38
Camila
The phone—with service now restored—vibrates just as I finish reviewing the PDCE calibration report for the third time.
The silence inside the cabin is so thick that the buzz startles me and almost makes me spill my coffee.
I frown, brushing a strand of hair from my face.
At this hour of the morning, it can only be Lily, Kira reporting yet another malfunction…
or someone from that damn Meteorological Institute.
“Yes? This is Bennet.”
I listen to the voice on the other end of the line, my eyes glued to my laptop screen.
At first, I don’t say a word. I simply lean back, crossing my legs, while a huge smile—the kind you can’t suppress even if you try—begins to spread across my face.
I feel the weight lifting from my chest little by little, as if someone had lifted a hundred-pound bag of cement off me—one that had been crushing me for weeks.
The weight of uncertainty, of spending sleepless nights with that damn nagging doubt and calculating the odds of failure in this desert, dissolves with every word that reaches me from the other end.
“I understand perfectly,” I murmur.
I keep listening to the monologue, absorbing every damn detail and jotting down a couple of numbers on the first piece of paper I can find.
My eyes wander toward the kitchen window.
Birdsong Hills continues to lick its wounds with pride.
In the distance, Ethan drives the red tractor, dodging the puddles that are already turning to steam, while old Bert gives him exaggerated directions with vigorous waves of his arm.
Ricky is chasing two sheepdogs all over the corral; they insist on snatching his leather gloves and playing tug-of-war with them, and Maddie, perched in the back of a pickup truck with the sun beating down on her back, is organizing the new posts with a few other kids.
It’s impossible not to smile.
“Thanks for calling me before sending it to the official gazette.”
This is the confirmation I’ve been secretly hoping for for days.
“Yes… we’ll get to the paperwork when things calm down a little. You’ll have my final answer very soon,” I add, and hang up almost carefully, as if I were afraid that a sudden movement might break the spell of the call.
For several seconds, I stand completely still in the middle of the kitchen.
I simply breathe in the thick, hot air, letting the news sink into my body and set my blood ablaze.
Then I look around, take in the chaos of the cabin, and let out a hearty laugh.
Good grief. If anyone walked in right now, they’d think a tornado had swept through here and that the woman standing before them had been replaced.
I spring into action and start tidying everything up with an energy I didn’t even remember I had.
I fold the shirts, put the folders in their proper place, zip up the suitcases containing the portable sensors, and make the bed presentable, giving the pillows a couple of affectionate punches to fluff them up.
As I move back and forth, my mind keeps drifting to her. To my stubborn cowgirl.
When I finish packing the cables and printing a couple of documents, I open the small fridge and see that I have two green apples left.
“Perfect.” I take them out of the drawer with a mischievous smile.
I know a prime bachelor with enormous ears who would never in his life turn down a good bribe—especially if it’s crunchy.
“Angus…” I call out in a singsong voice as soon as I step off the porch and into the open air. I know he’s been wandering around here for a couple of hours.
The donkey tilts one ear back even before my boots touch the ground in the corral. He’s calmly nibbling on some bushes beside the main fence, completely oblivious to the roof repairs and every other problem.
“Come here, you rascal,” I say, standing in front of him and waving one of the apples beneath his snout. “I want you to help me with something.”
Both his ears perk up instantly.
“That’s it… don’t be lazy…” I encourage him, holding his gaze tenderly.
The guy takes two solemn steps and comes to a screeching halt, planting his hooves on the ground as if he were negotiating with the union over the exact price of his dignity.
“Don’t give me that poker face. We both know perfectly well that you’re going to give in for the fruit.”
I show him the second apple I’m holding in my other hand, and sure enough, the trick works. He advances with all the deliberation in the world until he’s pressed right up against my chest, snorting against my shirt.
“I knew you were a sellout,” I murmur with a laugh as I stroke the soft fur on his muzzle and let him sink his teeth into the first apple.
Angus chews with delight, moving his jaw from side to side and watching me out of the corner of his eye to make sure I’m not hiding anything.
“Okay, buddy, I need you to do me a huge favor…” I explain, turning serious to add a touch of mystery to the matter. “And don’t give me that look like this isn’t your thing. It’s no big deal, really. You just have to be my escort and come inside with me.”
The donkey stares at me with his big dark eyes for a few seconds, swallows his bite, and suddenly starts walking ahead of me toward the main house with astonishing ease, as if the cheeky creature had understood every word I said.
“See? Deep down, we really are a perfect match,” I remark, letting out a laugh as I follow him closely along the dirt path.
The damage caused by the storm has almost disappeared thanks to everyone working hard on the cleanup. A few wooden planks are still leaning against the stable wall, and various tools remain scattered across the ground, but this place is once again pulsing with incredible energy.
Darana is at the end of the row of stalls.
She’s wearing her work boots, caked in red dust, and a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows.
The emergency sling is gone, though she still needs to be careful.
With only one hand, she’s trying to fit a new hinge onto the wooden door while holding the screwdriver between her teeth.
I shake my head. She’s incorrigible.
“You’re so stubborn, Calloway,” I blurt out, closing the distance with slow, deliberate steps.
