Page 18 of Secret Baby
Where was Colt? Did he know the storm had changed? She grabbed her purse and dialed his number. No one answered.
Vicki gulped and ran outside, and the wind hit her so hard in the face that the brutal force slapped her. She clenched her jaw and ran to the side of the house. The wind tossed her hair into her eyes and she couldn't see, but she reached for the shutters. Then she accidentally bumped into a large, muscular shoulder.
The smell of oak trees and oranges surrounded her as he blocked the wind. Colt's hands brushed her sides and held her steady. "What are you doing, woman?"
"Don't call me woman or princess."
"Now is not a good time."
Yeah, there was a storm. Next to him, she unlatched one of the hooks on the blinds. "You weren't anywhere I could see, and I needed to close the blinds. It's a category five."
"It can't get bigger now."
She wavered in her stance. "I'm scared."
"The center is supposed to be far north of here." He unhooked the other side and twisted the bottom of the shutter into the wall. She held it steady as best she could as he hooked the shutters closed. Once he finished, he yelled over the wind, "I'll finish and be inside soon. Go watch Clara."
At least the predictions didn't have them in the line of fire. "Do you have a generator?"
"Victoria Morgan is scared?"
"I already told you that." The wind blew at her back and knocked her into his arms again. "Do you, Colt?"
His chest warmed her backside, but then she lunged herself off him, and adjusted her stance as the wind pelted her.
He turned toward another window shutter. "It's a cat five, but hundreds of miles from here. Let's hope it stays that way."
Her hair flew in her face. "Colt?"
The wind didn't matter now that heat rushed through her. "Yes, I have a generator. Now go in and keep Clara calm. She hasn't survived that many hurricanes."
"None of us have. Colt—-" She didn't know what she'd say. At home, she'd have Peter's staff to take care of safety details. At worst, she would have to call and someone would show up to take care of everything. The woodsy smell of Colt calmed her. He stepped further down the house to get another window closed, and she ran inside.
The front door flew open and slammed on the outside wall. Vicki turned around and tugged that door closed. Her muscles ached, but she won. Then she turned around and saw Clara. Her daughter stood in the hall holding a doll's hand. Clara came running to the door, but Vicki turned to use all her muscles to close it. The moment Clara came close, Vicki won her battle with the door. With the wind howling outside, Clara tugged on her arms. "I want to show you my dresses to pick one to wear. I want to be as pretty as you."
Now? Vicki's heart spiked at the girl's glow of happiness. If Clara was distracted, she'd not be worried. Vicki's lips trembled as she opened them to speak, and she lowered herself to her daughter's level to meet her gaze. "You're prettier, sweetheart. Let's go see what you have."
The girl raced to her room, and Vicki chased after her. Clara threw open her closet to pull out a dress. Without stopping, Clara kicked off her shoes, which flew halfway across the room and landed in the pile with her other shoes. Vicki could never have done that. Without a thought, Vicki knelt down and straightened the shoes out. "Good aim."
Clara had no modesty, because she dropped her clothes in a heap on the floor and showed off her superhero Underoos like it was normal. Vicki held her tongue. Perhaps for children it might be normal, but she had no idea. Instead of asking, she bent over and picked up the discarded pile to sort. Clara threw her dress on the top of her head. Vicki finished her sorting, and placed the dirty clothes in the hamper.
Clara's wail made Vicki turn around fast to see her daughter, then she stifled her laugh. Her daughter's arms flailed around with the dress over her face. Clara yelped, "Help me. I'm stuck."
On her knees, Vicki scooted over to her and helped tug the dress down. Clara lifted her arms until she could see, and then wrapped them around Vicki's neck to hug her.
Colt walked in the door and Vicki stood. As she gazed down, she saw Clara making a duck face. Colt shook his head, and their daughter laughed. "She's turned into a prissy girl that fast with you?"
Vicki's heart leapt. She gazed behind him. The window was now black from the shutters. "Stop. She's showing me how pretty she looks in a dress, and she's beautiful. So try again, Dad. Go out, then come back in and tell your daughter she looks amazing."
His brown eyes gazed at Clara with a shiny stare. Vicki's heart squeezed in her chest. She's missed out on all of this. Then he stepped backward and smiled. "Bossy as ever."
At the door he stepped into the hall, and then turned to look at his daughter. "Clara, sweetheart, you're beautiful, no matter what you wear."
The little girl smiled and twirled. Vicki sat on the side of the bed and averted her gaze. She'd not cry now. Her chest ached a little that she'd missed out on five years of her daughter's life. Her eyelids went gummy and she feared tears would form on her face again.
Clara came over to her and wrapped her arms around Vicki. "Don't cry. You're pretty too. Dad is just stupid over that meanie Belle."
Colt's voice went up an octave. "Hey now."
