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  “No way!” Megan looked up, wide-eyed.

  “Oh, yeah. Connie’s got a temper,” Lisa said.

  “How do you know?” Greg asked, momentarily distracted from the half-eaten chicken breast in his hand.

  “I’ve heard her on the phone arguing with her husband. Yelling at him sometimes. She’s always done it outside, pacing around the parking lot near the golf course. But she gets really riled up. She and he have been in counseling a couple of times over the years. Things will get quieter, and Connie will say how good things are. Then, they explode again.” Lisa wagged her head. “I’ve suggested some individual counseling to her several times, but Connie never wants to go. She always says, ‘It’ll be all right.’ Or, ‘We’ll get back together.’ Something like that. Then, a few months later, it starts all over again.” Lisa returned to the crispy chicken.

  The steady stream of traffic hadn’t let up or slowed down, Kelly noticed. People were evacuating not only themselves and whatever belongings they could carry, but also their pets and livestock. Trucks dragging trailers with horses, alpacas, and all sorts of livestock rolled by. All of them were also loaded with luggage, bags, appliances. Pets poked their heads out of car windows next to children and adults. The evacuation of Bellevue Canyon residents was in full swing.

  “Well, it sounds like this time they’ve split for good,” Kelly observed, leaning against Steve’s truck.

  “What makes you say that?” Megan asked.

  “Well, her husband—”

  “Jim. Jim Carson,” Lisa interjected between bites.

  “Husband Jim yelled at Connie to ‘shut up’ when Connie was shouting that she and he were getting back together and was accusing Andrea of getting in the way and interfering. Anyway, Jim yelled that he and Connie hadn’t been together for six months.”

  “Uh-oh,” Greg observed.

  “Not good,” Marty added.

  “Poor Connie,” Megan said, looking concerned. “What’d she say after that?”

  “She kind of lost it.”

  “Sounds like she already did.”

  “Well, she started yelling and getting even redder in the face. And she would have gone after Andrea again if Curt hadn’t grabbed her. Then she broke down in tears on Jayleen’s chest as Andrea and Jim drove off.”

  “Oh, brother. She really does need to see someone,” Lisa said, tossing the chicken bone into a trash bag.

  “Kind of sounds like she’s been deluding herself about their relationship,” Greg opined sagely, then started on another crispy piece of chicken.

  “Very astute. The doctor is in.” Kelly teased with a grin.

  Greg gave a nonchalant shrug. “I’ve been sleeping with a psych major. It’s rubbed off.”

  Lisa rolled her eyes and smiled, as Megan giggled. Marty, on the other hand, looked over at Greg with concern.

  “Is it contagious? Don’t stand too close, Megan.”

  Kelly joined her friends’ laughter as she looked over at the congested flow of traffic. “Man, I sure hope it’s easier to get up the Poudre Canyon. This is a mess.”

  “It should be. I was talking with a guy in the pizza place and he says Larimer County is taking in evacuees’ livestock and animals at the county’s new exhibition building, the Ranch,” Marty said. “So a lot of this traffic will be headed out to the interstate and south of town.”

  “You hope.” Greg glanced over. “I was talking to a couple while I was getting the chicken and they said that the Red Cross has set up a place for Bellevue Canyon evacuees in the Landport middle school gym. And that’s right back up this road.” He jerked his thumb toward the main road that ran past the fast-food plaza.

  “At least we can take the bypass around Landport this time,” Lisa suggested.

  “Man, the Red Cross is setting up a shelter. The National Guard is probably gathering in the Armory. This is starting to look like a real disaster.”

  “Don’t say it, Marty,” Megan said, squeezing her eyes shut. “I don’t even want to think it.”

  Kelly didn’t say a word, but it was clear: This was already a disaster. With their forests dry as kindling and pine bark beetles damaged, and with dead trees mixed in between the green, it was a disaster ready to happen. A strong breeze suddenly blew her hair across her face. Oh, no. The wind. That was the worst thing that could happen.

  “Uh, oh,” Marty said, glancing around. “Wind’s picking up. That’s bad news.”

  “Crap!” Greg swore, looking up.

