Can't Stop Believing (HARMONY) (28 page)

N
EVADA
STARED
AT
THE
FIRE
GROWING
IN
THE
CENTER
stall of her barn. She could hear the horses moving, kicking at their stalls, making low sounds of fear. They knew something was wrong; they could smell the fire.

“You can’t do this!” she screamed toward the loft above her. “Leave me here, but get the horses out. Please don’t kill them!” Hot tears rolled down her face. She fought against the rope binding her hands and feet.

“Why?” Bryce’s angry voice came from above. “What do I care if they die—these pets of yours? You’ve made a fool of me, Nevada. I thought when you divorced me I’d go back to my life, but I couldn’t. Not when you didn’t get what you deserved.”

He tossed a bale of hay on the fire he’d started a few minutes before. “My friends back home, even my family made fun of me.
Where’s the little wife, Bryce? Lose her, did you?
I couldn’t stand the jabs. Even when I tried dating, it never worked. They weren’t as pretty as you. They didn’t crumble as easily. I was treated like damaged goods. If you didn’t want me, no one else seemed to. I finally figured out I’d have to deal with you before I could move on.”

He glared down at her from above. “Only you messed it all up. I thought I could frighten you and you’d give in like you did when we were married, but you married someone else. You belong to me, Nevada. You have since I first saw you. After seeing the way your father and brother treated you, I knew you were made for me. I’d have no problem with control.” He swore at her, then added, “Only you tricked me, and you’ll pay by dying with the screams of your beloved horses in your head.”

Bryce laughed. “Poor little unloved Nevada. Once you’re gone I’ll think of myself as a widower; after all, I will have lost the one woman I ever wanted.”

Smoke began to fill the barn, and the horses’ cries ripped at her mind. “Please,” she said, knowing that he wasn’t listening. “Please let the horses out.”

Bryce started down the ladder at the far wall. He stopped to watch the fire as smoke fogged the air inside the barn. “I thought I could whip you into shape, but you were stronger than I thought. You didn’t take the bit like you should have.”

She struggled, wishing she could reach her duster only a few feet away. Deep in the pocket was her father’s old Colt.

“You never cared for me,” she said, more to herself than him. She’d known more love in the weeks married to Cord than she’d known all her life.

“You got that right, but I wanted you.”

Nevada coughed. The smoke was getting thicker. “You’ll never get away with it.”

He laughed. “Who’s going to stop me? The fire in your barn was an accident. I made sure it looked like the guard you left upstairs was smoking. He tossed a few cigars out the loft opening, and the fire department will find them and think one must have started the fire.”

Nevada had been so shocked to see Bryce waiting for her in the barn, she hadn’t thought of the guard. Johnson, the youngest of the brothers, was on duty today. “Where’s the kid?”

“Oh, he’s dead”—Bryce almost giggled—“or he will be soon. The smoke’s getting thicker and thicker up there. I knocked him over the head and tossed the body in the back of the loft. They’ll find his body during the cleanup. What a mess this place is going to be. In fact, I’d better hurry if I want to get out alive. I parked a bike out behind the barn, so I’ll be miles away before anyone gets here.”

Nevada steadied her voice. “You are really going to leave me here to burn to death?”

“Oh no, dear. I couldn’t do that.” He pulled her to her feet and shoved her toward the horse now going wild in the first stall. “I want you to be near your horse. You always worried more about them than you ever did me. I’ve even locked the barn door and plan to leave out the back. By the time anyone sees the fire and breaks in, it will be too late.”

Nevada stumbled, unable to move her feet.

He jerked her forward, half dragging her with him. The ropes cut into her wrists, but she barely noticed.

“I’m going to let the horse kill you. Fitting, don’t you think?”

He pulled her hands free of the ropes as he shoved her inside and pushed the bolt closed. “One more thing,” he yelled above the horses’ screams. “I shot this one full of a steroid. Even you won’t be able to calm her, but don’t worry, I’ll wait until you stop screaming before I leave.”

The mare shoved against Nevada, knocking her off her feet. She tried to reach the rope binding her feet, but the horse was too near, too threatening. All she could do was twist out of her way.

Nevada rolled against the stall as the animal raged, fighting to get out. A hoof slammed against her leg, snapping the bone just above the knee.

Nevada screamed and fought to press flat against the stall wall. She heard Bryce laugh as smoke blurred her sight.

