Chapter 35
Thirty-Five
D inner was winding down. Jane leaned back in the kitchen chair and groaned. “That was the best lasagna I’ve ever had,” she declared.
Leah blushed at the compliment. “I can give you the recipe.”
Jane started to get up to help clear the plates, but Ethan placed his hand on her arm, stopping her. “In this family, the men clean up if the women cooked,” he said with a smile.
That surprised Jane, not the fact that men cleaned up, but somehow, she never imagined Ethan doing it. Nevertheless, she was fine with that.
“Leah, why don’t you and Jane go sit in the living room and catch up,” suggested Tanner. “When we’re done here, I’ll light a fire outside and we can have coffee and dessert on the patio.”
Standing up, Leah looked at Jane and said, “Works for me. Come on, Jane, you can catch me up on what’s going on in your life.”
The two women made their way to the living room and settled into the sofa. The fire was almost out, but the room was toasty.
“So, you and Tanner,” began Jane. “How long have you two been together?”
“Hmm.” Leah scrunched her brows, thinking. “About two years now. We’ve always known each other, but one day Tanner came into the diner while I was on break. We started talking for a while and suddenly one minute, I looked at him and thought”—she paused and nodded to herself—“I really like him. So, I asked him out and … the rest is history.”
“That’s so romantic,” Jane replied. It reminded her of how she and Mike met in college. Mike had bumped into her, spilling the coffee cup she was holding. He insisted he buy her another. They spent hours talking and getting to know each other in the coffee shop, and by the time they left, she knew he was the one. Mike insisted he’d seen her on campus and was intrigued, so he knew it first, but potato, potahto.
They chatted about the diner, friends and Jane’s farm for a while until Ethan came in and sat next to Jane. “Has Leah given up all our secrets?” he asked, leaning close to Jane.
“Ha ha.” Leah smirked. “I haven’t even started.” She looked at Jane. “There’s so much to tell.”
“I can’t wait to hear,” teased Jane.
“Neither can I,” quipped Ethan. “But it’ll have to wait. I came in to tell you that the kitchen’s clean and Tanner’s lighting the fire.”
Leah stood. “Great, I’ll put the coffee on. Ethan, will you get the dessert?”
“What can I do?” asked Jane.
“Bring out the plates and coffee cups,” replied Leah.
It took them a few minutes to gather everything and walk outside. The air had turned chillier. The fire Tanner started in the firepit was burning bright and hot. Red sparks danced in the breeze toward heaven. They placed everything on a table set up in the corner.
“Wow, when you said firepit, I was expecting something small,” exclaimed Jane. “This is beautiful.” She was in awe of the round stone firepit, the Adirondack chairs placed around it and twinkling lights on the back of the house. It was unexpected and romantic.
“Tanner and I built it last week.” Ethan looked at the firepit. “Looks pretty good.”
“I had them put up the lights for effect,” said Leah. She looked around and nodded. “Next, the guys are going to build a pergola so we can sit out here in the afternoon and be in the shade.”
“We are?” asked Tanner. He looked at Ethan, frowning. “Did you know about this?”
“Hell no. This is all on you, man. She’s your girlfriend,” said Ethan.
Leah laughed. “Will you two stop it? You know you’re going to do it, so get over it.” She motioned toward the dessert and coffee. “Help yourselves.”
Jane was in awe. These two big, burly guys hoodwinked by one small woman. Who would’ve thunk?
She had a feeling that Ethan’s mother made sure the men in her family didn’t think they were beneath helping. The more she saw of Ethan and his interactions with family and friends, the more she liked him.
The moon was peeking over the horizon as they chatted and consumed even more food. Finally, Jane put down her fork, savoring the lingering taste of the tart berries and buttery crumb. “That blueberry buckle was delicious.” She looked at Leah. “Did you make it?”
Leah shook her head. “No, but I have to agree. Ethan bought it at Crumb & Co.”
