Come the Spring (17 page)

He was trapped.

He could hear the faint clanging of a fire bell in the distance. Then he heard a shrill whistle. He turned toward the sound just as Daniel whistled again. Squinting against the black smoke, Cole spotted him straddling the heavy branch.

It was too damned far away. Impossible to reach.

There wasn't any other alternative. “Hang on, Caleb,” he whispered. Taking a deep breath, he let out a roar and leapt over the ring of fire directly in front of him. He could feel the wood cracking under his feet and hear the beams crashing behind him, but on he ran until he felt as though his lungs were going to explode.

Daniel watched Cole coming toward him. When Cole was halfway across the roof, Daniel flattened himself on one branch and braced his legs in a wedge of a lower branch. He wrapped his left arm around the limb holding him, then reached down as far as he could extend and put out his right hand.

It was a leap of faith. The distance from the edge of the roof to Daniel's hand was considerable. Cole felt as though he were flying, and for a brief second, he did exactly that. He vaulted out into the night, reaching for Daniel.

Their hands connected. And held.

Cole closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief.

Daniel grunted from the weight but held tight. When Cole had stopped swaying and Daniel was sure he wasn't going to drop him, he reached down with his other hand to get Caleb, and let go of Cole who dropped down to a lower branch. The baby was screaming as Daniel gently pulled him up in his arms. A few seconds later, they were all on the ground and running for safety.

Jessica ran to Daniel to take Caleb from him, but Cole intercepted her. Looping his arm around her
waist, he lifted her up and carried her with him as he continued to run.

Just as they reached Grace and Tilly, the walls of the house and the roof caved in. The horde of townspeople who were running to and fro with buckets of water suddenly stopped to watch the dazzling display of fireworks. Sparks shot up as high as fifty feet and spiraled downward in a popping, cracking arc that was so impressive some of the townsmen actually oohed and aahed.

It was a night none of them would ever forget.

The reporter was rushing around trying to find someone he could interview, while John Cletchem, the photographer, set up his equipment so that he could capture the destruction before the flames stopped feeding.

Tilly was sitting on the grass, quietly weeping. Grace was still unconscious, but Tilly had lifted her up so that her head rested in the older woman's lap. She was gently stroking Grace's forehead while she cried. Daniel knelt down beside the two women. He awkwardly patted Tilly's back in an attempt to comfort her, but his attention was centered on Grace. He was watching her breathe and thanking God every time she drew a breath.

She looked so young and innocent and vulnerable. Daniel shouted for someone to go and get the doctor. The sound of his voice jarred Grace, and she flinched in reaction. He'd almost had himself convinced that his heart was safe, then she opened her eyes and looked at him. His heart started pounding, and his own eyes stung with tears of relief.

What in God's name was the matter with him? He couldn't stop himself from reaching for her. He gently took her into his arms and stood up.

“Daniel? Your face is covered with dirt.”

“Yeah, I know. How are you feeling?”

“My head hurts,” she said. “I'm not sure why,” she added, a puzzled look on her face. She reached up and trailed her fingers down the side of his cheek. “How did you get so dirty?”

He turned around so she could see what was left of the house. She wasn't looking anywhere but at him however, and so he explained. “There was a fire.”

She turned her head, grimacing from the pain the movement caused. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and she was suddenly clearheaded again. “Where's Jessica and Caleb and Tilly?”

“They're fine,” he assured her. “Everyone got out of the house in time. No one was hurt … except you. Do you remember what happened?”

She put her head down on his shoulder. “No, I don't remember. Please put me down. I need to…”

“You need to see a doctor.” He looked over the crowd and was about to shout for the physician once again when the man suddenly appeared at the head of the townspeople watching the fire. Rebecca was dragging him toward Tilly and Grace.

“Daniel?” Grace whispered, drawing his attention once again. “How did I get out of the house?”

“Jessica pulled you out. If she hadn't … Cole and I would never have found you in time.”

“She saved my life.”

“Yes.”

As Grace began to cry, Daniel tightened his hold and tried to comfort her.

Jessica was also crying. She had Caleb cuddled in her arms and was so relieved and thankful her baby was unharmed she kept kissing him and hugging him. Fully recovered from his adventure, Caleb squirmed and wanted to get down and play.

Rebecca found the two of them in the crowd. “My God, Jessica, you could have been killed,” she cried out as she lifted the baby. “Are you all right?”

Jessica forced herself to stop crying long enough to answer her friend. “Yes, I'm fine, but Grace is hurt. A beam must have fallen on her head,” she explained.

“The doctor's looking at her now,” Rebecca said. “She doesn't remember anything?”

“I don't know,” Jessica answered. “Will you watch Caleb? Don't let him out of your sight. I have to find someone.”

“Jessica, we need to cover you first. Where's your robe?”

“It caught on fire,” Jessica said as she turned to search the crowd for Cole.

“I'll find something for you to put on,” Rebecca promised.

Jessica didn't hear her. She had finally spotted Cole and hurried toward him. He stood well away from the crowd and was watching the house being devoured by the fire. He looked exhausted and was covered from head to toe in soot.

She thought he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. “Cole?”

She stopped and simply stared at him. Suddenly he seemed bigger than life to her. The fire blazing in the background enhanced the fantasy, for Cole was silhouetted in a hazy, burnished gold glow. It was as though God had blessed him because of the courage he had shown in the face of such danger.

“Did you want something?” he asked, puzzled by the look of joy and wonder on her face.

