Devil in Texas (Rugged and Risque 1)

“Jack!” Lydia yelled again. She reached them and grabbed Jess by the hands and said, “Call 911!” She turned to Jack and said on a hard rush of air, “Ginger’s store is on fire! I went in to speak with her and I saw this…completely inappropriate window display and I…I accidentally knocked over the candles on display! Jack, the whole window went up like a Roman candle! And then the store went up in flames, what with all that lace and the antique wooden displays!”

She was breathing heavily, barely getting the words out. Jack took her by the shoulders and demanded, “Where’s Ginger?”

“I don’t know! Not in the store. She wasn’t in there when I went in. There was no one in the shop. She must’ve gone for more fabric or to the deli to grab a sandwich for lunch.”

Jack breathed a sigh of relief. But he had to warn the other shop owners on the street.

Jess came back out and said in an anxious tone, “The fire department is on its way. The trucks are clear out at the Elks Lodge, though! Some sort of fire safety class they’re giving.”

“Alert the other business owners, starting with the ones closest to Ginger’s shop. I’ll try to find her.”

Just as the words left his mouth, a chair went sailing through the second-story window of Ginger’s store, the shattered glass pane raining down on the sidewalk. Thankfully, there was no one below. But that was the only good news. Liza stuck her head out of the window and yelled for help.

“Oh shit.” Jack’s heart constricted, like someone was squeezing it tight.

“That’s Liza!” Jess said in a frantic voice. “She’s been helping Ginger with a website. They must be trapped in the attic, Jack!”

He’d quickly deduced that and was already hoofing it down the street, Lydia and Jess trailing behind him. The glass door and the window on the first floor exploded and the smoke billowed out, along with flashes of tall flames. The shop owners on either side rushed out into the street, likely because of the heat and smell created by the fire. Jack spared a glance up at the window Liza and Ginger filled, leaning over the ledge as though gasping for fresh air. The attic must already be filling with smoke. He had to get them out of there!

Changing his direction, he dashed across the street to the opposite side, hearing Liza call out to him, as though she thought he was abandoning her. His gut pulled tight and his pulse raced. He threw open the door to Mason & Sons Hardware and yelled at Eddie Mason, behind the counter. “Fire across the street—I need your tallest ladder!”

One of Eddie’s sons, Chris, rounded the end of an aisle and said, “Got it!” He headed to the back of the store as his brother came out of the stock room. The two men grabbed the ladder and followed Jack and Eddie out. They raced toward Ginger’s shop and propped the metal ladder against the side of the building, raising it as Jack called up to Liza.

“Try to clear away all the glass, then cover that window ledge with something thick, if you can find it.”

The last thing he wanted was for the women to slice themselves open on jagged shards while he tried to rescue them. Liza disappeared, only to return a few seconds later. She used the base of an unplugged lamp to break away the remaining glass, clearing the sill. Then she helped Ginger heft a rug onto the ledge, tossing half of it over so they had something to protect their bodies when they climbed out the window.

Jack was already halfway up the ladder, Chris and his brother Carl holding the metal frame steady for him.

He eyed where the top step of the ladder ended, ridiculously shy of the window. He heard sirens coming down the street and breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the fire department would be able to reach the women better than he could. But one glance over his shoulder dashed his hopes. It was just the police.

“Jack, you’ll never reach them!” he heard Jess cry out. “Don’t you have a taller ladder?” This likely directed at Eddie.

Jack didn’t have time to change ladders. The smoke was filling the attic and seeping out the window where both women leaned out, trying to pull in clean air.

He stared up at Liza and said, “Don’t worry, darlin’. I’m gonna get you out of there.” He reached the last rung just below the top step and balanced himself by spreading his legs so his feet, ankles and calves were braced against the metal frame. He didn’t dare go any higher for fear the additional weight from one of the women would sway the ladder. Or he wouldn’t be able to keep his balance.

His gaze still locked with Liza’s, he said, “You’re gonna have to help Ginger. I’ll come back for you, sweetheart. I promise.”

“What?” Ginger squawked. “No! Absolutely not! Get Liza out of here first!”

Liza knew instinctively why he’d made the decision he had and he loved her for being so in-tune with him.

She turned to Ginger and said in a calmer voice than he’d thought she could muster given the urgency of the situation, “You’re a good five inches shorter than me, Ginger. He’ll never be able to reach you. You’re going to have to climb over the ledge and let me lower you down to him.”

“You can’t hold me!”

Liza nodded. “You’d be surprised at how strong I am. Isn’t that right, cowboy?”

“That’s right, darlin’. Now, Ginger, I need you to hurry, sweetheart.”

Ginger gave him a panicked look as she eyed the huge distance between her and him. But in the next second, she was climbing over the window sill as Liza gripped her wrists. Leaning out the window, Liza started to lower Ginger’s body, which dangled along the side of the building.

Jack reached up, stretching as far as he could go. Wrapping his hands around Ginger’s calves, he looked up at Liza. “Little more, darlin’.”

She groaned. “Little more and I’m coming with her.” But she stretched further, just enough for Jack to get a firmer grip on Ginger. “Let her go.”

“Oh shit!” Ginger said. “Jack Wade, you’d better not drop me!”