Losing Ladd (17 page)

Let it not be the stables.
Let it not be the horses or Miss Delaney.

The exertion tightened his lungs.
Adrenaline fired his limbs. He couldn’t stop. They couldn’t stop.
Troy passed Travis as the trail opened up. Across the clearing, the
impact of what happened punched him in the chest. Flames licked
high into the night sky. The stables were on fire. Struggling to
keep up with Troy, Travis understood his brother’s drive. Hay,
wood, locked stalls—there wouldn’t be time for the animals to get
out.

Shutting the thoughts from his mind,
Travis hammered forward. He could only hope the damage could be
contained.

Troy made it to the stables first.
Through the main opening, flames could be seen spilling from
Delaney’s office. Smoke rose from the scene, a chalky orange
billowing up into the black of night. A sickening mix of shrieks
and whinnies pierced the quiet. Troy’s dark figure hesitated for an
instant as he changed direction, entering from the side. He was
headed for the stalls.

Travis barreled straight in. Lights
were on. People were here. If Delaney was here, it’s likely she
would’ve been in her office. “Delaney!” he shouted as he ran.
Shooting a glance down the corridor, he felt relief to see the fire
was confined to this section. But ripping across the ceiling, it
was quickly making its way toward the stalls.

He neared the stable office, where the
doorway was engulfed. Unable to gain access, Travis prayed she
wasn’t inside. Catching sight of movement, he turned and saw her
running from stall to stall, unhooking gates. An Appaloosa reared
as Delaney charged in, shooing the horse clear.

“
Delaney!” he yelled.
That’s when he noticed the flames climbing the back of the
building. The fire had spread farther than he thought. Or had it
started in multiple points?

Travis had no idea. None of it
mattered. He had to get her out of here.

Beyond her, horses cried
out in fear. Travis could hear Troy’s shouts as he forced the
animals, one by one, from their stalls. Running toward Delaney,
Travis noted several remained locked in place. One was a black
horse. Travis froze. Licks of flames jumped in the reflection of
the animal’s wild eyes.
It was
Blue
.

Rushing for Felicity’s horse, Travis
heard Delaney cry out. He turned in time to see a frightened horse
storm from its stall, knocking Delaney to the ground.

Delaney
.

“
Travis!”

He whirled, coughing against a
thickening smoke. Felicity ran toward him. “You have to save
Blue!”

Blue. Yes, the horse was still locked
in its stall—but Delaney could be hurt. Travis’ heart caught. His
gaze shot to the ceiling. A rafter was pulling away, flames coiling
along its timber. Delaney lay directly in its path. Felicity,
following his gaze, shrieked, “Mom!”

Delaney looked up. Felicity rushed
toward her.

Wood cracked and Travis sprang
forward. Ramming a shoulder into Felicity, he shoved her out of the
way in a dive toward Delaney. He tackled her in a roll as the beam
swung down, sinking its fiery mass into the stall. Flames crawled
up wooden siding, raced over and around everything in their path as
Travis remained huddled over Delaney’s body. Heat blazed hot
against the bare skin of his arms, the shirt on his back. The fire
was devouring the stall beside him. He had to get Delaney away but
where was Felicity? Was she okay?

“
Felicity!” he cried
out.

She didn’t respond.

Fear pummeled him. Was she okay?
Travis choked in a chest full of smoke, the acrid smell burning his
throat. He buried his face into Delaney’s body, noting with alarm
that she wasn’t moving. He had to get her out of here. But where
was Felicity?

Felicity’s shrill voice called out to
him, “Travis!”

Thank God she was
okay
.

“
Where are
you?”

Warning bells sounded in his skull as
her voice neared. She couldn’t come over here. She had to stop. It
was too dangerous. “Go away!” he commanded. “Stop—go
back!”

“
Travis! Mom!”

Men were shouting. Commands punctured
the chaos, Troy’s voice distinct among them. Horses whinnied and
ran. They had to get out of here before they were trampled. Or
burned. The fire was growing. Spreading. In a split decision, he
scooped up Delaney’s petite figure and yelled, “Troy, get
Blue!”

