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He reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder. “I want you to. You can have the loveseat or just go into my bedroom. You’ll be a lot more comfortable there.”
“In the dark? All by myself? I don’t think so.”
“We’ve discussed this already, Erin. You’ll have the lantern-”
“No, I’m coming with you.”
“Jeez.” He blew out an exasperated breath. “Talk about stubborn. Okay, come on, but stay behind me at all times. When I open the door any kind of debris can fly in. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“And what about you?”
“I can take care of myself.”
Erin snorted. He’d spoken like a typical man. And that was why she was making sure to follow him. She’d be there to make sure he didn’t do anything rash. He was a man and men did stupid things sometimes, thinking they were strong and brave and therefore near invincible. Well, not this time. She’d be there to save Dare from himself.
And it had absolutely nothing to do with being scared about being left alone with just a lantern as company.
With Dare in the lead Erin padded back down the hallway in her bedroom slippers even as the wind howled outside. The sound had gotten louder now, sounding like a huge freight train rushing by, and Erin’s heart pounded harder with each passing minute. When would the assault end? Would the house still be standing when it was over? Would they still be alive?
That didn’t even bear thinking about. She shook her head and kept on walking, making sure Dare was just within the reach of her arm.
When they got to the foyer he pulled out a second flashlight, clicked it on and handed it to her.
“I’m going over to the west wing to see what happened. You stay here.” With those words he began to turn toward the hallway.
Erin grabbed his arm. “You said I could come with you.”
“I know,” he said, his face grim. “I changed my mind. There could be broken glass everywhere. The downed power line could have even started a fire. I don’t want you anywhere near that.” He shook his head. “I should have left you in the suite where you were safe.”
“No, you shouldn’t,” she retorted. “You’re not leaving me here so let’s go.” Before he could object she set off down the hallway, her flashlight on high beam, marching on as if the darkness ahead didn’t bother her one bit. She breathed a sigh of relief when, with a grunt of what was probably exasperation, Dare followed her. As they walked Erin could feel a current of wind that flowed stronger and stronger as they went farther into that section of the house.
What she saw when they got to the west wing made her realize the reason for Dare’s concern. The huge mango tree that used to stand by the window of Francine’s bedroom had toppled over in the wind, smashing through the roof and leaving a gaping hole. The wind rushed through like air blown down a funnel, creating a miniature wind storm inside the room. As the beams from both flashlights lit up the area Erin could see papers, leaves and debris strewn all around and rain streaming in through the damaged roof.
“Jeez, this is bad,” Dare murmured and stepped inside to get a better look.
A sudden gust of wind tore a plank from the jagged roof, sending it flying across the room.
“Watch out,” Erin yelled.
Dare swiveled round, the light of his flashlight cutting through the air. He never even saw it coming. The plank slammed into Dare’s side and smacked him on the head with a crack that echoed around the room. The flashlight was the first to fall. Then, like a hill of flour in a torrent of rain, Dare crumbled and collapsed onto the sodden floor.
“Dare!” Erin screamed but there was no answer. All she could hear was the deafening, diabolical roar of the hurricane winds.
Chapter 10
“Oh, no,” Erin cried out and ran to kneel at Dare’s side. Her robe was immediately soaked with the water running freely on the floor. She shone the flashlight onto Dare and saw that he had fallen face down on the floor, water only inches from his nose. And he was not moving.
“Oh, God,” Erin whispered. “God help me.”
Quickly, she propped the flashlight on a pile of cushions nearby then reached for Dare, lifting his face clear of the water. Without hesitation she sat in the water and slid her legs under his head to lay it on her lap. Then, gently but urgently, she patted his face. “Dare, wake up. Please, honey. I need you to get up.”
Her desperate pleas fell on deaf ears. Dare had been knocked unconscious.
Erin looked around, her mind racing. They could not stay there with water swirling around them and the shrieking wind threatening to pelt them with more debris. But what could she do? She couldn’t possibly lift Dare but she couldn’t leave him there either.
Then her eyes flew to the cover on the bed. If she could just roll him onto it then she could drag him out of the room and out of danger. Erin reached for a pillow that had fallen to the floor. Gently, she slid Dare’s head from her lap and laid it on the soft support.
Slowly, she pulled her hand away and she almost cried out again. Her hand was smeared with blood. She had to move quickly. Dare was hurt even worse than she’d realized.
Braving the howling winds she half-dashed, half-waded to the bed in the middle of the room. The cover was soaking wet and heavy but she had no choice. She stripped the bed of its cover and dragged it over to where Dare lay. She spread it out on the ground then slowly, gingerly she lifted his head then she heaved and was just barely able to shift his head and torso onto the fabric. His bottom half was easier. When he was stretched out on the cover she propped the flashlight on his chest, angling it so it lit her path. Then she grabbed two handfuls of the cover and pulled. He did not budge. Kicking off her now sodden bedroom slippers she planted her feet on the ground and heaved. And that’s when he began to move. Inch by inch she dragged Dare through the door and out into the hallway. Inch by inch she pulled him to safety.
By the time she got him out of the room and at a safe distance away she was panting from the effort. Unable to go further she slid down in a heap beside her prostrate husband.
Drawing up her legs she wrapped her arms around them and dropped her forehead onto her knees. What was she going to do now? Dare needed help but even if she got phone service what ambulance would come running in the middle of a hurricane? But what if he slept himself into a coma? Heavens, what was she to do? She couldn’t just sit there all night.
Worn out with worry, a soft sob escaped Erin’s lips and then another until she was sobbing in earnest. What made it worse, the harder she tried to stop the faster the tears came. Where had the practical levelheaded Erin gone? Pregnancy had turned her into a mountain of mush and she didn’t like it, not one bit. But still she could not stop crying.
“Erin, are you alright?”
The sobs froze in Erin’s throat. Her head snapped up and she peered down at Dare who was still stretched out on the cloth but this time his eyes were open. Those wonderful gray eyes were staring back at her.
“Dare,” she said, her voice breaking, “you’re back.” She scrambled to her knees and reached over to gather him in her arms. When he flinched she drew back. “I’m sorry. I’ll be gentle. I promise.”
“It’s okay,” Dare said in a hoarse whisper. “I’m fine.” His eyes roamed the hallway. “How did I get here?”
“I brought you out here,” she said gently. “You were about to step into Francine’s
room when a flying board slapped you. It knocked you out cold.”
“And you…brought me out here?” He looked around then slowly raised himself on his elbows. “But how?”
Erin shrugged. “I dragged you out. On the blanket.”
“You did what?” Dare’s eyebrows shot up. He struggled to sit up then swayed and put a hand to the back of his head. “I got clobbered real good,” he said with a groan.
“Yes you did, so move slowly. Very slowly.” She put out a hand and gently held his chin then turned his head ever so slightly. She shone the flashlight on his head. There was a gash at the back of it but thankfully it was not as bad as she’d expected and the blood had already begun to dry, matting the hair to his scalp. That was good. It would stem the flow.
Erin got up and held out both hands to Dare. “You’re soaking wet. We have to get you dry before you fall sick.”
“I can get up,” he said, ignoring her outstretched hands. He put out a hand and, using the wall as support, slowly and carefully got up from the floor and stood looking down at her.
She could see he was far from steady. Without hesitation she went to stand beside him and pulled his arm across her shoulders. Then step by step they made their way to the safety of Dare’s suite. There, Erin stripped him of every article of clothing then helped him into the bathroom where he washed away the grime from his recent repose in the pool of water on the floor.
