Stubborn Truth (The Stubborn Series Book 3) by Arnold Jeanne

Author:Arnold, Jeanne [Arnold, Jeanne]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2015-09-18T07:00:00+00:00

Seven

A hook-and-ladder truck blocked Meggie’s driveway. Gabe left his truck running in the side yard where the three of us sat paralyzed by the view, unable to take our eyes off smoke billowing out of the front door. Caleb rolled down his window halfway, and the smell hounded our noses. Finding the farmhouse surrounded by fire companies and rescue vehicles was as upsetting as finding the Halden mansion in Texas flattened by a tornado. Morning looked like night.

Mr. Halden banged a fist on Caleb’s window. We all jumped out of our skin. Caleb pushed the door into his father and took off without a word. “Y’all stay in the truck until they get this under control. Stay out of the way.”

An inbound engine fired a siren. Blood rushed from my face as I called Mr. Halden. “Is Emmie okay? Was she here?”

He slid his hands into his coat pockets and turned. “No one was home.”

I rolled up the window to block the smoke from blowing in the cab. The wind on the plains made the horrible situation worse. I couldn’t find my aunt amidst the trucks and bystanders. I didn’t know what I would say. Her house was on fire.

“Should I call Lane? He said to call when we got here. I don’t know if he knew this was happening and didn’t want to tell you or he’s waiting for word. What do you think?”

Gabe didn’t answer. I shook his leg and faced him. His glasses balanced on the tip of his nose. He didn’t blink or remove his hands from the steering wheel. He stared at the house.

I found the hospital’s phone number and asked for maternity. They rung Molly’s room, and Lane picked up on the first ring. My voice cracked as I spoke. I told him there was a fire at Meggie’s, but we didn’t know any more.

“Your brother thinks the old electric could have caught fire,” I told Gabe.

“I know what happened,” he said in a low voice.

I stared out the window and watched the firefighters in action. “How? What happened?”

“I did all this,” he said as he knocked the side of his forehead on the window. He wasn’t making any sense.

“Jud just pulled in. Do you want to talk to him?”

I glanced in the rearview mirror and watched Deliah jump down from Judson’s truck and run around the yard toward the back porch of Meggie’s house. Her head was bandaged from the hospital. She was still wearing pajama pants under her dress.

Gabe’s door flung open. He took off after Deliah, practically leaping into the air as he ran.

“Gabe!” I screamed, but my voice didn’t project enough to stop him. “Don’t go in there!”

Deliah sprinted toward the porch steps. Two firefighters tried to stop Gabe before he tore past them to grab her. Judson was on his tail. I slipped off the seat and stumbled face first into the snow. I bit my lips in an attempt not to cry when my wrist crushed under my weight.

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