Second Chances (10 page)

“You’re
already tired.” He read the signs easily enough, but also saw the spark of
energy compliments of the dire situation. “I can’t ask more of you.”

She
lifted her chin haughtily. “You’re not asking. I’m offering. Now what do you
need me to do first?”

He
would have grinned at her sassy reply except the alarm screamed once more,
propelling him into action. Surveying the stable, he made a quick decision. “I
need the office computer and the files. I put them in the plastic carrier to
make them easier to handle than in the big file cabinet.”

With
the wildfire raging for days with little progress by the thousands of
firefighters in the area, he’d began making preparations for the inevitable
days ago. Everything possible had been sorted and stored in portable containers
already, making for a timely and easy load. Except for the horses and the lack
of trailers. As much as he stewed, he couldn’t figure out a way to get them all
moved with the two trailers he owned. He’d called about renting more, but all
to no avail. Besides, he had no one to drive a third vehicle to pull another
horse trailer. Now, his lack of success was sure to cost him everything he
valued.

No. He
wasn’t ready to throw in the towel yet. Striding outside, he headed for his
truck, stopping when a highway patrol vehicle pulled up. A uniformed man got
out and nodded in greeting. “You heard about the fire and mandatory
evacuation?”

Dusty
nodded. “Yeah. We’re working on packing the last things right now.”

The
middle aged man’s brow furrowed in worry as he surveyed the place. “Better
hurry. Forest service’s best guess is that fire will come like hell on earth.”

“How
long?”

The
office shrugged. “Best estimates right now for this particular area, four to
six hours.”

Dusty’s
heart seized. He might have some things ready, but that didn’t leave any time
to spare, not when he had twenty horses to get loaded and moved. Not to mention
he had nowhere to take the animals. They couldn’t stand in their trailers for
days on end. He needed to find pasture, a stable, somewhere with room to absorb
them without issue.

April
emerged from the stable, carrying the box of files with the computer on top.
She beeped open the back door of the vehicle, then slid the items inside.
Spinning around, she hurried back for another load.

The
policeman returned to his car and drove off, supposedly to alert others.

Damn. I can’t make it. Not in
that time frame.
With
his back against the wall, desperate, and totally out of ideas, he sighed
wearily and pulled out his phone. He swore he’d never do this, but if he was to
save the animals and April, he had no other choice.

“Hello?”

“Archer?”

“Dusty?”

“Yeah.
I…” He sucked in a breath and ran his hand through his hair, his gaze
automatically searching the pasture, finding his prize mares with their foals
grazing contentedly. He steeled his resolve. “I need a favor. A big one.”

“What
is it?”

“There’s
a wildfire coming. I have two horse trailers, but it’s not enough. The highway
patrol say I’ve got four hours before the fire barrels in and destroys
everything. I’ve got to—” His voice broke.

“No
problem, bro.” Archer’s voice came through with confidence.

“But,
you’re three hours away. It’s going to be close. I don’t have anywhere to take
them, either.” Defeat sat upon his shoulders as he rattled off the many
problems he faced.

“Actually,
we’re more like five minutes away, just turning off the highway.”

Dusty
blinked at his oldest brother’s words. “We?”

“The
news started talking about the fire turning this morning. We got together,
hitched up the trailers, and started your way.”

“God
bless you.” Awe and sincere appreciation carried in his voice. Hope returned on
an angel’s wings.

“That’s
what brothers are for.” Archer chuckled. “Now get to packing, bro. We’re on a
tight schedule and not about to leave anything behind.”

“Thank
you.” Dusty clicked off and jogged back into the stable. “April. My brothers
are bringing in more trailers.”

She
paused as she carried another armload of stuff toward her car. “Thank
goodness.” She stared at him for a moment. “I know it cost you a lot to call
them, but I’m proud of you.”

He nodded
slightly. “With their help, we’re going to make it.” Dusty gestured toward her
vehicle. “You’ve got a hitch. I’ll need you to pull my extra trailer, if you
don’t mind.”

“Sure.
I don’t mind in the least.”

“Thanks.
That’ll answer one problem.”

April
shot him a quick smile. “We’ll get to them all. No worries.”

He felt
her enthusiasm and optimism and wished he felt as upbeat. Yet, things were
indeed looking up.

As he
thought those words, three trucks pulled into the driveway, each pulling an
empty trailer. Relief eased his tension just the slightest. Striding over, he
met Archer as he stepped out of the lead vehicle. “Thanks.” He reached out a
hand. Archer ignored it and pulled him into a big bear hug.

“No
thanks needed.”

The
other trucks parked and his other three brothers jumped out. They all carried
smiles and warm greetings, each one giving him a hug. Old resentments seemed
downright petty now as he faced the people his ego forced from his life. Now
they came to his rescue. “I can’t repay you enough.”

Colt
slapped him on the back. “Seeing your ugly mug again is payment enough.”

Dusty
chuckled.

“No
time for a family reunion, boys. There’s work to do.” Archer gestured toward
the stable. “What do you need packed?”

“April
is working on the office stuff at the moment since she has an SUV to keep
things from blowing away.”

“April?”

Four
men shot him cheesy grins. He shrugged, but couldn’t help but smile back.
“She’s…one of my boarders.”

“Uh-huh.”
Evan waggled his eyebrows. “Must be easy on the eyes too.” He offered up a
lopsided devilish smile to Dusty. “Never knew you to gravitate to ugly women.”

“Who
said anything about her looks?” The corners of Dusty’s mouth hitched up as he
fell into the old habit of sparring with his brothers.
Damn, I missed this and them. Too much.

Archer
nodded slowly. “Your poker face isn’t working, Dusty. You’ve been checking out
that girl and sizing her up for keeping.”

