Page 41 of Surviving Love
“Shit,” Jack whispered harshly. “Runoff water must be coming down from the hills.”
I glanced at him. “What should we do?”
A muscle worked in his cheek as he stared at the roiling muddy water. “If the rain stops, the water will recede.”
I gave an uneasy look at the black sky. The rain showed no sign of lessening anytime soon. “It doesn’t look like it’s even close to stopping.”
“Yeah.” He winced. “We’re going to have to wait the storm out.”
My stomach dropped. “But it could rain for days. This is a big storm.”
“I know, Mason. What would you like me to do about it?”
Frustration nipped me. “We never should have crossed the creek.”
“I thought we had time.”
Gritting my teeth, I held my tongue.
He glanced around. “Let’s go back where we were. I don’t want to be too close to the creek. It’s going to get worse before it gets better.”
I gave a demoralized glance at the rough water. “You don’t think we could make it across?”
“No.”
“No?” I echoed forlornly.
“If it wasn’t so rough, I’d try.” He narrowed his eyes. “Unfortunately, there’s a lot of debris in that water. It’s extremely dangerous.”
He was right. There were logs crashing past us, and the creek was looking less and less like actual water. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Me neither.”
“Maybe we can walk the bank and find a spot that isn’t so rough.”
Jack stared at me impatiently as lightning flashed and rainwater streamed down his face. “If you want to do that, go for it. I’m not walking around in a tropical storm.”
“But I don’t want to be trapped with you.”
He gave an incredulous laugh. “The feeling is mutual, Mason.”
“This is ridiculous,” I grumbled. “I thought you were a survival expert.”
“I am.”
“Then how come you didn’t know the creek would swell up like that?” I realized I was being completely unfair, but I was pissed at the situation.
“I’m not a fortune teller.”
Frowning, I said, “I know, but it was your idea to cross the creek.”
“No one made you follow me. That was your choice.”
“I trusted you.”
His face twitched, and he hung his head. “Look, I’m sorry, Mason. This weather caught me off guard. I really thought we had more time.”
Shocked at his sudden apology, I felt a little guilty. I was blaming him for things that were out of his control. I was letting my frustration get to me. I sighed. “You have a point. You didn’t force me to follow you across the creek.”