  Kelly watched the branches of the tall cottonwoods nearby sway in the strong breeze. “Now that fire’s going to spread even faster.”

  “Oh, Lord,” Lisa said, gathering the trash bag and napkins so they didn’t blow away. “Please don’t let that fire spread to the Poudre Canyon.”

  Kelly’s gut clenched. Please, no. She looked up and saw Steve hurrying their way, a bucket of fried chicken under one arm, drinks in his other hand.

  “Hey, guys, we gotta get these animals up the Poudre now. Some guys inside told me they’d just heard on their shortwave radio that the wind has whipped up the wildfire in Bellevue Canyon worse. It’s already climbed one ridge and is roaring toward another. Not enough people to stop it, even with all the firefighters from all over northern Colorado. It’s out of control.” He handed off the drink tray to Kelly.

  “We need tanker planes to dump water,” Megan said.

  “Let’s go, hon,” Marty said, grabbing the pizza box.

  “You ready?” Greg asked Lisa as he pulled out his keys.

  “Gotta make a pit stop first,” Lisa said. “I’ll be quick.” She hurried back toward the fast-food restaurant.

  “Hey, me, too,” Megan said, following.

  Not a bad idea, Kelly thought. “Make that a threesome,” she said, and took off after her friends. She had a feeling it was going to be a long ride into Poudre Canyon.

  • • •

  Kelly glanced out the truck window up at the hazy sky. Smoke from the wildfire in Bellevue Canyon obscured the sun, blowing over from the ridges into Poudre Canyon. There was only one mountain ridge that separated the two canyons. The higher ridge provided one of the walls for the canyon the Cache La Poudre River cut through the mountain millions of years ago. Now, thick gray clouds of smoke and orange haze showed behind the south wall of Poudre Canyon.

  “I wish that wind would die down,” Kelly said, watching the tops of lodge pole pines sway. “Maybe the firefighters can get a handle on it.”

  “That’s not likely,” Steve said, steering the truck around a curve. The Poudre River rushed along beside the road. “With only one air tanker available, and the fire spreading as fast as it is, it’s gonna get worse. No doubt about it.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of. Fire spreading over the ridge into Poudre Canyon. So far, the wind’s blowing the fire in the opposite direction. But the wind shifts so fast.” She peered up into the sky behind the canyon’s tall, steep walls.

  “At least they’re going to call in the national firefighting units. With luck the Hot Shots could start arriving tomorrow night. Or Monday. We need more manpower. This wildfire has gotten too big already for us to handle.

  “And air tankers. Damn! How come we only have one on call around here?”

  Steve shrugged. “That’s all we’ve ever needed.”

  He was right, Kelly thought, staring out at the familiar and beloved scenery of Poudre Canyon, high rock walls in one place, gently climbing ridges in another. She peered at a house perched on a rocky hillside.

  The Cache La Poudre Canyon was part of the Roosevelt National Forest, and the river itself had been declared a National Wilderness River. Consequently, there weren’t as many private homes dotting this canyon compared to other mountain canyons. The few tiny communities of houses and individual homes that appeared infrequently had been built by landowners ye
ars ago and were “grandfathered in,” as was said in the West.

  “We should be seeing Andrea’s place pretty soon,” she said, scanning the right side of the road.

  “Yeah, we should. Yellow ranch house.” Steve glanced into the rearview mirror. “Everybody’s stayed together. That will help when we unload. Then we can unclog Andrea’s driveway in case others are bringing their livestock.”

  Kelly peered ahead at a structure behind trees. “That looks yellow to me.” She pointed out the truck window toward the ranch house farther ahead. “This must be it.”

  “I think you’re right,” Steve said, slowing down and flipping on his turn signal. He turned onto the dirt road that led to the ranch house up ahead.

  “There’s Andrea and Jim. And that looks like Dennis. Curt told me Dennis had brought his trailer to help out.” Kelly squinted in the dust that rose as the truck rumbled along. “Looks like they’ve off-loaded their alpacas. Can’t see the animals from here.”

  “They’re in that corral to the left of the ranch house.” Steve pointed, then turned the truck to the left as Dennis started directing him to park.

