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I was surrounded by the smoke now, and I could barely see anything in front of me. There had been a stream to my right, but it faded away as the fire grew. The sound of flowing water faded too, due to the panic of the forest.
My head felt funny, and it hurt to swallow.
The end was here.
There was no stopping it.
I was going to burn on Denver’s mountain.
I was going to die knowing he hated me. He hated me for bringing Moonie Pipelines into his world. He hated me for being the enemy. He hated me because he loved me.
My mouth opened, and I gasped for air. I coughed and looked at the cuff around my ankle. It was barely visible. I didn’t have the energy to break my ankle, and that was the only way I would get free.
It didn’t matter anyways.
Fire was all around me; smoke was above me.
Coughing again, I scooted back to lean against the tree. My eyelids felt heavy, and I just wanted to rest…
Perhaps just a minute, I could rest…
“What do you mean?” Denver’s body shook beneath mine from laughter.
I shot him a glare. “I’m serious, Smoke.”
His handsome smile faded, and his eyes darkened. The next thing I knew, I was under him, his massive body pinning me into the mattress.
“Say it again?” he asked, his voice low. A dark lock of his hair hung down in front of his forehead.
I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. It wasn’t working.
“Would the baby sleep in Caleb’s room or would we have to redo—”
“You tellin’ me my baby is inside of you?”
Tears formed in eyes as my arms snaked around his neck. I nodded, the diamond on my wedding band flashing in the moonlight beside his head. Life was good, Mom was healed, the cancer was gone, and I was going to give my lonely, dark cowboy a baby.
Heaven.
I was in heaven.
Chapter Forty-One
Denver
“VALERIE!”
Fuck.
I was in the middle of an inferno, lost in the thick endless smoke.
Ranger had been in the smoke for too long. There was no way out for me, not without her. But for him? I couldn’t—I couldn’t keep him with me any longer. I hopped off my stallion, coming around his front. He was scared, and guilt was eating at me. Coughing, I pressed my forehead against his, looking him in the eyes. We had been searching for longer than I intended, and I needed him to get off this mountain. He needed fresh air and clear skies. His instincts would kick in. I trusted that.
“Thank you, old friend. Go home, you hear? You get home and I’ll be there soon,” I promised, uncertainty seeping in my bones. The sound of cracking wood drew my attention from him, and about twenty yards from us, a large, burning tree branch crashed to the forest floor. Ranger freaked out, neighing and jumping. I let go of his reigns. “Go! Get out of here!”
He turned and ran, jumping over a smaller flame before disappearing into the smoke.
“VALERIE!” I cried out, spinning in a circle. Flames were all around me, ash and embers floating in the air. I was coughing furiously, but I had to go on.
