Page 105 of Her Boss, Her Rancher: Sunrise On The Ranch

“Okay!” Amy shouted back. “I’m calling now!”

The fire hadn’t reached the front seat yet; at the moment, the hot flames were still confined to the engine. Was she crazy to think she could pull the man out? Probably, but she had to try. The smoke was thick, burning her nostrils, blurring her eyes. She wiped at them and took the biggest breath she’d ever taken, filling up her lungs.

The door refused to budge no matter how hard she tried. Breaking the window was her only option. She wrestled herself out of her hooded jacket and wrapped it around her fist. She’d seen this done countless times in movies and hoped it really worked. Then she squeezed her eyes closed, hauled her arm back and punched the window with all of her strength. The window shattered and crumbled into tiny pieces, like broken ice crystals. She shook out her hand. It throbbed like crazy. She’d have to deal with that later.

Still praying, she wedged herself into the window and frantically used her fingers to find the button for the seat belt. It was strange working inside the flipped car, but finally she pressed her thumb down hard on the buckle button and the belt released. The man fell onto her like deadweight. God, he was heavy. Too late, she realized the belt had been preventing him from falling and now he was crushing her. A grunt rose from her chest as she strained to grab hold of his arms and pull him rather gracelessly out the window. He was cumbersome and it was awkward, but finally she yanked him free of the car.

Wonder Woman would’ve been proud.

The man’s face was bloodied and bruised, yet even through all that she could tell he was handsome and young. He couldn’t be much older than Paul had been when he’d died.

Only, this man wouldn’t die today. Not if she had anything to say about it.

The heat was unbearable. She had to get him away from the fire. The car could blow at any second. She grabbed his arms and dragged the man closer and closer to the road, falling a few times, scraping her hands and legs over the bumpy terrain. She did her best to keep his head from further injury. Using every ounce of her strength, she finally made it a safe distance away. She gave a quick glance at the car; she could tell the blaze was traveling toward the gas tank. She held her breath and prayed. And then boom! The explosion echoed on the empty road, the blast like a rocket in flight. She sat back on her butt, immobilized as she watched the car go up in smoke.

“Oh, my God,” Amy shouted. “Are you okay, Bella?”

She nodded and yelled back, “I’m not hurt. But he is.”

“Paramedics are on the way!” Amy remained close to the car. Hopefully, baby Sienna was still asleep in the back seat. The little one was a great sleeper.

Bella got a grip then and looked down at the man she’d pulled from those flames. He would’ve died in that fire. Her body began to tremble uncontrollably.

She heard the faint sound of sirens off in the distance and her shoulders relaxed slightly in relief. But she had more to do. She couldn’t wait. In this case, every second counted. This man wasn’t conscious and she was pretty sure he wasn’t breathing.

She knelt by his side, thankful for the summer lifeguard camp she’d attended as a teen.

I know CPR and I can help.

The scent of soot burned in Jared Stone’s nostrils, putrid and strong. It felt like a big rig was sitting on his chest, making it damn hard to breathe. And something powerful hammered in his head. Everything ached and the hurt was wicked. He couldn’t open his eyes. He probed his mind for clarity and...nothing. He was looping through a black hole of emptiness. What in hell had happened to him?

The last thing he remembered was driving along the highway and...

He searched and searched, straining to recall something, anything. His cell phone beeped and the beeping continued to drone in his ears. The sound grated on his nerves and then it hit him. It wasn’t a phone at all. He fought to open his eyes but lost that battle. His eyes fluttered like a baby bird’s but ultimately remained shut.

And then a delicate hand covered his. So soft, so gentle. The single touch comforted him in inexplicable ways, soothing his distress, taking away some of the pain. He’d never felt anything softer or more welcome. His skin responded immediately to those fingertips, feeling life again, feeling brightness where there had been only darkness.

“You’re going to be all right.” A woman’s lilting, angelic voice seeped inside him, her tone as sweet, as memorable, as the hand that still held his. It hurt to move and his eyes wouldn’t open, but that gentle voice gave him hope. Actually more than hope:he believed her. That serene voice wouldn’t lead him astray.

“You’ve had an accident. I rode with you in the ambulance and now you’re in the hospital. They are taking very good care of you.”

He was relieved to know an angel sat by his side. Who was she? He had no clue, but she’d been with him at the accident scene and, man, he wished he could remember what had happened. The incessant beeping rang in his ears. Now he knew he was hooked up to a monitor and those beeps meant breath and heartbeats and all good things.

Jared remembered being attached to wires on a hospital machine once, after he’d been tossed off a wild stallion on the ranch. His father had told him not to go near that horse, but the daredevil in him had decided dear ole dad was being overprotective. And at the age of twelve, he took on that wild stallion and...lost. Nearly broke his neck trying to tame Balboa. He’d been unconscious for a little while, but he’d wound up walking away from that ordeal with big purple bruises all over his body, a slight concussion and wounded pride.

His dad had sold Balboa the very next day.

That had hurt more than his injuries.

Now, Jared tried to acknowledge the woman with the melodious voice by nodding his head. But the dizziness it caused shut down his attempt.

“Don’t worry,” she said softly. “I won’t leave you. I’m here for as long as you need me to be. You were very lucky.”

He didn’t feel lucky. Every movement he made caused some sort of pain. But he clung to the angel’s words.

I’m lucky.

I’m lucky.