  Kelly climbed out of the truck as soon as Steve turned off the ignition. Once again they’d been sitting in backed-up traffic for half an hour until they could get onto the bypass that went around Landport and to the highway that led into Poudre Canyon. Kelly stretched her arms over her head as Steve climbed out of the truck.

  “Man, my tailbone is sore from sitting in the truck so long,” she complained as Lisa and Greg pulled into a space beside the corral fence. Megan and Marty were right behind.

  Now that she was closer and had a better view, Kelly was able to spot a few of Jayleen’s alpacas. They clustered together, as alpacas are wont to do, finding solace and protection in their nearness to one another. Their big eyes were even larger than usual, and they were obviously confused about their hasty and rough ride to a strange place. And they were not alone. At the other end of the pasture a larger group of alpacas gathered, watching the newcomers. Andrea’s herd, no doubt, Kelly observed.

  Andrea Holt strode over to Steve and Kelly. “Hey, guys, you’ve been great to do this,” she said with a wide smile. “You can use that gate over here. That way they’ll get right in with their buddies.”

  “You got it,” Steve said, then beckoned Kelly. “You stay with the trailer while I get them into the corral. The less people jostling them, the better. These guys have been through a lot already.”

  “You’ve got that right,” Andrea said, hands on hips, surveying the corral. “They’ll calm down pretty soon, I hope. All that smoke and confusion and fear. Animals can smell fear.” Then she turned and strode over to where Dennis was directing Marty where to park.

  Greg and Lisa were already out of the truck. Kelly walked around to the back of the trailer where Steve was unlocking the back gate.

  “How’d that fried chicken hold out?” she called to Lisa.

  “Greg finished it all,” Lisa replied.

  “Hey, tell the truth. You ate a third of it,” Greg protested as he stretched his back. “Man, you’re gonna have to give me a back rub when we get home.”

  “Yeah, then you give me one.”

  Kelly held the back gate open as Steve brought one alpaca slowly down the trailer ramp. She waved to Marty and Megan farther down the driveway. They, like their friends, were stretching, clearly tired of sitting for long hours, especially bouncing over rough roads while hauling a trailer filled with animals. She looked over her shoulder. Dennis Holt stood near the corral gate, obviously waiting for Steve and the others to bring the alpacas they had hauled.

  Glancing around, she spotted Jim Carson standing beside the corral fence closer to the ranch house. He looked kind of lost, Kelly thought, and had the distinct feeling that all this ranching activity was new to him. Clearly he was waiting for directions from Andrea so he’d know what to do. A fish out of water up here in the canyon. Ranching of any kind in the West demanded special skills and a definite hardiness. Only the tough survived in Colorado’s ranching community, whether it was cattle, sheep, or alpacas.

  Andrea walked over to Greg and Lisa and spoke with them, probably giving them the same instructions she’d given to Steve, Kelly surmised. Greg and Lisa walked around to the back of the trailer, as Andrea walked over to Megan and Marty.

  Kelly glanced up at the sky. Still lots of daylight left even though it was nearly six o’clock at night. Another gust of wind blew Kelly’s hair across her face, causing that fearful clutch in her gut again. Wind-whipped wildfires were their worst nightmare.

  Steve came to retrieve the second alpaca in their trailer, and Kelly watched her friends go through the same routine of off-loading alpacas. The herd in this section of corral was starting to grow.

  Kelly watched the animals react each time an alpaca was set loose in the corral; all the others gathered around it, sniffing, looking, nudging each newcomer. It was as if they were checking to make sure the newcomer was still the same member of the herd they remembered. One of the family.

  Dennis came out of the barn, dragging a big bag of feed with a rope. Andrea rushed up to him and held the corral gate open so he could drag it into the corral. The alpacas watched with huge eyes, clearly encouraged that dinner was being served.

  From the corner of her eye, Kelly noticed Jim Carson approach the periphery of the corral gate. Kelly sensed he wanted to help out but didn’t know what to do. Dennis was clearly the more experienced and capable former spouse. She wasn’t sure, but Kelly thought she spotted a scowl on Jim’s face as he watched the activity.

