Read Online Firelight at Mustang Ridge by Jesse Hayworth - Free Book Online

to get out of there—not back to her parents and Maverick Mountain, where “don’t wimp out” was a battle cry, but to Blessing Valley, where she could be alone. But as she rounded the huge desk, boot steps sounded out in the main room, and Krista’s voice called, “Danny? Are you still in there?”
    With her pulse thudding and her stomach tied in knots, she was seriously tempted to go out the window.
    Knowing she owed Krista better than that, though, she concentrated on her breathing and forced hervoice to stay steady when she called, “Yep. I just finished up.”
    Krista came through the doorway with Abby on her shoulder and her face alight with welcome. “I’m so happy you’re here! I was just saying to Wyatt . . .” She trailed off, her expression shifting. “Are you okay?”
    â€œI’m . . .” Danny dug her fingernails into her palms. “I’ll be fine. Just some family stuff.”
    Krista hitched a hip on the desk. “Abby and I are good listeners, if you’d like to talk. Or I could hand her off and we could go someplace.”
    Normally, Danny preferred to keep private stuff private. This was far from normal, though, and she was supposed to be working on breaking free from her tortilla. She exhaled, and her shoulders came down a notch. “In a nutshell, I just found out that my ex-boyfriend of five years, who was all
I shouldn’t have to give you a ring to prove that I’m committed to you
and
Marriage is a fascist institution
, is now engaged to my much younger, prettier second cousin. Who, by the way, only met him because I helped her get a job waiting tables at the ski resort where he works.” Indignation sharpened her voice. “She doesn’t even like being outdoors!”
    â€œThat wench!” Krista said in immediate solidarity. “Not for the outdoors thing, but for going there. As for your ex, he sounds like a royal”—she covered the baby’s ears and, in a whisper, spelled out—“
a-s-s
. You ask me, you’re far better off without him.”
    â€œI am. I know I am. And I shouldn’t be upset, really. We broke up more than a year ago, and there’s no reason he shouldn’t move on. It’s just the marriage thing. It makes me feel like—”
    â€œDon’t.” Krista held up a hand. “Tomorrow you can be all logical and rational. Today, I’m giving you permission to be completely illogical and upset. In fact . . .” Her expression shifted to an
aha
. “I’m not just giving you permission, I’m going to give you a weapon. How does a sledgehammer sound?”
    â€œBetter than it probably should. Why?”
    â€œHave you heard about the Sears place?”
    â€œIt burned down, right? An ember from a wildfire started it?”
    â€œExactly. It’s a total loss, most of it torched to the ground. But there’s lots of cleanup left to do before they can rebuild, so the mayor organized today as a demo day, and a bunch of us are taking the shuttle over there to help. It’s strictly volunteer, a community-service sort of thing. You’re welcome to join us.”
    Suddenly, Danny couldn’t think of anything better than an excuse to smash stuff while helping out a family whose problems were way bigger than her own. “I’d love to,” she said. “When do we leave?”

5
    S am left for the Sears place later than he’d meant to, but he made up for it by talking Murphy, Midas, and Axyl into ditching their evening plans and coming along for the ride. The parking lot was jammed; Mayor Tepitt’s campaign truck, parked in the baked-dry front yard, had classic rock belting from the roof-mounted speakers; and a dozen empty picnic tables were set in rows near a bunch of coolers and a table stacked high with food. “See?” Sam said. “I told you there’d be