Parker Read online

  Parker stepped on the accelerator, reached for his phone and tugged an attached pair of earphones from his pocket. He always listened to music when he rode the tractor. He’d tried audio books, but they were too hard to hear over the engine’s roar. He put the earbuds in, turned up the volume and, with Kenny Chesney blasting, pushed down harder on the throttle.

  * * *

  Jen put the stethoscope to the prize bull’s side and frowned. She moved it around, listening as the beast’s ragged breathing punctuated the still air. “Well, Bob, he doesn’t seem to have an infection. His lungs are clear, his heart is beating normally. Likely it’s a virus that’ll pass soon enough. Just keep an eye on him and make sure he’s well-hydrated, and if it’ll make you feel better I’ll come and check on him tomorrow.”

  Bob pushed his hat back on his bald head. “Okay, thanks, Doc. It’d sure help me feel more at ease if you could swing by tomorrow.”

  “No problem – I’ll come by after my morning appointments. Can’t be too careful when it comes to this big fella, can we?” She slapped the bull gently on the shoulder through the rails of the cattle chute. His tail swished and he tossed his horned head.

  “No, ma’am, we can’t. He’s worth a mint to me and the missus – we’d sure be devastated if we lost him.” Bob put his hands on his hips and stared out the barn door. “Looks like a storm’s brewin’.”

  She peered out that way as well and chewed the inside of her cheek. Purple and black clouds roiled on the horizon, flying across the sky in their direction. “Hmmm … well, I’d better get moving, then. Those clouds don’t look too good. And I’m done for the day – I’m gonna head home and curl up in front of the fire with a cup of coffee.” She grinned and shook Bob’s hand, then hurried to her car.

  Inside the car, she switched on the radio, searching for a news station. It was only a few days until Thanksgiving and she was excited to spend it with the Williams family. When she’d told her parents she wouldn’t be coming home for the holiday, they hadn’t been too pleased. She thought they’d finally understood her reasoning when she told them how well Hazel was doing.

  But they’d made it clear they hoped she’d be returning to Birmingham rather than Atlanta once Hazel was well. “There’s nothing in Atlanta that you have to get back to now, is there, dear? And we’d so love for you to come home. We can pull some strings and make sure you get a good job. Just come home and we’ll work out all the details.”

  She smiled and bit on her lower lip. It was nice to be loved, and maybe it wasn’t a bad idea. She could take her time finding work, stay with her parents a while, look up old friends and catch up with what was going on in their lives. It did sound appealing. And now that she and Chris were no longer an item, and Hazel lived in south Georgia, she really didn’t have any need to return to Atlanta.

  She felt a pull inside to stay where she was, but was it sensible to stick around just because she’d made some friends? Good friends, friends that cared about her and gave her a reason to smile … okay, perhaps she could stay a little longer and see how things went.

  As her car rattled down the long winding track that served as Bob’s driveway, she listened to the newscaster who warned of a severe thunderstorm with possible hail and high winds. She frowned and downshifted to pull onto the highway, then stepped on the accelerator – she’d better get home before the storm hit.

  * * *

  Parker frowned at the sky. The clouds were overhead now and he could hear the patter of rain beginning on the tractor’s roof. He’d plowed almost half the field and had hoped to push through and get it all done. If it just rained, it wouldn’t matter much to him in the cab of the tractor, but it look like more than rain in those clouds.

  A great gust of wind buffeted the cab, making the tractor sway gently. That wasn’t good. He turned the vehicle around and headed for the barn, the wind whistling and howling through the gaps in the cab, making the vehicle shudder. He’d have to finish plowing tomorrow – it didn’t make sense to stay out in a storm like this one was fast becoming.

  By the time he reached the barn, the rain was already pouring down. The wipers didn’t make much impact on the sheet of water that covered the glass. He got it inside, cut off the engine and sat still for a moment, inhaling deeply. A crack of thunder made him jump – that was close! The wind’s howling filled the musty air as he jumped down from the cab.

