Page 50 of Some Cowboys Brave the Flames

A pit opened up in his stomach—like a black hole that threatened to suck everything into it. “Was she mad?”

“I don’t think I’ve seen her cry this much in her whole life.” He raked a hand through his hair again. “You don’t know how hard it was to get her to agree to walk out to the truck with Daniel. I thought I was going to have to get a nurse to sedate her so Daniel didn’t have to throw her over his shoulder and take her out kicking and screaming.”

That didn’t sound good at all. “How long have I been here?”

Mason didn’t miss a beat. “You’ve been out for two days.”

“Two days!” Ash didn’t know what he was thinking as he moved to toss aside the blankets and climb out of his bed. He ignored the sharp pain behind his eyes as he tore the oxygen tube from his nose. “I can’t?—”

Mason’s hands were at Ash’s shoulders almost immediately. “Don’t.”

Ash stared up at him with what was probably a wild look in his eyes. “I need to see her.”

“I’m sure she’ll be back later today.” Mason gave him a gentle shove just as a nurse entered the room.

Surprise, relief, then irritation moved across her features. “Mr. Ashton, you can’t remove the oxygen. You’ve sustained some injuries, and your lungs aren’t working as well as we’d like them to. If you don’t put the oxygen back on, the oxygen level in your blood is going to drop too low.”

“I have to leave. I need to?—”

Mason’s hand squeezed his shoulder, putting an end to his statement.

Ash didn’t miss the grateful look that passed between them. She righted all the equipment, then typed something into the computer near his bed before slipping out.

Mason didn’t return to his seat. It was as if he expected Ash to make another escape attempt. Ash scowled at him. “I’m sure you know as well as I do that Charlie isn’t in a good place.”

“Yeah? And who’s fault is that?” Mason demanded, his voice sharp. “You’re supposed to take care of yourself. I heard the fire chief talking. The only way you got both of those men to the clearing was by breaking protocol.”

Ash flinched. “Does Charlie?—”

“No. She wasn’t there when they were talking about it. But that doesn’t mean a dang thing. You might not want to accept it, but you’re part of our family whether or not you and Charlie work through this.”

Ash stiffened. Was Mason saying what he thought he was saying? Was there a chance that the two of them wouldn’t weather this storm?

“You have to make a decision.” Mason sighed, shaking his head. “I would never ask you to do this if it wasn’t important.”

The room was spinning, and it wasn’t because Ash had tried to get up too quickly. His thoughts had shifted to Charlie. She was his whole world. She was the bright spot in an otherwise dreary existence. And Mason wanted him to choose. Before Mason even uttered the words, Ash knew what he was going to say.

“As much as I care about you and understand what this job means for you—how much it’s made you happy… I can’t help but think about Charlie.” Mason gave him a firm stare. “She’s my sister. I have to look out for her. I don’t think she’d survive it if she found out that you didn’t survive the next one.”

“That’s not fair?—”

“No, it’s not,” Mason interrupted. “But is it fair to ask her to trust the job? To ask her to sit at home with your future children, not knowing if you’re going to come home? Do you think it’s going to be healthy for her to live her life sitting in front of the television watching the news for any indication that everything is okay? Because I don’t.”

Ash turned his scowl to his lap. He could feel his resistance to Mason’s words even as he said them. Charlie was overreacting.

“She’s lost too much already,” Mason said quietly.

Slowly, Ash lifted his gaze to his friend.

“I know it’s not the same, but when our parents left…” Mason shrugged, letting his words hang in the air unfinished.

“I don’t know if I can do what you’re asking,” Ash finally admitted. “I love her, Mason. I really do. But this job? It’s… it’s mylife.” He didn’t miss the disappointment in Mason’s gaze. His friend didn’t understand. He never would—at least not until he was asked to give up something that he’d worked his whole life to attain.

“Then maybe…” Mason’s jaw tightened, and he turned away as if he couldn’t look Ash in the eye while he finished his statement. “If you love her as you say, maybe you should let her go.”

22

Charlie

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