Harper climbed behind the wheel of her car, determined to get to the cabin and get a couple of hours of painting in before they left for Louisiana in the morning. Wound tight, her mind raced with everything Brian had told her early. Her childhood hadn’t been great, and her teen years abominable, but she’d survived, and she’d gotten away.
She said a silent prayer of thanks Brian had Ms. Patti and Douglas, even if it had only been for a little while. The amazing couple helped him at a point in his life where he could have made the wrong choices. Most likely would have because it would have been simpler, easier. Yet when it mattered most, he’d ended up with the only two people who could have gotten through to his traumatized soul.
The last couple of days gnawed at her, chipping away little by little, until she needed an outlet before she went crazy. The best way would be for her to get a paintbrush in her hands. Yoga sometimes worked. She’d taken classes at the local women’s shelter when she’d lived outside Houston; sometimes it was the only warm place, and she could be inside out of the cold. But she’d found she liked the exercises, the stretching and fluid movements, the meditation exercises and visualization techniques taught to her by one of the women there had been a lifeline when she’d desperately needed something to cling to. But she’d learned nothing eased her soul like creating.
A tangible, visible, tactile extension of her, it exposed her like an electric shock to a sensitive nerve, but it also had a cathartic effect of healing all the ragged edges and making her whole.
That’s where she was going today. There were still a few hours of daylight left, and she’d get enough sunlight through the windows to let her work. Even if she only painted a single line, being around the scents of the oils, the soap she used for cleaning the brushes gave her joy and peace. She needed peace because she needed to steel herself for what was to come.
Going back to Bigelow.
Pointing the car toward the cabin, she drove, thinking about the painting of the Big House Ms. Patti wanted for her husband. Maybe she could do one of the secret garden too, and gift it to Ms. Patti. It would be a surprise and a thank you for all the kindness they’d shown her over the past months. She had to make sure and have Brian send her the pictures he’d taken earlier, or else go back with her camera and capture a few shots.
Rounding the curve toward the cabin, she felt something was wrong. She didn’t see anything right away, but a sense of dread filled her the closer she got, and her anxiety grew. Parking the car on the street, she jumped from the driver’s seat and raced toward the door, and the acrid scent of smoke filled her nose.
Flinging the door wide, she coughed as billows of smoke raced toward her, and a column of orange flame shot toward the ceiling of her refuge. Stumbling back onto the porch, she raced down the steps, stopping several feet away, and watched in horror as the orange and yellow flames shot upward, crawling across the walls in a macabre dance.
How had this happened?
Realizing she’d left her phone connected to the dash in the car, she sprinted forward, threw open the door and grabbed the phone. She dialed the first number she thought of, because he’d know what to do.
“Harper? What’s wrong?”
“Brian! The cabin’s on fire! I got here and there was black smoke. Now there are flames shooting out of the roof and crawling up the walls.”
“Harper, listen to me. Get in your car and drive away from the cabin, back toward the Big House. I’ll call nine-one-one and Douglas. Do not go inside the cabin.”
“I’m not stupid. I won’t go inside again.”
“Again? You already went inside a burning building?”
“I didn’t know it was on fire until I opened the front door. When I saw the flames and the smoke, I got out as quickly as I could and called you.”
She heard him sigh. “Good. Go back to the Big House…”
“No. I’ll park far enough away I’ll be out of danger, but I’ll wait for the fire department to show up.”
“But—”
“Brian, that cabin is filled with my stuff. Maybe I can salvage something after they put out the fire. Even if I can’t, I want to know how this fire started. You and Ms. Patti are the only ones who know I’ve been using the cabin. I need to make sure this was an accident, and not…” She trailed off, the enormity of what she’d said sinking in.
“Harper, baby, I’m on my way. Stay in your car. Lock the doors. I’ll be there as fast as I can.”
“Hurry, Brian,” she whispered, watching the eerie sight of the flames shooting up and catch the power line attached to the building on fire. How long would it take for the fire department to get there? She knew Ms. Patti’s son, Brody, was the fire chief, and they’d do a professional job of putting out the blaze, but wasn’t there anything she could do until they got there?
Leaving the car parked several yards back, she slowly advanced toward the structure, wincing when she saw a section of the roof collapse. Knew there’d be no salvaging the building. Her work was secondary, she cared about what problems this might cause the Boudreaus. This place had been in the family for decades, had been a place where the kids played and part of their growing years. Within minutes, it would be reduced to rubble.
In the distance, the wail of a siren blew, and she spun around, hoping it was Brody and his crew. They were on their way, and she prayed they’d get there soon. She was afraid of the blaze spreading to the trees and brush surrounding the cabin. If the fire caught, it could be devastating.
