Lace & Lassos (15 page)

“Is Harold in there?” she shouted to Wayne.

He looked grim. “I hope to hell not. This house is so old that it’s going up too fast to go in and search for him.”

Neighbors began arriving and before she knew it everyone was helping in one way or another. The place was filled with the roar of the fire, the shouts of people, and the heavy stench of smoke.

Eventually sirens approached and Kaitlyn saw flashing red and blue lights approaching the ranch. The sheriff’s car pulled in and a while later his deputies.

The ranch was so far out of town that it took a long while before emergency horns sounded, signaling fire trucks from the volunteer fire department. When the two fire trucks pulled in along with a dozen volunteer firefighters who arrived in their own vehicles, there was little left of the house.

“Anyone inside?” a firefighter shouted.

Wayne jogged up to him. “We don’t know. Harold Barrett was here earlier today but his truck is gone.”

At that point, the only thing they could do was protect the other buildings and corrals and grasslands. The house was a total loss.

The night seemed to last forever as they worked tirelessly to put out the blaze. Fire jumped to a patch of grasslands but firefighters had it put out within moments.

A lump had taken up residence in Kaitlyn’s chest from the moment she saw the glow of the fire from the kitchen window. She didn’t cry but her eyes ached. It might have been from the heat and smoke, but she was too numb to really know. It didn’t seem real, none of it did. She felt like she watching everything from outside her body.

The way that family and neighbors had shown up almost overwhelmed her with emotion. Here neighbors took care of each other no matter if they had any differences. There was no one at the fire who was just a spectator. Everyone who had arrived tried to help in one way or another.

Neighbors even brought food and water bottles so that when the fire was finally out those who fought the fire were hydrated and had breakfast at hand.

Kaitlyn wasn’t hungry but she did take a bottle of water as she went from one person to another to thank everyone for helping save all that they could. More than once she choked up at the generosity of those around her. She lost count of the number of people who offered to help her rebuild and to assist her in any other way possible, too.

For a long time firefighters kept an eye on the house, making sure that every ember was out. When they could, firefighters searched the house for bodies in case anyone was caught in the house when it went up in flames. Kaitlyn thanked God that they found no one.

Later, investigators combed through the wreckage of the house looking for the cause of the fire. Eventually the fire chief accompanied another firefighter as they carried out a charred gas can.

The chief went up to Kaitlyn, a grim expression on his weathered face. “We believe the fire was deliberately set. We’ll need to ask you some questions.”

A sick feeling went through her belly. Inside she’d known it, but had hoped it wasn’t true. “I think I know who more than likely did it.”

Kaitlyn and Wayne spent time talking with the sheriff and arson investigators. Sheriff Cooper suspected Harold as well and he filled in the investigators with what he knew of the situation.

By the time the last vehicle had left her ranch, adrenaline had stopped rushing through Kaitlyn’s body. She was completely exhausted and her muscles felt like they might give up on her. She realized she still had her nightshirt on and had just put on jeans and athletic shoes with no socks before she tore out of the house after Wayne.

He stood by her side as she stared at the house she’d grown up in. It was in charred ruins. Everything around the house was soaked and muddy, dozens of tire tracks embedded in mud in the driveway. The smell of smoke seemed to hang heavier in the air than ever. She was sure she would smell it even in her dreams.

“I’m sorry, honey.” Wayne draped his arm around her shoulders.

“I’ll rebuild.” She straightened, determination giving her strength. “I’m not going to let this get me down. I’ve had enough of letting outside factors influence my life.”

“That’s my girl.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll be right here with you.”

“One positive thing,” she said, “is that all of my family’s things were out of the house and in storage so all I lost was a house.”

She looked up Wayne and met his blue eyes that were red-rimmed from the smoke. He looked as tired as she felt. Soot streaked his face and his clothes were soiled. She imagined she looked just as bad as he did.

He squeezed her to him. “Come on. Let’s go home.”

