CHAPTER 21
Jaxon
I stood in the den, the familiar sounds of a cooking show providing a comfortable background as I waited for Anna to finish her shower. Time seemed to slip by unnoticed, my thoughts drifting between dinner and the events of the past few days.
The ranch had been quiet today, a welcome reprieve after yesterday's chaos.
Anna had thrown herself into work with the horses, and I'd given her the space she needed to process everything.
Sometimes that's all you could do for someone.
Just be there without crowding them, let them work through it in their own way.
She's tougher than she gives her credit for, I recognized.
My throat was dry, so I headed to the fridge for a beer. But as I reached for the handle, something outside caught my eye through the kitchen window.
I froze.
Smoke.
At first, it was just a thin wisp, barely noticeable against the setting sun. But as I stared, it thickened, curling up into the sky from somewhere on the property.
My heart skipped a beat. That wasn’t right.
I knew this land well, Connor's property, every corner of it. There shouldn't have been any smoke, not from any direction I could see.
I bolted.
Without another thought, I rushed for Connor's home office. I needed one of the radios we used to communicate across the ranch. The smoke was thickening fast, and I had a bad feeling. Calling Denny was my best shot at figuring out what was going on.
I grabbed a radio from the charging station, switched it on, and pressed the button. "Denny, this is Jaxon. What's going on? I see smoke."
His voice came through immediately, tense, breathless. "One of the empty cabins is on fire. We called the fire department, but we're trying to keep it contained until they get here. Get over here, we need all the help we can!"
Shit.
Without wasting a second, I shoved the radio into my pocket and sprinted outside, my boots pounding against the earth as I headed straight for the source of the smoke.
I could see it now, a dark plume rising from behind the old barn where the cabins were.
Adrenaline kicked in, my instincts taking over. My lungs burned, but I pushed through the pain, forcing my legs to move faster. I had to move.
The air was thick with the acrid scent of burning wood as I rounded the barn.
The smoke had already begun to cloud the evening sky, blending into swirling gray and black clouds.
The glow of the fire illuminated everything in its reach, casting an eerie orange light that danced across the nearby trees and structures.
When I reached the cabins, the sight that greeted me was worse than I imagined.
The cabin was fully engulfed in flames, burning with a ferocity that sent sparks and embers flying into the air. The crackling and roaring of the fire was deafening, the sound of wood splintering and collapsing adding to the chaos.
Jesus Christ.
Denny and a couple of others were already there, frantically using hoses and buckets to keep the fire from spreading to the adjacent cabins. They worked in coordinated chaos, shouting instructions and dousing the flames with everything they had.
The heat was intense, even from a distance, it made the skin on my face feel taut and dry. The air was thick with ash, visibility poor, my eyes already watering from the smoke.
Without hesitation, I joined them, grabbing a hose from Denny and aiming it at the base of the fire. The water hit the flames with a sharp hiss, sending plumes of steam into the air. The smoke stung my eyes and nose, making me squint and blink to see clearly.
My muscles tensed as I fought against the hose's pressure, keeping my grip steady as I directed the water where it was needed most. Sweat mixed with ash on my skin, the heat making every breath feel like inhaling sandpaper. Our one job was to keep it contained.
Nearby, a couple of guys were using shovels to dig a trench, trying to create a barrier that would stop the fire from spreading farther. The fire department's sirens wailed in the distance, a faint sound over the roar of the blaze, signaling that help was on the way.
But for now, it was up to us.
As I worked, I saw the cabin's roof start to collapse, the flames licking at the sky as the timbers gave way. Debris rained down, and the fire burned even hotter. The exterior walls were charred and crumbling, with smoke billowing from the windows and doors.
The ground beneath my feet was littered with ash and debris, and I had to watch my footing as I moved around to find the best angle for the hose.
"Jaxon, over here!" Denny shouted, gesturing toward the side of the cabin closest to the barn. "We need to focus on that wall!"
I redirected the hose, my arms burning from the effort of holding it steady. The men shouted to each other, coordinating our efforts, but it was clear we were fighting a losing battle with the cabin itself. We just had to keep it from spreading.
