Page 90 of The Outlaw and the Heir

Maybe, once I was finally a free man, I might seriously consider staying around…perhaps a lot longer. If life could be like it had been lately, minus the brush with death, of course, then perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. It could even be a life where I could feel secure, safe, and at peace rather than constantly looking over my shoulder and eyeing the horizon warily in fear of what was to come next. It was a comforting thought as I closed my eyes, feeling his warm body pressed against mine, and let myself sleep.

Little did I know, the peace and security I was so content with was about to be disrupted again...along with my sleep.

AMBROSE

A clamor. Banging. Shouts.

Bells.

Consciousness slammed home, but before I could do more than open my eyes, something beside me jerked upright with a hissed, “Damn it to Hell and back!"

"Wazzat?" I murmured unintelligently as I sat up as well.

The cabin was lit well enough that I could see Samuel's features as they twisted in pain, even as his eyes remained clear while looking around on high alert. He'd obviously moved faster than I had and faster than his body wanted him to. The urge to chide him for being too rough on himself died as the shouts and clamoring bells returned to my consciousness.

"What's going on?" he asked, sliding forward and using his right hand to grip the bedpost and pull himself upright. Even in my confusion and fear, I had to marvel at how quickly he’d adjusted to his current state. As much shit as I gave him for not being careful, I had to admit he was conscious of his shortcomings. In only a week, he’d trained himself to move in ways that wouldn't tweak or pull the wound in his back too badly, even now when his attention was on everything else but his wound.

"I don't…" I began, and then my brain finally caught up with reality, and my eyes widened. "Fuck."

"What?"

The bells rang repeatedly. I finally made out the words among the shouting. The light moving over Samuel's face that had no business existing in the middle of the night, never mind being orange andshiftinglike it was alive.

"Fire," I hissed, getting up so quickly I nearly knocked Samuel to the floor.

"Oh God," he groaned, looking around for his clothes.

I wasn't sure how much he understood, but he clearly knew it was serious. Of all the bad things that could happen on the ranch, the top of that list was fire. The land was too dry, and the little vegetation was as dry as the land. That and all the buildings were close together. All that was needed for complete disaster was a big enough fire and a wind to spread it in minutes.

We dressed in a hurry, me helping Samuel into his shirt and vest before we burst out of the door. Terror and horror wrapped their way around my chest as I stared in shock at the disaster unfolding before us.

Fire blazed into the sky along the edges of the ranch but was spreading inward. I winced when I felt a steady wind, blowing ash and dust into my face as men ran around with buckets.

I grabbed one of them. “What're you doing?"

"Tryin' to put it out," he yelled back to be heard over the cacophony.

I snapped my head in the direction of the fire. “Is everyone up and out of the buildings?"

"No idea! Walter was headin' the charge."

That made sense. Without me around to guide them, they would have fallen back on finding someone else to take charge. "Spread the word. We need to soak the buildings that aren't on fire."

He looked at me like I was crazy. “But?—"

"Do it," I snapped, giving him a push. "We can't save what's burnin', but we can keep the bastard from spreading all over the place. Go!"

The news wouldn't spread fast enough, so I started grabbing anyone looking lost or frantic as they tried to run past me to give them the same orders. Thankfully, they responded to me once they realized who I was, and I had to wonder why no one had tried to wake me up with how much it had spread. Guilt twisted in my gut as I realized I’d missed so much because I had been...well, so comfortable I had practically been dead to the world.

"I need to get this under control," I told Samuel as smoke billowed into the air, blotting out the cloudless sky. "You...can you move fast?"

"It's my back, not my legs that are hurt," he told me in a calm voice that bore only the slightest trace of an edge. "You want me to spread the word?"

"Yes. They're panicking, and I need 'em under control. Try to wrangle them as best you can."

"I'll invoke your name. That should do it. I don't exactly inspire people to obey orders."

Well, I had to suppose he wasn't the type to lead people. Not necessarily because he couldn't, I believed his quick mind could pick it up quickly, but because he had as little desire to lead as he did to be led...most of the time anyway. In this case, he nodded and turned to move away. Only to pause before turning to face me.

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