Chapter 10

The next few days passed by quickly. Kelly worked herself hard around the barn, while she continued to avoid Mark's phone calls. She was a little surprised that he hadn't given up on her yet, but she knew from past experience how persistent he could be.

George watched her carefully, his concerns about her health growing. He could tell that she was working herself too hard and he couldn't help but notice how sick and tired she looked. Approaching her one afternoon, while she was working in her office, he was determined to convince her to take a few days off. Kelly looked up at him and smiled when she saw him standing in her doorway and George noticed the dark circles under her eyes and he knew right then that something was wrong with her.

"You been feelin' alright, Miss Kelly?" he asked her, his voice full of concern.

"I'm fine George. Why do you ask?" she replied, looking at him in confusion.

"Well, you just haven't seemed yourself lately and I was worried that maybe something was botherin' you? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. I've just been real busy trying to keep everything running smoothly around here." she replied, as she turned her attention back to her paperwork.

"Uh, well, that's somethin' else I wanted to talk to you about." he continued. "I think you've been tryin' to do too much around here and I think you should take a few days off to rest up."

Kelly looked up at him again and George braced himself for the argument that he knew was coming.

"George really I'm fine." she replied. "I don't need to take any time off and besides you couldn't handle this place by yourself while I'm gone anyway. Who would teach the lessons and take care of the paperwork?"

"Surely you could get by for a couple of days without doin' any of that stuff." he argued.

"I don't need a vacation George. I'll be fine."

"Look darlin', you know that I never argue with you over anything you do with your business…."

"Damn it George! I said I'm fine!" she answered, cutting him off, the familiarity of his endearment causing her heart to lurch. "I'm not going to take a vacation and that's all I want to hear about it! Now please leave me alone so I can finish this paperwork!"

George stared at her for a moment longer before he turned and walked away. Once Kelly knew he was gone, she looked up at the empty doorway again. Standing up, she walked to the mirror hanging on her wall and stared at her reflection. As much as she hated to admit it, George was right. She did look terrible. She'd been working herself to death in order to keep her mind off of Mark but it wasn't working. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't push the thoughts of him from her mind and that made her push herself that much harder to keep them away. The truth was, she was completely exhausted and she didn't know how much longer she could keep going this way. If she didn't take a break soon, she was sure she would collapse from the strain.

Turning away from the mirror, she walked back to her desk and took her seat. If she did slow down, it wouldn't be today. She had too many things that needed to be done.

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By that evening, Kelly was completely wiped out. It had been another long, hard day and it wasn't over yet. She left her office and walked out into the barn, searching for George and found him outside working on a fence. She smiled hesitantly as she approached him, feeling bad for the way she had yelled at him earlier. He was only looking out for her, after all. She knew she was lucky to have somebody like him to help her out. She didn't know what she would do without him.

"Hey George." she said softly, when she approached him. "I need to ride into town and pick up some feed for the horses. You want to go with me and grab a bite to eat while we're out? My treat!"

George smiled as he turned toward her. "Yes ma'am. I believe I will. Come to think about it, I am gettin' pretty hungry. Let me clean up a little bit and I'll be ready to go."

Kelly nodded and headed for her truck. They made it into town and stopped to load the feed into her truck before heading over to the restaurant to eat. By the time they had finished their meal and started back toward the stables it was nearly dark and as Kelly drove down the highway, she thought about how much she was looking forward to a good nights sleep. She was so tired, she wasn't sure if she would make it home without falling asleep. She thought again about what George had said to her earlier that day and she knew he was right. If she didn't take some time off soon, she was going to run herself into the ground.

As she got closer to the barn, she began to notice a strange smell breezing into the cab of the truck through the open windows.

"What's that smell, George?" she asked, when she noticed it getting stronger.

"Smells like smoke. Somebody must be burnin' some brush somewhere." he replied.

"Must be." Kelly replied, turning her attention back to the highway.

As they approached the stables, Kelly looked toward the general direction of the barn and her heart nearly stopped when she saw the bright light surrounding it.

"Oh my God! George the barn is on fire!" she shrieked.

Stepping on the gas, she quickly pulled onto the gravel road leading up to the stables. She stopped the truck in front of the barn and stared at the bright flames, which had already traveled up the sides of the barn and were now moving to the roof. Sitting there, she was completely frozen in place for what seemed like an eternity before she realized the horses were still trapped inside. Grabbing her cell phone, she threw it at George.

"Call the fire department!" she yelled at him as she jumped out of her truck.

"Wait!" George replied. "Where are you going?"

"I have to get the horses out!" Kelly yelled back, as she rushed toward the barn.

"You can't go in there! Kelly!" George yelled, as he tried to pull himself from her truck. But his old age made it impossible for him to move fast enough to catch her and he could only watch in horror as she disappeared inside the burning structure.

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Mark drove down the highway, headed for Kelly's barn. He'd already been to her apartment, only to find that she wasn't home yet and he knew there was only one other place her would find her. And when he got there, he wasn't going to leave until he finally got her to listen to him.

As he approached the road leading toward the stables, he panicked when he saw the flames shooting up into the sky.

Kelly!, he thought, fearful that she might be trapped inside.

He quickly raced down the gravel road, sliding to a stop next to George. He jumped from the truck in one quick movement, nearly knocking George over in the process.

"Where's Kelly?" he asked, grabbing George by the shoulders and turning him around.

"She's in the barn!" he replied, pointing in the direction that she had disappeared.

Mark barely let the words escape his mouth before he rushed toward the barn.

Kelly struggled to breathe as she tried to get to the last of the horses. The heat was unbearable and the thick smoke made it nearly impossible to see. She covered her nose with her shirt, trying to keep from breathing it in. When she finally reached the remaining stalls, she managed to unlock their doors and let them out. They bolted toward the back entrance of the barn, somehow managing to dodge the flames on the way. Satisfied that the barn was finally empty, Kelly tried to follow the path they had taken, but the thick smoke and the bright flames disoriented her. She stood in place and looked around her, as she tried to regain her bearings. Looking up, she noticed that all the walls and the entire roof were all fully engulfed in flames and she knew it was only a matter of time before the entire barn caved in on her. She had to get out of there and fast.

Looking around her again, she finally decided on which direction to take. But the smoke was making it very difficult for her to breathe and when combined with the intense heat, it was too much for her already exhausted body to take. Her head began to swim and she felt her legs give way as she tried to move. She collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath as she began to crawl toward the exit. Glancing around, she could see that the flames were closing in on her and she realized if she didn't get out of there soon, she was going to die. She tried unsuccessfully to pull herself back to her feet, before a noise somewhere behind her caught her attention. She strained to hear over the roar of the fire, almost positive that she had heard someone call her name. Shaking it off, she realized it was probably just her mind playing tricks on her. She tried to crawl toward the exit once more, stopping when she heard the noise again. This time, she was sure that someone was calling for her. But who could it be? Surely George wouldn't have been crazy enough to follow her into a burning barn. Hoping that maybe it was somebody who could help her she began to yell.

"Help! Over here!" she cried, with as much force as she could muster, sitting upright when she heard the voice call to her again.

That sounds like Mark! But why would he be here?, Kelly thought to herself, as she tried to determine which direction the sound had come from.

"Kelly! Where are you?"

That is Mark! she thought to herself in surprise, her vision beginning to blur.

"Mark! Over here!" she yelled, trying again to get to her feet.

But the heat and the smoke were too much for her, and she collapsed onto the ground once more, hearing Mark call her name one last time before the darkness closed in on her.