Wildfire Omens (Wildwood #1)

Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty-Four

Cheyenne

I climbed onto the back of Rhett’s bike, grateful for the chance to hold on to him for a little while. I felt sick. I’d promised to protect Diablo, but Thomas had gotten to him anyway. And now, Thomas was far beyond his normal angry self. He was furious, and Diablo would pay the price.

Like he could read my mind, Rhett reached back and squeezed my thigh, a gesture that had always meant “everything’s going to be okay.”

But I didn’t believe it. The sick feeling in my gut wouldn’t allow me to.

As we got close to my property, the scent of smoke hit my nostrils. I sat up and searched the sky, my heart falling when I saw the plume of smoke rising from the direction of my home. Rhett dropped his head and twisted the throttle, rushing toward home.

Sheriff McGrath apparently saw the same thing we did, because he put on his lights and zoomed ahead.

I breathed a momentary sigh of relief when Rhett pulled into my driveway and I saw my home still standing. But the relief was washed away in a moment when I realized the truth.

The barn was on fire.

“Wildfire!” I jumped off the bike before Rhett had fully stopped, threw my helmet to the ground, and raced toward the flames.

“Cheyenne, no!” Rhett yelled.

I ran blindly, smoke choking me. Strong arms grabbed me and pulled me back.

“You can’t run into it,” Rhett yelled hoarsely into my ear.

“I have to save her!” I cried. Hot tears stung my face and nausea rose, threatening to overtake me. I fought against his arms, tried to break free.

“Stop,” he said, holding tighter, pulling me away. “She’s okay. Look.”

He pointed toward the pasture, where Wildfire was running. She was anxious but very much alive. I nearly collapsed in relief, my legs unable to hold me. Rhett half dragged me away from the barn.

“The hose! Get the hose. Maybe we can save it.” I tried to pull away again.

“No.” Rhett held me tight. “Cheyenne, there’s nothing you can do. Not now.”

The truth of it finally sank in. The entire structure was engulfed. Red flames flicked angrily toward the sky and lit up the barn from within, glowing between the gaps of the boards that remained. The roof had already collapsed on one side.

My world was burning down, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Sheriff McGrath was already on the phone with the fire department, but we all knew the truth. By the time they got there, it would be gone, nothing but embers on scorched earth. The old wood and hay were perfect kindling. We’d never had a chance.

“Fire truck is on the way,” Sheriff McGrath said. His face was lined with frustration. “I’m awfully sorry, Cheyenne. We’ll get him. I promise you that.”

I nodded, numb. “I-I need to check on Ash,” I said, choking out the words.

Rhett tensed. “You’re not going inside the house alone. What if he’s still here? He could be inside waiting for you.”

“Rhett’s right,” Sheriff McGrath said firmly. “Give me your keys. Let me check it out.”

I fished my keys out of my pocket, too tired to argue.

McGrath pulled his weapon and headed toward the house. I sank back against Rhett’s chest and watched my world burn.

“My grandfather built that barn,” I whispered as a single tear fell down my cheek.

“I’m so sorry, baby.” He wrapped his arms around my waist and held me. “I know it’s not the same. But I’ll build you a new one.”

I pulled his arms even tighter around me. “All that matters is that we’re all safe.” But the words felt hollow.

A few minutes later, Sheriff McGrath came back and tossed me my keys. “Everything looks fine inside. Ash is a little stressed out, but she’s unharmed. Doesn’t look like he was in the house at all.” He looked toward the barn and shook his head. “I hate this so much for you. But I hope it means he’s done. He got his horse back. Got some revenge and left. He could have pushed it further, but he didn’t.”

“Unless the only reason he stopped is because we showed up with lights and sirens,” Rhett growled.

McGrath nodded. “You have a point there. Speaking of which…”

We could hear the fire truck sirens. They’d made record time, but it didn’t matter. We all knew it was a total loss.

