Maverick Heart by Joan Johnston

Author:Joan Johnston [Johnston, Joan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-78952-5
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2011-03-16T04:00:00+00:00

11

“What’s the problem, Red?” Miles said as he stepped onto the porch. The wind whipped at his Stetson, and he tugged it down to keep it from blowing away.

“Prairie fire, boss. Probably started by lightning. ’Bout five miles west of the house. Coming this way in a hurry.”

Miles felt paralyzed. So far he had been able to keep his crippling fear of fire a secret, but his men would expect him to work beside them putting out this fire. If he wanted to keep their respect, he was going to have to do just that.

His stomach shifted. A wind-whipped fire could turn in an instant, and he knew the damage fire could do to human flesh. Despite the cooling breeze, perspiration dotted his brow and the area above his lip. Miles forced himself to give orders in a calm voice.

“Load a couple of plows onto a wagon and get shovels and blankets,” he said. “Have everybody mount up. We’ll do what we can to keep the fire away from the ranch buildings.”

“I can help.”

Miles turned to find Verity standing on the porch, her hands holding her wind-blown hair out of her face. He saw her suddenly as she would look with her hair singed to the scalp, her eyelashes gone, her skin charred black.

“You stay here,” he said in a hard voice.

Her hands dropped to perch at her hips. “I’m your wife. I can help.”

“You’d only be in the way.”

“I’ll follow after you if you try to leave me behind.”

“Damn it, Verity, how did you get so willful?”

“I took a lesson from you.”

She surprised a laugh out of him. Then he sobered. He knew the dangers involved. He doubted she did. At least if he had her with him, he could be sure she was out of the path of the fire. If it turned toward the house and they couldn’t stop it, she might be in more danger here than if she came with them.

“All right, you can come,” he said. “But if I give an order, obey it like your life depends on it, because it probably does. Understand?”

She nodded.

“Let’s go saddle up.” He headed for the barn, not waiting to see if she followed.

“I have no idea how to attach one of those Western saddles to a horse,” she said as she hurried along beside him.

“Sully!” he shouted. “Throw some leather on Blackbeard for the lady.”

“Right, boss.”

“Go watch him,” Miles ordered. “You might as well learn now as later.”

Red had hitched a couple of mules to a wagon that was loaded with plow blades, shovels, blankets, and two barrels of water. Another brace of mules was tied behind the wagon. Minutes later, Cookie climbed up on the wagon bench. The rest mounted their horses, and they all headed off in the direction of the red glow that showed against the dark thunderclouds on the horizon.

They crested a rise, and the jagged orange streak of fire and the blackened earth it left in its wake became visible in the distance.

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