Page 30 of Taurus

Chapter eleven

Parker

“Atornadowatchhas been issued for the following counties…”

I am standing in the living room with a glass of wine in my hand, watching as the news report comes through showing the severe weather hurdling its way toward Summer’s Grove. It’s late in the evening, nearing ten o’clock, so that makes it even worse. Nighttime storms are the worst.

We usually avoid big storms like this, given the way this small town is nestled between mountains it tends to break up most bad weather before it gets here, but this one is different it seems.

“How bad is it?” Austin says from the doorway behind me. It’s the first time he’s spoken to me since our argument in his office yesterday afternoon.

“Tornado watch,” I tell him with my eyes still on the screen. “Hail, really strong winds, lightning,”

“Christ,” he sighs. “We could have huge issues with the crops and equipment by the end of this.”

“You can’t stop the weather. We’ll just have to wait and hope.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” He leaves as quickly as he came and I plop down on the sofa in frustration.

I hate this tension and this awkwardness that is thick between us now. It makes me wish I had never even said anything to him about this almost kiss. It was a mistake, according to him, and maybe I should get on board with that too.

I drop my head back to the sofa and close my eyes, looking for a moment of reprieve from the storm and my thoughts, but that’s shattered completely with a loud crack of thunder and burst of lightning. I jump out of my skin and shriek. When I open my eyes, I’m met with darkness and no sound except the rain.

The storm has knocked out the power.

How is it possible that there isn’t a single damn candle in this entire house?

I am using the flashlight on my phone to dig around in junk drawers in the kitchen, looking for any extra flashlights or candles, but I’m coming up short.

“Austin?” I call out, “Do you have a flashlight? A candle? Anything?” I wait for a response, but am met with only silence. “Shit,” I curse to myself.

I grab my empty wine glass from the counter and go to the sink to wash it when I see a flash of light break across the property through the window. I stare for a moment, waiting to see it again, and when I do, I can see that it’s Austin, outside in this storm.

What the fuck is he doing? I knock on the glass, trying to get his attention, but it’s useless. The rain is too heavy and too loud. He can’t hear me at all.

Leaving my glass in the sink, I slip on my flip-flops, grab an umbrella from the basket beside the back door, and head out into the storm.

“What are you doing out here?” I yell over the pounding rain to Austin, who is soaked to the bone, walking through the straight rows of grapevines, bending over to look into the greenery for something. “This storm is insane! Come inside.”

The wind is barreling down on me, threatening to pull the umbrella right out of my hands.

“I can’t find Marjorie,” he says as he walks by me and back toward the house.

“What?” I turn on my heel, slipping a bit in the mud, but thankfully, I don’t fall. “What are you talking about?”

“I always bring her in when it storms like this. I don’t want her out here and I can’t find her.”

Water is dripping off the hair that is now plastered to his forehead. It’s hard to deny how incredible he looks right now, with his white shirt now see-through, stuck to his muscular body… but the look on his face makes my heart ache for him. He’s really worried about her.

“Okay,” I tell him, looking around for a minute to gather my thoughts. “I’ll help you look for her.”

“No, not in this storm, not with this wind and lightning. Get back in the house, Parker.”

“I’m helping you look for her because it’s storming. You shouldn’t be out here either. Two of us will help us find her faster.” I go to push past him, but he grips my arm, halting me in my tracks.

“Goddammit, Parker, just go back into the house. I don’t want to have to worry about you too.”

“Why would you have to worry about me?” I yank my arm from his grip.

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