Goodbye Girl (Hidden Lane Ranch) (8 page)

I woke up to
the sound of thunder crashing outside of my window. I sat up in bed and looked
at the clock. It was three AM. My heart sank with disappointment when I
realized Clint hadn’t come to me when he came in. Maybe it had been too late
and he was tired. I couldn’t imagine what it was like to work like he did; it
must be exhausting.

I jumped as
another clap of thunder rang out. It sounded like it was right outside of my
bedroom window. I got up out of bed and walked over to the window, slowly
pushed open the curtains. When the lightning flashed, I could see the trees
bent way over by the howling wind. Guess that storm came sooner than expected.

I could make
out the sounds of people talking so I threw a t-shirt over my tank top and
headed out to the kitchen. Mary and Eliza were both sitting there and the looks
on their faces instantly made my stomach drop.

“Storm wake
you up, my dear?” Mary asked with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

I nodded and
walked over to the coffee pot, grabbing a mug and pouring myself a cup. “Yes,
I’m not used to storms like this.” I joined them at the table. Eliza looked so
different with her make up off and her hair up in a messy bun. She was chewing on
her bottom lip and she twitched with each boom of thunder.

I looked
around, not seeing Wyatt or Clint anywhere. How could they sleep through this? “Are
the boys still sleeping?” I finally asked. “They must be hard sleepers.”

Eliza shook
her head and Mary sighed. “No, they are out in Clint’s truck, checking on a few
things. This storm snuck up on us and they wanted to make sure the animals are
accounted for since they didn’t get to herd them in like they had wanted to.”

The room lit
up with flashes of lightning so fast it was like a strobe light was in the
room. “They’re out in this?” I asked, my voice filled with shock. No wonder
Eliza looked so nervous.

Mary reached
over and patted my hand. “They’ll be fine. We’ve had a million storms like this
here. They know what they’re doing and they’ll be careful.”

At that moment
the whole house shook with the loudest rumble I’d ever heard. Eliza and I both
screamed as the house got black. “Girls, calm down!” Mary said, turning on the
flashlight I was thankful she had with her. Obviously she had been through this
before and was prepared.

She turned on
the radio, listening for news about the weather. I didn’t really listen though,
my thoughts on Wyatt and Clint out in this horrible storm. I tightened my hands
into fists and had to fight the urge to get up and pace around the kitchen. I
wasn’t going to be happy until they were both back safe and sound.

“Let’s move to
the family room,” Mary said, getting up with her flashlight and radio. We
followed close behind as she let us to the family room off of the kitchen. The
three of us sat on the couch next to each other, with me in the middle.

Eliza grabbed my
hand as we watched the lightning out the window. “I hate storms,” she
whispered. She grew up here and if she was this freaked out about a storm, it
had to be bad. I squeezed her hand, thinking about Clint. If I had any doubt
before that I had feelings for him, they were erased now. I wanted nothing more
than to see him walk in that door. I let my head fall back on the back of the
couch. Please let him be ok.

We heard some
banging by the outside door leading into the kitchen and sat up. Was it them or
just the wind? The door flew open and in walked Wyatt and Clint, both soaked to
the bone. Eliza jumped off of the couch and ran to them, hugging first Wyatt
and then Clint. Mary and I followed behind her and I stood there awkwardly as I
watched her hug her sons. I almost felt like I was intruding on the family
moment.

“Man is it bad
out there!” Wyatt exclaimed, kicking off his boots.

Clint shook
off his hat and nodded. “Yeah, it’s nasty, but everything seems ok. Hopefully
it will stay that way.”

“Well you boys
go get into some dry clothes and come back here. I need one of you to hook up
the generator so I can cook you some food and get you some hot coffee in you,”
Mary said, shooing them off to their rooms. “Bring your clothes back with you
so I can get them washed!” She called after them.

She started
banging around her in kitchen, finding some candles and getting them lit so we
had more light. I looked at the clock and was surprised to see it was already
five AM. I didn’t realize we’d sat so long waiting for them.

Eliza was
lighting candles around the family room and it was amazing how her mood had
changed now that her brothers were back. She no longer jumped at every little
sound and seemed back to her carefree self. Something must have happened once
during a storm to spook her like that.

“Is there
anything I can do to help?” I asked, watching the two women.

Mary came over
and handed me a flashlight. “In the hallway, there’s a closet. It’s the middle
door on the right. I think I have more candles in there. Could you get them
please?”

I nodded and
headed down the hallway. Wyatt passed me on the way, dressed in dry jeans and a
t-shirt. His wet hair was combed back and it was easy to see why he was so
popular with the ladies when he smiled at me. “First big storm, Rachel?” he
asked.

I nodded. “Yeah,
we don’t get storms like this back in New York, at least not in the city.”

“I bet.” He
looked down at the wet clothes he was holding. “Well, I better get these to Ma,
although I don’t know what she’s going to do with them when we don’t have any power.”
He laughed and continued down the hall.

I found the
closet Mary had been talking about and opened the door, looking for the candles
she asked for. I grabbed them and put them in my arms, dropping a few in
surprise when I heard a soft knock on the door. “Excuse me,” Clint said from
the other side of the door; the hallway was blocked when I’d opened the door.

I closed the
door and my breath was knocked out of me when I saw him standing there; he was
wearing a fresh pair of jeans, a tight white t-shirt and no socks. His hair was
wet and combed back. “Hey,” he greeted me with a soft smile before bending down
to pick up the candles I’d dropped.

