Delivering His Gifts (Mountain Men of Liberty #10)- K.C. Crowne Page 0,63

And where would they go once they were born?

Skyler had followed me into this room and said, “I like the other room better. This could be the baby’s room.”

“Sky, we aren’t staying here that long,” I laughed.

“How much longer until the baby gets here?” she asked, her impatience charming.

“Months from now, honey. We’ll be home way before then.”

“And where will the baby sleep at home?”

“Good question.”

Our home was nice, though it never could compare to her dad’s. We had plenty of space for the two of us, but I had to admit that adding a baby would make things tough. It was only a two-bedroom house.

But no matter what, I would figure it out.

If I could pay off Jim.

Thinking of Jim, a knot formed in my belly. With everything going on, I hadn’t had much time to contact the insurance company. Last Mason had talked to them, they said the check would be sent out within a few weeks. That was a few weeks ago.

“I’m going to call Mason really quick, honey,” I said, stepping back into the hallway. Skyler went back to the pink room, and I heard her talking to the Peach doll.

I reached for my cell phone and called Mason. He answered on the first ring. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything’s fine. I just wanted to ask if you could check the mail for me? I hope to get the insurance check any day now,” I said.

“Yeah, I can do that. We’re just walking up to the house now,” he said. There was a muffled sound, and I heard him talking to Eli, “You can start on the outside. There are cameras all over the front and sides of the house. I know you can find them.”

“Sorry,” he said, coming back on the line. “I’m checking now. No, it looks like just an electric bill and some junk.”

My heart dropped. “Damn.”

“You know I can help you, Danielle.”

“The check will come,” I said. “Thanks for checking.”

There was a muffled sound, and then a loud crunch.

“Mason?” He didn’t answer, so I spoke even louder. “Mason? What’s going on?”

My heart raced as I waited. No answer. But I could hear sounds in the background.

Voices. Eli and Mason were screaming, but I couldn’t understand them.

“Mason!” I screamed into the phone, feeling my knees go weak. “What’s going on? Mason!”

He still wasn’t answering me. I heard the words that made my blood run cold. “We have to put the fire out,” one of them said.

“Get the animals out now!”

Fire.

There was a fire at our house.

I managed to pull myself together and make it down the stairs, holding firmly on to the railing so I didn’t slip. Graham and Sam were standing where I’d left them, near the front door.

“What’s wrong?” One of the twins rushed up to meet me on the stairs

My face must have given it away.

“Fire. There’s a fire,” I said, my voice barely working at this point. “They need help.”

“Call 9-1-1,” the man still at the doorway said. “I’m heading over to help.”

My knees finally gave out and I sat down on the steps, feeling dizzy from all the thoughts swirling through my head.

“I’ll go with you,” I said.

“No, you can’t. You need to protect the baby,” the brother with me said, sitting down beside me. He was already dialing 9-1-1.

“Stay with Graham. I’ve got this,” Sam said.

I wanted to fight, felt like I needed to be there. I couldn’t let anything happen to Mason. Oh God, if I lost Mason now…my heart felt like it stopped and there was a dark hole in my chest. I couldn’t breathe for a second.

“But Mason…”

Sam was already gone, so Graham responded. “Mason will be just fine, don’t you worry.”

“He has to be,” I said, speaking softly. My cheeks were soaked with tears, though I didn’t recall crying. I wiped them away, and still more fell. “Mason has to be okay.”

Mason

“Fire!” Eli’s voice cut right to my soul. I dropped the phone without even realizing it and rushed toward the back of the house, where Eli was calling me from.

“Open the doors! We need to get the animals out,” I yelled.

Out of the corner of my eye, something moved. I turned and saw a man running toward the woods.

“There’s someone heading toward the woods!”

Eli was already at the back door. I counted the animals, happy that Skyler had given me the grand tour. All the cats and the dogs rushed out of the burning house. We’d have to find them later, but there