“
Travis?”

Felicity’s voice snapped him to a
halt. “Felicity.”

As they locked gazes through the
smoke-filled air, time stood still. He peered into her face. The
chaos around them dissolved. Her horse was in danger. Felicity
needed him. Delaney lay unconscious in his arms. Instinct warred
with need. Felicity’s mom could be seriously injured. He had no way
of knowing the extent of her condition without thoroughly
evaluating her. He had to get her out of here but he couldn’t leave
Felicity. Sirens echoed in the distance. “You’ve got to get out,”
Travis urged her.

“
My mom—is she
okay?”

“
I don’t know. I’ve got to
get her out of here. You, too. We’ve got to go.”

“
But what about Blue?” her
voice quaked.

“
Troy will get Blue.”
Suddenly sucked in by the sight of her mother’s lifeless body,
Felicity hesitated. “Felicity, go. Run!” When she didn’t respond,
Travis yelled at her, “Move, Felicity! Get out.
Now
!”

“
I can’t leave Blue
here!”

Travis couldn’t grab her
but they had to get out. “C’mon. Let’s go!” he ordered, running
determinedly from the stables. He had no other choice. Delaney was
hurt. Unconscious. He had to get her to safety. Felicity would
follow.
She had to
.

Carrying Delaney clear of the
building, Travis looked back, disturbed Felicity had not followed
him. Where was she?

As soon as he thought it, the answer
occurred. She’s saving Blue. At risk to her life, she was staying
behind to get her horse. Dammit!

Troy would get Felicity. One of the
men. Someone!

But he couldn’t think about Felicity.
Delaney wasn’t moving. Closing his mind to everything but her, he
set her gingerly on the ground, scanning her body for signs of
injury. Was anything broken? Was she breathing?

Despite the backdrop of
frantic shouts and whinnies, the jeopardy of his girlfriend and her
horse, Travis forced himself to remain calm.
Think
. Check her vitals. Placing an
ear to her mouth, he searched Delaney’s chest for signs of
movement. For a moment he thought he detected a faint breath, a
slow rise and fall of inhalation. Could she be moved? He didn’t
recall the horse kicking her head. But the fact she lay unconscious
said otherwise.

“
Travis!” Malcolm’s solid
voice cut through as he rushed over. Dropping to a knee, he skimmed
over Delaney’s body. “Is she all right?”

“
I don’t know,” Travis
replied. “She was unlocking the gates when one of the horses ran
out, knocking her to the ground. A rafter above was on fire and
about to fall. I pushed her out of the way. She’s breathing.” It
was the quickest summation he could manage.

Malcolm nodded, the growing fire
casting his tanned face in golden tones. “Ambulance is on its way.
Let’s not move her.”

Travis rose to his feet. “Are the
horses out?”

“
I think so. Troy and a
few of the stable staff were in there getting the last of
them.”

“
I’ve got to go find
Felicity.” Delaney would be okay now that Malcolm was here and he
had to go after Felicity.

“
Go.” Malcolm set a hand
to Delaney’s lifeless body. “I’ll stay with Delaney.”

Guilt and duty washed through Travis.
Delaney wasn’t out of danger but she was in good hands. Unlike
Felicity. Travis had to get to her. “Thanks,” Travis said, then
bolted off to find his girlfriend.

Making it to the front of
the stables, a squawk of siren blasted from the valley below.
Flashing red lights flared against a wall of dark forest. The fire
department was here. Searching the faces of those leading horses
from the stables, he saw no sign of Felicity. Travis’ heart sank.
Half the building was consumed by flame.
Felicity
. Running to the edge of the
building, there were no more shouts, only sheets of smoke billowing
free. He panned over the growing crowd of faces, dread lodging in
his throat.

Felicity was not among
them.

