Page 48 of Some Cowgirls are Worth Protecting

Golden embers floated like lightning bugs through the air.

A hazy sort of smoke hung around him like someone had turned on a fog machine while he’d slept.

Hudson coughed and dropped down to his hands and knees as he crawled toward the stalls where the horses were being kept. Thank goodness his brother’s horses had been taken back to their ranch. Right now, there were only four animals in the barn—but at this moment, all four of them depended on him for their lives.

A beam from overhead crashed down in front of him, sending embers and sparks into his face. He lifted an arm over his face, scrambling backward. The heat seared his face and singed his hair. If he didn’t get out of there fast, he might not get out of there at all.

The sound of barking jerked his attention onward. He charged forward, this time crouched down so he could dart around the fallen debris.

On his way to the stalls that housed the horses, he yanked off two hand towels from a nearby workbench where he’d been wiping down the saddles. Using the rags to temporarily blind the horses, he pulled them—one in either hand, using the towels as a makeshift lead. The other two horses followed.

Smoke inundated his senses, burning his nose and throat. His eyes wept from the heat, and yet all he could do was think about Rachel. He’d get out of there for her if no one else. She needed him. He wasn’t going to abandon her like he’d been abandoned by so many.

Hudson made it to the edge of the barn and yanked the horses free from the burning inferno behind him. He doubled over, gulping in the cool night air. He’d done it. He’d saved the animals, and he’d gotten out.

A dog’s whimper from behind made his heart sink into his gut. He turned around toward the glowing disaster of the barn. Odin was still inside. Without thinking, he darted back into the flames even as they licked at his skin and took the hair right off his arms. Another piece of the roof collapsed down at his side, making contact with his shoulder, but he pressed onward.

“Odin!” he yelled, bringing his shirt up to cover his nose. Crazy dog! What was he still doing in a burning building anyway? “Odin!”

Another bark to his left, and Hudson swung his attention to the side to find the dog cowering under the very workbench he’d taken the rags from. Burning debris littered the countertop. It wouldn’t be long before the rest of the building came down.

Hudson scooped up the dog into his arms and darted outside. He collapsed to his knees as he put the dog on the ground. Then he rolled onto his back, breathing heavily and staring up at the sky. The heat from the fire still reached him despite being a few yards away. His ears buzzed, and his vision went blurry. Someone would be coming. No one would let the building continue to burn like that.

His eyes closed.

He’d call someone when he woke up. He was just so sleepy.

“Hudson,” a faraway voice hollered. It was sweet and soft. But it was also frantic and ringing. “Hudson, so help me, if you don’t wake up?—”

“Ma’am, his vitals have stabilized. He’ll wake up soon, I assure you.”

“You can’t be certain. You said yourself he had a decent amount of smoke inhalation.”

“That’s correct. However, we’ve treated him for the most severe complications to be on the safe side. He’s on oxygen. We’ve dressed the burn on his shoulder. All we can do is wait.”

The voices trailed off, fading in and out as Hudson fought to open his eyes. It was as if they’d been glued shut. His throat was hot and thick. It took a great deal of effort to swallow. The incessant beeping sound rang in his head with each staccato note.

Hudson groaned.

“Hudson? Can you hear me?” The soft voice was back, followed by a touch on his hand. Small, delicate fingers laced through his and tightened. “Hudson, come back to me,” she whispered. It was familiar.

More than familiar, it was the sound of an angel.

His angel.

Rachel.

Hudson forced his eyes to open only to be blinded by a bright light. He blinked and groaned again.

A quiet gasp at his right drew his attention, and Rachel’s terrified expression hovered over him. Tears streaked her cheeks, and her lashes were clumped together with moisture. Her head snapped up and over to somewhere else in the room. “Will you let the doctor know he’s awake?”

Footsteps shuffled away, and Rachel stared down at him again. She brought the back of his hand to her cheek, then kissed it. “I didn’t know if you were going to be okay.”

He offered her a weak smile, but he couldn’t say anything. If he could, he would have told her that she wasn’t going to get rid of him that easy. Unfortunately, his eyes were too heavy to keep open. Hudson took a deep breath, then coughed. Nope, he definitely wouldn’t be able to speak right away.

Rachel kissed his hand again, and whenever he could muster the strength to glance in her direction, he could see the worry that lined her face. She was okay. They’d be okay. There was no way anyone would allow this crime to go uninvestigated. Someone would be caught. There was evidence of foul play everywhere.

He gave her a smile once more, then closed his eyes. When he woke up again, he’d tell her everything. Starting with how her face in his mind had helped him push through.

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