Texas Wildfire (Texas Heroes Book 1) (23 page)

Instead of obeying or coming toward him, the fool ran back toward the fire. Titan urged Valiant into a gallop. He could feel his mount’s reluctance in the uneven, but obedient gait. “Damien!”

The man was no older than Titan, but he’d inhaled smoke. He wasn’t as fast as he would be normally, so when he came alongside him, Titan dove off and brought him down. “This is the last fire you set, Wade!”

He fought back, throwing punches and butting Titan with his head. “This is the last fire I need to set.”

“You’re going to jail for the rest of your life if I have anything to do with it.” Titan landed a right hook and knocked the SOB to the ground. He was about to try and subdue him when he heard a click.

“Don’t move or I’ll kill you where you stand, Sloan. You know I will.”

Titan froze, looking down the barrel of the revolver. Around them fire was raging, consuming everything in its path. “I know you would, but you’re not going to get the chance.” With a vicious kick, he sent the gun flying.

Boom! The gun went off as it spun through the air. “Get up, you coward. You set fires because you can’t deal with your problems face to face.”

Damien rolled to one side, rose and tried to run. Titan jumped him, wrestling him to the ground. He kept one knee to his back while he pulled off his own belt to tie Wade’s hands.

“She’s dead, you know.”

His cold words stopped Titan’s heart. “What did you say?”

“My slut of a wife is dead. I tied her up in your cabin. It’s ashes by now.”

“No!” Titan’s scream echoed over the Devil’s Backbone.” For one moment, he almost did it—he almost took the son of a bitch by the neck and snapped it.

“Titan, we’ve brought your gear!” Hotshot called from some distance away. Seeing the despair on his friend’s face, he came running. “What’s wrong?” When he drew nearer, he saw Damien. “You’ve got him.”

“Take him, Jericho, take him before I kill him.”

Hotshot got Damien Wade to his feet.

“I’ve got to go.” Titan went to his horse. His eyes were blinded by tears.

“But…where?” he asked, seeing Titan head into the thick of the smoke.

“He said Makenna’s dead. I’ve got to go to her.” Before Hotshot could say more, he was gone.

*  *  *

Wildfire. Texas Wildfire.

Firefighters were striving to subdue a wind-fed razing dragon consuming miles of timber and pastureland. The heat was like an oven, visibility was impossible. Helicopters flew over, dumping water. Pump truck after pump truck emptied their bowels into the conflagration to no avail. Men stood side by side, shooting foam onto the flames, while mechanical beasts dug ditches, leaving scars in the earth to inhibit the spread of the wildfire.

Ignoring the cries for him to stop, Titan rode through. His horse was nearly mad with fear, yet he obeyed his master, battling heat and death to reach where the cabin once stood. Now there was nothing more than glowing embers. One of the crews had reached it, but just put out the fire as part of the general process.

Dropping Valiant’s reins, Titan dismounted with a heart-rending bellow of grief. “Makenna! Makenna!” If Maverick hadn’t been there to stop him, he would have run full-throttle into the red-hot debris. “Did any of you see her?”

They didn’t have to ask, Hotshot had radioed ahead.

“We didn’t see her, Chief. If she’s there, she’s buried beneath the rubble.”

Titan turned on him, almost attacking him in his incomprehensible sorrow. The horse whinnied and danced on its feet, its remaining at the scene untethered a statement of its loyalty.

Standing there, staring at the destruction, Titan felt hopeless. He’d lost the most important thing in the world to him. And…the baby! He’d lost her and their child. “No, God, no!” he shouted to the heavens, then bowed his head in utter inconsolable grief.

“Maybe she’s not there, Titan. Maybe she escaped.” Maverick shadowed him, trying to offer his friend something to hold on to.

Titan stared at the cabin, remembering the time they’d spent together here. “Damien said she was tied up.” His heart sank at the idea.

“We need to go back, Chief.” Maverick touched his arm. “There’s nothing you can do here till it cools off where we can search.”

His radio sounded again. Titan raised it to his ear slowly. He had lost all heart to fight. “Sloan. Go ahead.”

“Your cattle are safe and we’ve plowed a barrier. You won’t lose your house.”

