Eva knew she had to get out. The fire might not get her, but the smoke certainly would. She took the porcelain bowl in her hand and threw it with all her might at the window. The gla.s.s smashed and a gust of air blew back into the room. Eva went to the window and saw the ranch hands looking up at her. She leaned out the window, thinking to jump. The drop to the yard was precipitous.
There was a roar behind her, and a huge billowing wave of smoke engulfed the room driving Eva back from the window. She felt as if she had been enveloped in a dense, impenetrable fog. For a moment she couldn"t tell where the window was. In a sharply panicked moment she wasn"t even sure where the door to the bedroom was.
Eva heard voices from below. She heard the voice of Mrs. Bell screaming up at her, imploring her to jump. But Eva couldn"t even tell which way to step so that she could even find the window.
Eva clasped the wet blanket harder against her mouth and tried to draw in a breath. The air was hotter than it had been moments before, and she felt a terrible burning sensation in her lungs. She staggered back and realized that she was falling onto the bed. The room began to spin and her body was overtaken by a curious, numb sensation. She felt as if she were being enclosed in a warm, thick blanket.
And then, Eva Gillespie felt her eyes close and breathing suddenly became terrifyingly impossible.
Aaron drove the horse hard. Ahead of him he could see the flames running up the side of the ranch house.
Eva!
One thought was all he had; one purpose; one fear.
He was only moments away from the yard, but it could have as well been a million miles, for all he could do about knowing if she was safe. Aaron could see the ranch hands milling about. He could almost feel the panic of the ranch hands running around the front of the house. The line of men were pa.s.sing buckets of water. It didn"t look like they were making much headway in controlling the fire which seemed to be burning on the side of the house where the kitchen was located. It didn"t look like it was out of control, but it soon would be.
He couldn"t see Eva. Where was she? She should be out in front, organizing the effort to put the fire out. And then the thought came to him, hard and sharp and unavoidable.
Eva was inside. Trapped!
Aaron drove the horse hard and finally, with a flurry of dust and hammering of hooves, he reached the yard. He leapt off his mount leaving it untied. He could feel the harsh heat of the flames. The smoke was billowing out the front door and out from a smashed upstairs window.
He ran up to Mrs. Bell, who was looking frantically up at the top level of the ranch house.
"Where"s Eva?" Aaron demanded grasping the housekeeper"s arm.
Mrs. Bell turned to Aaron, her face drawn and pale, even with glow of the fire.
"She"s upstairs. In her room," she yelled, pointing up at the broken window.
Aaron"s heart froze as he stared up at the window, seeing the thick smoke churning out of there. She couldn"t be there. It was unthinkable that Eva would be there.
"I"ve got to get her," Aaron declared and started toward the door.
Mrs. Bell grabbed his arm. "You can"t go in there," she shouted above the roar of the fire. The ranch hands flashed looks at Aaron as he wrenched himself free of the housekeeper"s grasp and launched himself toward the front door. He quickly wound his red bandanna tight against his mouth, sucking in a deep, m.u.f.fled breath through the fabric.
There was no way he was going to let Eva"s fate be decided by flames and smoke. He leapt into the hallway. The smoke and heat pushed him back for only a moment. Raising an arm to his face, he got his bearings, sensing where the steps leading upstairs were. The heat was intense. Gusts of air sent the smoke into rotating, broken spirals through which Aaron could see his way up the stairs. He bolted up the stairs as fast as he could, stumbling as he went. He grasped onto the wooden banister and felt the heat against his fingers.
Aaron thrust himself onward, dragging himself through the dense, hot fog. Finally he reached the top of the stairs and paused for a second. Sensing rather than seeing his way, he moved swiftly toward the side of the hallway he knew faced onto the front of the house. It was impossible to see where he was going. The dark and smoke conspired to make that impossible.
He ran a hand along the side wall stepping quickly, his fingers fumbling, searching for a doorway. He felt the smoke heating his lungs, filling him with the same sensation he knew Eva must be experiencing. He wasn"t going to let death cheat them. Not now.