  Eamon hustled in through the barn door, soaked to the bone. “Hey, there you are,” he called, wiping rain from his face.

  “Looks like a bad one,” replied Parker, staring out at the storm with his hands on his hips.

  “Sure is. I already tucked all the foals and mares away in their stables, secured the outdoor furniture and anything that wasn’t nailed down.”

  Parker nodded. “Thanks.”

  Eamon took off his hat and shook it. “Did you get the field plowed?”

  “Less than half,” replied Parker.

  Eamon frowned. “Well, I guess we’d better head inside. Not much we can do out here for now.”

  Parker scratched the stubble on his chin. “Yeah. Have you seen Jen?”

  Eamon shook his head. “Nope. I guess she’s still at work.”

  Parker’s brow furrowed. She was out in this weather somewhere, perhaps on her way home. Or maybe she’d decided to ride it out at one of her clients’ homes. He’d try calling her when they got inside. “Dalton’s at the hospital.”

  Eamon shrugged. “I figured. He’s living there at the moment.”

  “You think he’s all right?” asked Parker, rubbing his hand over his face.

  “Yeah. He’s worried about our finances – insurance only covers so much and Hazel’s medical care is costing a bundle. You know how tight our margins are at the moment – we’re still building the business. So he’s stressed about it all.”

  Parker frowned. “That’s why he comes home from the hospital every night and pores over the books?”

  “Yep.” Eamon grimaced. “Not sure what we can do about it right now, but once Hazel’s home we should probably all get together and discuss a way forward. We might have to start doing outside work or something. I could probably get a few accounting clients. Anything we can think of to keep the lights on, you know?”

  Parker nodded and scratched his stubbled chin. He didn’t like the sound of that. He’d sunk his life savings into this place, just as Dalton and Eamon had. If the ranch went under, they’d lose everything they’d worked so hard for. They’d have to do whatever it took to make sure that didn’t happen.

  He couldn’t, wouldn’t let his brothers lose their savings. Both of them were married now and he knew they’d likely want to start families before long. No, between them they’d come up with something to help get the ranch through this rough patch. No one could have predicted Hazel getting sick the way she did. They’d planned as best they could for every other contingency, but that one had hit them out of nowhere.

  The two men sprinted across the yard to the house, the rain pummeling them all the way. On the porch, they shook off excess water, removed their soggy boots and set them by the door. Parker took a look around. Everything was secured and put away. Eamon had moved all the vehicles into the barn in case of hail. It seemed he’d thought of everything, and Parker felt a swell of gratitude toward his brother. It made all the difference working with Dalton and Eamon – he always knew he could rely on them to get things done.

  But there was still no sign of Jen’s car.

  Just as that thought crossed his mind, there was a pinging sound on the porch roof, then another. Soon it became a racket that drowned out every other noise. Parker frowned as he watched as golf-ball-sized hailstones bounce across the ground, then settle in the green grass. He linked his hands behind his head and watched in dismay as they battered the barn and porch. Before long the entire yard was covered in white, as though it had snowed. He didn’t even know it could hail this time of year, though it had been unseasonably warm the past few days
and especially that morning. Perhaps the inclimate temperature had triggered the storm.

  “I’m heading inside,” said Eamon behind him.

  Parker nodded and followed his brother. The foals and their mothers were settled safely in their stables. The rest of the animals were likely sheltering beneath the large shade trees that dotted the property. There was nothing else they could do now except wait out the storm in the warmth of the ranch house.

  Inside, they found their mother in the den watching the Weather Channel. She faced them with wide eyes when they walked in. Parker set his hat on a hook by the door and padded through the den in damp socks. “Hey, Mom.”

  She gestured toward the TV screen. “Have you seen this?”

  Eamon laughed. “Seen it? We were just in it!”

  His mother hurried to the window, pulled aside the drapes and peered outside. “Is that hail making all that noise?”

  Parker nodded. “Yep. Big as golf balls.”

