Page 4 of An Unexpected Twist

“Okay little brother, I’m going over to see mom. When I get back this room better look like a kitchen again.”

Boone laughed as he went out the front door, screen door slamming in his wake.

***

Kelsey stood in the open doorway of the tiny bathroom, looking out at the surprisingly comfortable bed in the motel she’s found in the wee hours of the morning. Even the coffee wasn’t working so when she saw a sign for soft beds and hot breakfast, she knew she’d reached her limit. When she checked in, there were free road maps available and requested a late check out so she could plan once she was on the road again. She had no clue where she was headed but after two days of driving, she’d needed break. She hadn’t showered in two days either so after soaking up all the hot water she could before her body would look like one large prune, she wrapped her hair in the towel and flipped on the television before grabbing her clothes.

“I hate storms.” But all she saw on every channel was a large system heading right for Waylin. “I wonder how close that is to where I am? I should probably get moving before it comes this way, I hate driving in the rain.”

After dressing, Kelsey used the hair dryer mounted to the bathroom wall, in turn not allowing her to hear the emergency weather alert blaring from the television. When her hair was styled, she repacked her Thirty-One duffle and grabbed her purse. The paper check-out slip had appeared under her door in the early morning hours and she’d already shoved in into her check book so she’d remember to balance it in later. Leaving the key on the side table as stated, she pulled the heavy door shut behind her and started for her car.

Once out of the shelter provided by the building, her hair took flight. The wind was strong and steady, so much so that it pushed her entire body along quicker than she could walk. Kelsey hurried back to the building out of the wind and dug in her purse for hair ties.

“Good lord, where did that come from?” She’d never felt winds that strong except when she’s gone out to the ocean and she was pretty sure she was in the wrong part of the country for water front property.

“Hey, miss, you really need to find some place to hunker down, we got an intense storm coming and you don’t wanna be outside for it.”

“Thanks, but I’m not sticking around town so I’ll just drive away from it.”

The man mumbled something she couldn’t understand as he rushed away.

“Okay then, let’s try this.” Kelsey secured her bag on her shoulder, and with her purse in her left hand and keys in the right, she ran to her car, clicking the unlock button as she got closer. When she opened the door, it swung out of her hands. She threw her belongings across the car into the passenger seat, grabbed the door and climbed in.

“Holy crap, that’s horrible.” Getting out of town seemed the best option for her. “I’ll just get on the highway and head west, away from the storm.

What Kelsey didn’t know is that she would be driving right into it.

Chapter Three

Boone spent the last hour having lunch with his mom. She was an amazing cook, always made his favorites but the fact that the food had been prepared the moment he walked in the back door, meant his brother called and tipped her off. They were scheming and he should have picked up on that right away.

“Did you have to send him to me?”

“Boone Anderson Michaels, I taught you better than that.”

“Sorry mama, but I can’t help it, I don’t think he learned any of what you taught me. He is a serious slob.”

“Well then, maybe he will learn a thing or two from his older brother, don't you think?”

How did she just flip that all around on me? This woman is wicked and its damned near impossible to ever pull one over on her.

She continued to look at him expectantly.

“Okay mama, I’ll do it for youbut, I can’t guarantee for how long. He hasn’t been there twenty-four hours and he’s already managed to soak my upstairs bathroom and destroy my kitchen.”

“Why do you think I booted him out of here? I’m too old to deal with all that.”

Ha, so there it is, she played mewell.

“Lovely, thanks a lot.”

This wonderful woman who birthed Boone rose from her porch swing and kissed him on the cheek.

“Thanks for visiting with me but you better get on home, there’s an intense storm coming this way. I can feel the wind picking up already.”

“Where’s dad?”

“Oh, he was out to the old Tucker place, they have a mare foaling. He should be home any time.” Boones’ dad was the town vet, but he mainly made house calls. There was no typical office that he worked out of. People with small animals just took them out to the farm.

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