Cowboy Sanctuary. Elle James

scent of sulfur and smoke filled the air as if a whole book of matches had been lit.

      Jennie jumped up and ran after the man, her head swimming, making her progress wobbly at best. She had to stop him from dropping the fire inside the barn. The place would burn so fast there wouldn’t be time for the Dry Wash’s Volunteer Fire Department to respond.

      The burning bundle flew toward the corner where stacked hay bales sat. The man hustled through the door and out of the barn so fast Jennie didn’t have a chance to catch up to him. As she reached for the back door, the sound of a horse’s hooves pounding against the dirt let her know he’d gotten away, but maybe she could see who it was.

      She tried the door. It didn’t budge.

      Flames rose behind her, dancing dangerously close to her back. Jennie leaped out of the way and grabbed for a horse blanket. Using the blanket, she beat at the flames, trying to put out the fire now firmly entrenched in the straw bales. As smoke filled the interior, Jennie realized she couldn’t put the fire out on her own. She had to get Lady out and go for help.

      As she ran for Lady’s stall, dry, scorching heat flared behind her, smoke rose choking off her air.

      Inside the horse’s stall, Lady screamed and reared, slamming against the wooden walls.

      Jennie slid open the gate and grabbed for the horse’s halter. Smoke filled her lungs and she gave in to a bout of coughing. Then, pulling her shirt over her mouth, she ran for the front door, dragging the frantic horse behind her. She had to get her out, quickly, before the smoke overcame them both.

      With her arm stretched out in front of her, she felt her way through the smoke. Once she located the door, she pushed the latch and leaned her weight into the heavy wood. It still wouldn’t budge. She pushed again, putting all her strength into the effort.

      The front and back doors didn’t move. It had been locked with her inside.

      The stack of hay became a towering inferno shooting flames up the beams into the dry wooden flooring of the loft, also full of dry hay bales.

      With heat scorching her skin and lungs, Jennie sank to her knees, trying to get as low as possible. She pulled hard on Lady’s head to move the horse’s nostrils closer to the ground and away from the rising smoke.

      With the back entrance blocked by flame, all Jennie could do was beat against the door, screaming until her voice cracked and her lungs were raw and scratchy from smoke.

      Chapter Five

      Molly’s revelation about Jennie’s marriage roiled around in Cameron’s thoughts as he traveled the road between the Morgan and the Ward ranches. How could Jennie put up with the abuse? She’d been a firebrand when he’d known her—full of confidence and a strong sense of family. How had he missed this piece of news? Molly had always kept him up to date on the goings-on in the small community of Dry Wash. Had she been too young to understand Jennie’s plight at the time?

      All Cameron had heard was that she’d married shortly after he’d left for the military.

      Shadows thickened as he rounded the curve in the road leading to the Flying W ranch house. Nearing the ranch, he caught a glimpse of flames and black smoke billowing above the treetops.

      What the hell? His foot slammed the accelerator to the floorboard and the truck leaped forward, eating up the remaining distance.

      By the amount of smoke filling the sky, the fire must be big and it appeared to be coming from the back side of the house. Cameron’s chest squeezed. Jennie was in the house with her father. Had the same person who’d taken a shot at Hank come back to finish the job?

      Cameron slammed a palm to the steering wheel. Why had he thought it all right to leave the Wards without his protection? These criminals had already killed two people and probably others he didn’t know about.

      As he skidded around the side of the house, he noted that it wasn’t the house on fire, but the barn. For a moment, Cameron breathed a sigh of relief. Jennie was given strict instructions to stay in the house with her father.

      When Ms. Blainey burst out of the kitchen door and headed toward the burning barn, Cameron knew instinctively that Jennie hadn’t followed instructions.

      Gunning the accelerator, Cameron raced the truck toward the inferno, reaching the barn a couple yards ahead of Ms. Blainey. He dropped out of the driver’s seat and ran for the barn door. “Anyone in there?” he called out to the woman behind him.

      “Jennie!” Ms. Blainey kept running until she skidded to a halt in front of the barn door. “Jennie came outside a few minutes ago to take care of the horses. Oh God! She’s in there!”