The memory of Ethan finding her talking to Vanessa Crumb flashed through her mind, and she giggled. She looked over at Ethan, who must have gathered what she was thinking and simply smirked and shook his head.
“Well, this has been a perfect night,” said Jane. “I know Tanner has to get up early, so I’ll say good night and thank you.”
Leah and Tanner hugged her goodbye.
“I’ll see you out,” said Ethan. Then he looked over at her farm. His body froze.
“Tanner, call the fire department,” Ethan barked.
Jane followed his view and gasped. Flames shot out of the greenhouse, giving the night sky an ominous glow. “Oh my God!” A shudder ripped through her body. “Whaat?”
“Get in the truck,” he said to Jane. “Tanner, you got this?”
Tanner nodded, already on his phone. “I’ll be right up.”
They rushed to Ethan’s truck, the engine roared to life, and within seconds they were screeching to a halt by the barn.
The smell of burning wood filled her nostrils as she tried to move closer.
“Stay back,” Ethan warned. A loud crack shattered the silence.
“Damn, I think the glass is shattering,” said Ethan, his eyes locked on the greenhouse.
Jane moved toward the open barn door. The smell of smoke was thick and cloying. She gagged.
No!
Bucky was lying face down on the ground. Panic surged through her.
“Bucky!” she screamed and tried to run in. Ethan was faster and pushed her out of the way, dragging Bucky’s limp body out.
“Is he alive?” Her voice trembled as she ran her hands over Bucky’s body, noticing the gash on his head.
Ethan pressed his fingers against Bucky’s neck, searching for a pulse. “Yes, but it’s weak.”
The wail of sirens in the distance grew louder as they got closer. Jane glanced at the barn and realized the barn itself had not caught on fire and no animals were in the barn, bringing a sliver of relief.
Red and blue lights flashed in the night. The fire trucks roared into view. Medics rushed to attend Bucky, placing him on a stretcher and then into the ambulance. They sped off, their taillights growing dimmer. Jane said a little prayer for Bucky as Tanner arrived, holding Leah.
Firefighters jumped from the trucks in full gear and began uncoiling hoses.
“Hold up,” yelled Ethan. “There’s a propane heater inside.”
The team leader was already in motion, moving everyone away. “We need to cool it down before it erupts. It’s risky, especially if the heater is too hot. Then we could be dealing with a BLEVE.”
“A BLEVE?” asked Jane, her voice trembling.
“Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion,” the firefighter clarified. “If the tank is too hot, it could explode, sending shrapnel flying.”
Jane turned her head into Ethan’s chest. The pounding of his heart gave her some comfort. This was a nightmare, a disaster, and she prayed the fire department could quickly get it under control. He rubbed her back in a soothing motion.
“It’ll be okay. Hopefully, it’s only the greenhouse,” he said.
“What happens if the tank explodes?” she asked.
Ethan shook his head. “Well, it could take out everything within a hundred feet. But Scotty knows what he’s doing.”
“Who’s Scotty?”
“Scotty Carothers, the fire chief,” Ethan replied. “I’ve known him for years.”
Another crack exploded. Jane jumped. She glanced at the barn while firefighters aimed water at the fire’s base. The minutes stretched into what felt like hours. Jane gulped and swallowed hard. She would not vomit now. The air, thick with the stench of smoke, filled the night. Crackling flames hissed as the water hit them.
Tanner and Leah walked over to stand with Jane and Ethan. The four of them moved farther back and watched as the firefighters moved closer. Finally, the flames began to die down, leaving behind smoldering embers and wisps of smoke.
Scotty came over, pulling off his helmet, revealing a soot-streaked face. “We got lucky. But this was close—too close.”
Jane exhaled, the tension flooding her body. “How did this happen?” she asked.
Scotty shook his head. “We need to investigate further, but it looks like the heater was tampered with.”
“Someone did this on purpose,” Ethan spat out.
Jane clenched her stomach. What had happened? Why now? Was this related to the other incidents?
She was in danger and had no idea why or who was behind it.