Suddenly, his hand felt a gap, and he knew he was standing in the doorway to Eva"s room. He forced his way inside, waving hands in front of him, his eyes burning. He coughed and called out. "Eva! Eva!"
Nothing.
Aaron strained his eyes one more time and saw a vague, oblong shape. The bed. Upon it was lying a figure.
"Eva!" he cried and ran to her. He swept Eva up in his arms. She felt heavy. Too soft in his arms. But there was no time to think. He had to get her out. He had to get her safe.
Aaron twisted and staggered back toward the door. He held Eva tight and close against him as he dashed out into the hallway. Pure instinct told him which way to run; it was a sheer compulsion to survive, to live, that drove him to the top of the stairs. The smoke enveloped him and he clutched Eva"s body close to him. He felt the tiniest sensation of Eva drawing in a shallow, short breath. That single sensation gave Aaron all the drive he needed. Eva was alive, and he was going to get her out of this house.
A vortex of whirling smoke twisted down below Aaron, and he distinctly saw the bottom of the staircase. He knew it was the last chance he"d get. Leaping down the steps, clutching Eva hard against him, Aaron literally tumbled down the stairs, only just keeping his balance.
With a final leap he reached the hallway, drove himself out through the front door and into the yard.
Aaron stumbled and almost ended up face down, but he kept his balance and took Eva as far away from the house as he could take her.
Mrs. Bell ran over to him. "Is she okay, Aaron," she shouted looking down at the two prostrate figures on the ground.
Aaron laid Eva down on her back, the soft earth of the yard beneath her. He peered down at her. Eva"s eyes were closed. But she was breathing, soft, shallow intakes of precious evening air.
Aaron kneeled by her side and wiped the loose hair away from Eva"s beautiful face.
At least she was breathing. That was all that mattered.
"Eva. Can you hear me?" Aaron said softly. She didn"t respond. The shouting and yelling of the men trying to control the fire was so loud Aaron figured she hadn"t heard him.
Aaron brushed some dirt from Eva"s face. "Eva. It"s Aaron. Open your eyes. You"re safe now," Aaron said. He had to try hard to control the emotion in his voice. Truth was, he wanted to draw her close into his arms and force her to live, demand that she open her eyes and look at him.
Suddenly Eva coughed. Aaron lifted her head up and turned it to one side. Eva cleared her throat with convulsive, spasmodic coughs that seemed to last an eternity. Eventually her pet.i.te frame stopped it"s shaking, and she settled, her head and shoulders nestling in Aaron"s protective embrace.
"Thank the Lord," Mrs. Bell shrieked. Aaron looked up at the housekeeper and saw the relief etched on the woman"s face.
Aaron sat Eva up and cradled her. Eva looked over at the house. "No! The house!" she cried and tried to stand.
Aaron held her tight. "You stay here, Eva. There"s nothing you can do. The men are doing their best to get it under control," he said.
"But. Look at it. No!" Eva cried again, burying her head against Aaron"s chest. Her eyes were wide with disbelief and after a moment the tears came.
"You"re safe, Eva," Mrs. Bell said. "That"s all that matters right now. You leave the men to try to get that fire out."
"But, how did it start?" Eva demanded, her voice a shrill moan.
"I don"t care," Mrs. Bell declared. "As long as no-one has been hurt."
Eva went quiet for a few seconds, resting her head against Aaron"s chest and staring at the flames. The men were dousing the area at the end of the house with buckets of water. They seemed to be making some headway for the moment. Aaron thought that the fire looked like it wasn"t spreading as quickly as it had been when he"d arrived.
Eva looked up at Aaron, her eyes red, her face tear streaked. He"d never seen her like this before. Neither had he held her this close before. As if realizing what Aaron was thinking about, Eva leaned her head back. "How did you get me out of there?" she asked softly.
