Wishing for the Rancher’s Love (High Country Ranch #5)

Chapter 21

21

Smoke still hung heavily in the air.

Grady followed the chief firefighter through the blackened remains of the kitchen. Several other firefighters were slogging around in the inch of water that now covered the floor. They’d lit lanterns to illuminate the disaster as they searched to make sure all the sparks and flames were fully extinguished.

The walls were completely scorched, some down to the beams. The stove, the cooking ware, and the other supplies were likely too damaged to be of use again. The ceiling was blackened, and the floor above it was probably burnt too.

But as far as he could tell, the firefighters had managed to keep the flames from spreading to the second floor. From the stomping of heavy boots on the stairway and in the hallway above, he knew the other firefighters were checking the rest of the rooms to make sure everything was safe.

“It looks like most of the fire was contained to the back part of the hotel,” the fire chief was saying as he crossed to the range that occupied half of one wall of the kitchen.

As Mr. Curley picked a long metal spatula out of the water on the floor, he shook his head at the charred remains of the handle. “What a disaster.” He spoke the same words after every item he found.

“I know this is hard, Mr. Curley.” Grady hated to think of the expense and effort it would take to rebuild. “But we can take heart that the rest of the hotel is mostly intact.”

“True enough.” The older man placed the metal spatula beside a charred coffee pot on top of the stove.

“And no one was hurt.” Grady glanced to the open back door, hoping for a glimpse of Clementine, but he was at the wrong angle to see her where she’d been waiting with the other hotel guests. Hopefully the reverend had delivered his coat to her as he’d asked. It was too cold a night for her to be outside without some covering.

It was also too cold for everyone else, which was why he’d followed the fire chief inside. He wanted to do everything he could to speed up the cleanup efforts in order to allow the guests to return to the warmth of their rooms—or at least the rooms that were deemed safe.

“The fire destroyed most of the hallway outside the kitchen,” the fire chief said, “but it didn’t reach the steps or the sitting room. So I believe the front half of the hotel will be safe for people to use.”

“But not the back rooms?” Mr. Curley’s shoulders were slumped.

“At least not the couple of rooms above the kitchen.”

The older man nodded. “I’ll move the current guests into other rooms.”

“Good.” The chief grabbed one of the lanterns hanging from a post and lifted it above the stove. “I’ll have the firefighters move everything they can out of those rooms.”

“Thank you.”

The fire chief bent and touched something behind the stove. “We didn’t have to search too hard to find the source of the fire.”

Grady had seen other businesses go up in flames over the years. It was one of the disadvantages that came from building with the timber that was so plentiful in the high country. Eventually the wood got old and became drier and more flammable. Brick was the way of the future, but it was more costly and difficult to cart up into the mountains.

“Did the stove malfunction?” Mr. Curley leaned in to examine the stove too. “Every once in a while, sparks fall out or go the wrong direction.”

“Nothing like that.” The fire chief’s voice was grave. “I believe the fire was purposefully set.”

A chill prickled Grady’s neck. “Why do you think that?”

The chief lifted a small tin can from behind the stove. “Because of this.”

Mr. Curley nodded. “Already told the chief I’ve never had any cans that size here in the kitchen. All of mine are larger.”

Grady waited for the chief to continue explaining but could already guess what had happened.

The fire chief tipped the can over, and several charred matches fell into his gloved hand. “Someone dipped a rag in oil, stuffed it into the can, then placed the can behind the stove to make it look like the fire was an accident. It looks like it took him several tries before the fire started, then he tossed the matches into the can hoping the fire would burn up the evidence.”

Mr. Curley bent in and examined the matches. “His plan didn’t work.”

The fire chief tossed the matches back into the can. “The fire in the can burned itself out before the matches were completely consumed.”

“Who would do this?” Mr. Curley surveyed the disaster again. “And why?”

Grady’s muscles tensed with a strange premonition. Had Clementine’s stalker been responsible for starting the fire? What if he’d seen Reverend Ludwig coming to the hotel and realized the wedding was taking place tonight? And then what if he’d set the fire as a way to stop the wedding?

No, it wasn’t possible. Surely the stalker wouldn’t take things that far.

But even as Grady tried to deny it, his gut told him that’s exactly what had happened.

“Blast,” he said softly. He’d known the stalker was dangerous, but he’d never expected him to do something like set a fire and put other people’s lives at risk.

The fire chief and Mr. Curley both shifted to look at him.

“I know who set the fire.”

“Who?” Mr. Curley asked first.

“I don’t actually know the identity of the person, but I do know someone followed Clementine and me to Georgetown hoping to keep Clementine from marrying me.”

The fire chief’s brows rose.

If the stalker had hoped to stop the wedding, that meant he was also lurking nearby, probably outside the hotel, watching the destruction unfold and hoping they’d all run out of the building. He might even be outside at the moment watching Clementine.

Suddenly Grady’s blood turned cold. What if the stalker had set the fire not just to stop the wedding but also to flush them outside so that, amidst the chaos, he’d have a better chance at getting ahold of her?

With fear pounding through his body, Grady bolted toward the door, his footsteps slapping in the water. Clementine wasn’t safe out there. She needed to come inside and stay by him.

Behind him, the fire chief called out another question, but he wasn’t listening. The only thing he could think about was finding Clementine, picking her up, and holding her.

As he stumbled out the kitchen door into the darkness, he swept his gaze over the backyard and the alleyway and the hillside beyond. Only a few onlookers remained—a couple of firefighters, some neighbors, and a hotel guest or two.

He tried to slow his racing heart. Clementine was probably just with everyone else out front, making sure the others were okay, putting them at ease, and doing her best to be useful. She liked to be part of the action. That’s just the way she was.

Sucking in a breath of fresh air to clear his lungs of smoke, he started toward the side of the hotel and the stone pathway that led to the street. As he picked up his pace, he scanned the groups ahead for her blond-red hair, her beautiful face, and her bright smile.

But as his gaze touched on each person and couldn’t find her, his pulse only thudded faster.

At the sight of the reverend standing with one of the families, he called out. “Reverend Ludwig, did you give Clementine my coat?”

The large man regarded him severely before lifting his hand, revealing the coat draped across his arm.

A lump of dread landed in Grady’s stomach. “Where is she?”

“I assumed she was with you.”

Grady frantically searched the faces around him again. But she wasn’t there.

Maybe she’d already gone inside?

He bounded up the front stairs toward a firefighter who was keeping people out. “Did you let my fiancée pass by? Long blond-red hair, green eyes, average height?”

The fellow shook his head. “Sorry, Mr. Worth. She didn’t come this way.”

He peered past the young man through the open front door that revealed the hallway with blackened wallpaper and charred rugs. “She didn’t go inside?”

“No, sir. At least, not through the front door.”

Maybe she’d gone in the back door while he’d been busy talking to the fire chief. “I’m going in to look for her.” Grady didn’t give the fellow a chance to protest and instead strode past.

Of course, no one would stop him—not when his dad owned the place and was well respected for his fair business practices.

Grady made a quick sweep of the hotel but didn’t see her anywhere, and none of the other firefighters had come across her either. As he headed back outside, the dread inside only swelled. Maybe he’d missed her in the backyard. Maybe she’d been standing in the shadows. Maybe she’d gone to visit one of the neighboring businesses.

His mind raced to find a solution for where she might be. But as he reached the backyard and didn’t see her anywhere, his heart told him the truth. The stalker had her.