“Fire!”
Jess McGrath tore the fire extinguisher off the wall before running back to the blaze in her brother’s office. For the first time in five weeks she entered the room where she had found Cody dead from his own hand. Behind her, her hearing aids caught the eruption of sound as her visitors, Rebecca and Levi Miller, scurried to help the two daytime workers release the horses into the pasture. Gratitude surged briefly. Rebecca was her oldest friend. No one else had stuck by her when the scandal started, leading to Cody’s disgrace and the near ruin of their training stables. Her Amish-raised friend didn’t even consider abandoning Jess. It was fortunate that Rebecca had persuaded her indulgent older brother to give her a ride in to visit Jess today on his buggy. With staff down to the bare-bones minimum, Jess needed all the help she could get.
Pulling the pin, Jess aimed the extinguisher at the flames consuming the exterior wall. Would it be enough?
Please Lord, let everyone and the horses be safe. The pictures on the wall connected to the stalls vibrated as the horses were led out. They would go directly to the pasture.
The flames died out and the extinguisher sputtered as it emptied. Jess stared at the destruction before her. Cody’s desk had taken the brunt of it, along with the wall. How had it started? The electrical systems had all been updated within the past three years. And no one had been in the office for weeks.
Not since the police had taken all Cody’s files when he came under suspicion for various charges of fraudulent practices. A third of the clientele to the stables and training facilities she owned with her brother had taken their business, and their horses, elsewhere. River Road Stables was facing bankruptcy if she didn’t find a way to improve business.
Her eyes landed on the still smoldering heap that had been a garbage can. It was unrecognizable. Only the fact that Jess knew what it should be helped her identify it. Her stomach turned. Trembling began from her toes up. Had the fire started there?
The floor vibrated, almost a heaving feeling. Jess spun around in time to see the large bookcase rock forward. The frame was anchored to the wall, but she could see the screws being ripped out. Even as she jumped out of its way, she knew she hadn’t jumped far enough. The heavy shelf toppled, knocking into her as it fell. She crashed to the ground. A sharp pain exploded in her head.
* * *
Jess struggled to open her eyes. The left side of her face ached. Her ears rang. With a groan, she lifted her head, only to drop it as nausea rolled over her.
A warm hand patted her shoulder. She risked opening her eyes again. A paramedic loomed over her, a concerned frown digging furrows in his forehead. He looked vaguely familiar. Her head ached too much to wonder where she had seen him before.
“Jessica? Jess, can you hear me?”
She blinked, incredulous. Who was this man? She had to have met him somewhere. Not only did he know her name, but he had also signed as he spoke. Of course, she was wearing her hearing aids, so it wasn’t fully necessary. It was appreciated all the same.
She moved her head. Oww.
“My head hurts,” she moaned.
He nodded, watching her carefully. “I think you may have a concussion. We’ll know better once a doctor examines you. I did check your vitals. They look good.” He continued to sign while he spoke.
“How did you know I’m deaf?”
His eyes widened, a surprised expression crossing his face. Followed immediately by a guilty one. His gaze shifted nervously before returning to rest on her face again.
“You don’t recognize me?” He seemed wary of her answer.
She shook her head slowly, wincing as her aching head protested. “No, but you look really familiar.”
He sighed. “High school.”
It couldn’t be.
Narrowing her eyes, she looked closer. It was. How had she not recognized him? But he had changed so much from the gangly sixteen-year-old boy she had known so briefly eleven years ago. His black curly hair was shorter, and his scrawny body had shot up in height and was well muscled. The nerdy glasses were gone. But the eyes...she did remember them. Deep brown eyes that she had crushed on for several months during her freshman year before realizing that the sweet boy she thought she knew didn’t exist. He had been a bad boy who was only interested in flaunting the rules and irritating his high-society parents.
“Seth Travis.” The words felt bitter on her tongue.
He nodded, then focused his attention off himself. “Do I need to sign, or can you hear me well enough if I just talk? I can help you faster if I don’t sign.”
“Yeah, as long as I have my hearing aids on and it’s quiet and I can see your face, I’m good.”
“I remember that.”
Of course he did. Seth had always been brilliant. On track to be the salutatorian. Not to mention his memory. She had been amazed at his ability to recall even the smallest of details. She didn’t remember him signing in high school, though. When had he learned? And why bother?
“I’m surprised you didn’t recognize me. What with my dad being the senator and all.”
She shrugged. “It’s been a long time since I saw you and you’ve changed a lot. And I don’t pay attention to politics. Never have.”
“So you never saw my old man on television?” His mouth curled in a slight sneer. Problems with his dad, apparently. It was none of her business, but she couldn’t say she approved of his attitude. She would never have disrespected her parents that way.
“I don’t own a TV.” She didn’t add that she had better things to do with her time than to watch the drama of the spoiled rich kid she remembered play out before her.
Rebecca entered the stables, and Jess settled her attention on her dearest friend. Rebecca’s brother, Levi, followed her at a slower pace. It still looked odd to see Rebecca dressed Englisch when she stood next to her Amish brother. But it warmed her heart, too, knowing that Rebecca’s family supported her choices. Jess knew that Rebecca’s social circle was very small, due in part to her deafness. It could have been smaller. If she had left her community after she’d been baptized, she would have been shunned, even by her family. The fact that she had decided to leave her Amish community instead of being baptized had enabled her to keep her close ties to her family.
“Is