“Well I didn’t really take too much time to look at your car but I think you hit your head on the drivers’ window.”
“Oh gosh, my car, what will happen to it. On second thought, I don’t care. I’ll just get myself another, one thatIlike this time.”
“Let me guess, your dad again?”
“Long story, and one I just don’t want to even think about.”
“Well how about after all these storms are gone, I can drive back out there and see if it’s still there and we’ll bring it back here if you want.”
“If it’s in one piece I can always trade it in. You have a car dealership in town, right?”
Before Boone had a chance to answer, the lights flickered in the house and they promptly went out.
“Shit, not again. These breakers are driving me nuts. I’ll be back, I’m going to run downstairs and check the box again.”
“If it’s ok and your truck is unlocked, I’m gonna run outside and get my bags.”
“It should be but here ya go just in case.” Boone dug into his pocket and tossed Kelsey a set of keys. “Be careful with the barn door, it sticks a little.
“Thanks, I’ll be right back in.”
He gave her a last glimpse as she went out the front door. “She’s a cute little thing.” Then the little green monster in his head reminded him that he didn’t need any sort of romantic distractions in his life and to stop thinking about how her butt filled out her jeans so sweetly. He grabbed Pearson’s flashlight that he’d left on the kitchen counter from the last outage and headed down the staircase to flip a few switches.
“Hey brother, where you been? I thought you got caught out at mom’s and stayed there.”
“Dammit Pearson, quit sneaking up on me like that.”
“I didn’t sneak, I was just sitting here. Isn’t this where you’re supposed to go during a tornado?”
“What tornado, it’s already passed us. And why did you leave the water running upstairs?”
“Haven’t you been listening to the scanner?”
“No, I’ve been a little pre-occupied.” Boone played with the toggle switches in the breaker box but none of them were connecting to make the lights come back on. “Dammit, I suppose I’ll need new fuses now.”
“I don’t think that’s the problem Boone, can’t you hear the wind outside? The power lines are probably down somewhere. There’s two more headed this direction. Biggest system they’ve seen in twenty years. No way am I going outside of this house with all those trees you have. Scanner says we’re to get sixty-mile-an-hour winds and hail the size of golf balls. Hope you parked your truck in the barn at least.”
“Shit Kelsey’s in the barn, I have to go after her.”
“Who’s Kelsey?”
Boone didn’t stick around to answer his brother’s questions, he’d already rescued that poor woman from one traumatic event. If a tornado hit that barn, it would either chop her to bits from all the tools or carry her away from the strength of the thing. He could still hear Pearson yelling after him but at that moment, she was more important.
***
Kelsey made her way to the barn with a little bit of trouble. The wind had really gained strength since they’d arrived at Boone’s place. She’d even had to stop half way there to take a breath before walking the rest of the way. Between the door sticking and the wind holding it shut, she’d almost not made it into the barn at all.
She hit the unlock button on the remote keychain and grabbed her suitcase and purse from the backseat of the truck.
“At least he thought to grab my things from the car before we left it there.” Boy would her dad throw a fit if he knew she’d just left a vehicle along the side of the highway, with the keys in it, for anyone to take. Not that anyone would be out there.
After she locked the truck again, she sat her bags on an old table and looked through her purse for her phone.
“Where in the world is that thing.” She thought back to the last time she’d used it.
“I had it laying on the seat after I’d listed to dad’s voicemail. I bet it’s still in the car somewhere.”
She wasn’t having very good luck with this brand-new start to her life. On the other hand, she did get rescued from a horrible tornado by a pretty good looking guy. From what she’d seen so far, didn’t look like he had a wife but there could always be a girlfriend waiting in the wings.
