Ella led the way down the hill, Terry right on her bumper. By then, grey wisps of ash floated on the air and the smell of smoke made them gasp in quick, shallow beats. Ella increased her speed, putting distance between them and the fire. They reached a road that branched off to the right and took it.

Amy refused to lie down in the back seat. Instead, she sat upright, constantly sniffing the wind and whining. She sneezed several times, then coughed. The poor air quality made breathing uncomfortable but before long, they'd cleared the area and the smoke dissipated. Still the dog would not relax.

Ella pulled into an almost empty gas station and parked. The SUV pulled up right beside her and Terry hopped out of the van.

"I'm going in there and see where we are and what's going on with the fire. Call Jim, find out their location and then come inside and we'll see if anyone in there knows the area well. We need some supplies. The guys haven't eaten in hours and those kids ... I shudder to think."

Terry hurried into the little store and picked up two six-packs of bottled water. She walked over to the cooler cases, picked up half a dozen ham and cheese sandwiches and glanced around for the cash register.

The lone man standing behind the counter watched fire coverage on the TV, shaking his head from time-to-time and muttering.

He glanced at her and smiled, expression a mix of admiration and concern.

"You need help, lady ... looking for a boat rental?"

Terry's jaw went slack. "You have boats?"

He shrugged, nodding. "Sure. For fishing on the lake ... and you're lost, right?"

"Yes, sir, I sure am. We're trying to hook up with our friends. They're hiking along the trail next to the lake now, and with this fire, we're scared to death." Tears filled her eyes, she sniffed once and began to cry.

"Oh, no, no, don't ya go doing that." The man shook his head, hands extended. "Can I help you? What's wrong?" He pushed a box of tissues toward Terry, nodding.

Just then, Ella burst in the door, Amy pasted to her thigh.

"Holy shit," he said as he saw her face. He turned from Terry to Ella. "What the...?"

She held up both hands, halting further comment. "Twins. Listen, my fiance is coming down the trail, but we don't know exactly where. It's their first time hiking here. Can you talk to him, figure out where he is, how we can find him?" Ella thrust the cell at the man, nodding.

"Jim. His name is Jim."

"Travis here. Tell me where...."

The girls stood like pillars, holding their breath, while the man continued to nod.

"Okay, that's cool. I have a pretty good idea where ya are. Best thing to do is pick a waterside clearing. Get as close to the lake as possible in an open area so your ladies can see you. I'd come for you guys myself, but I've got a family I gotta see to. I'll send them looking for you in a boat. You can't be more than five miles away. They'll find you."

He snapped the cell closed and handed it to Ella. "Follow me, ladies, gotta fly."

They hurried down a fairly steep path to the lake. A long dock protruded into the water and a dozen or so outboard motorboats bobbed gently, rocking together in the shallow water.

"We need the biggest ones you have. We're searching for two missing girls, and the guys have two more dogs like this one."

"They're all the same, flat bottomed, aluminum fourteen footers, seats six. Two should fill the bill. They're simple outboards, lookee-here." He gave them the condensed version, glanced into the sky again and shook his head.

"They got my name and number on 'em. When the fire is over, give me a call, we'll meet up. Good luck."

He waved, then turned and hurried up the path. Moments later, a black truck roared out of the parking lot above them and sped down the road.

"I'll go first. Follow a little ways back so you can talk on the cell and get Lenny to listen for the motor, okay? I'm going to start hollering as well. They'll hear something. The dogs will, even if the guys don't."

Terry nodded, allowing Ella to take a fair lead, then dialed her cell.

"Lenny. Hey, we're in little motorboats and we're hoping you can hear us. Ella is ahead of me, shouting for Jim. When you hear her, let me know, 'cause we're moving right along now."

The smell of smoke increased as the women motored up the lake, staying as close to the edge as possible. The last rays of afternoon sun, obscured by the thick smoke, shed gray, hazy light.

They came toward a cove, hoping to see the guys standing on the shore, waving. Instead, as they made a turn and pulled out farther into the lake to avoid huge, overhanging trees, the next sight stopped their hearts.

