Brady turned his head slowly toward Dakota. She was going to be furious. Her features tightened, her lips pressed into a thin line. “I guess you might have to stay one more night after all.”
“You think?” she barked. She ran a hand through her hair and growled. “I knew this was going to happen. I told you we needed to get out of here early. But no. You had to keep brushing me off and telling me I would be fine. Typical. Just typical.” She grabbed a cowboy hat from the hook by the door. “Put Cobalt back in his stall, I’m going inside.”
She smashed the hat onto her head and sprinted toward the big house. A twinge of guilt pricked his insides. She was right. But Brady hadn’t planned this. It wasn’t like he wanted to be stuck with her on his ranch alone for the night. The whole staff was gone, they’d have to fend for themselves during this storm.
It was only for one night, right? He could play host for that long. “Come on, Cobalt. Let’s get you back in your stall.” Brady removed the reins and saddle. Then he offered the stallion some food for the night. Patting him on the neck, he smiled. “See, one more night here isn’t so bad.” He held out an apple and Cobalt’s lips curled around it, tickling Brady’s palm. “Good boy.”
Brady stood at the edge of the stable and looked out at the storm. The clouds dumped buckets of water everywhere the eye could see. Water poured off the roof in one continuous sheet. The sky darkened further and a loud rumble of thunder filled the air, competing with the sound of the rain overhead. The storm had come in a lot faster than usual. The lightning was close. Another flash, followed by a thunderous boom.
He shuddered. Hopefully the horses wouldn’t get too spooked tonight. The last thing he needed was some horses on the loose. Holding his hat firmly to his head, he ran to the ranch house. The mud stuck to his boots, making a sucking sound each time he took a step.
In the few seconds it took him to get to the house, he was drenched. Water poured from his hat and pooled at his feet. He lifted his boots and grimaced. So much mud. Kicking off his boots, he stooped to place them by the door. The rain pounded on the awning above his head, causing him to look out at the storm again. He’d never seen one this heavy before.
His fingers reached for the top button of his shirt. He didn’t want to track water all over the house, and removing it now made sense.
A deafening crack exploded yards away as a large streak of light shot out of the sky. Brady jumped and spun to face the source of the sound. The front door behind him flew open.
“What was that?” Dakota asked breathlessly.
Flames and smoke rose from the small stable where Cobalt was staying. Brady scrambled off the porch and raced to the stable, which was already engulfed in flames despite the rain that continued to come down. Dakota yelled something to him, but the words got lost in the storm.
His socks soaked up the wet mud as he made his way to the stable. Running inside, he ripped off his shirt and tied it over the eyes of the first horse he came to. Quickly he led that horse outside and ran back in for another and another.
Smoke filled his nostrils, causing him to cough. Ducking his mouth and nose into his elbow, he hurried to Cobalt’s stall and ran him out of the burning building. Just as they were about there, his foot caught on a rope and he tumbled to the ground.
Cobalt reared as a beam fell from above. His front hooves came down, landing on Brady’s forearm. Brady cried out and gingerly supported his arm as he carefully got to his feet. He stumbled out of the building, his eyes clouding over. Shaking with cold and the shooting pain in his arm, he took a few stumbling steps forward. Dizziness overwhelmed him, his stomach roiled, and flickers of movement filled his vision before everything went dark.
Chapter Four
“Brady!” Dakota screamed. He didn’t turn around. She stood at the edge of the porch, watching helplessly as he ran into the burning stable. One by one he brought horses out of the building and ran back in. He was either crazy or a hero.
She stumbled off the porch and ran out into the rain. Snatching a lasso off the edge of a fence, she looped it over the head of the first horse and jogged with it to another stable a little way off. She’d have to come back to dry the horses but for now she needed to get them out of the storm.
With each steed Brady brought out, she ran with it back to a safe shelter. When she was back from her last trip, she looked around wildly. Where was Brady? He hadn’t brought out Cobalt either. Had something happened?
A loud cry coming from the stable made her blood run cold. She blinked through the rain and peered at the blazing building. She shouldn’t go in; if she did and he wasn’t in there, she’d be jeopardizing herself. But what if he was inside? She needed to make sure he was safe. She took a few tentative steps but then a horse bolted from the opening. Cobalt! She lurched for him, preventing him from getting too far.
Where was Brady? Her breathing increased and she inched toward the stable. A lone shadow, surrounded by the light of the flames behind him, stumbled out. He looked like a drunk man as he swayed and stepped side to side.
Dropping Cobalt’s rope, she ran to Brady’s side and helped him walk toward the ranch house. They got up two steps before he tripped and landed with a thud on the porch. She shook him. “Brady, we need to get you inside. Please get up. I can’t get you inside without your help.” He blinked rapidly, not looking directly at her.
“Brady?” She placed her hand on his cheek. “Can you get up? Please, tell me you can get up.” She looked around the ranch, suddenly realizing she hadn’t seen anyone else there since before lunch.
Getting to her feet, she pushed open the door, placed her hands under his shoulders and through his arms, then dragged him inch by inch inside. Once he was safely inside from the rain, she scrambled to the couch and retrieved the throw. She placed it over his body and ran out the door. She snagged Cobalt’s rope and ran him to the stable. The other horses seemed to have settled down. They were wet but no worse for wear.
Dakota dug through the supplies until she found enough coolers for the horses. She tossed one over each horse and shoved some straw under each one. It was cool outside but not freezing and the horses should be fine as soon as they were dry. She’d have to come check on them after the storm.
She slogged back across the mud to the house and bolted inside, praying Brady had come to and was moving around. She stared forlornly at his unmoving body right where she had left it. Brushing aside her wet hair, she knelt beside him. His body looked ruddy from the smoke and mud. The grimace on his face tugged at her heart. He shuddered.
She touched his wet hair, brushing it off his forehead. Lightly, she pressed her fingertips to his skin; he was unusually cold. She needed to get him warmed up and now, or he was going to go into shock. Removing the blanket, she took stock of the situation. His left arm was swollen and turning black and blue. He was bleeding, but the gash wasn’t deep and the blood was already clotting. She gasped and stared at Brady’s face.
He moaned, his head turning to the side. His shirt was already gone. Thank goodness, because she didn’t want to have to figure out how to remove it with a broken arm in the way. His boots were off as well. That just meant she needed to take off his socks—and pants. She sucked in a breath. The discomfort at the thought made her insides quiver. But he needed to get dry.