2. AUSTIN
Chapter two
AUSTIN
A few hours earlier …
I hum an old familiar song, my head bobbing to the tune in my head.
The dry heat blows across my face, causing me to squint in the glare of the midday sun. I tip my hat lower, grateful for the shade it provides – but there is only so much it can do. Sighing, I turn my attention back to the present. Horses are neighing in the background, their sounds reminding me of why I am here.
Squeak!
The creaking sound of a stable door opening catches my attention, and I watch as they bring one of the horses to walk around in front of me.
Currently out of town on a horse ranch, I’m looking to buy some new stock for my property. The smell of hay and leather fills my nostrils, a scent I've grown accustomed to over the years. As the person leading the horse comes into view, I recognize Russell, the owner of the ranch and a long-time business partner of mine.
"I just got some Appaloosas. What do you think about this?" Russell asks, stopping the horse in front of me. The animal is a beauty, its spotted coat well-groomed under the sunlight.
The man knows what he is doing.
I lean against the fence, taking in the sight. "How many do you have?" I ask.
Russell's face breaks into a wide grin. "It depends on how many you're buying." He lets out a hearty sound, his belly shaking with laughter.
I can't help but chuckle. "Well, I'm thinking about fifty," I say, watching his eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
"Fifty?" Russell whistles. "That's a mighty fine order. Let's talk numbers, shall we?"
"100,000."
"You might as well rob me up front, Austin," Russell replies, shaking his head. "Each of these goes for 6,000 each."
"No discounted price for bulk purchase?" I ask, raising a brow. His price seems fair, but the rule of the business is to get the best possible price.
"How about you buy a hundred?"
"Wasn't fifty a mighty fine order?" I repeat, throwing his earlier words at him.
"I'll be danged."
For the next half hour, we haggle back and forth, the conversation flowing easily between us. Russell is a shrewd businessman, but so am I. Finally, we shake hands, agreeing on a price that satisfies us both.
"I'll bring the horses to you on the weekend," Russell says, wiping sweat from his brow. "I'll need to vaccinate them all before then, but I'll make sure it's done."
I tip my hat towards him. "Appreciate it. Looking forward to adding these beauties to my stock."
As I’m about to leave, my phone rings. I frown as I see the name on the screen: Sebastian, the foreman I've employed to oversee the ranch hands when I'm not around. A call from him usually means trouble.
"Sebastian," I answer, my voice tense. "What's going on?"
His voice comes through, urgent and somewhat strained like he is talking from far away. "Boss, we've got a situation. There's a fire in one of the barns, and one of the ranch hands got injured while we were trying to put the fire out"
My stomach drops. "How bad is it?"
"The fire's spreading fast, and with this heat..." Sebastian's voice trails off, almost like someone else is calling for him on the other side. "I have to go now, boss. Will you be able to make it?"
"I'm on my way," I say, already moving towards my truck. "Keep everyone safe, you hear me?"
I end the call and jump into the driver's seat, my mind racing. With the heat we've been having and the hay being extra dry, the fire can spread even faster than usual. I press down on the accelerator, the truck roaring to life as I speed out of Russell's ranch.
I'm not sure how I cover so many miles in such a short period. With the distance between each town, it takes me an extra hour to hit the long road leading back to Redstone. As I round a bend, I spot a car by the side of the road in the distance. There is nothing out here for the next two hours, so whoever it is, is probably stranded.
As I get closer, I notice it’s a woman. The wind is whipping her hair across her face, and she’s raising a hand, clearly in need of help. I curse under my breath, torn between my urgency to get back to the ranch and my instinct to help.
At that moment, she tucks her deep auburn hair behind her ear, and our eyes connect. Even from a distance, I can see she is pretty - the prettiest woman I've ever laid eyes on, I'd say.
Not the right place or the right time, I know. But it is a fact I can't help but admit.
I've never seen her in town before, so she must be from out of town. I can't afford to stop, but I can't leave a woman in distress either. As I drive past, I yell out the window, "I'll bring help! Hang tight!"
Cussing under my breath again, I press harder on the accelerator. Now I have yet another reason to get to town as fast as possible.
As soon as I hit the outskirts of town, I spot old John in his beat-up pickup. I pull up alongside him, rolling down my window.
"John! There's a lady stranded about twenty miles back. Can you help her out?"
John's weathered face creases into a smile. "Well, I sure can't leave a lady out there all alone. I'll head out right now."
Relief washes over me. "Thanks, John. I owe you one."
With that taken care of, I speed toward my ranch. As soon as I get close, I can see the thick black smoke in the distance. My throat begins to burn just looking at it.
