Free Wildfire by Roxanne Rustand Page A

transmission. I figured I’d better follow the ambulance, so someone would be here for him until his wife came.”
    “Who is this, Tessa?” The older woman’s voice was sharp, suspicious. “And why is he here?”
    Tessa drew in a slow breath. “Claire, this is…Josh Bryant. He’s a guest out at the ranch. And Josh, this is my mother, Claire McAllister.”
    Claire’s gaze dropped pointedly to Josh’s leg. “He certainly can’t be going on any pack trips like that.”
    Tessa’s shoulders relaxed, almost imperceptibly. “He was in an accident not far from the ranch, so he just needed a place to recuperate for a while. We put him in Ray’s old cabin.”
    “Humph.” The woman took a chair on the opposite side of the room, her narrowed eyes never leaving Josh’s face. “There’s something familiar about you.”
    “Well,” Tessa exclaimed. “Does anyone need some coffee? Soda?”
    Josh shifted in his chair, retrieved his billfold from the back pocket of his jeans, and pulled out a five. “It’s on me, if you don’t mind getting me a Coke.”
    She wavered, glancing between him and her mother, as if uncertain about whether or not she could leave them alone together.
    “I understand Gus has worked for you a long time,” he ventured after Tessa disappeared down the hall.
    “Over forty years.” Claire fixed him with a piercing look, as if trying to read his thoughts. “Where are you from?”
    “Born in Texas, but I spent most of my years out East.”
    “Doing what?”
    “Photographer, mostly. Scenic stuff, these days. Travel and nature magazines, human interest topics.”
    She frowned, clearly searching for some memory of him. But he knew they’d never met, and Tessa had certainly skirted the fact that she’d known him back in college. Why?
    “Good thing you were around to help Gus,” she said finally, settling back in her chair. “Couldn’t have been easy with that leg of yours.”
    Tessa appeared with a Coke and two coffees, and glanced between them, her face pale. “Any word yet?”
    “Stupid system,” Claire muttered. “Gus is like a brother to me. Those fool doctors ought to be able to come out and tell us something.”
    A few minutes later, Sofia came through the double doors leading back to the ER, her eyes red and a crumpled tissue clutched in one hand. Her stride faltered when she looked between Claire and Josh, then she walked into Tessa’s welcoming embrace.
    “Tell us,” Tessa whispered. “Is he all right?”
    “H-heart attack.”
    “Is he—”
    “They just ran more tests. They already gave him a drug to break the clot, and they’ve had to defibrillate him twice since he got here. I-I’m waiting to talk to the doctor.”
    Tessa guided Sofia to a chair and sat down next to her, still holding her hand. “I’ve been praying for him, and for you.”
    “And I haven’t stopped praying since I got the call.” Sofia gave Josh a watery smile. “How did you find my cell phone number?”
    “It was on the tack room bulletin board, in the barn.”
    “The doctors say you saved my husband’s life.” She reached out to grasp his hand between both of hers. “If there’s ever anything I can do for you, just say the word. I can’t ever express how thankful I am.”
    “The EMTs are the ones who really did their job right.” Josh started to rise, then drew in a sharp breath at a sudden stab of pain. Wobbled.
    Tessa was across the room in a flash, grabbing his arm. She pushed him back into his chair. “Sit. Don’t move. Understand?”
    “I’m fine, Tess—”
    “No, you’re not. Sofia?”
    The other woman hurried over to stand next to him, while Tessa disappeared through the double doors of the ER, calling for a nurse.
    And it was only then that he looked down—and found his shirt was soaked in blood.

     
    It was after midnight by the time Tessa dropped her mother off at Janna’s place and got Josh back to his cabin.
    “I couldn’t be more thankful about you helping Gus