“Hey,” I
managed to stammer, watching him as he stood up and handed me the candles.

“A little
edgy?” he asked, closing the closet door for me.

“I little,” I
confessed. “I’m not used to storms like this.” I winced as another loud crash
of thunder shook the house. “And I was worried about you guys out there in this
mess.”

“Worried about
us?” he asked with a laugh. “This is nothing. Wait until winter. Now those are
storms. Sometimes we get so much so we can’t leave here for days.”

“Really?” Even
though the thought of being stranded didn’t sound so great, the fact that he
was thinking about me still being around in the winter gave me a little thrill.

“Yep, just you
wait.” He grinned and my stomach did a flip flop.

“Clint! Get
your ass in here!” Wyatt called from the other room.

“We better get
back in there. Wyatt probably can’t figure out the generator,” he said with a
roll of his eyes.

We walked back
to the kitchen in silence, my mind wandering to all the things Clint and I
could do if we were stuck in this house for a few days. My body suddenly felt
warm and my clothes too tight. I hadn’t been this attracted to another man
probably ever. My thoughts were constantly filled with the naughty things I
wanted him to do to me.

We arrived
back in the kitchen and I set the candles on the table by Mary. “Thanks, dear,”
she smiled at me.

“Come help me
with the generator,” Wyatt called out from the utility room.

Clint looked
at me pointedly. “Told you so,” he said before walking out to join him.

I giggled and
watched him walk out. Mary came over to me and put her hand on mine. “You’re
relieved he’s ok, aren’t you?”

I was
speechless, not sure how to respond. Guess I wasn’t very good at hiding my
emotions. “I’m glad they both are,” I stammered, trying to cover my emotions. “I
can’t imagine what it’s like out there.”

“Right,” she
grinned at me. “It’s ok, Rachel. I’ve seen the way you look at him and the way
he looks at you.”

I laughed
nervously and shrugged. “I better not play poker, huh? I’m not good at
bluffing.”

“It makes me
smile the way you two look at each other. It reminds me of the way their father
and I were when we met,” she said wistfully. “My friends all laughed when I
said I was going to marry him, but I did.”

I panicked at
the word ‘marriage’. No one had even hinted at that. Yeah I liked him, but I
was a long way from thinking about getting married to him or anyone really, not
after what I’d just been through.

“Don’t worry,
dear,” she patted my arm. “No one’s expecting you to get married, at least not
yet.” She laughed and walked away, leaving my mouth hanging slightly open. I
was going to learn not to be so obvious about my emotions.

Clint came
walking back into the kitchen carrying a bunch of cords. “Ok Ma, what do you
want plugged in?”

I watched as
she gave directions to her sons on what she needed them to get turned back on. It
wasn’t long before the kitchen was humming again. She was making us a big
breakfast, but before she started she brewed a big pot of coffee. I’d asked her
if she needed any help but she shooed me away.

We all sat at
the table as the storm blew all around us. We were laughing and teasing each
other and for the first time maybe ever, I felt like I was part of a real
family. Clint sat next to me, so close his thigh was lightly touching mine. It
was hard not to be distracted by him and when we were done eating I jumped up
to help Mary with the dishes.

“Here’s some
more plates,” Clint said as he set them on the counter next to me by the sink. He
stepped closer to me and leaned down, his lips almost touching my ear. “Wyatt
and I have to go back out but when I get back, I want to be alone with you. Tell
them you’re tired and need a nap and I’ll join you as soon as I can.”

I licked my
lips and nodded as my eyes darted around nervously at everyone else, hoping
they didn’t hear. Sure, they knew about us, but they didn’t need to hear it
too.

“Good girl,”
he said with a wink and walked away. I gripped the edge of the counter for
support as my legs turned to jelly. Oh my God, when he said that to me it was
the hottest thing ever.

The storm had
lightened a bit and the news on the radio had said there would be little break,
so Wyatt and Clint hopped in the truck to do a quick check. We finished
cleaning up from breakfast and when we were done, I yawned. It wouldn’t be too
far from the truth to tell them I needed a nap.

“Tired?” Mary
asked, noticing my yawn.

I nodded. “Yeah,
I’m going to go take a nap before the storm picks up again and I can’t sleep.”

“Sounds like a
good idea. I may do that myself here on the couch.” She grabbed her coffee and
began to walk to the family room.

Eliza
stretched and yawned too. “I’m going to try too. Yell if you need me.” She
padded off to her bedroom.

“Have a good
nap, dear,” Mary called from the couch.

“You too,” I
said from the end of the hallway as I walked down to my room. Once inside, I
walked over to the window. It had stopped raining and the sky didn’t seem so
dark, but the wind still looked terrible.

I turned
around and looked at my bed. It definitely looked inviting. I slipped my shorts
and t-shirt off so I was just wearing my thong and tank top. I snuggled under
the thick quilt, my body tingling at what Clint was going to do to it when he
got inside.

My hand
trailed between my thighs and I lightly fingered my clit with my index finger. I
closed my eyes and thought about the way Clint’s tongue felt on me last night. It
wasn’t long before my wetness had seeped through the thin fabric of my thong. My
other hand moved up to cup my breast, squeezing it and teasing my nipple
between my thumb and forefinger.