17. Kat

SEVENTEEN

Kat

I wanted him so bad I could barely even will myself out of the car.

I slammed the truck door shut after climbing out in front of the house, my skin tingling. The need for Gabe was a fire in my veins, undeniable, unquenchable.

Pretenses be damned; I was done playing coy.

"Kat, wait." His voice was rough, throaty, but I was already halfway to the front door. If I stayed here, we were going to end up having sex on the porch.

…maybe that wouldn't be so bad.

"Bandit's losing his mind in there," I said over my shoulder, jangling keys in hand. The sound of the dog's frantic barking sliced through the still Montana night. I wanted to make sure he was taken care of before I was taken care of.

"Let him out then," Gabe grunted.

"That's the plan," I shot back. I thrust the key into the lock and twisted, throwing the door open wide enough to let Bandit barrel past us and into the freedom of the yard.

I didn't stop moving; I needed to do something, anything, with my hands. I rounded the corner into the kitchen, my senses only processing Gabe, Gabe, Gabe . My hand was steady as I filled a glass with water from the tap, but the silence between Gabe and me was louder than Bandit's barking had been.

"Thirsty?" he asked.

Jesus …the way he said that, voice rich and deep. I wanted him again right now, but I also wanted to play it cool. I tipped the glass to my lips, the cool liquid barely quenching my desire?—

His hand landed on my shoulder.

I sucked in a breath.

Then Gabe was turning me around, taking the glass out of my hand, placing it firmly on the counter. I gazed up at him, taking a breath.

He kissed me.

It wasn't sweet or tentative. It was as if he were staking a claim, the kind of kiss that pushed every rational thought out of my head. His hands found my hips, and I was suddenly lifted, my butt perched on the edge of the cold kitchen counter.

He kissed me again, his mouth insistent, telling me without words that this was happening, right here, right now.

"Dammit, Gabe," I managed between kisses, but it wasn't a protest—it was frustration because I couldn't get him naked fast enough, I wanted to feel those hard muscles bare under my palms. My fingers worked at the buttons of his flannel shirt, clumsy with urgency.

He didn't answer; he was busy shrugging out of his jacket, tossing it onto the floor without a care. His lips never left mine for more than a second, just long enough to get rid of more layers. I could feel the heat from his body even before the shirt joined the jacket, an inferno compared to the chill seeping in through the windows.

His lips left mine only to graze over my pulse.

"Kat," he murmured against my neck, voice rough, hot breath sending a shiver across my skin. His hands slid under my skirt, large and warm, leaving a trail of fire. I leaned into him, all but tearing at his belt, frustration mounting. I wanted fabric gone, barriers destroyed. I needed to feel him against me, skin to skin, nothing in between.

"Easy, spitfire," he teased, but his own movements betrayed his calm tone.

He was just as desperate, just as reckless.

I was almost ready to shove his flannel off when something cut through the haze of desire—a frantic barking.

We both froze.

Bandit .

Gabe's head snapped up, eyes meeting mine, and the intensity shifted from passion to alarm in an instant.

"Something's not right," I said.

We bolted for the door, my heart in my throat. The cool night air hit me like a slap to the face as we stumbled out onto the porch. Smoke clawed at my throat before I even saw the flames.

But when I did…

"Shit." The word fell from Gabe's lips like a death knell.

I followed his gaze and felt the ground beneath me give way. Orange tongues licked the sky, reaching out from what used to be the barn. My safe haven, my livelihood, ablaze before my eyes.

Horses were screaming inside, and Bandit…

Bandit wasn't barking anymore.

"Bandit!" My scream tore through the chaos, a raw sound of naked terror. My thoughts were white noise punctuated by the dog's name. The need to find him, to know he was safe, consumed me, drowning out even the roar of the inferno that threatened to devour everything I loved.

Then out of the smoke, like a bat out of hell, Bandit came barreling toward me. I dropped to my knees and caught him in my arms, the dog panting and smelling like charred wood.

"Jesus, buddy." My voice cracked, relief gushing through me as I checked him over for burns or injuries. "You scared the life out of me."

"Kat!" Gabe was on the porch, our earlier heat forgotten. "What do we do?"

"Get him inside." I shoved Bandit into Gabe's arms, not missing the way his face pinched with concern. "And call 911—now!"

Without waiting for a response, I spun on my heel and sprinted toward the barn. The fire might've had a head start, but there was no way it was going to win.

Not tonight.

Not on my watch.

"Kat, stop! It's not safe!"

Gabe's voice chased after me, but I was already too far gone, my boots thumping against the ground as I raced for the barn. His concern was a distant second to the panic seizing my gut. My horses needed me; nothing else mattered.

The barn loomed ahead, an orange glow flickering through the cracked door. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I noticed that the lock wasn't broken—whoever had come in had a key—but that was secondary to saving the horses. Adrenaline surged as I dashed inside. The air was thick with fear and smoke, the sound of hooves pounding against wood echoing like gunshots.

