Page 20 of Timber Ridge
“Is anyone else coming?” I ask.
Rhys and Reid unfold their hoses and put water to the flame.
“Eliza told us to call her if we needed backup, and she’d send others,” Rhys says. “But for now, it’s just us.”
I look at my brothers and then at the fire and know that we’ve got this. We work in sync, the kind of teamwork only brothers can achieve.
The fire is stubborn, clinging to the cabin like a malignant growth, but we're relentless with the water, Rhys, Reid, and I dousing the flames with a fierce determination. Slowly, begrudgingly, the fire hisses its surrender as the water sizzles on contact.
As the billows of dissipating smoke start to reveal the charred remains, Rhys's voice cuts through the chaos. “Hey, look at this,” he calls out, gesturing toward the roof.
Following his gaze, I spot the gaping hole where the cap on the flue should be. “Damn,” I mutter under my breath, realizing the implications of its absence. My memory clicks. There was a clank when I’d shaken the pipe to dislodge what was stuck in the flue. A wave of realization washes over me. I’m the cause of this fire, not Timber.
I turn and spot her at the forest’s edge, holding Hailey. Both of their eyes are wide and haunted.
“You got this?” I ask my brothers.
“Yep, go see to the girls,” Rhys says.
I approach them, my boots squishing on the soaked ground.
Hailey scrambles from Timber’s embrace and rushes toward me. I smell like smoke, but she doesn’t care and jumps into my arms. “You okay, Daddy?”
“Right as rain, Noodle.” I glance back at the fire and then turn to face Timber. “I know you’re blaming yourself, but you didn’t start the fire. This isn’t your fault,” I say before she can speak. “The cap on the flue was loose. That clank we heard the first day—it must’ve been the cap falling off. This is on me.”
Her eyes, rimmed with red from smoke and, likely, emotion, search mine, as if seeking the truth of my words.
“I couldn’t let you think you caused this,” I say. “That wouldn’t be fair.”
“Are you certain I didn’t?” Her voice falters, and I’m unsure if it’s emotion or the smoke she’d inhaled earlier.
I nod. “Ninety-nine percent certain.”
Relief gradually relaxes her features, intermingling with exhaustion. I notice a visible shiver run through her, a clear sign of the chill of the night. “Let’s get you two someplace warm.” I put Hailey down and return to my brothers.
“If you two can handle this, I’m going to take my girls home.”
Rhys raises a brow. “Your girls, huh?”
“I meant Hailey and Timber. You know, the girls as in gender.”
Reid laughs so loud I can hear him over the spray of the water. “Sure, that’s what you meant.”
Reid and Rhys continue to douse the last of the smoldering embers, the steady hiss of water on char making a calming backdrop to the mess.
“You should head back,” Rhys says. “Get your girls warm and dry. We’ll stay and make sure this doesn’t flare up again.”
One slip of the tongue and I’ll be catching shit until Timber leaves, but I can’t dwell on that now. The cold is biting.
Hailey’s huddled under her blankets while Timber keeps a watchful eye over her. Reality sinks in. With the cabin gone, where will Timber sleep? Where is home for her now? She needs a roof over her head. Timber slides to the passenger side, and I take a seat behind the wheel. I’ll manage the logistics of it all later. Right now, the priority is getting everyone back safely.
“I’m sorry this happened,” I tell her.
Tears flow freely down her cheeks. “This cabin was important to you and your family’s history. I’m so sad it’s gone.”
I shrug. “It’s just a cabin. It can be replaced, but you can’t.” I’m about to wrap my arms around her and offer comfort when Reid walks over.
Timber does a double take. “I thought the smoke was playing tricks on me for a second there,” she says with a half-laugh. “There’s two of you.”