If she couldn’t see anything, neither could he. She clamped her mouth closed so tight she feared her teeth might crack, but she didn’t make a sound. Let him think she was dead; she would be in seconds. If the horse didn’t trample her, the smoke would suffocate her before the fire even reached her.

She waited for death, listening to the screams of her horses. She’d ride into the hereafter with them.

B
Y
THE
TIME
C
ORD
REACHED
THE
BARN
,
SMOKE
WAS
COMING
from the roof. He didn’t slow the old pickup as he raced toward the barn door, closed and locked.

The Ford hit the huge doors hard and Cord hit the brakes as lumber tumbled around him. Bellows of smoke escaped with waves of heat that felt like opening an oven an inch from his face.

By the time he was out of the truck and running, his face felt sunburned.

He reached the first stall and threw the bolt. The horse almost ran over him.

As he ran for the second stall, he heard Alex yelling for everyone to stay away, but the cowboys came barging in, their bandannas around their faces, like bandits of old. One by one the stall doors were flung open and the horses were herded out. A few of the hands grabbed fire extinguishers and tried to fight the fire, but it had spread too far.

“Nevada!” Cord yelled, but there was no answer.

He moved to the next stall, where a mare was bleeding from fighting so hard to get out. When the horse ran past him, he saw a dark movement in the back of the stall. For a second, he thought it might be a colt, and then Nevada’s blond hair brushed across the bloody floor.

Men were shouting all around him, but the world went silent. All he saw, all he could think about was the woman curled on the floor.

“Everyone get out now!” Galem shouted. “The roof is about to fall!”

Cord knelt, knowing he wouldn’t leave her. Carefully, as if she were a newborn, he lifted her up. Her arm was bleeding and a gash on her head poured blood over her beautiful hair. One leg twisted at an odd angle. He knew it was broken. “Come on, Babe,” he said as he pulled her against his chest. “Let’s go home.”

She cried out once as he moved her, but she never let go of him.

He carried her through the burning barn with fire flying around him. All the horses were gone, but the flames seemed to be laughing in victory.

Ten feet out of the barn he cleared the smoke, and a cheer went up. He knew they were safe.

A fire truck and an ambulance were pulling up as everyone backed away from the burning barn.

Medics ran toward Nevada. They both had packs of supplies and a stretcher balanced between them.

Cord slowly laid her on the stretcher. He looked up at the barn, now completely engulfed in flames. Only the charred outline of his truck showed at what had once been the opening. The cowboys were standing back several yards. Galem bandaged one man’s hand and Ora Mae passed out water bottles.

The adrenaline slowly drained from Cord’s body. Every man on the ranch must have seen the smoke and come running. Pickups and trucks were parked along the road and in the pasture like scattered toys.

“She’s stable,” a medic said. “Looks like we’re dealing with a broken arm and a compound fracture of the leg. Got to have the doc check that head wound as well. We need to transport her. You coming along, sir?”

Cord didn’t answer. He knelt beside Nevada and smiled when he saw her blue eyes open. “You all right, Babe?”

“I will be. Thanks to you.”

He smiled. “We got an agreement; you have to sleep with me every night. I couldn’t let you die and back out on that.”

She tried a smile but couldn’t manage one. He had a feeling the shot the medic had given her was taking the edge off the pain. “Tell the sheriff it was Bryce who did this.”

Alex moved closer. “You don’t have to tell me. We found him behind the barn.”

The medics moved in, lifting Nevada’s stretcher. “Are you coming with her, sir?” he asked again.

“No.” Cord looked at Nevada. “I’m going to stay here and end this now.”

His wife nodded as if she understood. “I’ll be waiting when you’re finished.”

When he leaned in to kiss her cheek, she added in a sleepy whisper, “I love you, you know.”

He straightened. “I know.”

As the ambulance pulled away, Cord followed the sheriff around the barn to the horse tank.

Johnson sat on the ground, while Dr. Freeman looked at his head. “I need to get to the horses and check on them, son. I don’t have time to thump on you, but if you were a horse I’d say you’re fine. Not too bright, of course, to drop out of a twenty-foot loft door.”

Johnson grinned. “I had this guy to break my fall. I was coming to when I heard him say he was leaving out the back, so I held my breath and waited just above the little door. He didn’t even look up, but he must have thought he was hit by a falling train.”

