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She hadn't noticed the water covering the road, she hadn't noticed anything since she left Ben's house. She just wanted to die...alone.
"Leave it to you!" he muttered.
He got out of the car, and came back with a rain slicker, "Here, put this on, and let's go."
"Where are we going?"
"To the Dugan place, there's flash flood warning out for this part of the road. Didn't you notice you were in the lowlands. You must have crossed a foot of water back there, didn't you realize it?"
"No, I wasn't paying attention, I guess."
"I guess." He pulled her by the arm to his car, then drove to the ranch house again.
Chapter Eleven
"Why did you bring me here?" she asked as they scrambled into the house, anticipation mingling with dread.
"To get you in out of the storm." His voice deepened, sending awareness rippling through her as vibrant as the newborn storm raging just outside the door.
"I needed to be alone, to get away..." she spoke softly, like a whisper, as though talking to herself.
"I know...I–think I understand a lot of things now," he said, as he went to the fireplace and began building a fire, just as he had so many nights ago.
She watched in the darkness, seeing only flashes of him, wishing the site of him didn't warm her so.
"You can't understand, there are so many things," she began only to break off in a hoarse whisper again.
He stirred the ashes, bent to light the fire with an old newspaper he found in the dark corner of the house. As he stirred he spoke softly. "Savannah, we need to talk..."
She turned away from him unable to steady her drumming heart. Just being in the same room with Ben made her weak kneed. She didn't want to be weak kneed right now. She wanted to tell him everything.
"You asked me once, why I went into that saloon, and acted the way I did..." she began.
"I think I know now..."
"You can't," she turned to face him through the darkness, searching for his face, unable to see him. She wanted him to understand, at least that.
"Then...tell me," he wasn't far away, but he wasn't coming any closer either, and she so needed him to. Wanted him to.
"I don't know where to begin," she sighed, letting herself lean into the wall. "There's things you don't know, can't know...."
"About Chad?" he questioned.
"And me..."
"Go on," he urged gently.
"The reason I ran out on him, I can't tell you. I promised not to tell you or anyone else," she breathed heavily, feeling the peace and the calm of his voice surround her. "I may be a liar, but I do keep my promises."
"Savannah...I know about Chad." he said coming to stand beside her. She couldn't see him, only the white's of his eyes, but his voice cajoled, while his words frightened her into a stillness.
"You can't...possibly."
"I talked to Chad the other night on the phone," he explained, as his hands came to hold her by the arms, at arm's length.
"You–you called him?" she barely breathed the words.
"Savannah...I had to...."
