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“I trusted my instincts again,” she thought bitterly, “and look where it got me.” She assessed the situation, trying to find a way out, but the flames seemed impenetrable. Patti considered running through the fire, but the heat radiating from the blaze made her realize the futility of that idea.
There was no chance. To her horror, she heard more cracking, more splintering wood. It was going to collapse, fall on her, and she was going to die. Because of another mistake. More cracking. She flinched with each thump of the barn, and curled up into a tight little ball, fear completely overwhelming her. In a low, whimpering voice, she mumbled the only thing she could think of. Her safeword. “Chocolate… chocolate.”
Then, there was a final, sickening crack, and she felt it: a strong hand on her arm. Trent North, his face streaked with soot and sweat, appeared like a guardian angel. He was holding a fire ax, and gestured to a hole in the side of the barn. He’d hacked his way in. Without another moment’s hesitation, he grabbed his Little girl, pulled her up over his shoulder as though she weighed nothing, and saved her from the fire.
“Daddy,” Patti wheezed, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I thought I was going to die.”
“Can’t have that now, can we?” Trent said, his voice strained. But despite his attempt at levity, Patti could see the worry in his eyes.
“Are you okay?” she asked, reaching up, touching his cheek.
“Patti, I’m going back in. The files in there—we need them.”
“Please, don’t,” Patti begged, her voice barely a whisper. “You’ve already saved me. Don’t risk your life for some files.”
“I have to,” Trent insisted, determination gleaming in his eyes. “Trust me. I’ll explain it all later.”
She opened her mouth to protest again, but before she could say a word, Trent disappeared back into the inferno, leaving Patti to wait in agony.
As time crawled by, Patti’s mind was filled with images of what could be happening inside the burning barn. Her heart ached with guilt, knowing that Trent was risking his life because of her impulsiveness. The seconds turned into an eternity, each one stretching on forever as she prayed for his safe return.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a figure emerged from the smoke, clutching a box of medicine and a stack of singed files. Trent stumbled forward, coughing and wheezing, before collapsing to the ground. The files and medicine scattered on the ground in front of him.
Patti’s heart clenched at the sight of Trent lying motionless on the ground, his face soot-streaked and eyes closed. She rushed to his side, her hands trembling as they reached for him. “Daddy!” she cried, her voice a mix of fear and desperation.
“Please wake up,” she whispered, brushing away the ash and dirt from his face. His skin was warm, almost feverish, beneath her fingertips. The smell of smoke clung to him, and his eyelids flickered. Patti focused on his chest, praying for the rise and fall of his breath.
Then, to her horror, she saw the burn—all the way up the side of his body, it was an ugly, red mark, where his clothes had burnt away from him.
“Come on, Trent,” she urged, her fingers gently stroking his cheek. “You can’t leave me like this.”
But he remained unresponsive, and the awful truth crashed down upon her like the burning beams in the barn. This was all her fault. If she hadn’t been there, if she’d only trusted Benjamin and not let her emotions take over, Trent wouldn’t have risked himself for her sake. All she did was ruin people’s lives—first her boss, and now Trent.
A sob escaped her lips as she cradled his head in her lap, her tears mingling with the soot on his face. Memories of their time together flashed through her mind—the way his laughter had filled the air when they’d tended to the animals, the quiet moments under the wide-open sky that seemed to stretch on forever. It wasn’t fair for it to end like this.
“Please don’t go,” she choked out, her voice barely audible above the sound of her own heart breaking. “I need you, Trent. I’m so sorry.”
When he coughed, it was like the dawn breaking after a year-long night.
“I’m here,” he said, his voice thin, his breath weak. “I’m here, baby.”
But when she saw the damage she’d caused, she knew that it was too late for her. She was leaving. She didn’t want anyone else to suffer because of her.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Fireandsmoke.Terrorand shame. The nightmares came and went and came back again.
Now, his eyes fluttered open, taking in the sterile white walls of the medical suite. The soft beeping of machines filled the room, a reminder that he was still alive. He could feel the gentle pressure of bandages wrapped around his body, a faint ache beneath them.
“Trent! You’re awake.” It was a familiar voice, but it took Trent a moment or two to recognize it.
“Glen? Is that you?”
His old professor’s face appeared as the kindly older man stood over him, holding a clipboard. His gray hair and kind eyes gave Trent a shot of comfort that he was in desperate need of.
“Wha... what happened?” Trent croaked, his voice barely more than a whisper.
“Easy there,” Glen said, moving to his side. “You’ve been in and out of consciousness since the fire.”