  “My car!” she exclaimed, a hand flying to her mouth.

  “Don’t worry, Mom, I moved your car into the barn,” Eamon assured her. “I couldn’t find you to ask, so I just took your keys. I think you were in the shower or something.” He headed down the hall to his old bedroom and pulled the door shut behind him.

  “Thank goodness for that,” sighed Susan.

  They couldn’t hear the television above the noise of the wind and hail on the tin roof. Susan picked up the remote and turned up the volume, but it didn’t make much difference. She finally hit ‘mute’ and switched to closed-captioning.

  Parker leaned against the window frame and watched the hail pile up all over the yard and against the barn walls. Then a flash of color on the drive caught his eye as Jen pulled up the drive and headed for the barn. There was just enough room for her hatchback under the overhang. He came out onto the porch as she ran across the yard, a large black umbrella swaying above her head. Hail bounced off the umbrella and scattered around her as she ran. He frowned and reached for her hand as she hurried up the stairs.

  “Phew!” she exclaimed, setting her umbrella on the porch. “That hail is crazy!”

  He sighed. “Sure is. I’m glad you made it – I was getting worried.”

  She smirked at him. “You were?”

  His cheeks burned. “Yeah, I was.”

  “Well, I’m fine. Though I can’t say the same for my poor car – it just took a major beating.”

  He stared at her, unable to look away from her face. Her cheeks were flushed, her blonde hair drifted in loose curls around them and her blue eyes sparked. He took a quick breath. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could pull off the “just friends” bit with her. Surely she could see the effect she had on him. Parker cleared his throat, but still couldn’t release her from his gaze.

  She smiled and her cheeks grew pink. “So what have you been up to today?”

  “I was out on the tractor when the storm hit. Since then, I’ve just been waiting for you to get home.”

  She ducked her head with a grin. “Oh?”

  He stepped toward her, his heart racing. Then spun around when the front door banged open behind him. His mother stood there, arms crossed over her chest, smiling. “You made it home, I see,” she said to Jen. “I’m glad you’re okay. I’ve made hot chocolate – would you two like some?”

  There was nothing like being interrupted by your mother to temper a man’s ardor. Parker rubbed his face ruefully. “Sure, Mom, that sounds great. Thanks.”

  She smiled and let the door swing shut behind her.

  Jen headed inside, her hand brushing against Parker’s as she passed him. He held his breath until she was gone, his eyes wide. Had she done that intentionally? He pressed his eyes shut, and leaned against the porch railing with a sigh. He’d wanted to hold her, kiss her and tell her how he felt about her.

  His heart thundered and his breath was ragged. All this from one small touch? He couldn’t believe how much he was affected by his feelings for Jen. He swallowed hard, then inhaled deeply in an attempt to slow his pulse and followed her inside.

  Chapter 9

  The Weather Channel played silently in the background as Jen took a sip of hot chocolate. It scalded the tip of her tongue and she set the mug on the coffee table with a grimace. It was still too hot to drink – she should’ve waited. Susan was chugging it down like it was nothing, but she’d never been able to drink boiling-hot beverages. She frowned and leaned back on the couch.

  The hail had stopped, but the wind had only grown stronger, and sheets of rain lashed against the side of the house. She couldn’t help thinking about the animals around the ranch and hoped they’d found shelter in time, though in her experience animals were pretty good at taking care of themselves that way. Harley was nowhere to be seen, but likely he’d hunkered down in the barn or stables. Lulu would’ve ducked inside at the first hint of moisture in the air with an angry flick of her tail – she grinned at the mental image.

  She stood with a yawn, stretched her arms over her head and wandered to the front door. She loved to watch storms, to stare out into the rain as it fell. There was something soothing about watching nature unleash its fury.

  A crack of thunder overhead, lasting two to three seconds, made her jump, and she closed her eyes, her pulse jittering. It had certainly grown stronger since she went inside. She’d never seen a wind like this before. Another rumble, and she stumbled backward through the open front door, right into a hard chest and strong arms. “Whoa!” said Parker against her hair. “You okay?”

