Chief Clarkson strode towards them, his face a grim mask. “Mayor, we’ve had a report of fire up on the ridge.”
Bennett’s lips parted. “How bad is it?”
“We’re evacuating the area,” the chief said. “Your house, too.”
Chapter 32
TURNING TO IVY, Bennett gripped her hands with a ferocity that surprised her. “I’ve got to go. I’m a volunteer firefighter, and those are my neighbors.”
As she realized the magnitude of his words, her heartbeat quickened. “Be safe,” she pleaded. She couldn’t lose him now.
With a last, searching look at her face, Bennett raced from the house.
A moment later, Mitch rushed past. “Right behind you, Bennett,” he called out.
The chief looked outside, where an errant shower of embers twinkled like fireflies but could spark a destructive fire. “With these high winds, cinders can sail through the air and skip blocks. You’re close to the sea, but don’t be fooled. Keep watch, and make sure your guests get to safety.”
Ivy rushed into the reception room to check on everyone. Jen and George from the hardware shop were handing out flashlights and lanterns to the remaining people, and Sterling was making sure people knew how to use them.
Shelly fell in step beside her. “Last week I cleared a lot of brush around the house, but we need to be preemptive with these swirling embers. We need a team outside to douse the trees and roof.”
Ivy recalled the actions their father once took when a fire threatened their neighborhood years ago. “Dad, Flint,” she called out. “Going to need your help outside.” She and Shelly quickly explained.
“Sure thing,” Flint said. “Got a hose?”
“We have several in the shed behind the house,” Shelly said.
Ivy knew the strong wind could haphazardly whip burning embers into the rafters, sending flames through an attic and engulfing a house in minutes. “Shelly and I can start hosing down the roof and rafters of the main house.”
Sterling turned to his son. “Flint, you and I need to find the exterior spigots and get the hoses distributed.”
As Ivy and Shelly spoke with their family, their iBnB guests, Megan and Josh, appeared beside them.
“What can we do to help?” Josh asked.
“Help me with the trees,” Shelly said, taking charge of them. “Wet down their leaves and branches.” She glanced through a window and frowned. “Our neighbor Darla has huge eucalyptus trees in her yard. With their natural oil, those trees flare like roman candles when embers touch their branches. Please go help her first.”
Boz rushed to them. “Many folks here can’t leave. Their homes are up on the ridge. Can you put them up? Doubt if they’ll be going anywhere tonight.”
“Absolutely,” Ivy said. She clapped her hands over the din of worried conversation. “Excuse me, neighbors. If you’ve been evacuated, or can’t get to your house, we have plenty of room here. Might be a little dusty, still, but you can spend the night and stay as long as you need to.” She spied Poppy near the entrance. “Poppy can show you where to go and make you comfortable.”
Poppy waved her hand, and a few people made their way to her.
“And if you’re hungry,” Carlotta said, “don’t forget we have plenty of coffee and pastries, compliments of Mitch.”
Ivy knew she could count on her mother and Poppy to take care of their guests. She paused, eyeing the tall windows. “And could everyone help close the shutters and drapes to guard against broken windows?”
Shelly tugged her sleeve. “They’ll be okay. Let’s go.”
Ivy kicked off her heels and shoved her feet into a pair of gardening boots she’d left by the back door, and Shelly did the same. Ivy secured her hair with a rubber band and shrugged into a windbreaker. They pushed outside behind their father and brother and nephews, their heads down against the hot, relentless wind.
Flint looked back at them. “We’ve had a long drought. Fires have been bad in California for a while.” Motioning to his son and nephews, he called out, “This way, guys.”
Shelly quickly directed them to the water spigots around the property and the hoses inside the shed. Ivy grabbed a hose that was already connected and turned on the nozzle. The wind wasn’t making their job any easier, and within minutes, Ivy was nearly as wet as the roof and rafters from the back spray.
“Over here,” Shelly yelled above the wind. From the ridgeline above them that crashed into the sea, embers were raining down around the pool and onto the atrium sunroom off the veranda. Ivy whirled around and blasted the sizzling embers with a strong jet of water.
Next door, she could see Josh and Megan helping Darla, and she turned her spray onto the eucalyptus tree branches that hung onto their side of the property line.
“Beautiful tree, but that needs to come down,” Shelly called out. “Too close to the house, too much of a hazard.”
As dusk encroached, Ivy watched for bright specks in the gloomy sky. Though the fire on the ridge above them raged, the winds died down. Ashes fluttered down like snowflakes, coating the yard and their hair and clothing.
Seeing how her family had quickly come together to help touched Ivy’s heart. She was so grateful for their help, and she realized how much she had missed having her family nearby. Even if she couldn’t save the beach house from the ravages of fire or a tax sale, she knew this is where she belonged. From restoring the paintings to their rightful owners to offering shelter to those who needed it, this is where she was making a difference in people’s lives.
Overhead, an engine droned, and everyone tilted their heads back. Ivy let out a whoop. An aircraft was flying into the billowing charcoal clouds above the ridge. Opening its lower hull, the plane dropped sheets of water onto the blaze. Ivy whooped with joy. She had heard that