  “Okay, you can close it up and snap the lock,” Steve said. “I’ll get this one into the corral then see what else Andrea needs.”

  “I wouldn’t make the offer if I were you,” Kelly advised, nodding her head toward Andrea, Dennis, and Jim. “It looks like Andrea has already got two guys at her beck and call.”

  Steve glanced over to the threesome. Dennis was holding open the gate for Marty to bring an alpaca into the corral. “Yeah, Dennis said he and Andrea had divorced about three years ago. Curt told me on the side that Dennis drank too much years ago, that’s why he and Andrea split up. But Jayleen got him to join her AA group and he’s been sober ever since.”

  “Wow, this soap opera is starting to sound like one of those on television. There’s an ex-husband who clearly wants to get back with his wife—”

  “How do you know? Did he say that?”

  Kelly smiled at her boyfriend. “I can just tell.”

  Steve laughed softly. “Well, he’s got competition now. And I can tell that the other guy, Jim, is getting kind of steamed that Dennis is being super helpful.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Kelly nodded, watching Jim approach Andrea as Greg brought another alpaca into the corral. Then she noticed movement along the driveway to Andrea’s ranch. A car was approaching, not a truck. A smaller black car. Kelly thought she recognized it . . . Oh, no. Connie.

  “Good Lord, that’s Connie coming.” Kelly pointed.

  “You’re kidding!” Steve stared down the road. “Damn, you’re right. Let me get this alpaca into the corral in case I have to play Curt’s role.” He beckoned the caramel-candy-colored alpaca forward toward the corral.

  Kelly quickly closed the back gate and snapped the lock, then headed straight for Megan and Lisa. They, too, had noticed someone else arriving. “Hey, guys,” Kelly said as she hurried over to them. “That’s Connie coming.” She pointed.

  “Oh, no!” Megan looked shocked. “That’s definitely not good, considering what you told us.”

  “Oh, brother,” Lisa said, frowning. “She definitely doesn’t want to let this go.”

  “We’re gonna have to make sure she doesn’t start another scene like before,” Kelly said, glancing toward Andrea, Dennis, and Jim. Apparently they had recognized the small black car, too.
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  Connie pulled her car beside Marty’s blue pickup, then she lifted a box from the back seat and started walking their way.

  “Hey, maybe she’s just here to bring some of Jayleen’s things and that’s all,” Megan observed.

  “Let’s hope,” Lisa said, walking toward the approaching Connie.

  Kelly joined her and pasted a big smile on her face as they walked up to Connie, who was not smiling. “Hey, thanks for bringing more of Jayleen’s things, Connie. I can take them into the house for you,” Kelly said, hoping to divert Connie from Andrea.

  “That reminds me. We’ve got a bunch of boxes in our truck,” Megan said cheerfully. “Why don’t you grab one of those, Kelly, then we all three can take them inside the house.”

  Great idea, Kelly thought, and was about to add something when Andrea walked up to them. “You can just put them beside the steps. I’ll take them inside later. There are a lot of steps to climb.”

  “Fine!” Connie growled, then stalked over toward the house.

  “Go on, you guys,” Andrea directed Kelly and her friends. “Bring the boxes from your trucks. The sooner we get everybody out of here, the better.” She jerked her head in Connie’s direction.

  “You got it,” Kelly said, then accompanied her friends to their trucks as they all loaded as many boxes as they could carry. As they walked back toward the house, Kelly noticed Jim talking and gesturing to Andrea. Dennis was approaching them on the left.

  Kelly deliberately dropped back a few paces behind her friends to watch the intense conversation going on. Then, from the corner of her eye, Kelly spotted Connie approaching the threesome from the right, stalking toward them like she had at Jayleen’s earlier that afternoon.

  Oh, brother. Sure enough, Connie started cursing at Andrea all over again, gesturing and getting in Andrea’s face. Kelly dropped both boxes and started toward the foursome. Dennis had his arm in between Andrea and Connie, trying to calm both women. Jim, on the other hand, was yelling at the top of his voice. Chaos in a ranch yard all over again.

  “What are you doing over here?” Connie wailed, tears coming close, face beet red. “You belong at home with me!”