Headlights gleamed in the distance, getting brighter as the vehicle drew nearer. Even far away, she could tell it wasn’t a fire truck or an EMT vehicle. The lights were headlights, not flashing lights and sirens, though she could still hear them growing ever closer.
It only took a minute before the car pulled up beside her, yet it seemed like an eternity. Her eyes widened when she took in the sleek lines of the black BMW S-Class with the new grill and the split headlamps, and she recognized it immediately.
The tinted driver’s window rolled down. “Harper, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Esme, what are you doing here? How did you know I was here?”
“I’ve been trying to find you. I’ve got wonderful news and couldn’t wait to share it with you. But you are one hard person to track down.”
Opening the car door, Esme step out onto the paved asphalt. Looking at her friend and mentor, Harper got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Funny, Esme hadn’t really answered her question. If she’d been looking for her, she’d only been a phone call away. Other than when she’d been in the gazebo with Brian, she’d had her phone with her, and she’d checked her messages. Why was Esme lying?”
Walking forward, Esme pulled her into a hug. Another weird thing, since Esme wasn’t a hugger. If anything, she was a little too meticulously groomed, worried about mussing up her hair or her outfit to want to hug. Harper started to pull away and felt a sting in the back of her neck. Her hand reached for the spot and encountered Esme’s. And it wasn’t empty.
She grabbed Esme’s hand and yanked it forward, staring in horror at the hypodermic she held. Why? Esme was her friend, why would she inject her with something? A wave of dizziness rolled over her, and she stumbled, grabbing onto the other woman to catch her balance.
“Esme, what’s going on? You said…you said…” Harper could hear her words slurring, her tongue feeling thick in her mouth. Even her lips felt numb, and her vision began wavering, darkening around the ends.
“Come on, let’s get you in the car before you pass out.”
With rough jerky movements, Esme frog-marched Harper to the passenger door and flung it open, pushing her onto the seat and tucking her legs onto the floorboard. Harper’s head lolled against the headrest as she fought to stay awake. Brian was coming. Brody was coming. Even Douglas was coming. If she could wait, hold on a little longer, she’d be safe.
“Nobody’s going to come and save you, Harper. We need to take a little trip, you and me. This will be the last time, I promise. After tomorrow, everything will be finished, and we can finally rest.”
“Where…are…we…going?” The words were nearly unintelligible, and Harper felt a trickle of drool slide onto her chin. Everything was turning black, and she couldn’t hold on much longer.
“Where are we going? Bigelow, of course.”
Brian pushed the accelerator to the floorboard, praying with every breath Harper would be okay. She’d be waiting in her car, and the firetruck would have extinguished the blaze. It didn’t matter whether the cabin burned to the ground as long as Harper was safe and in his arms.
He spotted the flashing red and white lights of the fire truck ahead of him, heard the keening wail of the siren as the truck raced toward the Boudreau property. They were close, only a few more miles, but every second was agony, knowing Harper was alone and probably scared, though she wouldn’t admit it. Not his brave Harper.
Tires squealed as he spun around the curve of the asphalt road without slowing, only moments behind Brody’s fire truck. He’d spoken to him personally, after talking with Douglas, who’d been in town and almost an hour’s drive away from the Boudreau ranch. Douglas immediately headed for the cabin, but Brian was closer and knew he’d beat the other man there. Brody had gotten his crew together in record time. Most of them were volunteers, with only a couple of full-time people, but every minute counted because this was Harper, and she meant everything to him.
He’d finally admitted to himself he loved her, after they’d talked earlier in Ms. Patti’s gazebo. Fighting it had been a losing battle. She’d wormed her way into his heart, and she was there to stay. Didn’t matter people believed she was a killer. Didn’t matter she might not have the perfect pedigree; neither did he. What mattered was she was a perfect match for him, and he intended to find her, pull her into his arms, and never let her go. He could only pray she loved him too. If she didn’t feel the same, well, he didn’t want to think about that happening. Not now. Not when she was in trouble, waiting for him to find her and get her to safety.
The fire truck already had hoses aimed at the cabin, shooting plumes of water toward the building already engulfed in flames. The scent of charred and burned wood assaulted his senses as he raced from his car, sprinting straight toward Harper’s. She’d moved it several yards from the cabin, just like she’d told him she’d do, parking it on the roadway.
Flinging open the driver’s door, he froze. She wasn’t there.
“Harper!” He knew it was a longshot he’d be heard over the cacophony of noises from the siren and the hoses, but he had to try. “Harper, where are you?”
