Samantha screamed. The scene was pure chaos as Doc rushed forward to provide care to Bobby, who only moments ago was on fire. Were it not for his quick actions, he would now be engulfed in flames.

Bowie rushed over and told Katie to pack up Sahara and go to Ben and Maisey’s. Sage went straight into nurse mode. Samantha stood out of the way and knew this was all her fault. Dave Belton’s words would haunt her for the rest of her life. “Stay here, and I’ll make sure everything you have goes up in flames.”

Doc asked Sage to call for an ambulance. He stood up and looked through the fog of black smoke. His hand went to his chest, and he hit the floor like a felled tree. Samantha raced over to help. She and Sage pulled Doc across the street. When he came to, he wasn’t the same cantankerous old man she knew him to be. He was pale and quiet, and his breath wheezed from his chest.

Dalton carried Bobby Williams across the street and laid him down. “Call Louise and tell her he’s hurt.”

“I’ll be okay,” Bobby said. “Louise needs to be with the kids. I don’t want her anywhere near this.” Samantha recognized the man as the guy in the diner with the pregnant wife and seven children. Her heart broke. Holes burned through his jeans to show blistering and charred skin.

A loud crash drew their attention. The roof of Samantha’s cabin gave way, collapsing into the house. Hot embers floated through the air.

“Go to my place and get as much ice and cold water as you can. There are baggies in the pantry. We need to stop the heat,” Sage said.

Samantha took off like a sprinter toward the bed and breakfast. Because Sage often had guests, she was stocked with bags of ice. Samantha made quick work of gathering supplies and carried half her body weight in ice back to Sage.

“Get Doc to drink some water.” Sage filled bags with ice and water and laid the cold packs on Bobby’s legs.

Five minutes later, a hysterical Louise arrived. She dropped to her knees in front of her husband. “Don’t you leave me, Bobby Williams. I can’t raise eight kids by myself.”

He raised a burned hand to her cheek. “Louise, I’m not going anywhere. We still have babies to make.” The shrill of the sirens broke through the noise of the fire. Who would have thought a blaze could be so loud? It was almost deafening.

When the paramedics arrived, they praised Sage for her quick thinking by placing the ice packs on Bobby’s burns and keeping Doc calm and quiet. He had a reputation for being a fighter, so to see him in such a sorry state shocked everyone.

Forty minutes later, two fire engines from Copper Creek came to put out what the volunteer force couldn’t with their limited equipment.

Samantha couldn’t believe that the town of Aspen Cove didn’t have its own fire department. Then again, Aspen Cove didn’t have much.

The sun was rising when the last of the volunteers left. Cannon opened the bar for drinks, and Dalton told everyone he’d cook them breakfast if they gave him an hour.

Samantha sat across the street and looked at the utter devastation. Even Abby’s bees had suffered. The ones that couldn’t escape were devoured by the flames.

Her cabin had been reduced to a pile of smoke and ashes. Dalton’s place stood, but the charred siding was sooty and black.

Sheriff Cooper took off, lights flashing and sirens wailing. She overheard Mark Bancroft tell everyone the arson case in Copper Creek had been solved. Turns out it wasn’t arson after all. The house around the lake had burned down because of faulty wiring. Only Samantha’s house was burned to the ground on purpose.

Dave Belton was caught racing out of town with enough accelerant to burn down the state of Colorado. He was always a man of his word. He’d made sure that she had only one option left, and that was to leave.

“Sweetheart?”

“I’m okay.” She looked at what was left of her cabin. Among the ashes stood the fireplace. How funny that Dalton had accused her of trying to burn down the house, and it burned down anyway.

“I’m sure your insurance will rebuild the cabin. It will be better than before.” Dalton squatted in front of her. His face was covered in soot and grime, but he was as sexy as ever. “It will turn out okay. It’s all over.”

He was right. It was over, but it would never be okay. She had to leave before another person suffered because of her. The problem was, Dalton would never let her go. He didn’t blame her, despite the news of Dave’s setting the fire spreading faster than the flames themselves. She blamed herself.

“This is all my fault.”

“No. It’s not. You didn’t light the match, he did.”

“I lit the match by pissing him off. I turned an ember into a blaze. You were right, I should have pressed charges. Had I done that, Bobby and Doc wouldn’t be hurt. Bobby has seven kids and one on the way. I could have orphaned them all.” Tears raced down her cheeks.

Dalton pulled her to standing and wrapped his strong arms around her. He smelled so good, like pine trees and pure man.

“Bobby will be fine. His burns will heal. Louise will take care of him. Doc has smoke inhalation. Some burning in his lungs. He’s too ornery to stay down long. I’m worried about you. You look exhausted. Let’s get you home and to bed.”

She breathed him in, trying to save the smell and feel of him into her memory. There was only one thing left to do, and that was to leave. She’d make sure Aspen Cove and its people were cared for. When she first arrived, Katie told her that Aspen Cove took care of its own. Part of taking care of the ones you loved was protecting them. She was a liability.

Dave would no longer be a threat, but what about the next crazy person like Todd, or an overzealous paparazzo who would do anything to get the next sale-worthy photo? She couldn’t risk it. She couldn’t risk them.

“I am tired.” Exhausted didn’t begin to describe how she felt. She was devastated and hollowed out. Conflicted about what she wanted and what was best. Her heart told her to go to the diner and help Dalton serve the men who helped save the neighborhood. Without them, Samantha’s house wouldn’t have been the only one to burn. It would have spread down the line to Dalton’s, Katie’s, and Sage’s. She owed them. Her payment would be her absence. She’d set up a fund to pay for Bobby’s and Doc’s medical bills. She’d make sure the town had the equipment they needed even if she had to build a firehouse. She’d ensure any lost wages were replaced. It was the least she could do. It was the easy thing to do. The hardest thing would be kissing Dalton goodbye and knowing it was for forever.

While Dalton took a shower, she gathered the few belongings she had and raced to the bed when she heard the shower turn off. Dalton appeared with droplets of water running down his chest and a towel tied around his waist. All she wanted to do was pull him into bed and ask him to hold her, but that would make it harder to leave, so she closed her eyes when he entered the room and pretended she was asleep. After he dressed, he kissed her and said, “I love you.”

She fought the urge to respond. The minute the front door closed, she jumped from the bed, called a car service in Copper Creek, and arranged for transportation.

An hour later, Samantha slipped out of Dalton’s cabin and into a black town car. She made a quick stop at the bakery to tack her wishes onto the board. Only one was for her, the rest were for those she cared about.

She wished for Doc’s quick recovery.

That Bobby Williams would be home soon with his family.

For Sage and Cannon to have the perfect wedding.

That Katie would have the boy she dreamed of having.

For Lydia to find a job.

That Cannon and Bowie would be there for Dalton.

And that Dalton would forgive her for everything.

Finally, it looked like luck was on her side because only Ben was present when she tacked the notes to the board. She bought a muffin for her driver. It was Thursday, and the poppy seed muffins couldn’t be ignored. When she climbed into the back of the car, she curled into a tight ball and cried for the entire three-hour drive to Denver.