  She spun around in his arms and looked up into his face. He gazed down at her, something deep and intense in eyes, something she didn’t quite understand. Her heart thundered in her chest. He shut the door behind her. What was going on? “Parker, I …”

  He took her hand and looked as though he was about to say something. But as he opened his mouth, a sound deeper and longer than thunder filled the room. There was a screech of metal on metal, followed by a bang, then the whistling of wind. The lights and television set flickered and went dark, and the sound of the heater hissing through the vents faded into silence. Jen’s eyes widened. “What was that?”

  He let go of her hand and ran down the hall, with her close behind.

  Eamon came tearing out of the kitchen, half a sandwich in one hand and a determined look on his face. He caught up to them by the bathroom and looked up – only to get a face full of rain. He cursed and Parker’s hands flew to rest on his head.

  The roof was gone!

  Jen’s mouth fell open as she crossed her arms and stumbled backward down the hall. Half the house’s roof had been blown off by the storm; the bathroom and Eamon and Parker’s bedrooms were exposed to the elements, their belongings being soaked with each passing moment.

  “What was that noise?” asked Susan, coming up behind her. Then she looked up. “Oh dear.”

  Eamon and Parker raced past them and out the front door. Jen hurried to the window and watched them pelt across the yard to the barn, then return laden down with stacks of folded blue tarpaulins. She ran out to help them. “What can I do?” she yelled over the wind.

  Parker handed her a stack of tarps. “Hold these!” His face grim, he hurried off again, coming back a minute later with a ladder over each shoulder, He and Eamon set them up and climbed, Jen handing each of them a tarp.

  The wind whipped the tarp from Eamon’s hands. “We need something to hold them in place!” he shouted.

  “There’s some two-by-fours by the back door,” suggested Susan. Jen nodded, and the two women ran to the back door, shuffling inside again with armfuls of boards.

  After half an hour of the men wrestling with flying tarps and the women ferrying loads of wood and nail guns to the men balanced precariously overhead on the ladders, the rooms were adequately sheltered from the storm. The four of them retreated to the kitchen and slumped, tired and wet, around the kitchen table. Jen rested her chin in her hands, staring glumly at the table top. Hazel w
as due to come home in a couple of days – how could she get the rest she needed in a house with half a roof? She frowned. “Still no power, huh?”

  Parker shook his head, water running down his forehead. “And there won’t be.”

  She lifted her head from her hands and raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

  “Because this is an old house, which means overhead power lines. And they were attached to the roof directly over the main bathroom.” Eamon closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose before reaching for his cell phone where it sat charging on the kitchen counter. “I’m calling the power company. We’ll need them to come and make sure the power lines are off the ground and safe.”

  “We won’t have power until we can fix the roof and get the line reattached,” Parker told Jen. He shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “So we’re in the dark for now.”

  * * *

  The storm left a lot of wreckage in its wake, but everyone had stepped up to help clean and fix it all as best they could in the last two days, in preparation for Hazel’s return and a Thanksgiving they were all grateful to share with her. Jen still had to book her car in for an assessment. She hoped they’d be able to fix the hail damage – small craters all over it meant that while it still worked fine, it looked terrible.

  She poured sweet tea into tall glasses, set the jug back in the bucket of ice and took the glasses into the dining room. They rarely used the formal dining room in this house – in fact, this was probably the first time since she’d arrived, other than for card games. They preferred eating together around the big kitchen table – there was something so warm and inviting about the kitchen.

  But it was Thanksgiving, and that meant a special meal in a special room, according to Hazel. Now that she was home, everyone was happy to do whatever Hazel requested. Despite the missing roof and lack of electricity, the atmosphere around the ranch was abuzz with happy excitement. Delayed tests had meant Dalton had barely brought her home in time for the Thanksgiving meal.