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Stella’s brother kept a Glock under the cash register When ent down to the bar to check, it wasn’t there”

“Are you thinking the un could be the one they found?”

“I don’t knohat to think,” Sky said “Maybe we’d better keep that to ourselves till the lab checks for prints If Stella and Nick are behind thethem too early”

“I agree” Beau’s hazel eyes narrowed “But one thing keeps chewing onNicky doesn’t even blow his nose without her giving the order So if they killed Coy, ould they be sloppy enough to toss the murder weapon at the scene?”

Sky was about to respond when Will’s pickup ca around the house and pulled up to the porch, braking in a cloud of dust After swinging to the ground, Will strode to the foot of the porch steps His disapproving glareinto action if needed Beau re the last of his beer

“If you two have finished your break, I’ve got some news Wildfire, a hundred miles to the south of here It’s already burned a house and a barn The owners were lucky to get their stock out in time”

“You’re not thinking it’ll make it this far?” Beau was instantly on alert

“Fro the highway But if a fire can happen there, it can happen here If it does—and we have to assuot to be ready”

“Tell us what you’ve got inof his horses, everyone of them precious

“For noe’ll put everya firebreak around the barns and buildings—thatyou in charge Get Jasper’s advice He’s fought fires before Take the backhoe, any equipo faster Sky, you draw up an evacuation plan for the horses and other stock on the lower ranch I’ll want to see a priority list—which ones to get out first and which ones to leave behind if there’s no time to save them all”

No time to save them

Leaden-hearted, Sky headed for the long barn He’d seen what range fires could do to stock, seen the horror of it, and knehat had to be done Starting with the most valuable, the animals would be trailered out in relays, probably to the cattle pens on the caprock Any horses set free to run could be trapped by the fire or become lost to starve or die of thirst

In his head, he was already asse the priority list for Will, with Erin’s palomino foal and its parents at the top, to be followed by the other brood mares with their foals, the studs and the colts Sky orking to train The older animals, like the paddock cows, docile old Belle, and the burro that kept the stallions company in their barn, would be left for last, perhaps even shot if the fire was closing in

The process of in at the first whiff of danger But there was one thing Sky knew Regardless of Will’s orders, if a fire threatened the ranch, noany animal behind, no matter how old or feeble He would stay until every last one was safe

Any fire that threatened the Rimrock would also ier as running the place have any experience with fires? Would he knohat to do?