Free Three Southern Beaches: A Summer Beach Read Box Set by Kathleen Brooks, Robyn Peterman, Christie Craig Page B

rushed inside the trailer as the fire spread around them. A few more kicks and the window was mostly gone.
    “The fire’s spreading. Grab the doormat,” Trey ordered as he used his boot to knock some hanging pieces of glass down.
    Taylor rushed to grab the mat and threw it to him. Trey laid it over the broken glass and reached his hand out to help her step onto the table. “I’ll go out first and drop down. I want you to carefully come out feet first and just drop. I’ll catch you.”
    Trey wedged himself through the window. Taylor could see the glass ripping his shirt as his shoulder got stuck. He pushed through and disappeared from view. The trailer was getting hot now and the smoke was making it hard to see. She crawled along the table and looked out the window. Trey was looking nervously at the fire licking the underside of the trailer.
    “Sweetheart, now is not the time to be fashionably late.”
    Taylor gave a quick nod and pushed her feet out the window. The broken glass crunched under the mat as she scooted farther out. Closing her eyes tight, she pushed herself out. She fell for only a split second and then Trey’s arms were around her. With a flick of his arm, he was cradling her and taking off at a dead run.
    “You can put me down,” Taylor tried to say jokingly but wound up coughing instead.
    Trey only held her tighter and ran faster. There was a creaking sound of metal melting and then a whoosh of a fireball. Taylor’s eyes went wide as she looked over Trey’s shoulder and saw her trailer explode. Trey leapt forward and tucked her beneath him. They hit the ground hard as metal rained down around them.
     
    *     *     *
     
    Trey kept his arm around Taylor as they waited for Sheriff Wilson to talk to them. Jim stood on the other side of Taylor. Even Grant and Melanie had shown up to see what was going on.
    The sheriff nodded his head and shook hands with the fire marshal before heading their way. “Mr. Everett, Miss Jefferies, have the paramedics checked you out yet?”
    “Yes. I’m okay and Trey just had a minor cut on his shoulder,” Taylor told him.
    “What caused the fire, sheriff?” Trey asked.
    Sheriff Wilson ran his hand through his hair and grimaced. “It appears one of the grounds crew was on a golf cart that had a can of gas on the back of it. It seems the gas can fell over when he was about ten feet from your trailer, causing gas to pour out as he drove past. We found the cart and the can. It matches up with the residue we found on the ground.”
    “So it was just a freak accident?” Taylor asked, sounding both relieved and disbelieving at the same time.
    “I want to know if either of you recognizes anyone in these pictures.” Sheriff Wilson held up three pictures and Taylor nodded.
    “I know all of them. They all work here at the resort. That’s Bubs, Mutt, and Gopher.”
    “Would any of them have a reason to hurt you?” Sheriff Wilson asked as he kept holding the pictures for her to see.
    “Goodness, no. Bubs always leaves fresh flowers in my trailer. He’s the head of the garden on the grounds. His wife just had their second boy and I was even invited to the christening. Mutt’s a great guy. He’s always puttering down at the marina and taught Trey how to sail. And Gopher? He takes care of the golf course. I don’t know him all that well since I don’t play golf. But we’ve worked together on charity golf scrambles and he seems like a nice guy. Why?”
    “It was Bubs driving the cart. He said the same thing as you did, but I needed to make sure it was two-sided and not a delusional fan issue. So far it’s looking like an accident. Go home and get some rest. I’ll let you know whenever we get any more information.”
    Trey and Taylor shook the sheriff’s hand and watched him stop to talk with his brother, who was also a deputy. The brother was currently giving her the once-over. She rolled her eyes. He was known for being a hound dog.
    “Come on,