A couple of miles ahead a solid wall of fire danced on the floor of the forest, undulating in the intense heat then swaying in the treetops like hula dancers, mesmerizing, alluring, and deadly.

Thanks to the hard winds and the never ending supply of fuel, the fires grew.

Flaming chunks of wood shot into the air like some macabre form of fireworks, landed on the other side of the stream, and promptly gave birth to a new fire. Had it not been so frightening, it might be fascinating to watch. As it was, panic ensued in the eyes of the observers.

In moments, the infant fires grew as the hot winds fanned the advancing flames. Competition provided an added starter as fire engulfed the top of the lake on both sides and raced toward them, neck and neck.

"San'tanas," Terry murmured, black eyes glittering with fear.

"Jim! Tony!" Ella's screech ripped the air to shreds as she screamed over and over. "Lenny!"

Amy raised her muzzle and howled at the top of her lungs, then stopped, ears up, head cocked, listening.


Beth turned to Audrey and grabbed her arm. "Did you hear that? Is that a woman yelling?"

They ran to the water's edge, waving their arms.

"Here!" They screamed, shrill voices echoing across the face of the lake. "We're over here."

The girls stepped into the water, still calling and waving, just in time to see a boat go by. They shouted even louder, Amy barked and Ella cut her engine.

Terry did a bit of fancy maneuvering, slowing to a crawl as she neared Ella.

"That's got to be our girls. All of you start yelling and I'll call Lenny and see what he can hear. Back soon."

Terry continued up the lake alone, talking on the cell with Lenny.

"I hear ya, honey, you're close. Slow down ... Terry. Whoa, girl, you just passed us. Here we are." He stepped into the lake, waving his arms.

Terry reversed, then grinned wide as she cut the motor, bumping against the bank of the shallow water. She relinquished the wheel to Lenny and moved into the next seat, as Jim and the dogs jumped into the back.

"Holy God," she said, nodding in the direction of the fire. "What a freakin' nightmare." She hugged Lenny again and grinned.

"Oh, but we have good news. You guys won't believe it, but we found the girls. They're just down the lake a ways and Ella is helping them into her boat, I guess ... yep, there they are."

Lenny headed back down the lake, soon spotting Ella and the girls waiting in the other boat.

"You gals okay?" Jim called, giving Ella a grin, a thumb and a relieved expression. "You had us scared to death. You're oaky, right?"

The boats bumped together, lightly bobbing on the placid water.

"We're fine now," Beth said. "You know who we are, huh?"

"Actually, your parents hired us to find you, Beth; we're PI's. We've been on the hunt since you were kidnapped." He turned to the other girl and smiled.

"And you must be Audrey Simms." He handed her his cell. "According to your parents, you're the bravest girl alive. I bet you'd like to talk with them. They're frantic."

She dialed, eyes already brimming. "Mom? It's ... yes, it's me. Oh, Mom! We're fine. We've been rescued...."

Beth spoke with her parents as well. "Oh, Daddy, it's so good...." Tears dripped from her eyes as she spoke, her voice coming in little gaspy breaths.

"No, I'm okay, he didn't...." She continued to nod and the tears lessened as her parents reassured her that everything was okay.

Although Beth continued to cry, it was more of a cooing sound now, low, secure in the sound of her mother's voice.

"Yes, we're on Loveland Lake, in little fishing boats. One of the ladies who rescued us is talking to the police now. I'm sure they'll call you in a little bit. We'll be home soon. And Mom, please call Molly. Tell her I'm okay. And tell her I'm sorry."

* * *

The early evening winds picked up, adding more force and fanning the flaming inferno. Hours ago, it had consumed Sam's barn and burned the little mall to the ground. After the fire reached the creek and hopped over, it began to burn the other side of the forest as well, consuming prime fuel.

Sparks and embers flew through the air, wavered, then fell and caught, igniting new areas. Soon the forest on both sides of the channel blazed and for five miles, from the beginning of the creek to the mouth of the lake, fire burned clear to the water's edge. With nowhere to go but straight, it roared down the hill, consuming everything in sight.

Three thousand acres burned with no containment in sight.