Texas Wildfire (Texas Heroes Book 1) by Sable Hunter Read Free Book Online Page B

Would it? “All right. Here’s your phone.” He handed it to her. “You left it at the clinic.”
    “Thank you.” When she saw how the screen door was destroyed, a ripple of terror flowed through her. She’d be paying for that—and not with money. Her only hope was getting Titan out before Damien could realize what was happening. “Now go, please!”
    Makenna all but pushed him out the door, then she shut the solid wooden one behind her, putting a barrier between them. Titan lingered for a few moments, listening to her footsteps as she climbed the stairs to the second floor. And then he heard shouting again, but Titan turned to walk away. Intervening against her wishes wasn’t his place.
    Reluctantly, he climbed in his truck to leave. This affair was none of his business.
    Too bad his heart didn’t agree.
    *  *  *
    Over the next few days, Titan had a hard time getting the sound of Damien’s voice out of his mind. You’re nobody. No man would ever want you. You are nothing! What kind of husband said things like that to the woman he loves? If she were his, he’d treat her like she was made of spun glass. The what-ifs were driving him insane.
    In the interim, there’d been another fire, a small one. Since Montana had been out of town on business, Titan found himself driving the fire engine to a brush fire set by two boys who’d been trying to camp out, ignoring Forest Service guidelines. The Captain had acted like nothing was wrong at home, laughing and joking. When he wanted to be, Damien was the most pleasant guy in the world to be around. But the way he’d screamed at Makenna, insulting her, humiliating her. Titan couldn’t begin to fathom it.
    And now here he was at the county auction barn, sitting about midway up on the old wooden bleachers, waiting for the last of his Angus to go through. The sounds and smells of the cattle sale were familiar and comforting. He watched the auctioneer raise his hand, his brittle clipped fast-paced speech almost gibberish to the unschooled. Single and in pairs, cows, calves and bulls were guided through the arena to be bid upon by area ranchers and feed lots. Cattle prices weren’t the best in the world, but Skyview was flourishing. Titan had brought twenty head and he’d leave with enough to pay his monthly bills, catch up on some repair work and have quite a bit left to go in the bank.
    He sat until the end, then signed the paperwork and collected his check. Once he was in his truck, Titan backed the gooseneck toward the road carefully. People were parked any which way, so maneuvering out of the lot was like threading a needle. As he left, he saw Dallas approaching in his Jeep, a fishing pole sticking out the back. Titan waved, laughing at the goofy expression on his friend’s face as he responded with an uplifted thumb. Making a left turn, he started back through town. Dallas looked to be headed toward Canyon Lake, so Titan would be behind him most of the way. Flipping on his radio, Titan settled back, propping his arm on the open window and listened to the strains of a song called Crazy recorded by Willie Nelson in the ‘60s. The tune was old, but the sentiment applied to him. He was crazy for wanting Makenna.
    As the fiddle whined and Willie’s voice crooned, Titan let the breeze blow in his face. He wondered how Makenna was doing. What if he were to call to see about her? He knew Damien was at the station, his truck had been there when he’d passed going to the auction barn. Today was one of the scheduled days for the water tanks on the pumper trucks to be filled. Trying to muster up some guilt, he failed to do so. Resolved to check on her, he pulled out his phone and dialed the number.
    “Hello?” He heard her tentative voice.
    “Makenna, how are you feeling? This is Titan.”
    She removed the phone from her ear and stared at the display. It did say Titan Sloan in big letters. Putting the receiver back to her ear, she asked, “Titan, what’s wrong?”