Page 24 of Unspoken Hearts
My gaze moves to the large window looking out at the paddocks, dark charcoal clouds growing in the distance as the wind starts picking up. “Should we get the animals inside the barn?”
“They won’t be able to escape if something happens. They have shelters, so they’ll be all right.” Dad’s voice appears from his office tucked away behind the spiral staircase. “If we’re all in here, then we’ll be fine.”
Running my tongue across my bottom lip, I realise that there’s someone who isn’t here.
Macie.
Will she be okay on her own? Will her place survive the storm? I know she’s terrified of thunderstorms. She has ever since I’ve known her, even though she never told me herself, but I’ve seen it over the years in the way she flinches at cracks of thunder and harsh wind.
My pulse quickens a little, anxiety prickling at my skin. I contemplate grabbing my phone to see if I can pick her up.
I don’t want her to be alone.
My mouth opens to mention her when Grayson beats me to it, thundering his way down the wooden stairs.
“I’m going over to Macie’s. I don’t want her to be alone in the storm.”
“Will you be okay there?” Mum asks cautiously, her eyes widening a little.
Grayson nods.
My teeth grind a little, hand digging into the timber benchtop as I fight the jealousy flickering to life in the pit of my stomach.
He stole the words right out of my mind.
“Go now then before it gets worse,” Dad suggests, peering out the window again.
Grayson nods again, swiping his keys off the bench. “We’ll be fine. She hates storms, so I don’t want her to be alone.”
My teeth clench so tight they might just break in half if I’m not careful.
“Maybe you should bring her here for the night,” suggests Mum. Her voice wavers a little, like she’s just as nervous as I feel about Macie being caught in the storm.
“If we have time, then we will. But if not, she’ll at least be with me,” Grayson reminds her.
His cobalt eyes flicker to mine for a beat, and it’s enough to see the challenge in them. That flicker sparks into a wildfire inside as I watch my brother leave for the girl I love.
Teeth biting the side of my cheek and my pulse thrumming wildly, I silently kick myself for not leaving for her sooner.
Chapter seven
Macie
Raindropsfallingthroughyourceiling aren’t normal, right? I stare up at the fat droplets forming on the cream paint, dripping down into the bucket I found under the sink. Each splash reminds me of how old and unmaintained this house is, but there’s nothing else I can do.
I can’t leave.
The rain is coming down in sheets now, the wind is beginning to howl, and I don’t have a car to get me out of here.
I should have called Laynie to get me before it got this bad,but I’m not risking her driving now.
Sighing, my hands dig into my eyes, praying that this won’t get much worse.
A bang on the front door jolts me out of my spiralling.
Blanching, I race through the bare hallway to answer it, a small flicker of hope flowing through me.
What if it’s Reid on the other side? Does he even know that I’m terrified?