Cord looked over at a man in handcuffs standing beside the sheriff’s cruiser.

“If you’re thinking of killing him, forget it.” Alex walked up behind Cord.

“He tried to kill my wife,” Cord said simply.

“He’s going with me and he’ll be locked away for a long time.”

Cord smiled at the sheriff. “That’s worse than anything I could do to him. I know. He’s all yours, Sheriff.” He took a few steps and added, “Remind him a few times on the drive in that Nevada is fine and she’s with me.”

“I’ll do that, Cord.”

Jackson and Jefferson straightened from where they’d been hovering over their brother. Jackson balled his fists. “He tried to kill my kid brother, Sheriff. Mind if I pound on him a little?”

“Sorry. I can’t let you do that, but look at the bright side. Johnson had to get out of that barn. Bryce here saved him a broken bone or two by giving him something to land on.”

Neither Jackson nor Jefferson looked happy about having to settle for nonviolence, but they respected the sheriff. “Would you let him know that if he ever gets out, one of us will be waiting for him?”

“Sure.” Alex headed toward her car. “Johnson, if your boss has no objections, I’d like you to come on in and give a full statement. Then I’ll get Nevada’s as soon as the doctor gets finished with her.”

As they moved around what was left of the barn, Galem offered, “Boss, you might want to ride along with me. Your truck wasn’t in too good of shape the last time I saw it. It appears trucks have a very short life around you. At this rate you might singlehandedly keep Ford in business.”

Cord laughed. “Yeah, I keep parking them in the wrong spot.”

M
ARTHA
Q
PULLED
INTO
HER
DRIVE
,
TRYING
NOT
TO
touch the steering wheel any more than necessary with wet fingernails. Looking up, she swore.

Two cowboys and a sheriff’s deputy looking like they’d just had a run in with Smokey the Bear were sitting on her front porch.

“I’m going to chop that porch off and drag it into the creek bed.” She climbed out of her car, forgetting all about her nails. As she headed up the walk, she yelled, “I’m full up, boys. No more room in the inn.”

Amid all the dirt and soot, she recognized Cord McDowell. “And you, Cord, you need to go home to that wife of yours.” She was at the steps when she added, “But take a bath first. You smell like a campfire.”

“My wife is in the hospital with a few broken bones. She got trampled by a horse an hour ago.” Nothing in Cord’s tone was conversational. He was simply stating facts. “We’re just coming along with the deputy. He’s got a search warrant and we thought we’d give him a hand.”

“Bryce Galloway in some kind of trouble?”

Phil Gentry stepped around Cord. “Galloway is under arrest for trying to kill Cord’s wife.”

Martha Q raised her eyebrow, surprised at being right.

Squeals came from just inside. The widows, if she were guessing.

Cord turned to Martha Q. “Would you mind if we went up?”

She wouldn’t dream of saying no. This was the most exciting thing that had happened in months. While they tromped up the stairs, she called Anthony and told him to hurry over.

As he walked up to the porch, three gray-headed women rushed out, all chattering about there being too much excitement at the inn. Joni paused only long enough to give her notice of leaving to Martha Q.

“You’ve got a free night coming,” Martha Q suggested.

“No, thanks,” Joni said as she rushed away. “I’m going home.”

Mr. Carleon stepped up beside Martha Q. “Is everything all right, dear?”

“Yes, Anthony, but we’d better step away from the door. I’ll explain as they carry Bryce Galloway’s things out. You won’t have to worry about sharing a bathroom again.”

He smiled as he took his chair on the porch. “Tell me all about it, dear.”

They rocked in the porch chairs as the deputy and two cowboys carried out everything that had belonged to Bryce Galloway.

“I’m glad he’s gone. I think Bryce was the one who grabbed Ronny the night before Marty died. Maybe he was just angry and wanted to take it out on someone, or maybe he knew she was Cord’s friend and thought by hurting her, he’d get to Cord.”

“Have you any proof?” Martha Q asked.

“No, just a hunch.”

Martha Q shook her head. “Sometimes I’m afraid to be alone in this big old house.”

She shivered, and he took her hand. “But you don’t need to worry. I’ve decided to stay awhile, if the room’s still available.”

“It is for you, Anthony.”

“Thank you, Martha,” he added, without letting go of her hand. “I like it here.”

“Here in Harmony, or here with me?”

He winked at her, and Martha Q giggled as if she were on her first date.