"Fire in the stables!" the voice called out again.

Alex felt his blood run cold. He turned to Miranda who looked back at him with wide eyes.

"Noah," she whispered, as if she had just read his thoughts.

Without another word, Alex took off around the side of the house, the smell of smoke already beginning to permeate the air. He could hear Miranda's footsteps right behind him. As they came around the last corner, Alex gasped at the sight. The entire roof of the stable was almost engrossed in flames. A line of various servants could be seen carrying buckets of water. But it was obvious there was little they could do for the building, it was now just trying to prevent the fire from spreading.

Seeing Mr. Benson, not far off barking orders, Alex immediately ran over to him. "Are the horses out? Did you get the horses?" he asked frantically.

Mr. Benson took a handkerchief and dabbed at his forehead that was covered in perspiration. "I'm sorry my lord, but once we realized that the fire had started, it was too far gone to get into the building. I'll of course reimburse you-"

But Alex was no longer listening. Running towards the stable, he tried to see if there was still any way inside. He couldn't leave Noah to his death, not when he was the last connection he had to his father. Just as he began to feel the heat of the flames on his skin, several stable hands pushed him back.

"Stand back Sire!" they shouted over the noise of the blaze. "We're barely keeping it under control as it is." But just as Alex was ready to push them aside and rush in, several hands grabbed him around the shoulders and arms.

"Let him go, if he wants to risk his life for the animal, so be it."

Barely registering that it was Harrison who had spoken, Alex strained against their hold, but he was unable to break free. His heart lurched as he listened to the shrill neighs and hoofs beating against locked stable doors.

"He can always get another horse," Mr. Benson said, maintaining his hold.

Alex could only shake his head, for he knew they would never understand. Noah had been the one thing that carried Alex through the last five years of his grief. Riding Noah was almost like being with his father again. He wasn't ready to let him go.

Hanging his head in defeat, Alex couldn't bear to watch anymore. He couldn't sit there and watch as the last living memory of his father slowly died.

"Miss Edwards!" multiple voices shouted in unison.

Snapping his head back up, Alex watched in horror as Miranda ran toward the burning building. "Miranda, no!" he called out to her, but it was too late, she had already gone inside.

+++

Smoke stung Miranda's eyes as she tried to see where Noah's stall was. Burying her nose in the crook of her arm to stop herself from inhaling the smoke, Miranda walked quickly as the heat was already beginning to feel unbearable.

Miranda knew what a great risk she was taking. But she could no longer stand idly by while Alex looked on with such hopelessness. She was the one person who understood what Noah meant to him, and so with everyone occupied with containing Alex, she seized the opportunity, and ran before anyone could stop her.

As pieces of debris began falling around her, Miranda moved more quickly before she ran out of time. Trying to remember what area of the stable she stood while petting Noah, she immediately moved to that spot. Looking into the various stalls, Miranda unlocked a few of the bolts as she went, but couldn't stop to see if the horses fled to safety, or were too scared to leave.

Finally she came to Noah, who was rearing and kicking out in terror. Coughing now profusely, Miranda swung the door open wide. When he didn't exit right away, she had to cautiously approach him, attempting to pull at his halter. When she had at least pulled him out of his stall, she gave him a slap on his flank, which sent him barrelling down the aisle and outside.

Relieved at having accomplished her mission, Miranda too began to run for the door as the flames were becoming hotter, and bigger pieces of wood were beginning to fall from the rafters. But just as her feet began to move, in the corner of her eye, a face of a horse appeared. Recognizing immediately that it was Athena, Miranda turned away, knowing her time was severely limited. Yet something inside her made her hesitate. This was the horse that almost threw her, possibly killing her. And yet, if it wasn't for that occurrence, Miranda wouldn't have ridden home with Alex and learned that she had fallen in love with him.

With a cry of frustration, Miranda hastily went over to the stall and flinging it open pulled Athena to leave. Thankfully the frightened animal did not need much encouragement and bolted to safety.

Throwing her arms above her head to protect herself from the embers reigning down, Miranda blindly started running for the door. The smoke had become so thick that it was difficult to breathe and stung her eyes as she tried to peek through.

Suddenly the air became clearer and easier to breathe. Stumbling out into the night, Miranda inhaled deeply, grateful for the fresh air. Landing hard on her knees, she began coughing profusely, attempting to get the smoke out of her lungs. Hands abruptly grabbed her upper arms and heaving her to her feet, helped her shuffle away from the fire. Unable to walk anymore, Miranda collapsed on the ground, feeling exhausted.

"You stupid, stupid girl!"

Between the coughing, Miranda looked up to see Alex kneeling beside her, concern etched in his face. Grabbing her and clutching her to his chest, he buried his face in her hair. "You stupid brave girl," he said again.

Feeling relieved that he wasn't angry at her, Miranda relished at the comfort Alex elicited. When he released her she felt a pang of sadness but then he cupped her face between his hands and looked keenly into her eyes.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" he asked intently.

When she tried to answer, Miranda clutched at her throat, as pain laced through it.

"Water! I need water!" Alex ordered.

A cup was produced and Miranda drank heartily, letting the cool water ease her dry and scratchy throat.

"I told you that you had a gift for drinking quickly."

Miranda let out a slight chuckle that sounded more like a rasp. Only Alex would bring up a joke at a time like this. "Noah?" she asked hoarsely.

Alex went somber. "He's perfectly fine. Don't ever do that to me again Miranda, do you hear me? Noah is special, but your life is even more so."

Miranda could only nod. Warmth flooded through her at Alex's words. Was this his way of telling her that he loved her? How badly she wanted to press her lips to his to convey that the feeling was entirely mutual.

Alex gripped her hands in his. "Waiting for you to reappear was one of the longest moments of my life." He laughed bitterly. "I almost throttled Benson for not letting me go in after you."

"Miranda!" a shrill voice called out. Bringing her mind back to the present, she watched as Cissy ran towards her from the house. Coming to the realization that they were still in the middle of a chaotic event with her practically sitting in Alex's lap, Miranda blushed and instantly put a respectable distance between herself and the Earl.

Cissy unceremoniously dropped down beside Miranda, her chest heaving. "What happened?" she said between breaths. "All we heard was that there was a fire." Before Miranda could respond, Cissy's eyes went wide as they took in the state of Miranda's dress. "Mandi!" Cissy exclaimed. "You look as if you were just in it!"

Miranda coughed again. "It's a bit of a long story."

"One that will have to wait for another time," Alex cut in. He turned to Cissy. "Mrs. Benson, what Miranda needs is a hot bath and rest. If you could do that for her I can retell the night's events afterward."

Cissy nodded in agreement. "Of course. Come with me Mandi and we'll get you something hot to eat as well."

Allowing Cissy to lead her away, Miranda couldn't help but look back one last time at the man who made her heart overflow with joy. She couldn't wait to see what tomorrow would bring.