Pawliday Love

Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

brENDA

W ho does he think he is?

Just because I’m a woman, it doesn’t mean I don’t know anything.

And just because he’s a hot guy, doesn’t mean I’m going to buckle and allow him to push me around.

There have been signs for months that the weather was going to turn nasty. I knew it was coming, which is why I began building the float. Or the Ark as McKenzie calls it.

Heading for the shed, and away from Mr. Sarcastic , I climb the ladder leading to the loft. Peering out of a small window, I watch as McKenzie sets up the drone. When it’s ready, he hops up onto the ute tailgate, where he fiddles with something in his hand. I realise it must be the controls as the drone propellers begin to spin and the machine lifts off the tailgate.

It’s not a loud noise, but a distinct buzzing sound emits as it climbs higher in the air, before heading away from the farm, towards the town.

My stomach growls and I pat it promising we’re going to eat soon. There are other things I need to take care of first. Leaving McKenzie to play with his toy, I check on each of my animals in turn. One in particular is getting antsy. He probably senses something is happening. Out of all the animals I have at the moment, Bubbles is probably the one I’m worried about the most.

How am I going to explain him to anyone?

And I will have to explain, thanks to the rising floodwaters.

People in town are already wondering how I came to be at the property. It’s none of their business.

Not that anyone cares about me.

My mum ran off with Dad’s best friend when I was in my first year of high school. She’s married to the guy now and she’s living the life she wanted. Money to spend, a big house, the newest cars, and brand-name clothes.

Mum didn’t bother fighting for custody of me. Our conversations are an occasional phone call, birthday, Christmas. The usual. There has never been an offer for me to go live, or even visit with her and her rich husband, and I would never ask for anything from them.

When I found a copy of my gramps’ will, I considered it the sign I’d asked for when I heard what my father had planned for Bubbles.

As if they have a premonition, the animals become restless, so I slip down the ladder and set about feeding them. We won’t be able to take too much food on board if we need to load everyone onto the float. Hopefully, the water won’t get this far, but McKenzie says it will, and it’s his job to know.

I’ve was always interested in entomology and have been watching the ants carefully. They’ve been moving their nests to the eaves and other places they can get to that are high up off the ground. That’s never a good sign.

Entering Bubbles’ stall, he eagerly comes closer for a scratch on his head. He may be big, but he’s a teddy bear. I had to save him.

I’ve accommodated for him on the float. There’s a place that’s all his, in case he gets a little scared. The other animals are a lot smaller and have pouches and boxes to hide in.

The two joeys will be fine. They’ll stay in their pillowcase pockets which remind them of their mother’s pouch, warm and safe. Brunhilda will be a little unpredictable, but hopefully, he’ll tuck himself up somewhere and ride it out.

And then there’s Santa.

I don’t know where he came from, he simply turned up one day out of the blue. He appears to be a Malinois shepherd. When he tapped, yes tapped, on my door he was wearing a collar with Santa stamped on it. When I opened the door, he trotted inside like he owned the place and flopped down beside the fire. He’s been here ever since.

On one trip to town I made, I asked the local shopkeeper if he knew anyone missing such a beautiful dog. He didn’t but said he’d let me know if anything turned up. Santa’s an extremely smart dog, and I find it odd that someone hasn’t claimed him.

When I visited the locum vet, she scanned for a microchip, but there wasn’t one.

A buzzing noise breaks into my thoughts, and I realise it’s the drone arriving back. McKenzie lands it back in the tray of his dual cab like a pro. I’m interested enough to go over and climb onto the tailgate next to him.

“What’s the verdict?” I ask as he flicks through the film on his phone.

“By my calculations, we’ve got about an hour before it reaches here,” he replies. “Maybe less. It’s moving faster than we calculated before I came out here.” The frown on his face upsets me.

“Well, I didn’t ask you to come, did I?” I huff, folding my arms and matching his gaze.

McKenzie backs down first, his eyes flitting to the shed. He rubs his face with both hands while letting out a huge sigh. “Yeah, you’re right. But if I didn’t, you never would’ve gotten that thing out of the shed.”

“Yes, I would have,” I state quietly. Bubbles would’ve pulled it out.

“I’m not going to argue with you, there’s not enough time,” his voice conveys the reality of our situation. “We best get into it, then.”

McKenzie jumps off the tailgate, his feet hitting the ground with a thud. As I attempt to follow suit, he picks me up, his hands sliding under my armpits. I wasn’t expecting it and momentarily freeze. McKenzie does too, before he shakes his head slightly and slides me slowly down his body. I can’t take my eyes off him, and he doesn’t look away either.

My body tingles as the scent of him permeates my nostrils, my nipples hardening to points in an instant. The bulge at the base of his overalls is hard against my stomach, causing me to blush.

It’s been a good while since I had sex. Matter of fact, it’s been a good while since I enjoyed sex. I blame the books I read for that. Book boyfriends are always so damned perfect. If only it were true in the real world.

“Alrighty then,” I say as I duck my head, effectively breaking the stare-down and awkward tension between us. “Let’s get to it then.”