Titan recognized Ronan’s voice. He sounded so happy, he thought he had good news. Ronan had no idea that Titan would give everything he had just to hear the sound of her voice.

“Titan?”

Titan’s whole body clenched. He was hearing things.

“Titan?”

There it was again. Bracing, Titan turned—and there she was. Black soot on her face. Her hair was askew. Her clothes were torn. She was the most beautiful sight he’d ever beheld in his life.

“Makenna,” he whispered, staring, trying to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

“Go to her man, she’s waiting. She needs you.”

Maverick didn’t have to tell Titan twice. He mounted his horse, clicked the reins and rode toward her. When he drew nearer, she held up her arms and Titan pulled her to safety.

“Titan!” she cried, her arms going around his neck. “He did this. He destroyed your ranch. I’m so sorry. It was my fault. He was trying to kill me.”

Titan buried his face in her neck. “You’re alive.” He raised his head and kissed her with all the love in his heart. “You’re alive and that’s all that matters, you and the baby are safe.”

“You know!” She wiped her tears. “You found my note and the test.”

“Yes,” he said, trying to control his horse, who was still spooked from the chaos. “Let me get you to safety and then we’ll talk.”

She clung to him as he carried her out of the danger zone. All around him, the waste of the wildfire proclaimed the work of a madman. But he had all that mattered in his arms. As the cowboy/firefighter rode by, his friends saluted him. Today the hero had prevailed.

When they arrived back at the house, he helped her down, reluctant to let her go for even a moment. “Are you hurt?” He began to run his hands over her face, her arms, her body.

“No, just a few scratches and scrapes.” She smiled at him. “Titan, you’re shaking.” Her big, powerful giant of a man was shaking.

Titan sank to his knees and pressed his lips to the soft flesh beneath her breasts. “I thought you were dead. He told me you were dead. He said he’d tied you up and set the fires so the cabin was in their path.”

She cradled him to her, taking off his hat so she could kiss his head. “The knife you made for me, I had it in my back pocket, Titan. I cut myself free.” In her arms she felt him tremble. “Then I ran to the springs and hid in the cave from the fire.” She kissed him again. “I was safe. You gave me what I needed to be safe.”

Titan stood to his feet and picked Makenna up. His heart was near to bursting. “You’re my everything, Makenna. I would never want to live without you.” He kissed her. “You and our baby are my world.”

EPILOGUE

After the fire was put out, the rains came. In a few days, Titan and Makenna rode out to survey the damage. “We’ll have to feed the cattle hay and grain for the rest of the year.”

“Can we make it?” she asked.

“Piece of cake,” he assured her. Compared to what they’d been through, compared to the prospect of losing her—nothing seemed insurmountable. Damien was behind bars and Makenna was safe with him.

When they arrived back at the house, a brown mail delivery truck was waiting. “They’re here!” he announced happily.

“What’s here?” Makenna asked as she watched Titan dismount and stride over to accept a package.

“He left me up here,” she grumbled, becoming amused at herself as she tried to get down off the tall horse.

“Be careful, baby!” He grabbed her just before her feet hit the ground. This was becoming a habit.

“What’s in the box?” she asked with curiosity. He looked like the big cat that ate the canary.

“Come in and I’ll show you.”

Like a kid with a really good secret, he herded her toward the door. When she was inside, sitting on his couch, he sat beside her. “Give me your knife.” He held out his hand.

“I’m never without it.” She took it from her pocket and offered it to him, lying in the palm of her hand.

He smiled, cutting the tape and pulling the top off. “Now cover your eyes.”

She did, listening to him moving around. “What are you doing?”

“Proposing.”

“Titan!” she squealed, removing one hand and holding it out, keeping her eyes covered with the other one.

“Now what are you doing?” he asked her teasingly.

“Uh, usually men ask for a woman’s ‘hand’ in marriage…” she spoke uncertainly.

“I don’t need your hand,” Titan spoke slowly.

“No?”

“I need your pretty little foot.”

She felt him pick up one leg, his big hand holding her right above the ankle. He slipped off her shoe. “What are you doing?”

