Southern Secrets (Southern #7) - Natasha Madison Page 0,7

guys, we secure and make sure all entries to the barn are blocked off. The sweat drips from me as we get closer and closer to the burning barn, trying to close off as close as we can to make sure everyone stays safe.

The sound of the firemen yelling makes us look back over at the barn. We see the firemen running away from the barn, and the sound of crackling fills the silence as the rest of the barn falls to the ground. The rush of heat we feel has us holding up our arms to block our face.

We stand here in stunned silence. In a matter of hours, what is left is a pile of debris with the flames still going.

The sun goes down, and the only things that light up the barn are the lights from the two fire trucks. Jacob has us all bring our vehicles to the barn and shine our headlights in order to help.

"There is food over there. You guys should eat something," Jacob says, coming to Ethan and me with two water bottles in his hands.

"Thank you." I open the bottle and gulp down the cold water.

"The fire chief came to talk to me," Jacob says, his voice going lower so he’s not overheard.

I stop drinking when I see him look at me, and then his eyes go down. Something about his look makes the water I just drank work its way back up. "What is it?" The fear that this fire was my fault has been playing in my head over and over again. How the fuck was I going to pay to replace the whole barn? How the fuck would I be able to look into anyone’s eyes, knowing I destroyed their barn? How the fuck would I be able to forgive myself? The shock and numbness take over now, and I feel hollow inside.

“He can’t confirm it for sure,” Jacob says, my head falling as I wait for him to accuse me. But instead, the words that come out of his mouth shock me even more. “But he did say that it looks like arson.”

Chapter 4

Amelia

Looking out the window, I see the black smoke starting to thin out. "You okay?" I hear from beside me and look over at Chelsea.

"Not really," I say honestly as she pushes me over with her hip to wash her hands. We’ve been at my grandmother's house ever since we walked away from the fire. "How are you doing?" I ask, and she looks down at her hands.

"I thought cooking and baking would make me feel better." She turns the water off and grabs a dish cloth to dry her hands. She looks out the same window I was just looking out. "It’s not."

"Has anyone texted you?" I ask, and she grabs the phone from her pocket as she checks it. "No, nothing." I look around the kitchen at my grandmother, who hasn’t stopped cooking since this happened even though my mother and aunt have been trying to force her to sit down.

I look back outside. "I need some air," I say, and she takes a step to follow me. "Go sit down. You haven’t eaten anything today.”

She glares at me. "I can sit outside," she says, and I’m about to argue with her when my grandmother calls her over.

I take the opportunity while she’s busy to slip outside. The sun is slowly setting, and the smell of fire is still in the air. I sit down on the top step and look up at the gray sky. My eyes fixate on the smoke, and I don’t hear the footsteps until someone sits beside me.

"Hey, sweetheart." I look over to see my grandfather put his arms around my shoulders and pull me to him, kissing my temple. He lets out a big deep breath. "What are you doing outside?"

"Is the fire under control?" I ask. His whole face looks tired and his eyes worried.

"Last I heard," he says. "Just about."

I put my head on his shoulder just like I used to do when I was a little girl. Heck, I still do it. "Don’t worry, Grandpa. We’ll build it back even better."

He chuckles a little. "Oh, if I know my kids, it’ll be brand new in a week with all these new gadgets."

It’s my turn to laugh. My grandparents have lived on this farm their whole life and my great-grandparents before them. Then my uncle Casey came in and brought in technology. Let’s just