Jillian Hart by Lissa's Cowboy

Author:Lissa's Cowboy
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2012-07-14T04:20:20+00:00

He heard the crack of breaking wood, ducked as a limb the thickness of his arm crashed to the roof, where he'd been standing. Sparks and flame shot out, greedily consuming the roof.

"We're losing the house!" she shouted.

There was a bigger problem. Jack saw it at once. A wall of flame now separated him from Lissa, trapping her at the peak of the roof. She just kept beating those flames, tears of anger rough in her breathing.

"Jack! I need more water."

"Lissa." He kicked the burning bough. It broke apart and rolled off the eaves. Someone down below shouted, running to put out the sparks, but he only saw his wife, so determined, surrounded by flames. "Lissa."

"Damned if I'm going to give up." She smothered another growing flame with her wet blanket "I lost my husband and my babies. I lost that blasted John Murray. I'll be damned if I'm going to lose this house."

She was so fierce. Affection for her ached in his chest. "Then we fight." He kicked out one spot fire with his foot. "Arcada. Haul up more water."

"Got it, boss." The ranch hand scrambled up the ladder. "McLeod is putting out the fires in the yard. See, the wind is pushing the fire fast."

"If we can keep the roof from burning, it will roll right past us."

"As long as it doesn't burn us, too." Arcada coughed, then handed over the full bucket. He disappeared with the empty one.

Jack looked again at the roof and saw the spot fires. Burning needles fell from the engulfed pine overhead, and his guts twisted. Only a fool would stay on this roof—or a man sworn to earn his wife's affection.

"Jack!" She struck him with her wet blanket. "Your shirt's on fire."

"Watch your hair." He smothered the ember caught in her curls with his fingers.

Flame and heat and storm rolled overhead, jumping from the pines on the front side of the house to the pines and maples at the side. Heat scorched the air. Jack felt the hair on his arms sizzle, and the skin on his face stretch tight. With a roar the ball of fire overhead leaped away, driven by the gusty wind.

"More water." Lissa, face dark and streaked, dunked her blanket into the bottom of the bucket.

"Arcada." Jack tossed the bucket to the ground. Coughing, he choked on smoke. "Over there."

She saw where he pointed in the confusion of smoke and fire. Flame licked at the roof around the stone chimney. "Quick."

Jack beat at the tricky fire until his arm muscles cramped, until only smoke remained. Sweat poured off his face and back. He stood up and looked around. The roof still smoked, but there was no fire.

"We did it." Lissa launched into his arms, his aching, exhausted arms.

Numb, all he could do was hold her, breathe in the dank scent of smoke and ashes. Fires glowed down below where the men were putting out bushes and grass, but they'd done it. They'd saved the house.

"Jack." Arcada called from down below.

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