Chapter 25

"We have to get back to the house," Buck said. Back to the world where you already belonged to someone else, he thought. He reluctantly stepped back, unwilling to let go of their time together. 

They dressed in silence, each lost in his own thoughts. When Buck left to ready to the horses, Louisa remained in the cabin. She thought of tidying up the bed where they had lain passionately together just an hour ago. But it felt too much like closure and she wasn't ready to have everything end. 

She heard the horses' soft nickers and hurried out, flinging one last longing glance over her shoulder at the site of her happiness before mounting her horse. When Buck was mounted, Louisa held out her hand. The slight hesitation before Buck took her hand sliced at her heart. Louisa and Buck rode hand in hand until the main house came into view and then he let go of her hand. She felt his hand slide from hers and knew it was more than his hand he had withdrawn. 

They were nearing the bend around the main stable when their horses reared and screamed with fear. A heartbeat later, the stable exploded 

"My God!" Kid breathed as he saw the burning stable. Yellow and red tongues of fire engulfed the structure. The water the ranch hands were tossing into it only seemed to feed the inferno rather than put it out. 

For a moment, Hickok stood in utter shock beside Kid but a prickle at the back of his neck wrenched his gaze away from the disaster. Swiftly, he scanned is surroundings, looking for something out of place, someone who wasn't supposed to be there. But he found nothing except chaos. Then, a horrible scream pierced the air. He heard Kid whisper and bolt towards the burning stable. 

"No, Kid, no," Hickok ran after his friend, intent on stopping him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Buck rushing toward the burning stable, too. "Buck," Hickok shouted. "Kid's going after Katy and Lightning."

It took Buck, Jimmy and a ranch hand to stop Kid from entering the stable. The roof had all but collapsed

"Kid, we've got them," they heard a voice say and Kid stopped struggling to see Paul running toward them, an ugly gash across the elderly foreman's forehead. "We were able to get all the horses out," he said, his voice wheezing from the smoke and exhaustion. "Except one. The new one. 'Twas like the devil possessed that horse. Didn't want nobody to touch her --"

Buck suddenly spun around and grabbed a rifle from a passing ranch hand. Without a word, he grabbed the rifle and ran. Hickok let go of Kid and went after his friend. "Buck, Buck," he shouted. "Don't make me slug you."

But Buck wasn't listening. He didn't enter the burning stable but he started climbing a tree that grew close to the structure.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jimmy shouted. 

Kid glanced up at Buck who was slowly making his way to a branch close to the stable. The branches were hot because of the trees proximity to the burning stable and the some of the leaves have caught fire. Realization dawned when Kid saw Buck lift the rifle. "If he can't free her, he has to take her out," he told Jimmy.

Buck saw the magnificent black horse, rearing. He heard her screams, furious and a bit terrified. Through some miracle she remained unhurt, her coat gleaming with sweat but not burned. It was as though through sheer force of will, she managed to keep the fire at bay. Buck shifted the rifle, targeting the horse between the eyes. A quick death is the only thing he can give her now. But Buck couldn't force himself to pull the trigger. 

Then he saw the slim lock on the stall door. Thinking quickly, he shifted the rifle again, targeting the small lock. Carefully, he squeezed the trigger but the bullet hit the wood above the lock. He took another careful aim but the dancing and weaving tongues of fire was making it difficult and the bullet whizzed by the horse. Buck was good with a six-shooter but marksmanship with a rifle had never been his strong point. If only Cody were here. Buck was about to holler for Hickok when he saw Louisa in the arms of a man with a mop of golden hair. 

Cody! 

When Cody looked up, there was an impish grin on his face, but his eyes were dead serious. "Looks like I got in just in time," he said, jogging toward Kid and Jimmy.

He nodded toward the Kid, an apology in his eyes. Kid smiled at his friend. "Buck needs your help up there." He motioned toward the tree.

Without hesitation, the blond man climbed the tree nimbly, yelping when his hand grasped a hot branch. Buck made way for him and handed him the rifle. 

"There's a small lock on the door. If you can shoot that open, the horse --"

"OK, OK," Cody interrupted, already sighting the mark. The heat was making the scene before him dance but Cody kept his eyes on the lock. The horse, as if sensing what was happening, was kicking at the sturdy stall door. Cody fired the rifle, and for what seemed like eternity to everybody, the bullet traveled across the fire before hitting its mark solidly. The metal lock broke open and the door swung wide. The black horse leapt and came out charging, jumping across fallen beams and other obstacles. With a triumphant whinny, it burst out of the stable, welcomed by the hearty laughs of relieved men.

Buck and Cody climbed down the tree and the men celebrated the rescue, but Kid's mind was elsewhere. They've gotten all the horses out, he thought, nobody was died or was seriously hurt. The stable was totally destroyed but it could easily be fixed. 

There's something wrong here, he muttered to himself. It would not be enough for his father. Kid paled as his gaze settled on the house and icicles of fear clawed at his heart.

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