Not
willing to admit anything to his brothers he hadn’t already decided for
himself, Dusty forced himself to focus on the issue at hand. “Let me show you
where things are.” Dusty stepped back into the stable.

“Nice
place.” Brand gestured around the expansive stall area.

“Thanks.
Damn shame that blaze will demolish it very soon.” The potential reality threw
a damper on Dusty’s spirits. “We need to take the feed. With the price of hay
this year, I don’t want to lose it. We can start filling the back of my truck.
See how much fits, and go from there.”

“On
it,” Evan replied.

Dusty
tossed him the keys. “It’s parked in front of the shop. Hook up one of the
trailers. We’ll use April’s vehicle for the other one.”

April
stepped out of the office, suitcases in hand, and smiled. “Hello. You must be
Dusty’s brothers.”

“Yes,
ma’am.” Archer tipped his hat toward her.

“April
this is Archer, Brand, Colt, and the one walking toward my truck is Evan.”

“Nice
to meet you,” they said in unison.

“The
same. Sorry it’s under these circumstances.” She looked at Dusty. “The office
is cleaned out, but you might want to double-check. I’ve shut Marmalade and Ben
in there for now. Don’t want them to get upset and hide where we can’t catch
them.”

“Good
thinking.” He watched his unattached brothers eye April with avid interest.
Protectiveness rushed to the fore as well as a healthy dose of selfishness. He
might not have made any overt moves on April, but that didn’t mean he would
stand by and let one of his brothers snatch her out from under his nose. His
sudden annoyance quelled as April looked to him with admiration and approval in
her eyes. She made him feel special and singled out with the brief glance.
Clinging to the warm feeling, he began rattling off tasks to be done.

Dusty
pointed toward the large wooden rectangular box. The blue color and elaborate
design on top announced the stable’s name and emblem. “Let’s see how much that
can hold of halters and grooming supplies.” He looked around. “The saddles need
to go as well. Buckets too.” He spit out orders and everyone scurried to do his
bidding. In less than an hour, they had all the side items loaded up, the
trucks’ beds full.

He
sighed with relief as they managed to stuff the essentials in every nook and
cranny of the trucks and areas of the trailers made for storage and equipment.
April’s vehicle now sported a trailer just like every other vehicle. Dusty
looked around, and then made the decision. “Let’s go get the horses.” Grabbing
a pile of lead ropes he purposely sat aside, he passed two out to each person.

“Any
particular order?” Archer asked.

Dusty
shook his head. “I’ll get the stud. April will collect the mini and the grey
filly. Feel free to fetch any of the rest.”

“A
mini?” Evan arched an eyebrow. “You’re raising novelties these days?”

Dusty
snorted.

“The
mini is mine. Came with the filly.” April clutched the soft ropes and started
for the pasture.

The
heavy scent of smoke carried through the air. A stout wind blew harshly across
the area, hastening in dry air, heat, and the devastation. Dusty noticed the
plumes in the distance and swore under his breath. He wouldn’t bank on the
short four hours they were promised.

The
horses sensed the tension and the fire not far away judging by their
nervousness and reluctance to be caught in a couple of instances. Those were
left for last as the brothers rounded up what they could, led them to a
trailer, and encouraged the animals inside. Dusty supervised the loading,
choosing carefully who he placed together. The stud went in first with a group
of geldings. The mares with foals were given ample room with another mare in
the same trailer. Miracle and Mischief loaded just fine as did most of the
horses. The final two stragglers didn’t want to be left behind, as they stood
at the gate for easy catching.

With
all the horses loaded, Dusty breathed a sigh of relief. Thick smoke grew in
intensity, a sure sign the fire was still building and engulfing acres in its
path. He didn’t hold out much hope for his stable and home for the past three
years. Yet, with his brothers’ and April’s help, they were going to make it.

Speaking
of April, she darted back in the office and emerged with a cat carrier and Ben
on a leash. Archer helped her load the pets, their food, and supplies. Dusty
took the opportunity to look around, searching for anything he might have
missed. They still had to stop by April’s rental house to pick up her luggage,
and the vehicles were full, but he needed to look one more time.

Striding
through the living area, he did a quick, yet thorough scan. His bags had been
taken already along with the laundry basket of shoes to April’s SUV. The scant
pieces of furniture remained, waiting for Mother Nature’s wrath as did his bed.
Heading to the kitchen, he plucked a twelve pack of bottled water out, setting
it on the table. They would get thirsty on the three hour trip back to the
ranch and they might as well utilize what he had.

Sadness
weighed his shoulders down as he realized he was probably walking through his
home for the final time. The belongings didn’t matter so much as the living
creatures, yet he couldn’t help but grapple with grief over the situation.
Everything he’d worked so hard to achieve was soon to burn to the ground. He
sucked in an unsteady breath, put the morose thoughts from his head, and
focused on salvaging anything and everything he might possibly need. Finding
nothing else in the house, he carried the water to his office, placed it on the
desk, then quickly went through drawers. April had wiped the place clean of the
necessities. What remained was too big to take or negligible in the scheme of
things.

Picking
up the water once more, he made his way to the stable. Everyone stood around
watching him, April holding onto Ben’s leash as he stood there panting, his
head cocked in canine bewilderment. Evan stepped forward and took the water
from him.

“Thanks.”
Dusty walked the length of the aisle, from stall to stall, checking every crook
and cranny, ensuring nothing would be left behind. Satisfied, Dusty faced the
others. “Okay. I think that’s it.” His voice reflected the deep sorrow he felt.

Archer
slapped him on the back and hooked a hand over Dusty’s shoulder. “Then let’s
get going.”

No
sooner had they stepped from the stable than Ben barked, jerked the leash from
April’s hands, and darted off. “Ben!” April sped after him.