Page 55 of Into the Fire
“You deserve this,” Lainey added softly. “You always have. I hope you know that.”
Emery turned toward her cousin and pulled her into a quick hug. “Thanks for dragging me out here.”
Lainey laughed. “Anytime. Though technically, I bribed you with a free place to stay and afreezer full of ice cream.”
“Details,” Emery murmured with a smirk.
They pulled apart as June came tearing up the steps, barefoot and wild-haired, tugging Lainey's hand, begging her to come play horseshoes with her.
Kids chased each other barefoot through the green grass. Levi stood at the far edge of the corral, talking shop with a few of the neighboring ranchers, while June bounced between the food table and her friends with the energy of a windstorm.
Emery stood near the grill, refilling a basket of cornbread muffins, her hair down and catching in the breeze. Margaret stepped beside her, a full glass of tea in hand and a soft, proud smile on her weathered face.
“You know,” Margaret told Emery, her voice a little quieter than it had been the rest of the evening. “I’ve been watching my son carry the weight of the world on his back foryears. He’s always tried to hide his feelings, but since you came along…” She gave a small shake of her head. “That smile I thought we’d lost forever? It’s back. And there's a light in his eyes again that I’ve not seen in ages.”
Emery’s cheeks flushed. She looked down, fingers smoothing a wrinkle from the tablecloth.
Margaret squeezed her arm. “You brought hope back into this place, honey. Don’t think that any of us missed it.”
Before Emery could respond, a sudden commotion near the food table broke the moment. Someone shouted.
“She’s choking!”
Emery’s head snapped up.
It was June—face red, hands grabbing at her throat. The plate she'd been carrying had crashed to the ground. Panic ripped through the crowd like a lightning strike.
Everything stopped. Every sound, everymotion.
Emery moved.
Her heart thundered in her chest, but her feet flew. “June!” she screamed, bolting across the yard.
Levi looked up from the corral, confusion sharpening into terror as he saw what was happening. “June!” His voice cracked across the open space. He dropped his drink, shoving past people in his path, sprinting full tilt. He wasn’t close enough.
But Emery was already there.
She dropped to her knees behind June, adrenaline overriding fear. “Okay, Juney, I’ve got you,” she whispered fiercely, arms wrapping around the little girl’s torso.
She’d never done this. She didn't know if she was doing it right. She didn’t know if she was strong enough. But she had to be. One hand fisted above the other, she pulled hard. One thrust, two—
June gasped. Nothing.
“Come on, June, come on,” Emery begged, sweat beading at her temple as the worldpaused.
Third thrust. And a fourth. A wet, choking noise, and then a piece of food shot out of June’s mouth and hit the grass.
June sucked in a ragged breath and burst into sobs.
Emery collapsed fully onto the grass, wrapping the child tightly in her arms, her breath shaking as she held June close against her chest.
Levi, still in full sprint, came skidding to a stop and dropped beside them a second later, his arms scooping them both up in his strong hold. His chest heaved against Emery’s back as he wrapped them in his embrace, burying his face in June’s hair, then turning and pressing his lips to Emery’s temple.
“Jesus,” he whispered, voice broken. “You saved her… You save me.”
June clung to both of them, still crying, her tiny fingers curled in Emery’s dress. Emery still held her tightly, whispering soft reassurances even as her tears slipped free.
Levi pulled back just enough to cup Emery’sface with both hands, eyes burning into hers. “I don’t care how long it takes, or how many damn stars I gotta count—I’ll spend the rest of my life thanking God above for sending you into my life.”
