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Chapter Seventeen
MAVERICK
It was the heat that made it the worst possible thing to endure. Just when we thought we had the fire contained, the wind would pick up again. The rainstorm had kept it banked some, but with the lack of rain this past spring, everything was bone-dry, and the small amount of rain wasn’t soaking the ground enough.
“Maverick!”
At the sound of my name, I looked up. It was Tanner. He made his way over to me and grabbed my arms, gave me a once-over, and asked, “Have you had any sleep or food?”
“A couple of hours, and I grabbed a sandwich earlier.”
“Water?”
I nodded. I could see the concern in his eyes. It was the same concern he’d shown for Nathan, who worked alongside me. Tanner had asked me to keep an eye on him, which I was happy to do. Nathan meant the world to me, and the last thing I wanted was for something to happen to any member of Lily’s family.
When Tanner smiled at me and squeezed my arms, something in my chest tightened.
He leaned in closer. “I need you to stay safe, Maverick. Do you understand me?”
A lump formed in my throat, and I found I couldn’t say anything, so I simply nodded.
He pulled me in for a quick hug, then went to check on Nathan, who stood with some volunteer firefighters helping us keep the fire away from Stella and Ty Sr.’s house.
Another hour passed, and the next time, it was Hank who called out my name.
“Can you and Nathan head over to the south side of the ranch? A line of fire is making its way toward Brock and Lincoln’s place.”
My heart dropped to the ground. Everyone not fighting the fire was at Brock and Lincoln’s house.
“Have you told them the fire is moving that way? Maybe they should go to Tanner and Timberlynn’s.”
Hank nodded. “Tanner’s on his way there now to have everyone leave.”
Nathan and I exchanged a worried look. Hitting him on the side of the arm, I said, “Come on. Let’s get ahead of this thing.”
“Maverick!” Nathan called over the roar of the wind and fire. “It’s getting closer to the barn!”
“All the animals are out, right?”
He nodded.
The next second, we both saw something run into the barn.
“Holy shit! Mav, it’s the foal!”
“Stay here, Nathan!”
He grabbed my arm. “Maverick, no! The fire is right behind the barn!”
“I’m not going to let that foal die.” I removed his hand from my arm. “Stay here, and no matter what happens, you donotgo into that barn. Do you understand me?”
Shaking his head, he said, “Maverick, please, don’t go in there. Please! I’m begging you.”
“The longer we stand here and argue, the closer the fire’s getting. Move the hose around to the other side and start spraying the barn. We need to keep it as wet as possible.”
When he didn’t move, I yelled, “Nathan, go!”
Once he’d taken off toward the side of the barn, I made a mad dash. Smoke was already starting to fill the cavernous space, but I could still see. The foal was attempting to get into the stall where I’m guessing she and the mother must have been kept. I grabbed some reins and an empty seed bag and made my way toward her. Putting the reins on her, I tried to talk calmly.