Aaron smiled and looked down at her pale, beautiful face. "Doesn"t matter how. You"re safe. That"s all that"s important now."
Eva"s body suddenly buckled and she started to cough once more. She shook with violent, distressing spasms. This time wasn"t a hard as before, but it still took her a long while to settle down. Aaron looked up at Mrs. Bell and frowned. "We need to get Eva somewhere comfortable."
Mrs. Bell looked over at the house, shaking her head. "There"s the men"s bunkhouse, I guess," she offered.
Aaron shook his head. "No way. She won"t have any privacy. Eva needs time to recover," he stated firmly. "I don"t know how long it"s going to take to get that fire under control."
Eva"s breathing was still labored. She closed her eyes again, tiredness taking hold of her. Once again she settled her head against Aaron"s chest.
"She can come to my place," he said eventually.
Mrs. Bell"s brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Get one of the carriages and hitch up a horse. Eva"s coming to my ranch. You can come too, Mrs. Bell."
The housekeeper"s eyes widened. Then she simply nodded and moved off quickly. Aaron saw her collar a couple of the ranch hands and drag them over toward the faraway stable.
Aaron looked down at Eva. He was relieved to feel her breathing steady and even against him. He reached down and shifted the loose hairs away from her forehead. Eva opened her eyes, not fully, but enough so that Aaron could see the expression of acceptance and grat.i.tude in them. And when Eva managed to smile at him, even though it was the barest and tiniest of smiles, it made something leap in the heart of Aaron Stewart.
CHAPTER EIGHT.
Eva awoke with sunlight shining through a bedroom window. The soft light illuminated an unfamiliar s.p.a.ce. It was a bedroom alright. Just not one of her own.
Eva tried to sit up, but immediately a racking cough took hold of her. She lay back down on the bed, coughing and holding her chest. Eventually it subsided.
She realized she was dressed in someone else"s bedgown. She ran her fingers along the cotton fabric and delicate insets. She didn"t recognize the gown, but it was comfortable and soft.
Eva didn"t recognize the room she was in, either. But within a moment, the recollections started bubbling back up into her mind.
The fire!
Eva tried to sit upright, but that only prompted another convulsive cough. Settling herself, she gazed around the bedroom. There was a neat dressing table with mirror, a porcelain wash jug and bowl, two chairs and a large wardrobe the doors of which were open, revealing some ladies attire hung up inside. The wooden floor was covered with an ornately patterned rug. All in all, it was a comfortable room.
Eva tried to pull back the bedclothes, but to her complete amazement, she discovered she hadn"t even the strength to tug them away to the side of the bed. Her arms utterly lacked the force or energy to do even that simple thing.
Eva"s head flopped back down onto the pillow. What had happened to her? Then she remembered. The smoke. Sinking down onto the bed. Her own bed in her own home. The terrifying sensation of everything slipping away. The certainty that her time was up and that there was nothing she could do to stop it. Then the feeling of arms seizing her; being clutched hard and close to someone else; still finding breath impossible; the sensation of movement, rough and uncompromising; then the ecstasy of air entering her lungs once more and the rea.s.surance of being with someone.
And then she really remembered. The soothing comfort of being held by Aaron.
Eva tried to swallow and felt her throat was hard and raw. Every effort to swallow prompted a sharp, searing pain.
So, where was she? The memory of Aaron"s voice amidst the din of voices and the roar of fire.
Eva suddenly knew she was in a bed in Aaron"s ranch house. She drew the collar of her gown tight around her neck. How had she come to be undressed and dressed again if she was in his home? Then Eva recalled Aaron had his own housekeeper. Mrs. Lang. That would explain it. Mrs. Lang must have settled Eva into her room. She felt a rush of relief.
Eva had hardly any memory of the journey from the Gillespie ranch to the Stewart ranch. She"d slept during most of the ride over to the ranch. With a surge of color to her face, she recalled being seated on the buggy, leaning against Aaron while he held the reins with one hand. Mingled with that memory were sensations of being held by his other arm, close and tight, as well as the distinctive combination of scents she"d noted before.
