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“Hey, kids, celebrate later,” Dad said. “Fire’s coming. Let’s get out of here.”
“You’re right.” Tom’s arms dropped away from her, and she stepped back.
Dad scanned her from head to toe. “Anybody left inside?”
“Two targets dead.” She couldn’t think about it; they still had to escape the fires.
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry you were forced to do that.” Dad shook his head.
She swallowed heavily. “Yeah, me too. Let’s go while we can.”
“You’re right.” Dad motioned up with his rifle. “All right, you scum, unless you want to burn to death, and I couldn’t care less if you do, get on your feet and march.”
The men struggled to their feet and slogged up the driveway. Pete’s old truck was parked on the road, Tom’s horse tied to it. Erin and Ryan pulled up next to Pete in their truck.
“Oh, good, prisoner transport.” Dad chuckled. “We gotta get the tractor.”
As they exited the useless security fence, Wiz reset the security system and engaged the fire protocol. The huge field sprinklers mounted just outside the chain link fence sprayed, making everyone jump. “Sorry. Just getting the house ready for the fire.”
Ryan ran down the drive, weapon in his right hand, grasper on the left. “Wiz! You got ‘em!”
“Yeah. Can we put these guys in the back of Erin’s truck? We need to get out of here with the tractor.”
“Sure.” Ryan raised his gun. “Okay, slime, one bad move, and I’ll plug you without remorse. Into the truck, sit down. Once you get in there, I want to see your hands all the time.”
The men struggled to get into the back of the truck. Tom helped, throwing them in.
Erin got out. Ryan stood in the passenger doorway while Erin used tie-down straps to secure the men against the sides and tailgate of the truck, Tom grinning as he helped. There was a lot of swearing.
“Do you want to fall out?” Tom tugged on a strap. “If it was up to me, we’d leave you to die in the fire or put a bullet in your heads, but we’ll let the law deal with you.”
Ryan opened the back window on the truck and kept them covered. Erin flashed a thumbs up to them and drove away, phone in one hand. Probably calling the police to find out what they wanted done with the men.
Smoke swirled in their wake, and Wiz coughed. It was definitely getting thicker.
Dad climbed up into his truck. “Let’s get our stuff and get out of here.”
Tom’s horse sidled uneasily, but he held her steady and reached for Wiz. She got a toe in the stirrup and swung up behind him. Tom galloped down the road to the ranch house, stopping behind Dad’s truck, the door hanging open. Wiz slid off the horse. Tom stood in the stirrups, reaching into his pocket, and tossed a shiny object to her. Beyond them, the tractor fired with a roar, Dad already inside.
“The Volvo’s already loaded with the important stuff, just drive it down to the river. The truck can burn.” Tom turned his horse, trotting up the drive.
“Got it.” She ran for the car, parked next to the house and jammed with totes and boxes. She got in, started the car, and pulled carefully out of the drive, watching for Tom and his horse. They were a few hundred yards down the road, so she sped up. She passed him and got to the highway, just in time to stop for two wildland firefighting trucks, lights flashing, to turn onto their road.
The first one stopped next to her and a window rolled down. A man, soot smeared across his face, yelled, “Anybody left up there?”
“A man is riding a horse down the road behind me, and there’s another coming on a tractor. They’re the last ones. Don’t worry about the fancy house at the top of the road. It’s got automatic sprinklers on the roof and grounds. Let it burn!”
“Thanks!” He gave her a thumbs up and rolled up the road. She rolled up her window, coughing, and waited. A few seconds later, Tom’s horse appeared in the thickening smoke. She pulled onto the highway and watched for the river bottom gate. Finding it, she pulled in and hopped out to open the gate.
Tom rode through as she opened it, and he pulled up the horse. “Get the car, and I’ll close the gate behind Dad!”
She got back in the Volvo and drove through, watching in the rear-view mirror. The tractor finally rumbled in, Tom expertly maneuvering the horse to close the gate behind them. Then he rode around her, letting the horse canter, and she bumped down the rough road. A few hundred yards later, she saw the Rocking B’s side-by-side off-road vehicle and the ranch hands with their trucks, along with a herd of cows and horses. Rusty kept the uneasily milling herd together.
She pulled up next to the tractor and got out, leaving the keys in the ignition, just in case. Tom had just gotten off the horse and was tying him to the tractor.
She ran over to him and jumped up into his arms. They held on to each other for a long time, Wiz reveling in the feel of Tom’s strong arms holding her tight. She pulled back and kissed him, losing herself in the love between them. Eventually, they released each other, and Wiz slid to the ground. She hugged Dad, grateful he was safe and okay. Tom wrapped his arms around both of them together. She couldn’t remember being happier.
Her phone buzzed, and she pulled away, the men reluctantly letting her go. It was Sam. She sighed. “Hey, Sam.”
