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From outside the barn, Sky watched the fire sweep closer The last of the trailers had vanished up the road, thein the trucks But there was still no sign of Beau, or of Will, who’d gone looking for him

The blaze was ain its path It was tiet out of its way But he couldn’t leave without knohat had happened to Will and Beau

Relief swept over hih the sht burn, but at least his brothers were alive and safe

Will swung the pickup close to where Sky stood, hit the brake, and rolled down theHis s coals in his soot-black face “Juet out of here,” he said

“Go on,” Sky said “I want to check the place one last time I’ll follow you in my truck”

“Fine Don’t take long” Will gunned the engine and disappeared up the road to the caprock

Sky raced through the barns, checking each stall to make sure no animals were left inside Jasper’s ATV was in the shed behind their duplex Sky would have liked to save it for the oldclose now There’d be no ti the ramp and push the ATV into his pickup There were some valuable saddles in the tack room but no time to take the up beyond the bunkhouse and the conite the barn and the wooden roof of the house He could s eyes burned with it He had to get out—now

His silver-blue truck was parked in the open Sky grabbed the key ring out of his pocket Flinging hinition, touched the gas pedal, and gave the key a turn

There was a faint click, then silence

He puain

Nothing

CHAPTER 20

Lauren’s babyhood hoone From the shelter of the brick and metal syndicate office, she’d watched the flaher than the tall poplars Then the trees the like candles around an altar

Losing the house saddened her But it was Sky’s safety that had her frantic She’d tried again and again to reach his phone but had gotten nothing but his answering e

Finally, after several desperate tries, she ed to call Tori on the caprock “Everybody else made it out ahead of the fire,” Tori told her “But we’re still waiting for Sky He wanted to check the barns before he left”