They’d barely cleared the opening when something inside the building exploded, sending them flying and knocking them to the ground.
Dazed, Skylar pushed herself up to a crouch. She’d skinned her knee, and her elbow was bloody, but that appeared to be the extent of her injuries.
Squinting in the smoke, she tried to locate Matt.
José and several of the stable hands hurried over, helping Skylar up. Matt limped toward them. From his appearance, he had similarly minor scrapes and cuts.
Belatedly, she realized the stallion had disappeared. “The horse,” she croaked. “Where’s the horse?”
“Go find Saint,” Matt ordered, his voice sharp with what sounded like fury. Two of the stable hands rushed off to do his bidding. He turned to his friend. “José, call the vet and get him out here pronto. Saint is burned and some of the others probably are, too. They all inhaled a lot of that smoke.”
Nodding, José whipped out his cell phone and turned away to make the call.
Dusting herself off, Skylar coughed. Her legs felt shaky. “Don’t you think you should call the police?” she asked quietly. “It seems pretty obvious that fire was deliberately set.”
“Do you have proof?” He stared at her, his gaze narrow, his mouth a hard, thin line.
“I smelled something. Right before the explosion. Gasoline or kerosene—some kind of accelerant.”
He turned away, the rigid set of his shoulders telling her he already knew. “We’ve already called the fire department. It’s going to take them a while to get here, though—they’re volunteers. I know they have one guy who specializes in that sort of thing. We’ll see what they find out.”
Though she knew she might be pushing it, she had to find out what had exploded in the barn. Surely he wasn’t foolish enough to keep explosives around his precious horses?
“Matt, wait.” Grabbing his arm, her heart still pumping with adrenaline, she took a deep breath to speak. Instead, she immediately began coughing.
To give him credit, Matt waited until the coughing fit had subsided.
“Something exploded there in the barn,” she said, wiping at her stinging eyes with her fists. “Any idea what that might have been?”
Clearly exhausted, he dragged a hand across his face, smearing the soot. “No.” His answer short and sweet, he seemed to sway as he stared at her. “Do you?”
Since she couldn’t come right out and voice her suspicions, she slowly shook her head. “I have no idea.”
“I thought not.” To her surprise, he held out his hand. His fingers were black and filthy, exactly like her own. “Come on. By the time the fire department gets here, the barn will be nothing but embers. You can help me round up the horses so the vet can check them over.”
Not sure how to react, she finally slid her hand into his. As his fingers closed around hers, she couldn’t help but think how long it had been since she’d held a man’s hand.
Five years or more. A lifetime.
Again she pushed the thoughts away, letting Matt tug her after him. This was different. This was a crisis, not a date.
Somehow, they managed to round up all the horses, chasing them into a large fenced arena across the parking lot and upwind a distance from the still-burning barn. All the horses were accounted for. All except one. The beautiful stallion he’d called Saint was nowhere in sight.
“The vet’s on the way,” José said. “Where the hell is the fire truck?” About to say more, he apparently got a good look at Matt’s face. “What’s wrong?”
“Saint’s missing.”
“Is he badly hurt?”
“I’m worried,” Matt muttered. “He looked like he had some pretty bad burns.”
José clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Well, hell, you know this entire area is fenced. Even if he made it out of the barnyard and into one of the other pastures, it shouldn’t be too hard to find him. He’s got to be here somewhere.”
Still, despite the reassuring words, worry continued to
Dazed, Skylar pushed herself up to a crouch. She’d skinned her knee, and her elbow was bloody, but that appeared to be the extent of her injuries.
Squinting in the smoke, she tried to locate Matt.
José and several of the stable hands hurried over, helping Skylar up. Matt limped toward them. From his appearance, he had similarly minor scrapes and cuts.
Belatedly, she realized the stallion had disappeared. “The horse,” she croaked. “Where’s the horse?”
“Go find Saint,” Matt ordered, his voice sharp with what sounded like fury. Two of the stable hands rushed off to do his bidding. He turned to his friend. “José, call the vet and get him out here pronto. Saint is burned and some of the others probably are, too. They all inhaled a lot of that smoke.”
Nodding, José whipped out his cell phone and turned away to make the call.
Dusting herself off, Skylar coughed. Her legs felt shaky. “Don’t you think you should call the police?” she asked quietly. “It seems pretty obvious that fire was deliberately set.”
“Do you have proof?” He stared at her, his gaze narrow, his mouth a hard, thin line.
“I smelled something. Right before the explosion. Gasoline or kerosene—some kind of accelerant.”
He turned away, the rigid set of his shoulders telling her he already knew. “We’ve already called the fire department. It’s going to take them a while to get here, though—they’re volunteers. I know they have one guy who specializes in that sort of thing. We’ll see what they find out.”
Though she knew she might be pushing it, she had to find out what had exploded in the barn. Surely he wasn’t foolish enough to keep explosives around his precious horses?
“Matt, wait.” Grabbing his arm, her heart still pumping with adrenaline, she took a deep breath to speak. Instead, she immediately began coughing.
To give him credit, Matt waited until the coughing fit had subsided.
“Something exploded there in the barn,” she said, wiping at her stinging eyes with her fists. “Any idea what that might have been?”
Clearly exhausted, he dragged a hand across his face, smearing the soot. “No.” His answer short and sweet, he seemed to sway as he stared at her. “Do you?”
Since she couldn’t come right out and voice her suspicions, she slowly shook her head. “I have no idea.”
“I thought not.” To her surprise, he held out his hand. His fingers were black and filthy, exactly like her own. “Come on. By the time the fire department gets here, the barn will be nothing but embers. You can help me round up the horses so the vet can check them over.”
Not sure how to react, she finally slid her hand into his. As his fingers closed around hers, she couldn’t help but think how long it had been since she’d held a man’s hand.
Five years or more. A lifetime.
Again she pushed the thoughts away, letting Matt tug her after him. This was different. This was a crisis, not a date.
Somehow, they managed to round up all the horses, chasing them into a large fenced arena across the parking lot and upwind a distance from the still-burning barn. All the horses were accounted for. All except one. The beautiful stallion he’d called Saint was nowhere in sight.
“The vet’s on the way,” José said. “Where the hell is the fire truck?” About to say more, he apparently got a good look at Matt’s face. “What’s wrong?”
“Saint’s missing.”
“Is he badly hurt?”
“I’m worried,” Matt muttered. “He looked like he had some pretty bad burns.”
José clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Well, hell, you know this entire area is fenced. Even if he made it out of the barnyard and into one of the other pastures, it shouldn’t be too hard to find him. He’s got to be here somewhere.”
Still, despite the reassuring words, worry continued to
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