Page 52 of Saving Jared

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"Stay safe"Jared murmured against Willa’s hair as he held her tight.

"I will." She pulled herself from his arms, lifted her gaze to his, and stepped away. "I…" She shook her head with a sad smile and took another step back.

The physical distance between them might as well have been a mile. That’s how far he’d pushed her away. He clenched his fists to keep from grabbing her and hauling her back into his arms, then tensed as he watched her pivot and go over to her parents. The hug she gave them was a long one, with Russ and Laurel nodding at whatever Willa said to them.

It seemed Kinsley wasn’t about to be left out either, and grabbed her friend as soon as her parents had let her go. She laid a smacking kiss on Willa’s cheek, then held her at arm’s length. "Kick it in the ass."

Willa chuckled and gave Kinsley another quick hug, saying, "Call my brothers, okay?"

"We’ll make sure they know," Jared assured her. His arms begged to take her in them one more time. But she probably wasn’t ready. And it might be a while—if ever—before she would be again. He’s lucky she’d let him as close as she had.

And he only had himself to blame.

Together, the four other people remaining in the stable stood beside him—one of them a surprisingly quiet Hart who stuck close to Kinsley—as Willa tore away in her Jeep.

The pall of silence left behind was deafening.

That was until Kinsley smacked him on the arm.

"Okay, what else don’t I know?"

"We’ll wait outside," Russ cautiously said with his arm drawing Laurel closer—they’d yet to let go of each other completely—before he led her out from the stable.

"Come on, Hart," Laurel said over her shoulder to her lingering brother whose disgruntled frown remained on Kinsley.

Hart shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. "What about the grant paperwork?"

Kinsley blew out a low breath. "So, it’s mine?"

"Of course, it is." A sly glint lit Hart’s gaze—one Jared found suspicious. "Just be sure you read all the fine print."

"Of course," she said with a grimace. "I planned to. But it’ll have to wait." Kinsley grabbed hold of Jared’s wrist and stomped away from Hart, dragging Jared further into the barn as the other man strode after his sister. She didn’t let go until they got to some hay bales near the stalls. "Stay." She pulled her cellphone from her back pocket and dialed.

He raised one brow. "Stay?"

"Yes," she said as she lifted the phone to her ear and raised a haughty brow of her own. "I sense you might be a flight risk at the… Hello, Darin." She pointed at the nearest hay bale with her free hand and motioned for him to sit.

He found himself doing just that. It was easier than arguing with his little sister when she’d switched to mom mode.

"You did… It is?" He sat up straighter when Kinsley visibly shuddered. "Which ones…" She let out a long breath and met his gaze. "Okay… Yes… We’ll meet you there." She tapped her phone and put it back in her pocket.

"What is it?"

"The fire’s in downtown Maribel."

"Shit." He stood and paced. The town of Maribel had a population of about 20,000 and was the seat of Maribel County. Downtown wasn’t that big—comprised mostly of a town square housing the courthouse, a diner, and a few businesses, then the roads branching off from the four corners with rows of businesses, older homes, and a few restaurants.

He paused and faced Kinsley when the tension rolling off his sister finally registered. "When you say downtown, how much of it? Did Darin say?"

"The whole block of buildings from Handy’s Hardware to Dave’s Diner on Main."

"That’s…" His mind raced. "My god, ten businesses." Maribel County had one fire station, but that had to be too large of a fire for their three trucks to handle.

"Darin heard about it on his truck radio. It’s already all over the news. So, he called Willa and got her right after she’d left here. He said the latest report has neighboring counties joining in to fight it." Her expression turned even more grim. "They’re already talking arson."

"We need to go." Jared sprinted from the barn, hollering toward the Fremonts and Russ, "We’re leaving," just as Jude’s truck came barreling up and skidded to a stop a few feet from him.

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