She hurried toward him once again with the intention of thanking him for saving Caleb's life, but when she finally reached him, a simple thank-you didn't seem sufficient. She threw herself into his arms.

He buckled under the impact and instinctively put his arms around her.

Leaning up on tiptoe, she embraced his neck, whispered, “Thank you,” and kissed him passionately.

It wasn't a chaste kiss by any means, and Cole wasn't about to let the opportunity slip past without taking full advantage. He would have kept right on kissing her if he hadn't felt her tremble in his arms. He pulled back then and tried to move away, but she tightened her grip, and that was all the provocation he needed. He kissed her once again and held her close.

Her head dropped down to the crook of his neck, and she began to sob. All the pent-up emotion inside of her seemed to erupt then. His chin rested on top of her head as she whispered her thank-you again and again.

He gently kissed her forehead. “You're welcome.” The moment would never be forgotten, for the photographer captured the couple embracing so passionately—he, covered in soot, and she, wearing only a thin nightgown.

The photograph was on the front page of the
Rockford Falls Gazette
the following morning.

Eighteen
 

Rebecca was sickened by the sight of Grace. The left side of her temple was severely swollen from the blow to her head. It was a miracle her friend had survived.

Daniel had placed her on a blanket one of the neighbors provided and knelt by her side while the doctor examined her. Rebecca wasn't usually timid, but the seriousness of the injury took her breath away. Daniel thought she was going to faint and told her to sit down, but she was determined to speak to Grace first.

“How are you feeling, Grace?” she whispered, her voice shivering with fear.

Grace stared up at the woman towering over her. She couldn't help but notice there wasn't a hair out of place. Rebecca hadn't come running to see the fire as everyone else had, dressed in robes and slippers. No, she was fully attired. The unadorned black dress fit the occasion, but her face was stark white in comparison.

“I'm feeling much better now,” Grace answered. “I'll be all right, Rebecca. You mustn't worry about me.”

Rebecca lifted the hem of her gown and knelt down next to Dr. Lawrence.

The physician patted Grace's hand. “You're going to be all right,” he promised. “You're very lucky. I'm still not clear about how you got hit, but I'm guessing the ceiling caved in on you.”

The doctor awkwardly got to his feet. He addressed his next remark to Daniel. “She should have been killed, Marshal.”

Rebecca leaned over Grace. “Do you remember what happened?”

“No, I can't seem to remember anything at all.” Rebecca nodded sympathetically. “It's just as well you don't remember. You would have horrible nightmares otherwise. Poor Jessica was right in the thick of the fire, but blessedly you slept through it.”

Grace became teary-eyed again. “She saved my life. If it weren't for her, I would have died.”

Rebecca grasped Grace's hand. “Please don't cry,” she whispered. “It's over now and everyone's safe.”

“Where is Jessica?” Grace asked.

“She went to the wagon with Marshal Clayborne to fetch some clean clothes,” Dr. Lawrence said. “I should probably have a look at her.”

Grace struggled to sit up. Daniel put his arm behind her back and helped her. Her head was still throbbing so much she could barely concentrate. “Thank heavens we packed our clothes tonight. Everything we own is in the wagon except what we were going to wear tomorrow. The wagon didn't catch fire, did it?”

“No, no, it didn't,” Rebecca assured her.

The fire was still raging, but the street beyond was dark. Someone in the crowd lit a torch. Caleb was sitting on Tilly's lap when the stranger started toward
the yard with the fiery light. Terrified, Caleb began to scream for his mama. Rebecca immediately ran to him and lifted him into her arms, holding him tight as she tried to soothe him.

Daniel collared the man with the torch and told him to move back.

Grace tried to stand. She held on to the doctor's arm so she wouldn't fall, but, Lord, she was so dizzy the world was spinning around her.

“What do you think you're doing?” Daniel muttered. “Sit down before you pass out again.”

“You're as white as a sheet,” the doctor told her. “Do as the marshal says and sit back down. You need to rest.”

“I want to find Jessica. I must talk to her.”

“I'll find her,” Daniel promised.

He headed for the field behind the house and saw Jessica coming toward him. She obviously had heard her son crying, for she'd dropped the clean clothes she'd only just gathered from the wagon and was running toward him. Cole was following behind. He noticed the ground was littered with trash and shouted to Jessica to watch where she was walking, as there were pieces of glass in the grass that could easily cut through her soft slippers.

Daniel shouted to Cole and then stopped near the edge of the lot. He stared down at two empty milk bottles. It had rained hard the past week, yet the bottles were clean. Curious, he picked one up. The smell of kerosene was still strong, and when he looked, he could see the residue in the bottom of the glass.

He showed both to Cole. He took a whiff of one and nodded. “When we first got here, I noticed there didn't seem to be a starting point. The back of the house was burning as fiercely as the front. It was like the whole house was primed.”

“Whoever did it must have circled the house with the kerosene.”

“You thinking the Blackwater gang's responsible? They might have seen the article in the paper, and a fire in the dead of night would be a sure way to get rid of a couple of possible witnesses. Rebecca's lucky she didn't move in here.”

“She could be next on their list,” Daniel said, his voice grim. “We're going to have to keep close to all three of them, and as soon as they have had some sleep, they're going to tell us the truth.”

“Are you going to tell them the fire was set?”

Daniel took the bottle from Cole and put both of them on the ground next to a tree. “Not yet,” he said. “I don't want to scare them any more than they already are.”

Cole looked at the house. “What a hell of a night,” he muttered.

“Let's get everyone settled,” Daniel said. “There's too many people here. I don't like crowds.”