Cowboy Protector by Margaret Daley Page A

crossed to the sink to fill a mug. Changing his course, he snatched up the paper and read where Hannah and his daughter were so early in the morning. He glanced at the time and decided to go to the barn. Back at the counter, he poured himself some dark brew, then walked toward the front of the house.
    As he emerged onto the deck, he caught a whiff of the smell. Smoke. His attention flew toward the barn as he set his mug down on the railing, then practically leaped from the top step to the ground at the sight of Misty coming out of the front entrance with Candy almost running over her. He zeroed in on the structure. From the back a mushrooming cloud of smoke roiled upward toward the sky, being chased by flames.
    As he ran, he fished for his cell and put in a call to the volunteer fire department fifteen minutes away. More horses shot out of the entrance, galloping in all directions.
    He pinned Misty with a look. “Are you okay?”
    “Yes, but Hannah’s inside.”
    Near the barn he pressed the alarm, a high-pitched siren blasting the air.
    He turned back to Misty. “Go to the house. Get Granny. You stay there. I’ll get Hannah.”
    As he started into the barn, he glimpsed his daughter heading away. At the entrance a mare shot out of the door, nearly knocking him down. He removed his jacket and put it to his mouth and nose, then ran low farther into the building.
    “Hannah!”
    Lord, help me find her.
    He scanned the area; the growing smoke inside stung his eyes. Then he saw her nearby, only a few feet from the doors, crumpled on the earthen floor. For a second his heartbeat felt like it had skidded to a halt.
    When he saw her move, trying to rise, he nearly collapsed with relief.
    Quickly he knelt and scooped her up. A crack at the back of the barn followed by a flaming timber from the wall plunging to the ground underscored the danger. The earth beneath his knees shook. He surged to his feet and raced out the door. Another crash and boom propelled him to go faster across the yard.
    In the open he staggered to a safe distance, coughing, trying to hold on to Hannah. He managed to place her on the frost-covered ground as more coughs racked him.
    He prayed the volunteer firemen would be here soon. In the meantime, his own cowhands used what firefighting equipment they had to protect the surrounding structure so the fire didn’t spread. The barn would be gone. There would be nothing they could do to save it even if it would take hours to completely burn.
    “Misty, okay?” she rasped, then starting coughing.
    “She’s fine. I’m taking you to the small hospital in Sweet Creek. They may have to transport you to Missoula.”
    “I’ll be okay.” She struggled to prop herself on her elbows, swayed and crumbled back to the ground.
    “Yeah, I see that.” His throat burned as though the fire rampaged through him. “As soon as the fire department gets here and you can get some oxygen, we’re leaving.” His men and the volunteer firefighters would take care of containing the fire only to the barn.
    “You can’t.” She waved her hand toward the blaze. “You need to be here.” Again she began hacking, tears glistening in her eyes.
    He thrust his face close, blocking her view of the fire. “You come first.”
     
    You come first . Those words had flirted with Hannah’s emotions the whole time she was being checked out by the doctor at the hospital and being given the okay to go home. And on the trip back to the ranch in the late afternoon, they still played around in her mind, as if she were participating in a hide-and-seek game. How could she be falling for Austin? She always guarded her heart so well. She knew a relationship between them was doomed from the beginning.
    She closed her eyes and laid her head against the seat in Austin’s SUV. Her throat and lungs burned. Her head pounded. The stench of smoke still clung to her. But she was alive, and Misty was all right. The Lord had answered her prayer, and that