The chickens that littered the dooryard scurried out of his way as he broke into a run. There was no sign of Addie, but Cord lay sprawled on the ground a few yards from the barn door. He wasn’t moving.
Fear clenched Cade’s chest, making it even harder to breathe. Pulling a red bandana from his pocket, he tied it around his head, covering his nose and mouth as he dashed toward his brother’s body. The cloth wouldn’t stop much, but it would help.
Kneeling beside Cord—a knot of pain and dread forming in his throat—Cade pressed trembling fingers against his brother’s neck. A long heartbeat later, the breath he’d been holding whooshed out when he felt a pulse. Partially relieved, Cade glanced around for the cause of Cord’s condition but found no reason for him to be laying there unconscious. Off to the right, half covered in soft snow, Cade saw his brother’s phone, the silver case glinting in the glow of the fire. Cord must have been calling for help when he fell. He could think of no other reason for it to be out of his brother’s pocket.
But where was Addie?
Shrill neighing echoed out of the barn, followed by the loud bang of hooves on wood. Addie must have gone in for Dreamer, but it sounded as if the horse was still in his stall.
“Addie!” he shouted. “Addie, where are you?”
No reply.
Fear banded his chest as his gaze lingered on the gapping barn door. Flames shot out of its black mouth and the heat emanating from the conflagration had him sweating yards away.
Could something have happened to Addie inside? Would she have gone in alone to get Dreamer out?
Cade’s muscles tensed and anger, fiery and sharp, pumped through him. Of course, she would. She was in there all right. And if she’d been able to release the horse, she’d have done it by now.
His body went hot then cold and a shiver of trepidation shot up and down his spine. He had to get her out, had to make sure Addie was safe. She had no more business running into a burning building than he did, but he was going to do it because she needed him. He felt it in his bones, in the sinking of his rapidly thudding heart, and in the knotting of his stomach.
Cord moaned and rolled to his side.
Only a few seconds had passed since Cade had knelt beside his brother, but it seemed a lot longer.
“Cord?” he said in a rough voice, dread over what he must do, what he may find, prickling the back of his neck. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah,” Cord groaned and sat up with another pain-filled moan. Grabbing his head in both hands, he rested his elbows on his bent knees and cursed. “Who hit me?”
“Someone hit you?”
Cord gingerly tested the back of his skull and winced. “Yeah.”
“I’ll be back to check on you,” Cade said, urgency tugging at him to move. “I’ve got to find Addie.”
“Go,” Cord replied without lifting his head. “I’ll be fine.”
Cade stood, tucking the loose end of the bandana inside the white T-shirt he’d thrown on. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Cord glared up at him from between his hands. “Get going.”
Cade ran for the barn door and dashed inside. The heat was unbearable, and he instantly wished he’d grabbed something other than a thin T-shirt to protect his skin from the falling cinders.
Too late now.
“Addie!” he called, blinking at the black smoke that burned his eyes and made him cough. The darkness inside the burning building was almost complete. He squinted as he inched forward, his arms held over his head to fend off the blazing heat and to keep the red-glowing cinders falling from above out of his face. “Addie!”
Dreamer screamed in his stall, kicking madly at the walls as Cade approached. Reaching the stall, he threw the latch that held the door closed and stood back as the sturdy old horse ran for the dooryard. One less thing to worry about.
“Addie!” His throat felt raw from the smoke and his cough. His lungs burned and he could barely see, but he kept going, moving farther into the inferno.
Timbers that supported the hayloft cracked and a hail of red embers rained over him. He brushed the burning pieces from his head and bare arms and kept moving. Somewhere to his right he heard a loud snap and part of the ceiling tumbled into the stall beside him. Flaming hay bales crashed to the ground and caught the wall ablaze. As it streaked upward, the flames lit the interior. It was still smoky and his eyes still watered, but he could see a little better with the terrifying new light.
He didn’t have much time before the rest of the ceiling collapsed. The crackling above his head had increased and a constant blanket of heat and licking flame emanated from the loft.
Had the bales somehow smoldered and caught fire? And if so, how? He’d been so careful to make sure they were dry and well stacked.
No time to think about it now.
Hacking uncontrollably, his skin so hot it throbbed as if burnt, he took another look around. Nothing. Had the fire just been a distraction? Maybe Addie wasn’t even in the barn. Maybe someone had hurt her and taken her away. That thought chilled him.
He’d think about it later. Now, he needed to get out before the whole thing collapsed on his head.
Another crack came from behind him and he spun around in time to see part of a beam fall across the aisle where he’d stood only moments ago. Hurrying back the way he’d come, Cade jumped over the burning beam, and that’s when he saw her. Or better, when he saw her boots.
Yanking open Dreamer’s stall door, Cade rushed inside and found Addie on her side. She had blood on her face and she moaned softly when he lifted her
