Free Protecting Her Daughter (Wrangler's Corner) by Lynette Eason Page B

rarely made it home—or answered her phone. Email was definitely the best way to reach her. “All right, well, stay put and—”
    Zoe’s gasp cut him off.
    Aaron frowned. “What is it?”
    “Smoke, I think.” She moved closer to the window, and her eyes widened. “The barn. It’s on fire!”
    * * *
    Zoe grabbed her coat and headed for the door then looked back at Sophia. The child’s eyes were wide and filled with fear. She couldn’t leave Sophia alone. Clay went to the window, peered out then came back. “I’ll stay here. If this is some ploy to get us out of the house and leave you alone with her, we’re not going to let that happen.” He looked at Lance. “You and Aaron go. Zoe, you stay here with me and Sophia.”
    She shook her head. “I can’t do that. This is my responsibility. My fault. You stay here with her,” she beseeched him, torn between the desire to stay with her child and keep her promise to take care of the place. But Clay was a police officer. She had full confidence in his ability to protect Sophia. Much better than she could for sure. “Keep her safe, Clay, you hear me? Keep her safe.”
    Zoe raced out the door with Aaron on her heels, and Clay’s frustrated shout ringing in her ears. Lance brought up the rear, but he didn’t bother to argue with her. There was no time to consider how foolishly she might be behaving. As long as Sophia was safe, Zoe’s only thought was to take care of the property she’d been entrusted with.
    Smoke now poured from the open door. She covered her nose and mouth with her scarf and stepped inside. The two horses she’d left in their stalls whinnied their fear and paced restlessly in the confined space. The thick smoke nearly blinded her, and Zoe squinted against the haze. “Where’s the fire?” she asked. Then coughed.
    Aaron stepped in behind her and pulled the collar of his coat up over his mouth and nose. Through the haze, she could see him, but visibility was getting worse by the second. He pointed. “There!”
    At the end of the barn, she could make out flashes of orange. “The hay,” she said. “You let the animals out. I’ll get the extinguishers. There are two in the office.”
    “Be careful!” Aaron hollered at her even as he moved to the stalls of the two horses. Aaron released them and they headed for the exit without hesitation. Zoe entered the office and grabbed the first extinguisher from its mount on the wall then snagged the one behind the desk. She raced back into the center of the barn to see Aaron leading the mama heifer and her baby out. When she came up behind him, he held out a hand and she slapped the larger extinguisher in it. Lance had already pulled the hose from the rack and cranked the water on full blast. He began to drag it toward the back of the barn wetting everything in his path.
    Once the animals were safely out, she and Aaron moved through the smoke. The heat was intense, the flames already reaching for the nearest wooden stall. She pulled the pin and held the held the nozzle of the extinguisher toward the flames.
    Aaron came up beside her and did the same. At first the flames fought back and Zoe despaired that the extinguishers weren’t doing any good. She struggled for breath and began to grow dizzy, but gritted her teeth and held the stream of foam steady. And slowly, they started to win the battle. The flames flickered then faded. But the smoke was fierce.
    She dropped the extinguisher and went to her knees, her lungs straining and finally succumbing to the lack of oxygen.
    A hand on her upper arm pulled her to her feet, and she stumbled after Aaron. Lance held on to her other arm and the three of them exited the barn into the fresh air. “Are you okay?” Aaron gasped then gave a hacking cough.
    Zoe sank to the cold ground and gasped, sucked in the fresh air, coughed and finally felt the world settle. “Yes. I think so. Are you?”
    He nodded. “Lance?”
    “Yeah.”
    A sharp crack broke the air,