AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Once she’s steady, I call for Rob to bring a helmet for her, just to be on the safe side.
“Tell me, Liv. Are you made of sugar?” I ask, locking eyes with her.
“Why, because I’m so sweet?” she asks, self-assured.
“No, I just need to know if you can stand the rain!” And with that, we ride into the open air, the cold rain embracing our bodies like the tender caresses of angels.
Chapter Nine
LIV
Weridearoundthroughthe country club almost entirely, but now my jaw is chattering with the cold, and I want to go home.
I thank the stars for the millionth time that my camera is waterproof and I’m glad for the helmet, since it protected from head from getting directly pelted with the rain.
“Alex? Can we head back, now?” I plead.
He looks at me, initially surprised, but then nods with understanding. “Got it, let me just—”
He tries to steer the mare back toward the stables, but a clap of thunder startles her. I cling on to him tightly to avoid falling off, and as the horse runs around aimlessly, a sense of impending trouble creeps in.
Alex manages to regain control of Destiny just as we find ourselves in the middle of a flooded area.
“The lake is nearby…” he says, looking down to watch the water at the horse’s ankles. “We need to be careful.”
My breath gets suspended in the air as he searches for a better way for us to go back, but now it’s impossible to see much further ahead with the rain creating a blinding white curtain.
But then I see him heading for a cabin’s porch and I sigh with relief at the possibility of dry land. He stops the horse at the entrance and dismounts me first — the water is almost at my knees, and I lose a shoe in the mud. He dismounts the horse right after, and as I’m still collecting my shoe from under the water, he’s the one who collects me in his arms and guides me above the steps and onto the dry covered porch of the cabin.
“This is getting bad!” I say, removing my helmet and still trying to salvage my shoe. “What will we do about the horse?”
He takes off his jacket. “I let her loose. She’ll either find higher ground or go back to the stables.”
We look at each other, both our teeth chattering. In retrospect, this wasn’t the best idea, but in the heat of the moment, it was a lot of fun. The only downside was the rain, which turned into quite the storm.
“I think you’re just as cold as me, huh?” Alex says, trembling hands fumbling with the front doorknob.
“What are you doing?” I say, my chest going up and down with hiccups.
“The locks on these things are fairly simple…” He gestures towards the door. “You just have to push it up, then back, and ka-chow!”
The door opens instantly, and he holds it like that for me until I get inside. It’s a cozy log cabin, with fluffy carpets, enormous couches, and a fireplace, and I welcome the dry surroundings.
He goes to flick the light on, but it’s not working.
“Guess we’re in the dark,” he says, dispirited, then closes the front door.
“It’s just until the water goes down,” I say, still bracing for dear life, nearing hypothermic.
“Go upstairs and change, there should be robes in the closet,” he says, kneeling in front of the fireplace.
And upstairs I go, careful not to stub a toe on my way there. There are two bedrooms and a bathroom there. I head to the bedroom first, opening the blinds for whatever light it can provide, and then desperately look for dry clothes in the closet.
There are plenty of robes and towels, and I eagerly grab one of each as I peel off my wet dress and underwear and kick my muddy shoes to the side.
I have my back turned to the door and I’m just finishing putting on the robe when I hear Alex’s footsteps coming after me, and I hurry to become decent.
“You should have knocked!” I look at him sharply from over my shoulder.