We needed to keep it from reaching the other structures. It was disheartening to watch the cabin's destruction, seeing it crumble before our eyes, but if we could save the barn and the other cabins, that was what mattered.
When the fire department's trucks finally arrived, the professionals took over. I stepped back, my heart racing, my body coated in a thin layer of ash. My lungs felt raw, my throat scratchy from breathing in smoke.
Their equipment made quick work of the remaining blaze, their hoses far more powerful than the ones we had on hand. I watched as they systematically attacked the fire, extinguishing it bit by bit until all that remained were smoldering embers and the charred skeleton of what once had been a cabin.
The firefighters moved in with axes and other tools, carefully clearing the area to ensure no hidden flames reignited.
I stood there catching my breath, watching them work, when I felt a presence beside me. Turning, I saw Anna. Her face was pale in the firelight, Chester at her feet. She must have seen the commotion and come running. I wondered how long she had been standing there.
Her eyes were wide, taking in the destruction. Worry etched deep lines across her features. I wanted to reach out, to reassure her, but my hands were filthy with ash and soot.
"It's okay," I said, my voice rough. "No one's hurt."
She nodded, but I could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her arms wrapped around herself. This was the last thing she needed after yesterday.
Two grueling hours later, the firefighters had fully extinguished the blaze, leaving behind the blackened remains of the cabin. Thin columns of smoke still rose, swirling into the cool evening breeze, while the fire marshals moved in to assess the damage and determine the cause.
Anna stood beside me, her arms crossed, rubbing her shoulders against the chill that often followed a fire. Chester sat at her feet, panting and alert, his gaze tracking every movement around him.
I stood close, occasionally wrapping an arm around her shoulders to offer reassurance. She was shivering despite the lingering heat from the ruins, and I could feel the tension radiating off her.
The marshals picked through the debris methodically, lifting scorched beams and charred planks as they searched for any clue that might reveal where the fire had started.
They worked with long metal tools, sifting through the ashes with measured precision, careful not to disturb the site more than necessary.
Every so often, one of them would hold something up, a melted piece of metal, a fragment of wiring, or a section of the cabin's wall that had collapsed inward, to inspect it under the harsh white beam of a flashlight.
The scene was a stark reminder of how quickly fire could destroy, leaving little more than ruin in its wake.
I noticed Anna shiver again despite her efforts to stay warm. Without thinking, I slipped off my jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
She looked up at me in surprise, and I offered a small, tired smile. At least I could do that much for her.
She mouthed a quiet "thank you" and pulled the jacket tighter around herself. The gesture seemed to ease some of the tension in her body, and I felt a flicker of relief.
As the marshals continued their work, the ranch hands gathered nearby, murmuring in low voices about the fire. Denny stood with one of the marshals, gesturing toward the remains and explaining the cabin's layout before the blaze.
We all knew that once the cause was confirmed, we'd have to take extra precautions to make sure this never happened again.
One of the fire marshals, a tall man with a neatly trimmed beard and a badge that glinted in the dim light, approached Denny, extending a hand in greeting.
"Mr. Gibbons," the marshal began, his voice steady but edged with fatigue, "we've examined the structure and most of the debris.
We can't make any definitive conclusions tonight, but based on our preliminary findings, the fire seems to have started at the base of the cabin.
Could've been right against the outside wall, possibly an issue with the wiring or an external source.
Or it may have originated on the inside wall, which would suggest an outlet or some kind of electrical malfunction. "
Denny nodded, taking in the information, his gaze flicking to the smoldering ruins. "Any idea how long it'll take for a full report?"
The marshal shrugged. "Hard to say. We'll need to analyze the samples we collected and go through all the evidence. Could take a week, maybe more. We'll keep you posted."
They shook hands again before the marshal turned to rejoin his team as they packed up their equipment. A week felt like a long time to wait for answers.
As the fire department and marshals drove off, the ranch settled into a tense quiet. Smoke still lingered, and the faint smell of burnt wood clung to everything.
Anna and I exchanged a look, both feeling the weight of what had happened. Chester, still alert and pacing, followed as we turned toward the house.