radio from the pocket at my chest.

“Base,” I said before I started coughing. “Got two. Heading to Sullivan Farm.”

“Herc, what’s their condition?” Laser’s voice crackled through the radio.

I heard the question she couldn’t bring herself to ask.

“Alive,” I said, keeping it short. Every word was a painful struggle. “Pickle’s unconscious. Janna’s responsive but weak. They’re fighters, though.”

The radio went quiet for a moment. Chief’s voice came through. “Herc, we’ve got the forward progress stopped. Fire’s contained on three sides. We’re about to start dumping everything we’ve got on the town center. Are you clear?”

The horses were moving steadily through the ash-covered terrain, but we weren’t moving fast enough for my liking. Still, we had to be at least half a mile out by now.

“Affirmative,” I radioed back. “We’re clear of the drop zone.”

“Copy that. All units, this is Base. Beginning saturation bombing of Hollow Gorge. Herc, keep your heads down out there.”

“Roger. Blanket the town, Chief. Save what’s left.”

I stuffed the radio back in my pocket and focused on the path ahead. By the time the farm’s fence line emerged through the haze, I felt a little better. We rode by my plane. I grimaced when I got a look at it. Part of me had been hoping I could get her back up. One wheel was bent clean off, the other hanging by a shred of metal. No way it was taking off, not even empty.

“Damn,” Janna said as she surveyed the damage. “It looks like your landing was worse than mine.”