31
Darana
“This can’t be good…”
I’m standing next to the wooden fence of the main corral, my hands resting firmly on it, when I look up and realize that the fiery color of the Australian Outback has decided to disappear entirely—and sooner than I expected.
In its place, a thick, leaden blanket settles over the horizon, suspended in a stillness that makes your hair stand on end.
The air is so heavy it creeps under your skin and forces you to take a deep breath, as if your lungs knew before your mind did that what’s coming is going to be serious.
The cows, far off in the distance, have stopped grazing and are huddling together beneath the eucalyptus trees, motionless and shrouded in a deathly silence that’s frightening.
Not a single insect is flying. The horses in the stables are on edge, and as soon as I step inside, the commotion hits me full force: hysterical whinnies and clattering all around.
Byron is the first to shake his head, his nostrils flared wide.
“Hey, buddy… take it easy,” I say, approaching his stall and reaching out to stroke his neck. But just as my fingers are about to brush the metal chain, I feel a brutal snap between the iron and my skin. “Ouch!” I exclaim, jumping back and shaking my hand as if I’d been burned.
Static electricity is already crackling through the air.
I feel the hair on my arms stand on end and a tension in the back of my neck that makes everyday stress seem insignificant.
Byron snorts, just as startled, so I press myself against the wood and rest my forehead against his, enduring the electric tingle that binds us together.
“I know, big guy, I can feel it too,” I whisper in his ear, gently stroking his muzzle. “We’ve made it through plenty of these, and we’re going to make it through this one too. We’ve got Camila here, remember?”
Suddenly, footsteps break the silence in the stable.
“Darana!” Bert bellows from the entrance, appearing with his hat pulled low over his eyebrows and a huge toolbox. “We have to secure the gates to the big corral!”
I step away from Byron, yank my hat down over my eyes, and slip on my work gloves.
“Let’s not waste a single damn second,” I reply, striding out behind him. “How are the locks on the east side?”
“A total mess!” Bert shouts over the roar of the first gusts of wind, which are already beginning to whip up dust devils all over the yard. “Ethan’s down in the fields with the copper mesh, but we need to reinforce the main perimeter, or everything’s going to blow away.”
“Well, less talk and more hardware!” I snap, grabbing a wrench from his toolbox as we stand in front of the main gate, which has already started to rattle.
We stand side by side, reinforcing the locks as if there were no tomorrow. Every few minutes, the tools give us some serious shocks, forcing me to mutter more than a few curses under my breath.
Just as I’m tightening the third hinge, a pickup truck skids into the yard, kicking up a cloud of dust that nearly blinds us. The door swings open, and Joanie leaps out, wearing her usual smug smile.
“Weren’t you going to ask me for help?” she chides, folding her arms.
“Grab a drill! You’re just in time!” I shout at her, wiping the sweat from my forehead with my arm.
Behind her, Ricky and Lily climb out of the cab carrying thick planks, and after a nod of approval in our direction, Maddie joins them in the work as well.
“Ricky, go to the east gate and reinforce the crossbeams before the storm beats you to it! Get moving!”
The activity in the yard becomes frantic. Amid the noise of drills, hammering, and shouts as we struggle to make ourselves heard over the wind, the place looks like a madhouse, but we’re a tight-knit group. Because when things get tough at Birdsong Hills or in town, everyone here pitches in.
Joanie stands next to me to hold a heavy wooden plank while I tighten the screws.
“Hey, Darana,” she calls out, giving me a mischievous sideways glance, “how’s it going with Bennet?”
I feel my cheeks flush more from her comment than from the physical exertion, and I squeeze the drill’s trigger hard.
“Shut up and hold that wood steady, will you?” I snap at her, even though my heart is already racing.
After a couple of hours of working our butts off, the perimeter is more secure than a vault. I put the tools back in the box, my muscles aching from the effort.
“Good job!” I shout to everyone, waving to them.
When most of them head back to their jobs or into town, I’m left alone in the middle of the yard, surrounded by the whoosh of the wind. Luckily, the dogs are also safe in their kennels, and that puts my mind at ease a little.
My eyes go straight to Camila’s cabin. The lights are on, reflecting the bluish glow of her weather monitors. My boots move of their own accord across the ground; I climb the wooden steps and open the door without knocking.
Inside, the room is warm and smells of strong coffee.
Camila is curled up in the chair in front of the screens, rubbing her temples in despair.
Her hair is a mess, held back with a clip, and she has dark circles under her eyes that seem to reach all the way down to her feet.
Several empty cups adorn the table in an arrangement that surely makes perfect sense to her.
Like everything in her own little world.
I close the door, and she jumps, spinning around in her chair.
When she looks at me, I smile, take off my hat, toss it onto a table, and head straight for the coffee maker. I pour two cups of the black liquid and walk over to her, plopping one right in front of her nose.
“Here you go, scientist. Take a five-minute break before an artery bursts.”
Camila lets out a soft chuckle and takes the cup.
“Always so bossy, Calloway,” she says before taking her first sip.
“It’s my specialty, Bennet,” I reply, sitting down next to her.
We sit in silence for a moment, savoring the piping-hot coffee while outside, the wind begins to howl more fiercely.
“How’s it going?” I ask, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye and taking in the curve of her neck.
Camila lets out a sigh and sets the cup on the table, aligning it perfectly with the edge.
“Well… the cold front is colliding with the warm air mass, and the radar is going crazy. If my calculations are off and the lightning rods can’t withstand the impact…
” She bites her lower lip, anxious, and runs her hands over her face.
“Darana, if something happens because of me, I’ll never forgive myself. ”
I move quickly, set down my cup, and grab her by the shoulders, forcing her to look me in the eye.
“Look at me, Camila. Everyone here trusts you—and I trust you more than anyone. Is that clear? You came here to save our lives, and you’re going to do it.”
Camila looks at me, and I can see her breath catch in her throat. Without a second thought, I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close to my chest. She freezes for a second, but then she melts into me and clings to my shirt as if her life depended on it, burying her face in my neck.
“I’m scared,” she confesses, sending shivers down my spine. “I’m scared the storm will destroy the estate… and that it’ll affect the whole town too.”
I gently lift her chin, forcing her to lock eyes with me, and stroke her cheek with my thumb.
“To hell with fear, Bennet,” I blurt out, closing the distance between our faces. “What happened in the past was shit, but now we’re stronger. Let the storm come—I’m sure it won’t defeat us.”
Camila swallows hard, her breath completely ragged and her lips just millimeters from mine.
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure in my whole damn life,” I reply, and before she can add a single word, I silence her with a kiss.