Page 21 of Her Second Chance Cowboy

Emma gasped in pain as a burning ember landed on her arm, searing through her shirt and into her skin. But she ignored it, gritting her teeth as she tugged on Daisy’s lead rope, urging the horse forward. But ahead was nothing but smoke and darkness, and she wasn’t even sure where the barn exit was anymore. The smoke was so thick, disguising everything, and fire seemed to lap at every surface.

Just as she was beginning to think that she might not make it out alive, that the flames and the smoke and the heat would consume her, she heard a voice calling her name.

“Emma!” Cody shouted, his voice hoarse with fear and desperation. “Where are you?”

“Here!” Emma gasped, her voice barely audible over the roar of the flames. “I’m here, Cody!”

And then he was there, bursting through the wall of flames like a knight in shining armor, his face streaked with soot and his eyes wild with fear.

He grabbed Emma around the waist, hoisting her into his arms as if she weighed nothing at all.

“Daisy,” she gasped against his shoulder, but he was already taking the lead rope from her hand, urging the horse forward with them.

And then he was moving back the way he’d come, his feet pounding against the dirt floor as he carried her out of the burning building and into the cool night air.

Emma gasped in lungfuls of fresh air, her lungs burning with the effort. She could feel Cody’s heart pounding against her back, could hear the ragged sound of his breathing as he set her gently down on the ground.

“Emma,” he said, his voice rough with emotion as he cupped her face in his hands. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

Emma shook her head, tears streaming down her face as she looked up at him. “I’m okay,” she said, her voice shaking. “Thanks to you. You saved my life, Cody.”

Cody’s eyes were dark with emotion, his jaw clenched tight as he looked down at her. “I thought I’d lost you,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “When I saw you run into that barn, I thought...”

He trailed off, his voice breaking. Emma reached up and brushed a strand of hair from his forehead, her fingers trembling slightly.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just... I couldn’t leave Daisy in there. Or the calf. I had to try to save them.”

Cody nodded, his eyes never leaving hers. “I know,” he said, his voice filled with a quiet understanding. “You’ve got a heart as big as the whole damn state of Montana, Emma Brooks. It’s one of the things I lo... one of the things I admire most about you.”

Emma felt her heart skip a beat at his words, at the intensity of his gaze. For a moment, they were caught in each other’s eyes, the rest of the world fading away until there was nothing but the two of them, standing together in the cool night air.

But then the sound of sirens in the distance broke the spell, and Emma looked up to see a group of locals rushing towards them, their faces etched with worry and concern.

“We saw the fire from town,” Chris called out, his voice rough with emotion. “Is everyone okay? Was anyone hurt?”

Emma shook her head, feeling a rush of gratitude and affection for these people, for the way they had rallied around her in her time of need.

“We’re all fine,” she said, her voice still shaking slightly. “Thanks to Cody. He... he saved us all. Daisy, too.”

She patted the shoulder of the elderly mare, who stood quivering but unharmed.

Chris nodded, his eyes flicking over to Cody with a look of respect and admiration. “The fire brigade is on their way,” he said, his voice filled with reassurance. “They’ll have this under control in no time.”

Emma nodded, feeling a sense of relief washing over her. But even as she watched the locals working to contain the blaze, even as she heard the sound of the fire trucks drawing closer, she couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that had settled in the pit of her stomach.

The barn was gone, reduced to a smoldering pile of ashes and charred wood. All the hard work she had put into repairing it, all the memories it held of her father and her childhood, had been lost in the flames.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to see Cody standing beside her, his eyes filled with a quiet understanding.

“It’s just a building, Emma,” he said softly, his voice filled with a gentle reassurance. “What matters is that everyone is safe. We can rebuild the barn, but we could never replace you.”

Emma felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she blinked them back, taking a deep, shuddering breath. He was right, sheknew. The barn was just a thing, a collection of wood and nails and memories. What mattered was the people, the animals, the land that she loved so deeply.

That was what remained.

Chapter Twelve

The morning dawnedgray and grim, the sky heavy with clouds that threatened rain. Emma stepped out of the house, her boots crunching on the gravel as she made her way towards the paddock where Daisy and Ghost had spent the night.

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