Chapter 17 #2
The hot water finally dispelled his bone-deep chill, and he got out of the shower.
He took a good long look at the narrow, hard cot waiting for him as he pulled on warm, dry clothes.
Outside the storm raged. He figured only an idiot would go back out.
He stepped into the pouring rain anyway and went to Callie’s cabin.
He could tell himself she’d been pale and shivering, and he wanted to see that she’d gotten warm and dry, but that was bullshit. He didn’t want to be alone.
She didn’t answer his knock, and when he opened her door, no one was there.
“Damn it, Callie.” He headed toward the big house, getting wet and cold—again—crossing the grass because it was faster.
Through the rain, Goose came running at him, honking her alarm and annoyance, but he just bared his teeth.
She stopped so short she nearly tipped onto her back, then gave a confused little flutter of her wings, having apparently no experience with being challenged.
He walked right past her and let himself in the big house. The college guys were all in the huge living room, in front of the fireplace, eating and drinking as if they didn’t have a care. Smithy sat in the middle of them all, completely dry and recovered. He waved.
Jake would have liked to wring his neck, but he refrained and headed down the hallway, making Amy squeak in surprise when he barged into the kitchen. She stood at the stove stirring something with a delicious scent wafting from it that made his mouth water.
Tucker sat on the counter across from Amy, eating out of a bowl. “Hey.”
“Hey. Have you seen Callie?”
Amy shook her head.
Tucker looked him over. “You okay?”
Clearly Jake was more tired than he’d thought because that had sounded like real concern in his brother’s voice. “I’m fine. Where do you think Callie is?”
“Hopefully in her cabin asleep,” Tucker said, and Jake nodded, not wanting to set off an alarm, because he intended to find her and put her in bed himself.
He looked in the weight room, thinking maybe Macy had come to give her a massage, but Macy was working on one of the college guys.
Jake left, wondering where the hell Callie had gone, when he saw the light coming from beneath her office door.
He opened it without knocking, took one look at her sitting behind her desk, and shook his head. “You are shitting me.”
“I’m just—”
“I don’t care what you’re just.” He came around her desk, pulled her to her feet.
She’d lost her hat. Her long, red hair had partially dried in loose curls down past her shoulders.
She’d taken off her wet sweatshirt and shoes, but was still in her jeans and blouse, which clung to her in a way he might have enjoyed, if he hadn’t been so pissed.
“So you took care of everyone but yourself?”
“I was just checking the petty cash, which I’d locked in a different drawer this time.”
“Let’s go.” He tugged on her hand.
“Don’t you care if it’s all there?”
“I’ll care tomorrow. Tonight, it’s you. You’re wet, tired, and still shaking, damn it.” He felt the tremor in her chilled limbs. Shrugging out of his jacket, he put it around her, waited until she shoved her feet back into her boots, and led her out of the office and out of the big house.
It was still raining, coming down in long, shiny rivers, as if Mother Nature was making up for lost time.
And the noise. It was unbelievable how loud the slapping of the water on the parched earth sounded.
He figured he’d seen enough rain today to last him a lifetime.
“I’m going to kill Goose if she—damn it. ”
Once again Goose came running through the rain, honking at them.
“Go night-night, Goose,” Callie said, and unbelievably, the goose walked away.
Jake gaped at her, rain running into his eyes. “How do you do that?”
“I don’t threaten to eat her for Thanksgiving.” She kept moving, her boots striking the puddles on the rain-soaked ground.
“I think of her as my father’s spirit. Yelling at me.”
“Ever think maybe she’s just squawking at you, wondering what took you so long to get here?”
He stared at Goose’s butt waddling away. “No,” he muttered. “I don’t.” But now he would.
When they got to her cabin, she opened the door and would have walked in alone if he hadn’t kept his hand on her arm.
“I can take it from here,” she said through her chattering teeth and blue lips.
“Uh-huh.” He shut the door behind the both of them, then slipped his arms around her and drew her into him. “Humor me,” he whispered.
“I don’t need help.”
“We’ve already established that. This is for me, not you.”
She shivered again, but put her hands over his, stopping him from removing her blouse.
“I want you to take a hot shower and warm up.” He tunneled his fingers through her hair, clamping her face very gently between his palms. “Go.” When she didn’t move, he shifted closer. “You know what? Never mind. I’m here now, I’ll just warm you up myself.”
And he covered her mouth with his.