I was just grateful Wildfire and Ash were okay.

The next few hours passed in a blur. The fire was extinguished, leaving a mess of charred wood and ash behind. There was nothing that could possibly be salvaged. It was all gone. My grandfather’s legacy, wiped away in a single evening.

It didn’t take long for the fire investigator to declare arson. Shortly after, Sheriff McGrath found an engraved lighter with Thomas Smith’s name on it half buried near the rubble.

It burned hot in my soul and made me feel an anger and hatred I’d never experienced in my life.

When everyone was finally wrapping up and ready to leave us on our own to pick up the pieces, McGrath came back to us.

“I’ve got everyone looking for Thomas. We’ll find him, Cheyenne. We won’t rest until he’s caught. I’d like to suggest that you guys go back to the ranch and stay with your family.” He cut his eyes toward Rhett. “The more people around, the better. I don’t think Thomas will come back here tonight, but you never know, and I’d feel safer knowing you were at the ranch.”

I shook my head. “No. If I would have been here earlier, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“You don’t know that,” he pointed out. “He could have snuck onto your property and torched your barn before you knew what was happening. Only difference is that he might not have stopped there.”

“Ash would have told me he was here,” I insisted. “Trust me, if he comes back? I’ll be ready for him. I’m not abandoning Ash and Wildfire.”

“I’m not asking you to abandon your animals,” he said, exasperated. “Claire’s got a horse trailer. Get her to pick Wildfire up and take everyone over there.”

“No.” I clamped my lips and shook my head again. “I’m not abandoning my home, either. Sheriff, this house was built by my grandfather, just like that barn was. I don’t have much in the way of a family legacy, but I had his barn and I have this. It matters to me. I’m not leaving it for Thomas to burn too.”

He gritted his teeth. “I hope you don’t have an objection to me stationing a deputy out here tonight, then.”

“None at all. In fact, I hope you do. I also hope you understand that if Thomas Smith steps foot on my property again, I’ll shoot him.”

He knew me well enough to know I meant what I said. He lowered his voice and leaned in. “I’d think less of you if you didn’t.”

When everyone was finally gone—minus the deputy stationed out front in his car—Rhett and I took flashlights out to the remnants of the barn to take a closer look ourselves. Without the others there, I finally let the tears I’d been holding back come.

“Oh, baby,” he said, pulling me into his arms again.

“I know it was just a building,” I said, sniffling. “But when I moved here from St. Louis, that barn was my first refuge from the world. A place where I learned who I really was and what I really wanted in life. I fell in love with horses in that barn and connected with a part of my family tree I’d never known. It was as much my home as the house is.”

“I know,” he said, kissing the top of my head. “And I know right now you’re probably not ready to even think about rebuilding. But I’m here when you’re ready. I promise you, Cheyenne. I’ll build you another one. It won’t be the same, but it will be a new legacy. Yours.”

I swallowed hard, taking comfort in his words. My mind drifted as I tried to make sense of all of this. “I guess I need to be a lodgepole pine.”

“What are you talking about?” He chuckled and kissed my hair again.

“Lodgepole pines. It takes fire for their cones to open and their seeds to spread.” I pulled back and looked at him, showing him I was serious. “Without fire, the forest wouldn’t thrive. There would be no new growth.”

He nodded. “That’s right.”

“You know, I look back at my life and the darkest moments felt like scorched earth and ashes. Dad leaving. Picking up and moving from St. Louis to Wyoming. You leaving.” I paused, swallowing hard again. “They all felt like tragedies, and they were. But they were also the birth of something new. I can only hope this will be the same.”

“It will be.” He took my face into his hands and stared deep into my eyes. “I don’t know what’s next for us, Cheyenne. Seems like life is always a mix of good times and bad. But this time, all the bad stuff brought us back together. And no matter what the future holds, I want to face it with you.”

Tears pricked my eyes and I nodded. “I want that, too.”