Page 46 of Protected By the Mountain Man

Gabe's voice chased after me, but I was already too far gone, my boots thumping against the ground as I raced for the barn. His concern was a distant second to the panic seizing my gut. My horses needed me; nothing else mattered.

The barn loomed ahead, an orange glow flickering through the cracked door. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I noticed that the lock wasn’t broken—whoever had come in had a key—but that was secondary to saving the horses. Adrenaline surged as I dashed inside. The air was thick with fear and smoke, the sound of hooves pounding against wood echoing like gunshots.

“Easy, easy,” I murmured, though my voice was drowned out by frantic neighs. Stall after stall, they were all closed, my beautiful, panicked horses trapped and awaiting a savior.

Well, here I was.

I started opening the stalls, ignoring how the hot metal burned my fingers and palms. Horses rushed out past me, toward the open barn door. There was a good chance I would be trampled, but at least they would be free.

“Come on, come on,” I muttered, giving the latch on one stubborn stall a vicious tug. The door swung open and the horse inside shot out, its hooves thundering past me. That was when I felt the sting on my arm—a cinder had landed there, hungry little devil.

“Dammit!” I swiped it away, feeling the burn sear into my flesh.

It was nothing; I couldn't stop.

The next stall was just as stubborn, the latch stuck and searing hot. I had to get this one though; Sundance was inside, my companion all these years. I grunted, throwing my weight against it until it finally gave way. “Giddyap, girl!” I urged the horse as she bolted for freedom.

I was about to move to the next when a sharp tug stopped me. My skirt, caught on an old nail protruding from the wooden wall. A perfect cherry on top of this hellish sundae.

“Fuck this,” I growled, yanking hard. The fabric tore easily, the sound almost satisfying amid the chaos. I ripped away the long strip, and tied it around my face to shield my lungs from the smoke.

It was makeshift, sure, but it'd do.

“Kat, this is insane!” Gabe's voice cut through the crackling flames as he burst into the barn, his outline a dark shape against the fire's glow. He reached for my arm, his fingers closing around my wrist with an urgency that matched the fear in his voice. “The fire department's on their way!”

“Can't wait,” I snapped, jerking my arm free from his grasp. My heart was hammering in my chest, but it wasn't just the heat—it was adrenaline, pure and raw. The horses needed me.

“Dammit, Kat, listen to me!”

“Listen to yourself! There's no time!” I shot back. “Stay or help, Gabe, but don't you dare try and stop me.”

He cursed under his breath but followed me deeper into the smoke. We worked in tandem, releasing latches and swinging wide stall doors, urging each frantic horse out into the night. “Go! Go!” I shouted, voice hoarse, as they thundered past us, their hooves drumming a frenzied beat against the ground. Gabe was right beside me, his presence a solid, reassuring force despite the chaos that swirled around us.

“Last one,” I gasped, my eyes stinging with sweat and smoke as we reached Shadow's stall. The horse reared up, his whinnies sharp with terror. I fumbled with the latch, yanking and pulling, but it wouldn't budge. “Come on!”

“Kat, let me—” Gabe started, but I was beyond listening.

“Shadow!” I cried, my voice breaking. Tears streaked down my cheeks, mingling with the ash as I hammered at the stall door with my fists. “I'm here, boy, just hang on!”

“Move,” Gabe said firmly, shouldering me aside. Together we shoved against the door, our combined strength forcing the warped wood to groan in protest.

“Please,” I begged, my words a prayer to anyone or anything that might be listening. “Please open.”

“Push!” Gabe ordered.

We threw ourselves against the obstacle with everything we had left.

And then, miraculously, it gave.

The door burst open, and Shadow bolted out. I was just standing there like an idiot when Gabe reached out and grabbed me, his arm hooking around my waist and yanking me back just as the powerful animal surged forward, missing us by inches. I barely had time to register the danger before Shadow was already disappearing into the night, blending with the darkness and the chaos.

My heart pounded, lungs aching.

Right…we were still in a burning building.

I tried to take a step away from the stall—toward the open door—but a violent cough racked my body. My vision swam, the barn spinning in a haze of smoke and fear. Gabe was saying something, his voice distant, like it was coming from the end of a long tunnel.

“I’ve got you, Kat…I’ve got you…”

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