He cursed. Hopefully it was nothing but a little brush fire, but he accelerated, taking the curve too fast, tires screeching as he neared Horseshoe Creek.
The miles seemed to take forever, his heart racing with each one. Instead of the smoke dying down, it grew thicker, rolling across the sky, orange-and-red flames shooting upward.
He grabbed his phone and punched 911, praying the fire department could get there fast.
The winds picked up and the fire was spreading, eating up valuable pastureland and heading toward the new stables Brett had just had built.
Ray jolted to a stop several hundred feet from the flames.
The fire department should be on the way, but he couldn’t wait. He had to do something. He quickly scanned the blaze. One of the five barns Brett had had built was on fire, but the others were still safe, although if they didn’t do something fast, it would spread.
The sound of horses whinnying and pounding their hoofs against the buildings echoed above the roar of the blaze.
He punched Brett’s number, running toward the burning building to make sure it was empty as the phone rang. Three rings and his brother’s voice mail kicked in. “Brett, it’s Ray. There’s a fire at the stables. I’ve called the fire department, but I need you to get over here now.”
He jammed his phone into his coat pocket and checked the doorway to the first barn. Flames shot through the interior and seeped through the openings. He darted around back to the rear door and felt it. Warm, but not too hot.
He eased it open and glanced inside, heat instantly flushing his skin with perspiration. The right side of the barn was completely engulfed in flames, patches spreading through the interior, eating the floor and hay in the stalls.
No sign of horses inside, though. Thank God.
Still, if they didn’t contain the blaze, the animals could be in danger.
He ran back outside, gulping in fresh air as he hurried to the second barn. Smoke thickened the air, the wind blowing fiery sparks into the grass by the second barn and quickly catching.
Dammit. Where was that fire engine?
Knowing he couldn’t wait, he dashed inside the barn. Three horses stamped and kicked, pawing at the stalls to escape. Smoke seeped through the open doorway, making it hard to breathe.
He jogged to the first stall, unlatched the gate and yelled at the horse to get out. “Go on, buddy! It’s all right.”
The black gelding sprinted through the barn and outside. A siren wailed, and he ran to the next stall. The big animal was pawing and kicking wildly, obviously panicked.
“Shh, buddy, I’m going to set you free.” He opened the gate, then jumped aside as the horse charged past him.
One more to go.
The siren grew louder, then the fire truck careened down the driveway and roared to a stop. Ray had reached the third stall, but the terrified horse stomped his feet. “Come on, boy, we have to get out of here.”
The horse raised its front legs as he entered, whinnying and backing against the wall. Suddenly wood cracked and popped, and flames rippled along the floor in the front.
Then the scent of gasoline hit him.
Dammit to hell, had someone intentionally set the fire?
The horse jumped, his legs clawing at the air, his fear palpable.
“It’s okay, boy,” Ray said, forcing a calm to his voice to soothe the terrified animal. “I’m here. We have to go now.”
The horse whinnied again, and Ray pulled a rope from the hook and inched his way closer, speaking softly until the horse dropped to all fours and let him approach.
He gently stroked the horse’s mane, comforting him as he lifted the rope and slipped it around his neck. He slowly led him from the stall and out the back door.
Rescue workers jumped into motion shouting orders and dragging out the hoses. Brett’s truck barreled up and screeched to a stop.
Ray patted the horse’s back and eased the rope from his neck. “Go, boy, get out of here!” He slapped the animal, sending him into a gallop across the pasture.
Ray swiped sweat and soot from his face as he hurried toward the firemen and his brother.
* * *
SCARLET WAS STILL shaking over the encounter with Bobby an hour later. She massaged her wrist where he’d grabbed her, knowing she’d have a bruise on it tomorrow. And not for the first time.
Bobby had resented her from the moment Joe McCullen had brought her home to live with Barbara.
She hadn’t understood his reaction at the time. She’d been bounced from foster home to foster home and then she’d finally moved into the group facility, so being brought into a real family had thrilled her.
Until Bobby’s resentment had festered and he’d started making her life miserable.
First it had just been ugly comments, the surly attitude at meals and school. Then the more sinister threats he’d whispered when he’d sneak up behind her in her room.
She shivered and pulled on flannel pj’s as she recalled the time she’d crawled into bed and discovered a rattlesnake under the covers. Another time she’d found her bed full of spiders.
A month later, he’d tricked her into going with him in the car one night, then he’d left her stranded in the woods alone, with no way to get home.
Worse, there was the time he’d nearly drowned her in the pond.
Each time he’d threatened to kill her if she told anyone.
And Barbara...she’d doted on Bobby. Had felt sorry for him because he’d been deprived of the McCullen name and the opportunities that had accompanied it.
Although Joe had supported Bobby and tried to bond with him, it hadn’t been enough for Barbara or her son.
She’d believed everything Bobby said and justified his bad behavior with a joke about boys being boys. She’d acted as if Bobby’s violent outbursts were normal teenage behavior. And she’d blamed Joe for not being around all the time.
Barbara’s own resentment over the fact that Joe would never marry her had blinded her to her precious son’s sadistic side.
Just as she had every night since the snake incident, Scarlet turned down the covers and examined the bed to make sure no creepy crawler was waiting for her.
She breathed out a sigh of relief that the bed was clean. But Bobby’s cold look haunted her as she closed her eyes. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he learned what Joe had left him.
Even then,