As firefighters decked out in full
gear leapt from the fire engine, Travis ran to the opposite side of
the building, inundated by “what ifs.” What if one of the rafters
had fallen on Felicity? What if he’d managed to save her mother at
expense of her life? Travis wouldn’t be able live with himself. If
Felicity suffered because of his actions he didn’t know what he
would do. Fighting a rising tide of panic, he looked inside the
stables. The flames had yet to reach the back end. “Felicity!” he
called out, his heart pounding anew with panic.
“Felicity!”

Behind him staff members were
corralling horses, leading them to the paddocks, a few being taken
to the barn. Backing away from the stables, Nick Harris raced up
from the trail. Travis knew he’d be looking for Delaney and waved
him over. “Mr. Harris! Mr. Harris—she’s over there!” Travis
shouted, pointing in the direction of Delaney and
Malcolm.

His sharp eyes drilled into Travis as
he demanded, “Where?”

“
Over there. Near the
fence.”

At sight of Delaney’s body lying on
the ground, alarm swamped Nick’s gaze. “Is she okay?”

“
I think so,” Travis
replied. But Mr. Harris didn’t hear him, already en route for his
wife.

Travis’ heart skipped a beat as he
glimpsed Troy’s black hat. Sprinting toward his brother, he
wondered, had he gotten Blue? Did he have Felicity? Dodging
firefighters lugging hoses, Travis made a beeline for Troy. Cutting
around them and a collection of curious guests, he called out,
“Troy!” Frozen expressions didn’t so much as register his passing,
transfixed as they were to the inferno before them.
“Troy!”

His brother was leading a horse in
circles as Travis ran to him. “Troy!” Recognition sharpened in
Troy’s gaze as Travis neared. “Where’s Felicity?”

“
Headed for the barn,”
Troy replied, his voice taut and controlled.

“
Did you see
her?”

The horse yanked its head against
Troy’s tight grasp on a lead rope fastened around its head. “Yes.”
His attention was clearly aimed on his animal, not Travis or
Felicity.

But the animals needed
Troy right now. Spooked by the fire, they were understandably
jittery. But Felicity needed
him
. As he glanced in the direction
of the barn, the knots in his chest loosened. If Troy said she was
by the barn that meant she was safe.

Jogging past a few loose horses,
Travis shifted his focus between the fire and Felicity. He hadn’t
asked Troy about Blue. Had she made it out? Would he find Felicity
in tears?

Pulling up to the barn, he scanned the
exterior. No sign of her. Striding inside, he saw a couple of
horses with one of the older staff members, but no Felicity.
Hurrying over, he asked, “Have you seen Felicity?”

The man looked to him briefly, the
horse he held bridling between skittish and calm, and shook his
head.

No
? Travis whipped his head around. But Troy said she was here.
If not here, where?

Travis turned on his heel, his
frustration over Troy’s misdirection welling hot and fast in his
chest. Hustling outside, he paused at the sight of burning stables,
the sky above them glowing orange-gold, spits of charred wood
floating into the black. Where had Felicity gone? Where was Blue?
Without wasting another second, Travis ran back toward the stables.
Troy had seen her, which meant she was okay, but Travis couldn’t
relax until he laid eyes on her himself.

Around the edge of the
building, Travis caught sight of medics wheeling a gurney toward
the ambulance. Nick’s imposing figure trailed behind, partially
obscured by the emergency personnel. They were transporting
Delaney. At the pace they were rolling her, Travis thought it must
be critical. His heart pinched.
Please let
her be okay
. That’s when he saw Felicity.
Lagging behind the cluster of medics, her face appeared blank. In
shock. But relief flooded him. She was safe. Travis rushed over to
her. “Felicity!”

She glanced up at him. Her
mouth was set in a firm line, her usually soft gaze hard and
impenetrable. Unable to read her expression, his pulse
jumped.
Was she upset with
him
?
Was Blue
okay
?

When she didn’t stop or call out to
him, he yelled, “Felicity!” As if the sheer force of his voice
would stop her in her tracks. It didn’t. The group continued its
course, leaving Travis no option but to follow.