Chapter 16

Jack shifted under Kaitlyn, but otherwise the gelding stood remarkably still in the fall sunshine in the little canyon where she and Wayne had played as kids and made love as adults.

Kaitlyn’s white silk blouse and white satin pants fit her comfortably as she kept her gaze on the preacher. She looked at Wayne from beneath her veil and smiled.

Seated on Lily, Wayne smiled at her even though he probably could barely see her face through the veil that hung down from her white felt western hat. He wore black from his Stetson to his boots and looked as sexy as he ever had.

To either side of them were their best man and maid of honor on their own horses. Danica wore pink and Wyatt was in black.

Behind them the few guests were seated on horses as well, including Wayne’s brothers and their Aunt Grace. They were all family to Kaitlyn.

Happiness rose up in her heart and she found her bouquet shaking. She handed the flowers to Danica. Her horse was close enough to Wayne that they were able to hold hands then Kaitlyn started her vow.

“I, Kaitlyn Barrett, take you, Wayne Cameron, to be my husband, my best friend, my lover, the father of our children. I will cherish and love you more each day than the last, through the good times and the bad and any obstacle we might face we will do so together. I give you my heart and my love from this day forward for as long as we both shall live.” She slipped his ring on his finger, her hands trembling in his.

Wayne studied her, his face growing a little more serious. “I, Wayne Cameron, take you, Kaitlyn Barrett, to be my wife, my lover, my constant friend, the mother of our children. I will love you through sickness and health, through the good and the bad. I give you everything I have…my love, my heart and soul, for as long as we both live.

Her hand shook even more as he slid her mother’s diamond ring onto her finger.

The preacher spoke clear enough to carry over the grasslands. “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Wayne lifted the veil over her hat and they leaned closer. He kissed her softly then drew back and they both grinned at each other.

“I love you, Wayne Cameron,” she said.

“And I love you, Kaitlyn Cameron.”

Behind them their family members cheered. They turned their horses around to face family and then trotted the horses down the aisle of sorts and laughed as they were pelted with birdseed.

They took off on their horses at a fast trot, heading toward a lifetime together.

Almost nine months after the fire, and two weeks after the wedding, Kaitlyn looked out the kitchen window of their newly built home and into the soft evening light. Wayne was out working.

The last touches had been put on the new house while they were on their honeymoon in Belize and all of their things had been moved in while they were gone.

She braced her arms on the wide windowsill as she studied the general area where the house she’d grown up in had been. It was still difficult getting used to the idea that it was no longer there. A part of her had been sad that it was gone. But mostly she celebrated their new beginning.

The new house was close to where the old house that she’d grown up in had been, and she could see the grass that was growing over the charred area. It had been nothing but bare ground once neighbors, friends, and family helped clean up and haul away all of the debris.

Harold had been arrested for arson and locked away not long after the house had been destroyed. He was an angry man who had let his temper get the best of him and in a fit of rage had burned down her home.

Sometimes she didn’t know how she felt about everything… How her cousin had become hateful, greedy, and vindictive. He had been family and the way he had turned on her still made her ill. She felt no anger toward him. Maybe she even felt a little sorry for him although she wasn’t sure why.

She pushed away from the windowsill and started wandering through the house. It smelled of new paint and still echoed without their things set out yet. The only room they’d completely unpacked was their bedroom.

Once they were settled and completely unpacked, she intended to go through all of her grandmother’s things and distribute them amongst the cousins. She’d never intended to keep everything and had always planned to share. She just hadn’t wanted Harold to take it all and keep it for himself.

It had turned out that her other cousins never thought of her the way Harold had—the way he had insisted she wasn’t real family because her mama and daddy weren’t her biological parents. After she’d had a chance to talk with Marla and Janice and the other three cousins on the phone she had felt better about everything. She should have called them from the beginning when Harold had said the things he did. But she’d been too hurt and there had been too much going on just trying to get her home back. She’d invited her cousins to Wayne’s house and together they went through and divided up their grandparents’ things. She’d had copies made of the old photographs that she knew everyone would cherish and presented them to the cousins, too.