Makenna felt something being placed on her foot, then he began to do the same with the other leg. “Makenna Tess Flynn,” he said her name reverently when he was finished. “Will you marry me? Will you be my wife?”

Opening her eyes, she looked down and on her feet was the beautiful pair of white cowboy boots she’d imagined wearing to their wedding. Tears came out of nowhere. “You are the perfect man.” She cupped his cheek, kissing his sweet lips. “Yes, yes, I will marry you. I want nothing more in this world than to belong to you.”

“You already do,” he whispered. “You always have.” He sat back, smiling at her. “I ordered the boots right after you told me about them. I want to marry you at the vineyard and I want you to wear these boots and a beautiful white dress. And don’t worry, you’ll still get a ring.”

Slipping from her seat, she joined him on her knees. “All I want is you. I love you, Titan Sloan. I love you more than my heart can hold.” She threw her arms around his neck and Titan clasped her close, closing his eyes.

Dreams do come true. He had the proof in his arms.

THE END

If you liked TEXAS WILDFIRE

Book 2 of TEXAS HEROES will be
:

The letters C. H. A. O. S. don’t just refer to reality out of control, it’s an alert – the Chief Has Arrived On Scene! Logan Gray is that chief. He covers the ground he stands on and people show respect when he walks by. At 39, Logan is a confirmed bachelor. While he may adore the young Jenna from afar, at 18, he considers her to be a lifetime too young for him.

Jenna is of another opinion. Logan Gray is everything to her. He rescued her from a fire at 16. His parents took her in when she had nothing and no one. Raised on his Gray Wolf guest ranch, Jenna learns how to trick-ride and perform in the rodeo. When Logan’s not looking, she even loves to try her hand at bull-riding. And now, she is ready to go after what she wants most – Logan Gray.

Ignoring the fact that his heart and body craves Jenna like a drug, Logan does what he thinks is best and gently turns her down. What happens next turns his world on end. Logan learns that love can’t be defined by a number and life without Jenna is no life at all.

Here’s the link to the series.

http://sablehunter.com/texas-heroes.html

Before you get to know a little about Sable Hunter and see her full list of books, please enjoy a taste of her other series!

A Scene from…

COWBOY HEAT

(Hell Yeah!)

Six brothers. One Dynasty—

TEBOW RANCH

Meet the McCoy brothers and their friends —Texas

men who love as hard as they play.

Texas Cowboys and Hot Cajuns – nothing better.

Lord Have Mercy!

She was breathtaking.

He didn’t know where to look first, or where to look longest. Tight jeans encased a sweet, heart-shaped little butt that made him want to bare his teeth. Her legs were long and all he could think about was what they would feel like clasped around his hips. A form-fitting, red T-shirt proclaimed that she was “Raw Honey – Sweet as Sugar, Twice as Addictive”. The implications of those words practically had him bowing at her feet. He bet her cream would taste like raw, wild honey. His fingers itched to see if he could make them meet around that trim little waist. When his eyes roved northward, tears almost came to his eyes. She bounced a little bounce in response to something funny that Jacob had said, and when she did, he wanted to step forward and catch those sweet little tits before she hurt herself. Maybe, he ought to change his job description – he could go from being a simple cowpoke to a full-time, full-service breast support man. By their jiggle and wave, there was no doubt in his mind that those tits were real and in dire need of about an hour of attention from his hands and tongue.

Realizing he was about to embarrass himself, he took off his Stetson and held it below his belt buckle, effectively hiding her unexpected and tremendous impact on his libido. His smooth move did not go unnoticed by Noah, who smirked from across the room. Casually, Aron shot him the finger. Asshole. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had affected him this way, if ever. Watching his brothers surround the tempting little morsel, Aron opted to utilize a tactic which had come in handy when the McCoy’s would be out carousing pre-Sabrina. They had tried to avoid stepping on one another’s toes, romantically speaking. Whenever one would see a little filly who caught his eye, he would look at her and simply say one word that would alert the others that she had been claimed and was strictly off-limits to the rest of the McCoys. Stepping closer to the table, he loudly proclaimed, “Tag!”

