Page 55 of Falling for the Cowgirl
Both men nodded eagerly.
Without another moment of hesitation, she continued upward, blinking against the hot, dry air and smoke that continued to swirl around her. As she came out from the crevice of boulders and into the open, she paused. She expected to see the forested valleys of the Kenosha Range, but the gray air hovered around.
She hopped from rock to rock as she crossed the summit, aiming for the even larger boulders that formed another craggy peak. The sides were sharply etched as if a giant had chopped away at them with an ax, scattering rocks over the hillside like wood chips.
Pausing, she peered through watering eyes, trying to spot anything that resembled boulders that twisted and turned like a snake. Too bad Dylan wasn’t with her. He’d noticed a strange configuration of rocks the first time they’d been out in the area exploring and hiking and had commented on it. He’d likely be able to remember exactly where it was and take Hance and Otis right to it.
Dylan had pointed out a cave near the formation. But with so many caves and rocks all seeming so similar, identifying the spot was turning out to be trickier than she’d realized. And stumbling upon a lost treasure would be even trickier. Regardless, she thrived on a challenge and reckoned she’d get a day of harmless exploring out of her time, if nothing else.
She stepped over the craggy outcroppings and climbed around the center peak. At the sight that met her, she froze. The sky seemed to be on fire with flames shooting into the air and smoke bulging up in mushroom-like towers. Only it wasn’t the sky on fire. It was the forest.
Strong winds were acting like bellows in a forge, pumping the flames hard and causing them to rage higher and hotter. Even from a distance, she could feel the heat. It blew against her face, drying her lips and mouth.
In seconds, the fire jumped from one tree to the next and was heading straight toward the summit of Windy Peak.
Her heartbeat stuttered with sudden urgency. She took a step backward but stumbled over the terrain. She had to get to Hance and Otis and tell them to hightail it down to that cave.
She started to backtrack over the rocks, but a glance over her shoulder showed the flames leaping as fast as a wild mustang racing across a mountain prairie. She wasn’t gonna make it to Hance and Otis before the fire caught up to her.
She had to take shelter. Now. She scrambled down toward what appeared to be a grouping of large boulders.
“Ivy!” A call came from farther down the summit on the side opposite from where she’d left Hance and Otis.
She squinted, and through the smoke she caught sight of Jericho. What in the name of Saint Peter was he doing out in the Kenosha Range today?
He climbed up the incline toward her, his features taut with worry. “Come on! Hurry!”
With the heat pressing in behind her, she slipped and staggered until, at last, she met him and nearly collapsed into his arms with relief. But he didn’t stop. The moment he had her, he raced toward another tall, jagged line of granite. “I saw a cave,” he said without letting go of her.
The crackle of burning brush and the snapping of falling branches was much too close. Sparks popped into the air, and several landed on her arm. She swatted them and then brushed one off Jericho’s shoulder.
How had the fire moved so swiftly without warning?
When they reached a narrow opening between two large rocks, he squeezed through and drew her along with him. She expected the space to be nothing more than a cleft where they might be able to huddle and hope the flames would pass over them. But Jericho tugged her in deeper.
She had to duck to keep her head from hitting the granite, but the interior was wide enough that they could stand side by side. Outside the glow of flames engulfed the rocks. And as the smoke seeped inside the cave, she cupped a hand over her mouth and nose to keep from inhaling it.
“Looks like we can crawl back farther.” He lowered himself to his hands and knees and poked his head into what appeared to be a tunnel. Without a lantern or torch, they couldn’t see where they were going or what lurked in the depths of the cave. But she followed him anyway, never one to let a little danger stand in her way.
The ground was smooth rock, cold to the touch. And the tunnel was tight, her head brushing the top. It was only a dozen feet, and they soon found themselves in another cave, this one bigger than the first.
Coughing, she sat back on her heels and tried to catch her breath. The light from outside barely reached inside the cavern, but it was enough to see that the room was narrow, the walls jagged, and a passageway continued on the other side. How deep into the mountainside did the tunnel go?
“Are you alright?” Jericho’s shoulder brushed hers.
“Yep. Just inhaled a mite too much smoke.”
“Hopefully it won’t reach us here.” His breathing was ragged too.
She wished for more light so she could examine him. “Did you get burned?”
“I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
“Now that I’ve found you, I’m more than fine.”
Had he ridden out all this way because he’d been worried about her?
