Scarlett frowned at me before her fingers went flying again. Gabe hummed in what sounded like agreement.
Daniel settled one of his large hands on my knee, which I hadn’t known was shaking violently until I felt the pressure of his hand. “It’s okay. I know how frightening twisters are when you’re not used to them. Just take a deep breath. You’re safe now.”
I did as he suggested, sucking a shaky breath in while I stared at him for guidance, then releasing it slowly with him.
“Good. One more,” he instructed.
I felt myself flush but followed along with him again while I took the opportunity to study the man in front of me.
He had a round, weathered face, with laugh lines crinkling the corners of his pale blue eyes. His hair was dark brown and much neater on top than his bushy beard. A huge tuft of gray cradled his chin right up to his bottom lip, with a slight hint of gray appearing on his temples. Small black gauges were embedded in each ear, which surprised me but oddly didn’t at the same time. It felt strange seeing someone a little older wearing gauges, but it fit him so well that I couldn’t imagine what he’d look like without them. A dark gray hoodie was settled on his barrel chest, and he wore dirty dark blue jeans that had obviously seen better days. His leather work boots were well-worn and scuffed within an inch of their lives.
He wasexactlythe type of guy I was the most attracted to. Older than me, stockier than me, and with a warmth to him that utterly screamed of his caretaker leanings.
Even with all the excitement we’d just been through, was it any wonder that I was already drooling?
I startled when he coughed softly, then chuckled. A sparkle in his eyes made me think he knew exactly where my thoughts had taken me, which made me flush even harder. Oh God.
“You okay now?” he asked with a sassy grin.
Blinking furiously, I bit my bottom lip, then nodded. “Mm-hmm. Yeah.”
“Why don’t we start with your name,” he suggested, eyeing my lips before returning his focus to my eyes.
“Um,” I said slowly and quietly, blinking before I shook my head clear. Had he been flirting? Surely not. Right? “Marshall.”
“Hi, Marshall,” he said kindly. “I’m Daniel. That’s Rose and Bucky.” He pointed to the young girl hugging her dog, then at the pair sitting behind him, still staring at me with narrowed eyes. “And that’s Scarlett and Gabe. Can you tell us about how you ended up here today?”
A huff from behind him made Daniel turn around and glare at Gabe, who simply shrugged. “I mean, it’s not like I hadn’t already asked him theexact same question, right?” He sat back and rolled his eyes before looking at Scarlett. “Right?”
She rolled her own eyes, then signed something that made Gabe gasp.
“I’m not an ass! How very dare you!” He clasped his imaginary pearls, which looked utterly ridiculous considering he was wearing torn blue jeans and an ancient dark green polo shirt. His straight, shoulder-length blond hair was all over the place, and the variety and volume of leather bracelets that ran up one arm made him look like he was the poster child of surfer boys who also happened to work in gas stations, which was supremely odd, considering we were landlocked by a few hundred miles in all directions. He leaned into Scarlett’s shoulder with a smirk. “Unless I misheard you and you were talking about how perfect my ass is. Then I accept your admiration.”
She laughed silently, her whole body shaking with mirth, which only made Gabe pout.
“Aw, come on.”
Scarlett simply laughed harder.
Daniel shook his head at their antics and turned back to me. He took my small hands in his and raised an inquisitive eyebrow at me.
My breath hitched slightly at the warmth I felt spreading through my fingers. “Um, well… I was traveling from the Sturgis Bike Rally. It finished earlier today.”
Daniel nodded, then turned his head to the quiet young girl in the darkened corner. “That would explain all those bikes we saw earlier, wouldn’t it, Rose?”
“Sure would,” she said, lifting her face from the white fur of the dog she still gripped around the neck. Her long brown hair was tangled like she’d been playing hard all day and hadn’t brushed it since the morning. Her long pale limbs were gangly, like she’d had a growth spurt recently and her body hadn’t quite caught up to that fact. She wore a light gray round-necked T-shirt that had dirt smudges everywhere, with a pair of light blue cutoff jean shorts and a pair of scuffed white sneakers. She looked at me curiously, before letting her eyes drop down for just a split second to where my hands were held in Daniel’s. A thoughtful expression flickered across her face, but then she let her eyes shift again to watch Scarlett and Gabe, who were nudging at each other playfully like they were teenage siblings.
Who knew? They probably were. Siblings, not teenagers. They both looked like they were in their early to mid-twenties, even though they definitely acted like they were much,muchyounger.
“So, you’re not from around here?” Daniel asked, his attention returning to me.
I shook my head. “I graduated in Cali a couple of months back, and I’m headed back home to Chicago. Decided to stop in at the bike rally on the way.” I grimaced. “There was some talk about a tornado warning earlier today, but with everyone packing up, no one was taking it too seriously.”
“And that worked out well for you, didn’t it?” Gabe said sarcastically.
“Stop being an ass, Gabe,” young Rose said, shooting a dark look at Gabe.
“Sorry, Cozy Rosey,” Gabe muttered, surprisingly letting his head droop forward in embarrassed submission to the much-younger girl.
