Page 54 of Lost and Found Cowboy

He, Dodge, and Maisie were staring at her as she said, “I’ll be right there,” then shoved the phone in her pocket. She knew she needed to run out the door, but she felt frozen in shock. “That was Barb Johnson. She said the coffee shop is on fire.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Mack squeezed her hand, and Lorna finally stirred into action, grabbing her purse and the car keys from the side table by the door. She turned back to Maisie. “Can you stay with the kids for me? They’re both already asleep.”

“Yes, of course,” Maisie said. “You guys go. We’ll be fine.”

“I’ll drive,” Mack told her as he ran out the door behind her.

It only took a few minutes to get downtown, and the lights and noise of the firetruck led them to the alley behind the shop. Mack parked as close as he could, then they were both out of the truck and running, splashing through the puddles made by the hose of the fire engine.

Three firemen were spraying down the back of the building where black char marks now soiled the red brick.

The fire appeared to be out, but there was a lot of smoke and some damage to the back of the building. A pile of ash and rubble was where the stack of wooden pallets had previously been.

“Oh no,” Lorna cried, then shouted, “Mocha! Here, girl.” Tears were already streaming down her cheeks. She couldn’t breathe. Not just because of the thick smoke in the air, but fromthe terror that the little dog had perished in the fire. “Mocha!” she screamed again, trying to get closer to the building.

Please God. Please God.

Smoke burned her eyes. She blinked against it as she scanned the alley.

A dumpster sat between her shop and the next one over, and she swore she heard a small bark coming from that direction.

“Mack! She’s there!” She pointed to the spot as she sprinted behind the firemen and dropped to her knees, trying to peer into the blackness behind the dumpster. She gagged at the scent of garbage and charred wood.

Mack was standing above her and shone the flashlight from his phone into the dark area.

Far back, against a filthy cardboard box, cowered the little dog, now almost all black with the soot covering her fur.

“Come here, baby,” Lorna cooed, holding her arms out and praying just this once, that the dog would come to her.

It let out a whimper and inched forward then paused as it stared at Lorna, as if trying to make a decision. Then it barked again and ran toward her, leaping into her lap. The dog was shaking as she cuddled it to her chest. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re okay,” she told the sweet pup as it burrowed against her.

Mack helped her up and hugged both her and the dog to him. “I’ve got you both,” he said into her hair as he pulled them tighter against him. The dog squirmed then licked her chin as one of the volunteer firemen, a guy who frequently came into the coffee shop and ordered a caramel latte with a triple shot of espresso approached them.

“We’ve got the fire out. Good news is that it was contained to the outside of the building. Did you have a bunch of wood piled up back here?”

Lorna nodded. “A big stack of wooden pallets. I was saving them to eventually take home and use to try to make a porchswing.” She didn’t know why she told him that detail. It didn’t matter. But her brain wasn’t quite processing things like it should.

I’m probably in shock.

“Well, sorry, but you’re going to have to save some new ones. Did you store anything else back here around those pallets?”

She shook her head. “No. I guess I had a little crate with a blanket and a couple of dishes for the dog, but that’s it. Why?”

“There was a pretty strong smell of gasoline, and the burn marks indicate the fire started around that wood.” He lowered his voice. “There appears to be some pour patterns on the patio too, suggesting this might have been intentionally set. Maybe some kids were screwing around back here. We’ll write up a report, and let you know what we find.”

Some kids?Doubtful. This had Lyle Williams’ name written all over it.

But she wasn’t sure if she should mention his name. If this was his retaliation for a slight rift at the school carnival, what would he do if she accused him of arson?

It took another hour before the fire truck left and all the bystanders drifted away. Ford and Elizabeth had shown up to offer support, but there wasn’t much for any of them to do. She’d checked inside the building, taking the dog in to get her some water, but everything seemed fine inside the coffee shop.

It wasn’t until much later that night, after they’d gone back to her house and given the dog a good bath and some fresh food and water, after Dodge and Maisie had gone home, and she and Mack had both showered and washed the scent of smoke from their skin and hair, that Lorna finally had the chance to tell him about the note she’d found earlier that day.

“It was in the petty cash box. The money was gone, and this was left inside.” She handed him the folded piece of paper.

He frowned down at the message. “Who the hell does this guy think he is?”

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