“What about the cattle—and the horses?” she cried to Olivia.
“I don’t know!”
If the flames got much closer to the house, they’d have to make a run for it down to the pastures on the other side, where thankfully the cattle were positioned today. In a pinch they could set them free and round them up again later.
She heard another shout, turned and saw Liam breaching the banks of Pittance Creek on his tractor. He joined Lance cutting across the pasture with his disk harrow, trying to cut a wide enough swath to contain the fire.
“Mom!” Tory yelled when she caught sight of Enid racing toward her. Behind her, Noah was driving his truck, Mary, Stella and Maya in the bed, hanging on for dear life. As soon as he stopped, they all grabbed their shovels and leaped out, joining in the hunt to wipe out the sparks and flames that made it across the ploughed land. With this many helpers, the job became a little easier, but the fire was still moving fast.
They spread out along the line, each of them taking charge of a section of the pasture. Tory’s arms ached. Her breath rasped in her throat. She would have killed for a drink of water, but there was no time for that. Smoke was thick, but now and then she caught a glimpse of the hedgerow surrounding the pot crop and the ramshackle outbuildings nearby, several of which were already on fire.
A gust of wind blew the smoke away just as she heard the tinkling crash of glass breaking. The fire must have shattered a window in one of the outbuildings. Tory glanced that way, and for one split second she saw movement—
Something white waving back and forth. A rag tied to the end of a stick.
Someone was inside.
“Olivia!” She raced to where her sister was frantically shoveling dirt onto a tongue of flames. “There’s someone in there—in one of the buildings!”
“Where?”
Tory pointed at the outbuilding, but nothing was visible now.
“I saw it—I swear to God!”
Olivia stared at her. “Are you sure?”
“Positive!”
“Where the hell are the volunteers?”
Tory knew what she meant, but there was no time to waste wishing for help when there was no help to be had. She remembered the day she’d stumbled across the pot crop—the feeling she’d had that she was being watched. The movement she’d seen in that same outbuilding.
Maybe one of the criminals had come back to try to salvage something before it all went up in smoke. If so, the joke was on him—there was nothing left to save.
Olivia screamed. Pointed. “I see it!” The white rag was visible again out of the broken window.
Tory came to a decision. Raced for the nearest tractor. “Liam! Liam—stop!”
He must have heard her over the sound of his engine. He slowed down. Waited for her to catch up.
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s someone in there!” She pointed again. The rag was just visible, but it wasn’t waving anymore.
“Hell. You sure?” Liam scanned the distance to the building as the smoke closed in again. Lance pulled up next to him. “What’s wrong?”
“Tory says someone’s in that shed.” He pointed the same way she had.
“I can’t see a damn thing. What if it’s the ass who set this fire?” Lance demanded.
“What if it’s Steel?”
Lance went pale. “Jesus. If he’s in there, why doesn’t he run?”
“I don’t know. We don’t have time for this—”
“We can’t get there from here,” Liam said.
Tory knew he was right, and panic clawed at her throat. She couldn’t stand here and watch someone die—
“We could get out to the road. Come in on the other side,” Lance said.
“That’ll take too long.” Already the fire was consuming several of the other buildings. It was a miracle the one with the broken window hadn’t burned up yet. Liam was still scanning their surroundings. His gaze lit on Noah’s truck at the same time Tory’s did.
“I know how to get through.” Liam turned off the tractor and began to climb down.
“This fire is much bigger than the last one,” Tory told him, but she already knew it was the only way.
“I can make it.”
“You mean we can make it.”
She started to run before he could tell her no.
He had to make Tory see reason. He was willing to risk his life to save Steel, but he wasn’t willing to risk hers.
Liam raced after her, tractor abandoned, shouting for Stella to take over for him. Tory was already demanding the truck’s keys from Noah.
“That’s crazy,” Noah said. “You won’t get through.”
“I’ll get through.” Liam grabbed the keys out of Noah’s hand and ran on, Tory doing her best to keep up.
“Stay here,” he growled at her when they reached the vehicle, but she yanked the door open, climbed in and buckled up.
“Just drive!”
There was nothing for it. If they sat here arguing, whoever had waved that rag would die.
Liam started the engine, gauged the shortest route through the flames to the outbuilding, swung wide around the other women still stamping out the sparks on this side of the fire break and got the nose of the truck pointed the right way.
“Ready for this?”
“I’m ready!” Just like the last time they’d contemplated such a foolish action, Tory shut her eyes and whispered a prayer. This time Liam joined her.
Then he gunned the engine, his foot to the floor, working hard to keep the bucking vehicle in line as it roared over the uneven terrain.
“Hold on!” he shouted as they plunged into the flames. One, two, three—they were out again, swerving around the edge of the building toward the back where the fire hadn’t reached.
Smoke filled the air, and Liam knew they had very little time. Tory was already out of the truck, racing around it to reach the door to the shed.
“It’s locked!” she screamed.
Liam caught up and threw his weight against it. Swore, took two steps back and tried again. The third time the door buckled, then splintered, and Liam kicked
