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“You really don’t hold back, do you?” Wade finally said, letting out a weird sigh. “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who’s quite as big of an asshole—in lady form.”
“Ah, how kind of you.” I shook my head, glancing down at Takoda, trotting along beside us. “That’s not the first time I’ve heard that. I’ve learned to just accept the fact that I don’t need anyone, and I don’t pretend like I do.”
“But you needed me to pick you up and save you from a tornado?” The amusement in his tone grated my nerves, picking at the one time I had found myself helpless.
“Yeah, well, I would’ve been fine,” I grumbled, pulling at my wet tank top. “It’s not like I wouldn’t have survived the van being tossed around or something. I just might’ve been beat up a little.”
“Okay, well, that’s one way to look at it, I guess.” He shifted the bag on his shoulders, rubbing his face as he stifled a laugh beneath his Stetson.
Before I shoot back another smartass reply, lightning lit up the sky—and the rain began to fall again. “Ohshit!” I cried out, just as a dime-sized piece of hail hit me on the shoulder. “It’s hailing!”
“No fucking kidding,” he grunted as he cringed, more hail falling from the sky. “We need to get back before this gets worse.”
“Like another tornado, worse?” I scooped up Takoda, clutching him tightly in my arms as I saw the cabin coming into view—only about 100 yards away.
“No, I already told you there wouldn’t be anymore, but I don’t want a concussion from all the hail, either. Let’s go!” He took off at a sprint as the sky opened, and more cold rain and ice fell on my shoulders. I joined him, racing past him to the porch.
I do not need a concussion.
He’s enough of a brain fuck anyway.
ChapterSix
Wade
Irubbed my eyes, the fatigue tempting me to doze off again. I rolled over onto my back before pushing myself up into a sitting position on the tiny loveseat. I had let Cheyenne have the bed for the night, and to control the animalistic urge I had to get naked with her again, I had opted for the floor in the living room.
But it had been hell on my back, so I had managed to curl up on the tiny loveseat. It wasn’t much better, but it had done the job. Rain was still falling from the sky, and I had no doubt that the pastures were flooding, and my family was probably terrified. My phone was dead, and I hadn’t even thought to tell them that I was okay.
They’re going to be filing a missing person’s report or something.
I cringed at the thought, and just how worried my mother probably was. I ran my fingers through my dark brown hair and stood. Maybe once Cheyenne was awake, we could check her phone. If it still had battery power, I could call someone, letting them know I was fine. The sound of my stomach growling nearly startled me, and I blew out a sigh, reaching for the light switch...
Still no power.
I headed to the kitchen, wondering if there wasanythingI could make for breakfast. I dug through the cabinets, not coming up with much at all. It wasn’t hunting season, so the cabin hadn’t been stocked with food. I opened the pantry door, seeing instant pancake mix.
Just add water.
Perfect.
I grabbed it, and leaned down to the bottom shelf, pulling a couple of water bottles from the package. I could set a pan on the wood stove, creating my own little makeshift stove. Quickly, I mixed up the batter, grabbed a pan, plates, and spatula, and headed into the living room. My family had their very own chef back at home, and so I wasn’t exactly much of a cook, but when Eddy wasn’t working in the house, I did experiment sometimes. I just wasn’t very good at it.
And the pancakes I made were the evidence of it.
But it was better than nothing.
I stacked up the flapjacks, ending up with five for each of us. I wasn’t sure if Cheyenne would actually eat that many, but I wanted to be fair, and I’d just have to offer to eat her leftovers. I took the dirty dishes back to the kitchen and sat the full plates on the small kitchenette table. I sat down in one of the chairs, staring at the pancakes, stomach rumbling.
Damnit, get up, Cheyenne.
Sliding out of the chair, I went back to the pantry, just to see if there was any syrup left. Sure enough, there was a glass bottle of maple syrup, and itwasn’texpired. I set it on the table, along with a jar of peanut butter, grabbing a couple of bottles of water and forks.
Proper breakfast.
Rocking back and forth in front of the table, I let out a heavy sigh. Enough was enough—I wasstarving.Cheyenne was just going to wake up to eat. It was rude to eat without her, though I don’t know if it really would’ve bothered her. I headed back through the living room to the bedroom door, which was shut. I gave two soft knocks, waiting for an answer.
Nothing.