As soon as the word had left Aron’s mouth, the younger men looked up at him in surprise. Isaac bit back a snort, and Jacob simply said, “Thank God.” Their brother had finally decided to come out of hiding.

Libby wondered at the word Aron shouted. Was this some type of fire drill or a weird game they played? She could feel him looking at her, ‘God give me strength’, she prayed.

Libby, as of yet, had not turned to face him fully. And he had to see her – now. “Turn around, Baby. Let me see your face.” Confused, Libby did as he requested. Slowly. Uncertainty made her hesitate, but when she had made a complete 180, she heard him catch his breath and she raised her eyes.

Aron.

There was no way she was going to hide the joy that she felt, so she didn’t try.

Her smile lit up his world. His body began to instantly heat as if it had been graced by the warmth of the rising sun. Aron tried to move forward, but he was frozen, immobilized, entranced. Muscles that he hadn’t used in a while began to loosen, and before he knew it, Aron McCoy was smiling. My Lord, the woman had the cutest, sweetest face he had ever laid eyes on. All he could focus on were pink, kissable lips. They were trembling ever so slightly. Aron felt the world tilt just a fraction, he wanted to follow that irresistible pull and enjoy the silky softness of that delectable mouth. He heard her let out a soft, sweet sigh.

Memorizing her features, he let his eyes slide over the smooth curve of her cheek, the endearing turned up nose and cheekbones that begged to be traced with his tongue. When he met her gaze, Aron was surprised by the beautiful color of her eyes. They were huge, a deep dark violet, surrounded by smudgy dark lashes that made them look like amethysts nestled in velvet.

Knowing she expected him to say something, he tried to get his brain to engage with his mouth. All he could manage was “Where did you come from?” As if his words released the brakes on his feet, he found himself walking up to her as bold as could be. There was no way he could hold himself back. He had to be as close to her as possible. She stood her ground, bless her heart.

Time slowed down, and she lost herself in the wonder of his nearness. For years, she had dreamed of the day when she would be this close to Aron. He was a big man. Shoulders as wide as a John Deere tractor were encased in a crisp, white western shirt – the kind with the silver snaps. As she looked at him, she couldn’t help but think how it would feel to reach right up, grab that shirt right under the collar, and just jerk it open. Those snaps would come in handy if one wanted to get him naked in a hurry. She bet his chest was magnificent, ripped and sculpted. He would look just the way those heroes were described in the romance novels she loved to read. Would his skin be smooth or would he be sexily furred? Damn, it would be fun to find out. ‘Look up, Libby, look up’ she thought to herself. She knew her eyes were hung up just north of his belt buckle. Gravity and lust were pulling them south. With a jerk, she looked up and when their eyes clashed, she felt it clear down to her pink parts. God, he was potent.

If she didn’t touch him, she would die. She took a deep breath. ‘All right,’ she thought, ‘let’s go for casual and friendly.’ “Aron, it’s good to meet you. Thanks for letting me fill in for Bess. I promise to work hard, and I will take good care of you…I promise.” Geez, how lame could you get. Oh, well. She offered him her hand.

‘Hell yeah! You’ll take care of me, no doubt about that.’ He’d lay awake tonight imagining the ways she could take care of him. Aron forgot about the five pairs of eyes which were watching them in rapt attention. He just had to touch. A handshake was much too mundane to satisfy this particular need. His hand met hers. First touching the tips of her fingers with his own, he slid the palm of his hand up hers, before finding the pulse at her wrist with his forefinger. When he could feel the beat of life that flowed through her veins, he caressed that spot, memorizing the rhythm. A sweet little gasp escaped her lips and she shivered. Damn! Her whole body trembled, as if in the first throes of orgasm. Aron closed his eyes, realizing this was one woman who would be capable of turning him inside out.

Libby leaned toward him; her breasts almost touched his chest - almost. She could feel her nipples swell in greeting. It was as if there was an irresistible, gravitational pull between her body and his. Shyly, she looked up at him. His eyes were the color of a dark blue lapis. If she were more schooled in the ways of men, she might have thought she read desire in those lazuli eyes. Not possible. This was Aron. And she was just…just Libby.

Cowboy Heat

 
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