Free Of Yesterday by Alta Hensley Page B

she could die besieged her with
fear.
    "Taylor! Where are you?"
She could hear Jason’s voice amongst the popping and cracking of the blaze. He
was in the barn! Was he hurt?
    "Jason! Jason!"
    She felt his hands wrap around her
body, and in one swift move, he picked her up and started to charge past the
embers and the roar of the flames. Behind them, a splintering beam came
crashing down, causing a chain reaction of others to follow. Jason dove toward
the exit, spilling him and Taylor down to the ground. The orange flames were
all around as Jason pushed Taylor to escape, both rolling away from the barn.
    Mere seconds from death, they
crawled their way to safety and fresh air. Gasping for breath, choking against
the pungent vapors still burning the back of her throat, Taylor allowed the
tears to escape her body. She had survived. Jason had survived. Relief washed
over her as she felt Jason lift her up and carry her further away from the
crumbling barn.
    She clung to his neck as he ran
toward the house. "Mandy, run into town and get the doctor! Quick!"
    Taylor opened her burning,
irritated eyes long enough to see that men were rushing to the fire with
buckets of water. Chaos was all around, and yet she felt safe in Jason’s arms.
    Placing her nearby but far enough
from the madness, Jason stared at her, his eyes dark with rage. "What the
hell were you thinking? Why in the hell would you run into a burning barn?"
He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Are you insane? You could've
been killed!"
    She wheezed, every breath she took
burned her lungs. "I thought you were inside, or at least could've been."
She coughed and swiped at her streaming tears with the back of her hand. "And
the animals. I couldn't just leave them to die."
    He loosened his grip and wrapped
his arms around her. "Christ! I'm so mad at you!" He placed soft
kisses in her soot-covered hair. "I'm furious!" He pulled away and
glared into her eyes. "I could have lost you. You could have died! Do you
get that?" He placed a soft kiss on her lips, stealing whatever breath she
had managed to reclaim.
    "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have — "
    "You're damn straight you
shouldn't have! But we'll deal with that later." He pulled away and
started examining her body. "Are you hurt? Do you have any burns?"
    She shook her head and attempted
to assure him that everything was all right. But her breath came in shallow,
rapid gasps. Her mind fogged and her vision began to give way to darkness. She
faintly heard Jason call out her name.
     
    ****
     
    When her eyelids opened, Taylor was
aware that time had passed. The setting sun shining through her window cast
shadows along the walls. She was lying in her soft bed, staring into the most
comforting, loving, blue eyes she had ever seen.
    "Hello, sleepyhead,"
Jason whispered as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You nearly
scared me death."
    She tried to talk, but the burn in
the back of her throat radiated.
    "Don't try to speak right
now," a voice behind Jason ordered. She looked over his shoulder to see a
man she assumed to be the doctor.
    She struggled upright, her muscles
weak and her head still spinning.
    Gently, Jason placed his hands on
her chest, preventing her from sitting up any further. "Taylor, just rest
right now," he soothed.
    The doctor came over and examined
her eyes and the inside of her mouth. "You're a very foolish, yet brave
girl. Running into a burning building wasn't the wisest choice you could make,
but I give you credit for having such courage. You're lucky to still be alive."
He patted her leg. "You're going to be just fine. Get some rest tonight
and drink plenty of fluids."
    The doctor's light lecture was
nothing compared to the glare she was receiving from Jason. His eyes darkened
to a steely grey and his arms were crossed against his chest. His jaw tightened
and his forehead creased, giving off the most intense scowl she had ever seen.
She suddenly did not want the doctor to leave. Being alone with