She turns slowly, careful not to strain her shoulder. Her honey-colored eyes lock directly onto mine, and that mischievous dimple that drives me wild appears on her cheek.
“Good morning to you too, Bennet,” she replies, taking the screwdriver out of her mouth.
I cross my arms, shifting my weight onto one leg and trying to maintain a stern expression, though I know full well that with her, I fail spectacularly.
“May I ask who gave you permission?”
“I signed my own discharge papers, Doctor,” she retorts, twirling the screwdriver between her fingers. “I’ll remind you that a few hours ago, you weren’t saying the same thing.”
“Darana…”
We both let out a sigh at exactly the same time, breaking the tension between us.
Suddenly, Angus clears his throat behind us with one of his deep brays. Darana blinks, raises an eyebrow, looks at the donkey, and then turns back to me with immense curiosity.
“Since when have you been such good friends with this four-legged scoundrel?”
I shrug.
“Ever since I discovered that livestock is incredibly easy to bribe.”
“Well, you shouldn’t spoil him,” she replies, and suddenly the light in her smile dims a little. “The critter’s going to miss you and spend all day braying in the corners once you’re gone.”
I don’t answer her right away. I simply look at Angus, who’s finishing his second apple while watching us with the expression of a misunderstood philosopher.
“Come on, get a move on,” I say to Darana in a mysterious tone, giving her a little nudge.
She furrows her brow, completely taken aback.
“What’s going on now?”
I look at the donkey and wink at him.
“Come on, give it to her already.”
Darana blinks a couple of times, looking at the animal as if we’ve both completely lost our minds.
Angus takes two steps forward, coming to a stop directly in front of Darana.
He tilts his big head to one side, and from between the folds of the red scarf tied around his neck, the corner of a white envelope peeks out, perfectly folded into thirds.
“What’s this?” Darana asks.
“Open it, cowgirl. I got my confirmation today, and I figured showing you my camaraderie with Angus would give you a reason to let me become part of this… world.”
She unfolds the document and begins devouring the lines.
I see her stop dead at the first sentence, taking in the official letterhead.
Then she continues reading, holding her breath.
Her eyes scan the page from top to bottom once, and then again, as if she can’t quite believe what she’s reading. Finally, she looks up at me.
“Camila…”
I take a deep breath, feeling my racing pulse pounding in my temples.
“I haven’t signed anything yet,” I confess. “I wanted to talk it over with you before it became official.”
She fixes her gaze on the letter again.
“They want to fund… a permanent climate research and study base right here in the valley,” she says aloud, savoring every word.
I nod, taking the final step that separates us until I’m only a hand’s breadth from her lips.
“Yes. In the big city, they believe the data we collected during the superstorm could revolutionize the way geomagnetic anomalies are predicted across the country. It’s my life’s work, Darana.
A huge career opportunity. But I can’t sign that contract if you don’t agree with what it entails.
Because we’d need to install weather stations, frequency sensors, and repeater antennas all over the hills…
And since I know how much you hate it when we fill your precious land with tech gadgets… ”
I don’t even have time to finish the last word. Darana tosses the letter aside and closes the few inches separating us in two wild strides. Her lips crash against mine with such brutal, hungry, desperate urgency that for one eternal second, the whole fucking world goes dark.
I return the kiss without a moment’s hesitation, giving myself completely to her mouth.
When we finally pull back a little to catch our breath, Darana doesn’t let go of me; she rests her forehead against mine. Her laughter comes first—a soft, choked laugh, heavy with an emotion that breaks her voice.
“What are you waiting for? Sign it.”
“I wanted to be absolutely certain that you wanted me to stay here too.”
“Camila…” She shakes her head slowly, gripping the nape of my neck. “I’ve spent ten damn years wishing with all my might that you’d come back.”
Her hand slowly travels up my neck until it cradles my cheek. I close my eyes for a moment, savoring the touch of her fingers.
“So…” I open my eyes suddenly and raise an eyebrow mischievously. “I suppose from now on, I’ll have to get serious and negotiate the terms of the deal with you, Calloway.”
Her signature dimple reappears.
“That sounded very professional, scientist. It really turns me on—I’m not going to lie.”
“I’m a woman of science.”
“I suppose we can work out some kind of mutually beneficial arrangement… right?” Darana adds.
“It’ll depend on what the storms have to say,” I remark, shrugging. Then Darana gives me the most beautiful smile of all.
“Admit it, Bennet—I’m your favorite storm.”
Suddenly, the tender moment goes to hell when Angus interrupts our idyll with a long, loud, indignant bray that reverberates all around us.
We move apart by only a few inches, letting out a breath and looking at each other. The donkey gives us a look of obvious disapproval. Or, knowing him, he’s most likely starving.
It’s impossible to hold back my laughter, and I end up letting out a snort.
“It seems to me that the middleman is demanding payment of his commission for the messenger services he provided.”
Darana bursts out laughing, resting her forehead against my shoulder to keep her balance, and then steps back slightly to look me in the eyes again.
“Well, let’s go find him something to eat.”
“As long as we’re together, we can do whatever you want.”