Page 25 of Claimed by the Lawman

Chapter 7

TYLER UNLOCKED THE front door, dropped her purse on the table and made her way up the stairs to her bedroom. Her mind was exhausted after running numbers on what it’d take to purchase the theater and make the necessary renovations. Would the bank even give her a loan?

With her thoughts heavy, she grabbed the hem of her shirt and tugged it over her head, dropping it onto the floor. She was putting on another shirt when she stopped and sniffed the air, catching a scent that reminded her of burning wood. She made her rounds upstairs, searching each room, all the electrical outlets, her straightening iron, and the vents. And then she saw it through the bathroom window. A cloud of smoke extending up from…what?

Hurrying to look out the window, her mouth fell open and her stomach twisted.

The rundown shed in the backyard had smoke barreling out of the broken window.

After the initial shock of seeing the flames, she kicked into action and raced downstairs, picked up her purse dumping out most of the contents in a hurry to grab her phone. Breathless, she dialed 9-1-1 and frantically told the dispatcher that her shed was on fire.

“Calm down, ma’am,” the dispatcher said. “Did you say your shed is on fire?”

“Yes. My shed. Please hurry.”

Clicking off, she dropped her phone and ran out to stand on the back porch staring in disbelief as the roof caved in. Loud pops and crackles sounded as the flames licked away at the dilapidated building. Grey smoke poured out as the blaze now curled through the cracks of the walls. A brisk wind blew up and she choked on the smoke.

“Oh my God!” she rasped, staring numbly at the scene before her. What if the fire spread before the fire department arrived? Would she lose everything?

She couldn’t just sit back and watch.

On autopilot, she hurried into the kitchen and grabbed the fire extinguisher from under the sink and raced back outside. It was probably too late to save the shed, but she wouldn’t wait and watch it go down without a fight. The fire heated her skin as she approached. Turning on the extinguisher, she aimed the nozzle into the flames that had grown higher and the stream was no fight against the beast of flames that had now engulfed the entire shed. With a loud crack one wall came crashing down. Tyler jumped and turned to run, but her feet slipped on the damp grass and she fell to her knees, hitting her face hard against the dirt. She instantly tasted blood and felt a pain in her shoulder. Still fearing the fire, she hurried to her feet, racing for the safety of the porch where she examined the scene before her. The wood creaked in resistance, but the force was too strong for the rotten wood and another wall fell, then another until all four piled into one burning heap. Several neighbors had gathered to watch from a safe distance.

Tears rushed up and her throat burned. She coughed against the scorching scent that hurt her nose and filled her lungs.

By the time the fire department arrived, the shed and part of the wooden fence surrounding her property was in ashes. From a chair on the porch, she watched the men in fire gear put out the last of the embers that seemed too easy compared to the destruction.

She swiped her hands down her hot cheeks. When she looked up she saw Deputy Payne standing beside her.

“You okay?” he asked, kneeling down beside her chair.

“I-I’m okay, but I can’t say the same for my shed.”

Jake looked at her with genuine concern. He gave her a small smile of understanding. “Did you have anything of value in there?”

She lifted a shoulder and let it drop sullenly. “I had stored a few pieces of furniture , but nothing of real value.”

“That’s good. I need to ask, did you see anyone?”

Narrowing her gaze, she looked at him curiously. “Did I see anyone? No, why would I? I had just gotten home, smelled the smoke, but was too late to put the fire out.”

“Looks like you’re a little beat up. Your lip and your knees. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Nodding, she reached up and touched her swollen lip. “I’ll be fine. Why did you ask if I saw someone?”

“There’s a red gas can laying on its side close to the fence. Is it yours?”

“I-I don’t know. I mean, it’s not mine, but this house belongs to my father. I don’t think the can belongs to anyone…except…” Her chest tightened. “It belongs to the person who started the fire, doesn’t it?”

“I don’t want to jump to any conclusions. I called Sheriff Cade. He’ll be here soon.” Jake patted her shoulder.

The tears that she’d been able to suppress up until this moment flooded the dam and slid from her eyes. Her throat ached, probably a mixture of nerves and the smoke. She tried to wrap her brain around what the deputy was telling her, but her brain could only work sporadically. Fire. Purpose. Someone came into her yard. But why?

~~**~~

Kace propped his booted feet on the coffee table and leaned back into the fluffy pillow as the music started from somewhere in the back of Sadie Mae’s house. He wasn’t sure what she had planned for them, but he waited patiently, although he wanted to just ease the tension behind his zipper and be on his way. Each second that passed, there was the likelihood that things wouldn’t work out to his advantage today.

Movement in the hallway brought his gaze that direction about the same time Sadie Mae sashayed her way through the door, swaying her flared hips to the beat of the upbeat song. She was dressed in nothing but cowgirl boots and a smile.

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