AllFreeNovel
Share Us
***
Rusty was so involved in the file she was reading that she didn’t know clouds were rolling in until a big clap of thunder made her jump.
She looked out the window, saw the dark sky and the wind beginning to blow, and glanced at the time. Surely they would be home soon, unless Cameron had had to wait a long time at the vet.
And even if it rained before they got home, the carport was deep enough to unload groceries without getting wet. She got up, slipped her feet into some shoes, and put on her jacket, then went outside and sat down on the front porch.
She could tell how strong the wind was from the way the treetops were whipping, but there were so many trees around the cabin that they partially blocked the blast below. When the first raindrops fell, they splattered like broken eggs on concrete. But as they came faster, it turned into a downpour, blowing the rain halfway across the porch and close enough to where she was sitting that she could feel the spray blowing against her face and flashed on the spray from the speedboat blowing in her eyes. Only this time no one was shooting at her, and she wasn’t lost anymore.
She stayed outside, with her feet up in the chair, a willing witness to the storm. This was what life out here would be like. No big shopping centers. No traffic noise. No people unless you went looking for them. She’d never known a simplistic life, but God knew she was ready for one. And she’d live under a rock if Cameron Pope was with her.
A sudden clap of thunder made her look up, and as she did, she saw the Jeep barreling toward the house.
Thank God.
She waved and then darted inside, running toward the side door to help carry. The moment she opened the door, she saw Ghost. And when he saw her and the open door, he shot out of the back seat and into the house, then began dancing around her feet for a welcome-home pat.
Rusty laughed and gave him a quick hug. “I see! I see! The bandages are gone. You’re ready to run, aren’t you, boy?”
Cameron came in grinning. “You are the best thing ever to come home to,” he said, then set the bags from the bakery and the barbecue on the counter and gave her a big kiss. “Your face is cold, darlin’. How long have you been sitting outside?”
“I don’t know… Since it started raining. I like thunderstorms. They’re wild and cleansing…blowing away the cobwebs in my thoughts, I guess.”
Cameron grimaced. “Ghost hates them. He thinks the crashes of thunder are bombs. He’s been in the front seat, and the back seat, and on the floorboards in the back ever since it started.”
“Oh, bless his heart,” Rusty said, and then looked around. “Where did he go?”
“Probably under my bed. I need to bring in the groceries and then I’ll go check on him.”
“I’ll help,” Rusty said, and followed him to the carport.
They brought everything inside in one trip. Rusty began pulling things out of bags while Cameron put them away.
“Something smells so good,” Rusty said.
“That bag is smoked ribs and sides, and the other bag is a chocolate cake from the bakery. As soon as I find Ghost and get him settled, we can eat.”
As Cameron predicted, the dog was under the big four-poster, shaking. Cameron got down on his knees and peered under the edge of the bedspread.
“Come here, boy. Come on. You’re okay. I’m okay. It’s just rain.”
Ghost whined.
Rusty dropped to the floor, then went flat on her belly. Before Cameron knew it, she was halfway under the bed with the dog, coaxing him in a soft, quiet voice. “You don’t like that noise, do you, baby? But it’s cold under here. Come get in your bed by the fire and I’ll bring you a treat!”
Cameron rocked back on his knees, watching, falling deeper in love with every second seeing her and Ghost together. But it was the wordtreatthat got the dog’s attention.
Rusty began backing up, still saying, “get a treat,” and Ghost came crawling out on his belly and then went straight to Cameron and laid his head on Cameron’s shoulder.
Cameron gave the big dog a hug, then led him to the living room as Rusty bolted for the pantry. Ghost was in his bed by the fire and Cameron was on the floor with him when Rusty plopped down beside them.
“I don’t know how many he can have, but he’s a giant and these are tiny and he’s scared, so I brought four.”
Cameron grinned. “He will be delighted. You promised them, so you should give them to him.”
The delight on Rusty’s face was evident as she picked up the first little bone-shaped treat.
Ghost took it from her fingers like a proper gentleman, but once it was in his mouth, it disappeared in one crunch. He looked at her again because he knew there were more. By the time the last treat was gone, the dog’s anxiety had eased. Cameron pulled an old quilt from a basket on the floor and covered him up.
