The woman was dangerous. Not to be trusted.

And he wanted her still.

“I don’t want you to get hurt.” Her voice was husky, seeming to stroke right over him.

“And I don’t want you to get killed,” Brodie told her.

Her lashes lifted.

“If you go out there alone,” Brodie pushed, “with no backup, what do you think will happen?” He knew... She’ll die.

Her hands pressed to his chest, as if she’d shove him back. She didn’t, and the heat from her palms seemed to burn right through his shirt.

“I didn’t think about the risk to you,” Jennifer said, voice soft. “I’m so sorry. I—”

His lips took hers. The kiss was angry, because he was angry. Angry and hungry because the woman had twisted him up with fury and desire.

Letting her go wasn’t an option. Davis needed to see that. Jennifer needed to see that. He had to keep her close because if something happened to her, Brodie wasn’t sure what he’d do.

When did she get to me? When did she slip beneath my guard?

She still wasn’t pushing him away. Instead, Jennifer was kissing him back with a fury of her own. She’d risen onto her tiptoes and her hands now curled around his shoulders as she pressed her body to his.

She had to feel his desire. He couldn’t control it and wouldn’t hide it. From now on, there would be no hiding, not for either of them.

“Don’t leave,” he whispered against her lips.

Her head moved back a bit. Her mouth was red from his kiss. Her eyes were wide. “I never meant to hurt you or your family. When I came to the ranch before, years ago, I only wanted to repay my debt to you. I swear that was all I wanted.”

He kissed her again. Pain clawed inside of him as he thought of his family, and he didn’t want to head into that darkness, not then. He wanted to sink into her, to ride the rush of passion between them and to just let everything else go. He wanted to but—

He smelled smoke.

Brodie’s head whipped up.

“Brodie?”

He inhaled deeply. Damn it, that was smoke, and the stalker who was after Jennifer had already proven just how much he liked fires.

He ran out of the garage, and his gaze immediately flew to the ranch house. Part of him had expected to see his home engulfed in flames.

It wasn’t burning. But I smell smoke.

Davis hurried toward him. “What’s happening?”

Brodie spun toward the stables. They looked fine, but he and his brother hurried inside them, checking on the horses just to be safe.

When he turned back around, Jennifer was there. Her arms were wrapped around her stomach as she stood in that open stable doorway.

He blinked, realizing she could have fled. When he’d been distracted by the scent of the smoke, Jennifer could have jumped back into his SUV and raced away.

She hadn’t. She’d come to check on the horses, too.

“The fire isn’t in here,” Brodie said as he marched past her. He reached for her hand and pulled her with him. The night sky was dark—no stars were out, so he couldn’t see anything overhead.

But the scent of smoke was drifting to him on the breeze.

“It’s coming from the east,” Davis muttered.

The Montgomery ranch was to the east. The Montgomerys were the only close neighbors that the McGuires had. If you counted being ten miles away as close.

When Ava had stumbled onto the scene of their parents’ murder years before, she’d saddled her horse and raced like mad toward the Montgomery ranch. Mark Montgomery had protected her, kept her safe—

We owe him.

“Let’s go,” Brodie said. If there was a fire out there, he had to help.

* * *

JENNIFER DIDN’T THINK they were chasing a wildfire. Not with the deadly chain of events that had become her life. So as Brodie drove his SUV toward what he’d called the Montgomery ranch and as the scent of smoke deepened in the air around them, she knew they’d be finding trouble.

Danger.

They drove through a big, open wrought-iron gate and down a long winding road that led to—

“Fire,” Davis snapped. “I can see it. Damn it, his stables are burning!”

Brodie braked to a fast stop. Everyone jumped out of the vehicle and rushed toward the blaze. Jennifer could see men struggling to lead blindfolded horses out of what was quickly turning into an inferno, even as two other men tried to spray water onto the growing flames.

Davis and Brodie—they were running right toward the fire.

“Brodie!” she yelled.

He didn’t stop. He ran forward. Grabbed the reins of a blindfolded horse. “I’ve got him, Mark,” he told the man who’d been pulling the horse.

Mark immediately ran back into the flames. Davis was at his heels.

Jennifer hurried to help Brodie secure the horse, moving the animal well away from the flames. She could hear the sound of the fire crackling around her. The horses still inside the stable were screaming, terrible, desperate sounds.

She counted five horses that had been removed from the stables. How many were still inside?

Davis ran out with another horse.

The screaming continued.

While Davis brought the horse toward her, Brodie sped into the burning stables.

No!

Davis tied the horse to the tree. He coughed a bit. “I think there are four more in—”

She ran past him and into the blaze. The flames were so hot, she could feel the fire lancing over her skin. Jennifer coughed, choking on the smoke, and she crouched low as she tried to get access to clearer air. The horses were screaming, the flames still crackling—the sound eerily like laughter—and, above her, Jennifer could hear the creak and groan of wood. Was that roof about to break? To snap apart?

Fire was racing everywhere—up the walls, tearing through the hay. She fought her way to the stall on the right. A black foal was in there, huddled near the back of the stall. The foal’s eyes were rolling and when she tried to approach the horse, it struck out at her.

“Easy,” Jennifer whispered as she put up her hands. Could the animal even hear her over the flames? “I’m just trying to get us both out of here alive.”

The foal wasn’t harnessed. Jennifer grabbed for a blanket on the right, and she tried to cover the foal’s eyes. The animal was shuddering and still kicking, but Jennifer managed to steer it out of the stall.

“Get out of here!” Brodie was at Jennifer’s side. His face was streaked with black ash. “The roof is going to fall in!”

She pulled the foal with her. “Come on,” Jennifer whispered to the foal. “Come...”

Brodie yanked the foal forward. They all tumbled outside, and Jennifer gulped in fresh air greedily. Her lungs were aching, and she couldn’t seem to suck that air in fast enough—not with the coughs that racked her.

A young male—it looked as if he was in his teens—hurried forward and took the foal.

Brodie grabbed her arms. “Are you okay?”

“Y-yes...”

“What were you thinking? Why would you go in there?”

He was angry? Seriously? Because she was helping? “Why would you go in?” she yelled right back at him. “Because I didn’t want to listen to those poor animals die!”

“You don’t—”

“Brodie!” Davis called for his brother. “Mark is still inside. The roof is about to go, and he’s in there!”

Jennifer’s gaze swung toward Davis. He was running into the fire.

“No,” Brodie whispered.

But Davis had gone inside.

“Brodie...”

He tore away from Jennifer and ran after his brother. Jennifer rushed forward, running behind him. Brodie had just cleared the gaping entrance to the stables when the roof collapsed.

A ball of flames seemed to fly into the dark sky.

“Brodie!” Jennifer screamed and headed right for the fire.

Hard arms grabbed her from behind. She was pulled away from the burning stables even as she fought to get inside. “Stop!” she screamed. “I need to get in there! Brodie’s inside! Davis is in there and—”