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Their idyllic life on the island hit a snag when it was announced that a hurricane was on the way. At the news Erin became filled with a sense of dread. She tackled Francine in the kitchen.
“What’s a hurricane like? Will it destroy the island? Will we be in great danger?” The words shot out in rapid succession, clear evidence of her fright. She was not afraid to admit it. She’d never experienced a hurricane before and she was scared.
She’d heard horror stories of tidal waves taller than ten storey buildings and people getting sucked out to sea. She’d heard of heavy winds flattening houses, people getting electrocuted by downed power lines and people getting sick from contaminated water supplies. Nothing she’d heard about hurricanes was good.
“Ah, nina,” Francine sighed, “hurricanes are dangerous but we will survive. And you, in this well built house, you will be safe. I’m happy that you have a strong man to protect you.”
“But what about you, Francine? You will stay here with us, right? I want you to be safe.” Erin grabbed the older woman’s hand. Although Francine spent a lot of time in Dare’s house she also had her own home on the island. Erin was worried that she would go back there. She could not explain it but she felt an affinity with Francine that was far more than an employer-employee relationship.
“No, nina. Senor Dare, he arranged for me to go to Atlanta to be with my son. I will leave long before the storm hits.”
Erin breathed a sigh of relief. One less person to worry about.
Next day Erin accompanied Francine into the airport where they hugged and shared well wishes. The housekeeper waved goodbye as she stood at the entrance to the international departure lounge and her eyes glistened with tears. Erin, too, felt choked up but she bit her lip and held on. She would not give in to tears. She was not the emotional type and couldn’t figure out why tears seemed to come so easily these days. It must be the baby hormones.
Erin spent the rest of the day shopping. Like everyone else she was making sure to have adequate supplies in case the hurricane devastated the island. It was not unheard of that, following a natural disaster such as this, electrical power would be out for weeks. With that in mind she stocked up on flashlights, lanterns and batteries, canned and packaged foods and dozens of cases of drinking water. When the chauffeur bundled her into the car to take her home there was hardly enough room left for her to sit. She didn’t mind, though. She’d much rather be over prepared than in need.
That evening when Dare got home he told her he’d arranged for workmen to come in and board up the huge bay windows and French doors. The hurricane winds would easily shatter the panes, sending glass flying. They had to prevent that at all costs. He spoke calmly, almost casually, as if boarding up a house was the most natural thing to do. Meanwhile, Erin was quaking in her shoes.
Dare must have seen her fear because he stepped forward, looking like he was about to take her in his arms. But then he let his hands fall to his sides. Instead, he gave her a gentle smile. “It will be alright. This isn’t the first hurricane to hit Santa Marta. We’ll pull through just fine.”
“But they say this will be the worst one in a decade. And what if we get a tidal wave? We’re so close to the ocean.” She spoke quietly, her voice steady, but she felt far from it. Her eyes searched his, desperately seeking the reassurance she needed right then. At that moment she would have welcomed his embrace so she could feel the strength and power of his body against hers and revel in the comfort of his arms.
But it was not to be. She’d set her boundary, one he’d vowed never to cross until she made the first move. And she wanted to. Even now as he stood looking down at her she wanted to.
But she could not.
Dare shoved his hands into his pockets and on his face was a look of determination. “We’ll beat this, Erin. We just have to prepare the best way we can. I’ve already taken the necessary precautions at the resort. They’re the ones that are close to the ocean, not us. This house is on a hill, remember?”
“You’re right,” Erin said, frowning. She hadn’t thought about the resort at all. “What about the guests? How will they manage?”
“Half of them have already left and a few more will go tomorrow. For the ones who decided to stay we’ve moved them to the villas farthest from the beach. They’ll be on a grade so they should be fine.” He gave a sigh. “Thank God for loyal employees. We’ve got a skeleton staff staying on to serve them. They’ll all be paid triple time for staying.”
“Because they’ll be away from their families?”
“Yes. I want them to know I appreciate the sacrifice they’re making.” He smiled. “They don’t know it yet but I already spoke to the director of finance to factor in an extra bonus for them at the end of the year.”
“That’s generous of you,” she said and her heart warmed to him. He’d been a jerk, no doubt about that, but after seeing this other side of him how could she stay mad?
And how could she stay unaffected by this enticingly sexy man? She’d vowed to keep saying no but with her pregnant hormones raging she seemed to constantly be in a heightened state of arousal. She wanted him so badly she could almost taste it.
But she had to stay strong. For the sake of her heart she could not put herself at risk a second time.
The next day dawned clear and bright. You would never know a hurricane was on the way. It was perfect weather for the workmen to complete their task and within just a few hours they were done.
That evening she and Dare went through their list of supplies, making sure they had everything they needed. At the last minute Dare remembered one critical piece - they hadn’t checked the first aid kit. When they found it they realized that all the painkillers had expired and had to be thrown out. Dare made a quick dash to the local drug store, arriving just ten minutes before it closed. After that, with the kit filled with bandages, iodine for cuts and bruises, painkillers, gauze and a splint they were ready.
On the third day Erin and Dare woke to a sky that hung low and gray like an ominous shroud. Everywhere was still. There was no chirping or whistling in the trees this morning. Not a single bird had remained behind. Even the tree frogs seemed to have disappeared. The animals knew what was coming and they, too, had gone to seek shelter from the coming onslaught.
Even the air had stilled. Gone was the usual tropical breeze, the trade winds that would shake the leaves in the trees. It was as if they were in a vacuum-sealed flask.
Then the evening came and with it the first taste of what was to come. The air that had previously been so still now began to stir and within an hour of the first breeze a strong wind began to blow. With each passing hour it grew stronger until by nightfall the force of the wind had the palm trees bending low, practically kissing ground. What had started out as a whistling in the trees had now turned to a deafening howl that was almost human, making the hair on Erin’s nape stand on end.
“Come,” Dare said and she was grateful when this time he took her hand in his. His strength surged through her and she stepped closer to him.
Dare led her down the hallway and toward his suite and this time she was eager to go. There was a mighty beast outside pummeling the trees and battering the house and she was too frightened to stay alone.
They’d entered the sitting room and Dare was walking over to the table to rest the lantern down when a loud crack rent the air and the lights went out. Erin screamed and reached blindly for Dare.
“It’s okay, Erin, it’s okay.” His voice came to her from across the room and then he was beside her, gathering her trembling body close to his.
“Wh…what was that?”
“Probably a tree uprooted by the wind. It sounded like it crashed into the house.” Dare stroked her back as he spoke, soothing her jangling nerves. “I’m guessing it fell on a power line and that’s why the lights went out. I’ll go check-”
“Oh, no, you won’t.” Erin clung to him. “You’re not leaving me in the dark all by myself.”
“You’ll be alright. I’ll leave you with the lantern and take the flashlight.”
“I’m coming with you. I’m not staying here.”
“Erin,” Dare said with an exasperated sigh, “you’re safer here. I don’t want you exposed to danger.” As he spoke he reached behind his back to pry her fingers open. “I have to go check what’s happening at the other end of the house.”
He loosened her arms from around his waist and stepped away. Erin almost cried out but she bit down on her bottom lip and swallowed, containing the fright that threatened to creep up from the pit of her stomach. She pulled her robe tighter and went to stand beside Dare who was testing a huge flashlight.
He looked over at her when she came near. “Why don’t you lie down for a bit? You have to take it easy, remember? You’re in your sixth month now.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m an invalid,” she retorted. “I don’t need to lie down.”