I park my truck as close enough, but as far away from the fire as possible. Then, I race towards the barns, my side aching from how fast I’m running. As Sebastian had said, one of the barns is burning, and the fire has crossed over to another. It looks like they are managing to control it. And another fire truck is just arriving, too.
Some of the ranch hands who aren't on duty are already there. Like in all small towns – we don't sit back. They’re already pitching in to help, everyone grabbing a hose, a bucket, or something along with the firefighters. And I see other guys from neighboring farms here as well.
"Boss!" Sebastian yells, rushing towards me.
"Who got hurt?" I shout back over the noise, trying hard not to cough from the smoke.
"It's Noah, the youngest. One of the posts fell on him." Sebastian replies, his face grim. "We sent him to the hospital already."
I grit my teeth, nodding. "Good. We'll talk later. For now, let's help the rest."
I roll up my sleeves, the fabric rough against my skin, and dive into chaos with the others. The heat from the fire is intense, almost unbearable, but we have no choice but to push through it. Sebastian has also taken control of half of the team to help herd the cows into the barns farther away.
"72, 73…"
"Clear a path, hurry!"
"Water! We need more water over here!" I shout; my voice already hoarse from the smoke.
Sebastian tosses me a hose, and I direct the powerful stream at the base of the flames. The water hisses as it hits the burning hay, creating a cloud of steam that mixes with the thick smoke.
I can feel my body temperature increase, sweat pouring down my face, stinging my eyes, and leaving trails of soot on my skin. My lungs burn with every breath, but I can't stop. The lives of our animals and the livelihood of everyone who works here depend on us getting this fire under control.
As I fight against the flames, I find myself oddly grateful for the humid air that has formed due to the heat. The moisture in the air seems to be working in our favor, making it a little bit harder for the fire to spread.
"Boss! The wind's shifting!" one of the ranch hands calls out.
I look up, noting the change in the smoke's direction. "Everyone, move! We need to contain it from the east side now!"
We scramble to reposition ourselves, dragging hoses and buckets of water to the new frontline of our battle against the blaze. The heat clings to us, our wet clothes sticking to our bodies. But that also seems to be helping us in our fight against the flames.
Hours pass in a blur of heat, smoke, and exhaustion. But slowly, painfully slowly, we begin to gain ground. The fire's roar diminishes to a growl, then to a whisper. Finally, as the sun begins to set, casting an eerie beautiful orange glow across the smoke-filled sky, we extinguish the last of the flames.
We stand there, a group of exhausted soot-covered men, looking at the charred remains of what had once been a barn. But we have won. We have saved the rest of the ranch. And as I look around at the tired but triumphant faces of my team, I'm overwhelmed with a surge of pride and gratitude.
By the time the last of the firefighters leave, the only people left behind are my hand crew guys. "All right, everyone," I call out. "Go home and get some rest. We'll talk tomorrow. Great job men. I appreciate everyone so much!"
As the others disperse, Sebastian stays behind. I clap him on the shoulder. " I'm heading to the hospital to check on Noah. You've done good work today."
He nods, relief evident on his face. I take off my hat, running a hand through my hair. The long trek back to the main house feels even longer with my muscles aching and my clothes sticking to my body in the evening wind.
As I enter my house, a sense of calm washes over me. I'd purchased it five years ago along with farm the property, and now every inch of it feels like home. Before I bought it, this house had felt loved – and I had kept it that way, barely changing anything from the original décor.
When I drop my hat on the table, almost immediately, my two golden retrievers bound towards me, barking excitedly. Despite my exhaustion, I can't help but laugh as they crash into me, tails wagging like whips.
"Hey, boys," I say, stroking their heads and placing a kiss on each one. "Come on, buddies," I add, clucking my tongue as I head upstairs.
The dogs follow me to my bedroom, settling on the floor as I shower and change into clean clothes. Within minutes, I’m heading back downstairs, the dogs at my heels.
I’m about to feed them when I hear a sound from the doorway. The dogs hear it too, instantly alert and growling low in their throats.
"Shh, easy boys. Easy," I whisper, my hand instinctively reaching for the holster where I keep my gun. Break-ins are rare in our town, but not unheard of. It can be one of the ranch hands coming back, but I’m not taking any chances.
As I take another step, the door flies open. I am about to draw my gun when I find myself face to face with a sight that makes me freeze in my tracks.
It isn't Sebastian or any of my ranch hands. No, this person is nothing like them.
Standing in my doorway, looking disheveled but no less beautiful, is the woman I'd seen stranded on the roadside earlier.
I'll be danged.