She walked down the long hall past the office that she and Wayne shared and the extra bedrooms. The house had a split floor plan with the master bedroom on one side of the house and the other bedrooms on the opposite side. It would be perfect once there were little ones in the home.

For a moment she paused as she thought about that. Children. Someday they would have at least three.

When she reached the master bedroom, she went to the king-sized bed that was covered with a colorful quilt that her mother had made when she was a little girl. She fell back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. The walls had been painted in warm taupe while the trim and ceilings were in off-white.

“Hi, Mrs. Cameron.” Wayne’s voice came from the door to their bedroom.

She raised herself up on her elbows and smiled at him, drinking in his sexy, handsome face. “Hello, handsome cowboy.”

“Have a little something for you.” He grinned and disappeared for just a moment. When he reappeared he walked toward her and was carrying something. Her eyes widened when she realized what it was.

“A puppy.” She laughed and sat up on the edge of the bed as she saw the Australian shepherd pup with a big pink bow on it.

“Every ranch needs a good work dog.” He handed her the puppy and she took its warm furry body in her arms.

“Look at these beautiful eyes,” she said, as she saw that it had one blue eye and one brown like many Australian shepherds did. “I take it the pink bow means we have a little girl here?” Kaitlyn asked instead of looking for herself.

“You’ve got it.” Wayne sat beside her on the mattress that creaked from his weight. “The kennel owners called her Sadie. What would you like to name her?”

“She doesn’t look like a Sadie to me.” Kaitlyn tilted her head to the side as she stroked the pup’s soft hair. She got up from the bed, knelt and sat on her haunches. She set the puppy on the floor so that she could get a good look at her. “She’s a blue merle with white and a riot of spots in the Irish spotting pattern.” She grinned and looked up at Wayne. “I’m going to call her Riot.”

The puppy leapt for Kaitlyn, climbed into her lap, and started licking her face.

Kaitlyn laughed and Wayne said, “I think she likes it.”

Riot barked twice at him. “It looks like she grinning,” Kaitlyn said. “What a happy little girl she is.”

“She’s already housebroken. Apparently she’s a fast learner.” Wayne got up from the bed and went to the hallway. He returned carrying a big dog bed and a big stuffed red chicken. “Riot loves her bed and her toys according to her former owners.”

Wayne set the bed down and put the chicken inside. Riot bounded toward the bed and jumped inside. She looked at Kaitlyn and barked twice.

Kaitlyn went to Wayne and flung her arms around his neck. “Thank you.” She kissed him hard and he grinned against her mouth.

“You know I love you.” Kaitlyn drew away and smiled. “And somehow I love you more and more each day.”

Wayne picked up Kaitlyn and spun her around. She braced her hands on his shoulders and laughed. “You’re making me dizzy.”

“You have always been the love of my life.” He set her down and drew her in close. “Sometimes I can’t believe you’re here, my wife.”

“You’re a wonderful man.” Her voice softened. “Where I was emotionally was not a good place…but you accepted me in every way.”

“Honey, you were there for me when I needed you.” Wayne brushed her hair behind her ear. “I will always be there for you. All that lousy stuff that happened in the past made us that much stronger and helps us to appreciate everything more.”

She nodded and smiled. “It certainly does.”

“Once you came home, you were mine,” he said.

“Yes.” Kaitlyn kissed him. “I was and I am.” She shouted with laughter as he spun her around again. “Okay, okay.” She tried to catch her breath from laughing. “I think Riot wants to join in,” she added as she realized the puppy was barking at them.

“She’s just going to have to wait her turn.” Wayne set Kaitlyn down and kissed her again. “You’re mine and I’m not crazy about sharing.”

“Don’t worry.” Kaitlyn took off his western hat and tossed it onto the rocking chair in the corner. Her wedding ring sparkled as it caught the light before she slipped her fingers into his soft dark hair. “I’ll give you plenty of attention. You might even get a special treat if you’re a good boy.”

He looked at the bed and winked at her then brought her close to him. “I know what I’d like right now.”