Brody jogged over to him, put his hand on Brian’s shoulder. “Have you talked to Harper? I haven’t seen her since we got here.”
“No. She was supposed to be waiting at her car. Promised she wouldn’t go inside. If you haven’t seen her, where is she?”
“Stay calm. She’s probably around somewhere. Harper’s a smart gal, she wouldn’t risk going inside. She did the right thing calling you, getting us here fast. It’s possible one of my brothers heard what was happening, came and picked her up, being closer to the Big House. Panicking isn’t going to do anybody any good. Why don’t you call Dad, see if he’s heard from one of my brothers? I need to get back, make sure this blaze doesn’t spread, though I think we got here in time.”
“Good idea.” Brian pulled out his phone and dialed. Douglas answered on the first ring. “Have you heard anything from Harper?”
“No. I thought you were on your way to the cabin. Isn’t she there?”
“Her car’s here, but I haven’t seen her. Neither has Brody. He suggested calling you, seeing if one of your other sons might have gotten here first and picked her up.”
“I called Rafe to let him know what’s going on but haven’t talked to any of the rest of my boys. Rafe was going to check with Brody, after they got the fire out. No sense everybody converging on the scene and causing more chaos.”
“Douglas, something’s wrong. I can feel it. Harper wouldn’t simply take off, not without telling me. She’s too anxious to clear her name and get her life back. Running only makes her look guiltier.”
“I agree, she wouldn’t simply walk away from everything. Especially not after calling you and telling you about the fire. You said Brody’s there? Did he mention how he thought the fire started?”
Brian straightened at Douglas’ question. It hadn’t occurred to him it might be anything except natural causes. But it should have. The cabin stood strong for many years, weathering the ravages of time. For it to suddenly and inexplicably go up in flames? Definitely suspicious. Especially since Harper was the current resident of said cabin.
“Let me ask him.”
Brian jogged to where Brody stood, directing his crew. The large flames were doused to embers. The roof no longer covered the structure, having collapsed under the weight of the water and the charring flames. The windowpanes were shattered, the wooden porch reduced to a pile of rubble. Three of the four walls remained, though they were blackened and scarred. At first glance, nothing appeared salvageable. The interior couldn’t be entered yet, he knew, as gray smoke rose in slow columns, though he figured the fire was pretty much contained and the surrounding tree and plants were safe.
Brody shouted and pointed to the right corner, where small flames suddenly sprang from the cabin’s floor, immediately doused by the hoses directed toward it. His crew was good, efficient, and followed his direction without question. This particular Boudreau was a good leader. He already knew Brody’s reputation in the state was impeccable.
“Douglas wants to know if you’ve determined the cause of the fire.”
“Not yet. Nobody’s going close until we know it’s contained. Hard to tell at this point, though I’ve got my suspicions.” From the frown on Brody’s face, Brian had a feeling his instincts were leaning toward unnatural causes.
Which opened a whole new set of problems. Had the fire been set deliberately, focused on harming Harper? There were only a handful of people who knew Harper had been using the isolated Boudreau cabin. As much as he wanted to chalk the fire up to happenstance, a weird coincidence, he had the feeling somebody wanted Harper frazzled, upset, and not thinking clearly. Making it much easier to frame her for crimes she didn’t commit.
Brian relayed the info to Douglas, before turning to Brody. “I’m going to the Big House. Maybe she’s there.” Though he spoke the words, he knew them for a desperate attempt at optimism.
Brody watched his crew for another moment, before motioning Brian aside. “Listen, when Beth and Jamie first came to live in Shiloh Springs, Jamie was kidnapped by her biological father, who’d escaped from Huntsville. Once she was rescued and Evan back in prison where he belonged, Dad had the whole ranch security upgraded. Ridge and Shiloh upgraded everything, and Dane keeps track of anything happening on the property. What I’m getting at, it’s a longshot, but there are cameras everywhere. If somebody was headed toward this cabin, they’d have to drive almost to the Big House before turning off, right? Like I said, there’s no guarantee, but if somebody did come after Harper, security might have caught a glimpse of the car. Maybe the driver. Maybe the license plate.”
Brian felt a glimmer of hope for the first time in the past couple hours. It was about time they caught a break.
“Thanks, Brody.”
“Call Dane. He can have the footage cued up for you by the time you get back to the ranch. Be even better if Destiny’s there. Woman’s got some amazing skills with a computer keyboard.”
Sprinting to his car, Brian U-turned and headed back the direction he’d come from, speeding toward the Big House, praying the whole way.
He’d find Harper if it was the last thing he did.