"Easy, easy," I murmured, though my voice was drowned out by frantic neighs. Stall after stall, they were all closed, my beautiful, panicked horses trapped and awaiting a savior.

Well, here I was.

I started opening the stalls, ignoring how the hot metal burned my fingers and palms. Horses rushed out past me, toward the open barn door. There was a good chance I would be trampled, but at least they would be free.

"Come on, come on," I muttered, giving the latch on one stubborn stall a vicious tug. The door swung open and the horse inside shot out, its hooves thundering past me. That was when I felt the sting on my arm—a cinder had landed there, hungry little devil.

"Dammit!" I swiped it away, feeling the burn sear into my flesh.

It was nothing; I couldn't stop.

The next stall was just as stubborn, the latch stuck and searing hot. I had to get this one though; Sundance was inside, my companion all these years. I grunted, throwing my weight against it until it finally gave way. "Giddyap, girl!" I urged the horse as she bolted for freedom.

I was about to move to the next when a sharp tug stopped me. My skirt, caught on an old nail protruding from the wooden wall. A perfect cherry on top of this hellish sundae.

"Fuck this," I growled, yanking hard. The fabric tore easily, the sound almost satisfying amid the chaos. I ripped away the long strip, and tied it around my face to shield my lungs from the smoke.

It was makeshift, sure, but it'd do.

"Kat, this is insane!" Gabe's voice cut through the crackling flames as he burst into the barn, his outline a dark shape against the fire's glow. He reached for my arm, his fingers closing around my wrist with an urgency that matched the fear in his voice. "The fire department's on their way!"

"Can't wait," I snapped, jerking my arm free from his grasp. My heart was hammering in my chest, but it wasn't just the heat—it was adrenaline, pure and raw. The horses needed me.

"Dammit, Kat, listen to me!"

"Listen to yourself! There's no time!" I shot back. "Stay or help, Gabe, but don't you dare try and stop me."

He cursed under his breath but followed me deeper into the smoke. We worked in tandem, releasing latches and swinging wide stall doors, urging each frantic horse out into the night. "Go! Go!" I shouted, voice hoarse, as they thundered past us, their hooves drumming a frenzied beat against the ground. Gabe was right beside me, his presence a solid, reassuring force despite the chaos that swirled around us.

"Last one," I gasped, my eyes stinging with sweat and smoke as we reached Shadow's stall. The horse reared up, his whinnies sharp with terror. I fumbled with the latch, yanking and pulling, but it wouldn't budge. "Come on!"

"Kat, let me—" Gabe started, but I was beyond listening.

"Shadow!" I cried, my voice breaking. Tears streaked down my cheeks, mingling with the ash as I hammered at the stall door with my fists. "I'm here, boy, just hang on!"

"Move," Gabe said firmly, shouldering me aside. Together we shoved against the door, our combined strength forcing the warped wood to groan in protest.

"Please," I begged, my words a prayer to anyone or anything that might be listening. "Please open."

"Push!" Gabe ordered.

We threw ourselves against the obstacle with everything we had left.

And then, miraculously, it gave.

The door burst open, and Shadow bolted out. I was just standing there like an idiot when Gabe reached out and grabbed me, his arm hooking around my waist and yanking me back just as the powerful animal surged forward, missing us by inches. I barely had time to register the danger before Shadow was already disappearing into the night, blending with the darkness and the chaos.

My heart pounded, lungs aching.

Right…we were still in a burning building.

I tried to take a step away from the stall—toward the open door—but a violent cough racked my body. My vision swam, the barn spinning in a haze of smoke and fear. Gabe was saying something, his voice distant, like it was coming from the end of a long tunnel.

"I've got you, Kat…I've got you…"

His hands were on me again, this time lifting me clear off my feet. My head lolled against his shoulder as he carried me. Gabe was moving fast, too fast for me to understand that we were now outside, away from the immediate danger. He set me down gently on the grass, my body feeling disconnected.

Everything hurt. My lungs, my throat, my eyes, my hands.

"Kat?" His face hovered over mine, eyes scanning my features, brows knitted with concern. "Can you hear me?"

"Y-yeah," I managed to gasp out, though it sounded more like a croak.

"Stay with me," he urged, his hands brushing over my face, checking for injuries. "Just stay with me."

Sirens wailed in the distance, a sound that had become all too familiar lately. It seemed every time I turned around, there was another disaster, another reason to be afraid. They were getting closer, promising help, but at that moment, they felt like just another reminder of how much could go wrong.

"Damn sirens," I muttered, feeling Gabe's steadying presence beside me, the warmth of his body cutting through the cool night air. "Can't they give it a rest?"

"Help's coming, Kat. Just hold on."

"I'm not dying," I muttered, propping myself up on my elbows. I'd inhaled a lot of smoke, yeah, but I wasn't going anywhere—not until I'd found out who was responsible for all this. "We really need to stop meeting like this."

Gabe stared at me, eyes wide…then he let out an incredulous laugh.

"Yeah," he said. "We really do."