Eva tried to clear her throat and winced at the harsh pain she felt.
So, here she was. Spending time at the Stewart ranch presumably recovering from her ordeal. With a start she wondered what had happened with the fire. Had the house completely burned to the ground? The mere thought of that made her groan. Her heart sank just thinking about the sight of flames consuming her beloved ranch house. Had anyone else been hurt? How had it started? She needed to know answers to the questions that were tumbling about in her mind.
Where was everyone? Didn"t they know she was awake? What time was it? So many darned questions.
Then she saw the tiny, bronze bell. It lay on the small table by the side of the bed. She reached over and shook the bell, the sound of it filling the room. After a few minutes the door opened. Eva"s eyes widened when she saw Aaron lean his head around the door. She quickly pulled the bedsheets up around her neck.
Aaron"s face wore an expression of earnest enquiry. "Eva. You"re awake, at last," he said with a smile. "How are you feeling?"
Aaron held his place at the door, obviously hesitant about coming all the way into her bedroom.
Eva nodded. "I guess I feel as good as could be expected. What happened with the fire?" Aaron leaned against the door. He was dressed in plaid shirt, jeans and boots. It looked like he was ready for a day"s work on the ranch. But the speed with which he"d answered the call of the bell told her he hadn"t been too far away.
"The men got most of it under control pretty fast. But one side of the ranch house is pretty badly damaged. Most of the house is still intact. But there"s smoke damage. Speaking of which. I heard you coughing," he said, his eyes filling with concern.
Almost in response to what Aaron had said, Eva felt a tickling spasm in her chest. She struggled hard to contain it, but after a moment it burst out with a cough that seemed unnaturally loud in the confines of the small room.
Aaron immediately abandoned all pretense at propriety and strode into the room, grabbing one of the chairs and settling down by the side of the bed. Eva felt her face redden, and not only with the efforts of the cough she struggled to get under control. Aaron went to the pitcher of water which was on the side table and poured out a gla.s.s, handing it to Eva. She took it from him, their fingers touching briefly.
The water felt good, cooling the harshness of her throat. Aaron waited until she"d finished drinking before taking the gla.s.s from Eva.
He placed the gla.s.s down and looked at her. "The doctor"s coming up today to see you," he told her.
"Doctor!" she exclaimed.
"You took in a lot of smoke when you were in that room. Even though you weren"t there very long," Aaron said.
"I don"t need a doctor," Eva said trying to sit up. Immediately the coughing resumed and she sank back, her eyes widening at him.
"I"ll be the judge of that," Aaron said emphatically.
"You"re not my keeper," she stated firmly. Eva could see that Aaron"s gaze was firm and unflinching.
"I never said I was. It"s just that Mrs. Bell and I agree, you need the doctor to check you out. Make sure there"s no lasting damage," he said.
"Mrs. Bell"s here?" she asked.
"She came over with us. Her room is down the hall." Aaron smiled and Eva felt an immediate, subtle, but real change in how she felt. "We"ve got two housekeepers now. It"s turning out to be quite a battle of wills. They"ve each got their own ideas of how to run a ranch house," he said with a smile.
"I"ll bet. There"s only going to be one winner," Eva said.
"We"ll see," Aaron answered.
"How long have I been sleeping?"
"About twelve hours. It"s nearly lunchtime," Aaron said.
Eva suddenly felt a surge of anxiety. "I can"t stay here long, Aaron. You know that. Don"t you," she said firmly.
Aaron"s eyes narrowed and he seemed to search Eva"s, judging and evaluating her statement. Then, after a moment he answered her in a decisive but gentle tone of voice. "You"re going nowhere, Eva Gillespie. You are going to remain at my ranch until you are fully recovered. There"s no way you"re going back to that smoke damaged mess, until it"s fit for you to live in," he declared, laying a hand on the side of the bed.