~*~*~
Pulling to a stop in front of the manor, Will noticed dark clouds gathering and casting a gloomy pall over the late afternoon sky. It looked like a storm was brewing to the west, and while he liked storms, he hoped this one didn’t bring destruction in its wake. The first drops of rain hit him as he took the front steps two at a time and let himself into the manor. Immediately, he was met with the scent of dinner, and his stomach growled.
In the kitchen, he found the family gathered around the table and the counter. With the impending storm, there would be no eating outside that night.
“Hi Daddy,” Isabella said as she skipped toward him.
Will bent to hug her. “How was your day?”
“Good.” But then her brow furrowed. “But Amy left.”
He was surprised at the jolt of alarm he felt at her statement. Will glanced up and caught Laurel’s gaze. “Amy left?”
“Not permanently. She just went into town to do some shopping for the party.”
“And she’s not back yet?” Will asked.
“She said she was just going to grab something to eat while she shopped.”
Perplexed by the near- panic he’d felt at Isabella’s words and the relief he’d felt when Laurel had clarified, Will took the plate Violet handed him. Neither reaction made a lot of sense, but he told himself it was just because he didn’t want to have to handle Isabella’s party all by himself. Yeah, that had to be it.
A loud clap of thunder caused Lance to pause in his prayer for the food. When he continued, he prayed for safety for Amy and that no one would be injured during the course of the storm.
After the prayer was done, Violet turned to Dean and said, “Babe, should I call Amy and have her wait out the storm at the station? She might not be used to driving in this kind of weather.”
Will thought of Amy at the station with Dean’s deputies and found it didn’t sit too well with him. He knew most of them, and while they were nice enough, the single ones could really lay on the charm. The thought of them turning their attentions to Amy twisted his gut. What was wrong with him? He guessed he felt some sort of responsibility for her. Josh wasn’t there to watch over her so he’d taken up the task. Even as he thought it, Will knew that wasn’t entirely true either.
“If you think she’ll need a place to wait,” Dean said. “But she might be more comfortable at McDonalds or the diner.”
Will hoped Violet would take Dean’s suggestion and tell Amy to go somewhere else. Any place but the station. If onlyhe’d known she planned to go shopping in town, he could have picked her up and gone with her. Then, at least, he could have waited out the storm with her.
Not wanting to dwell on what he was feeling, Will dished up his plate and, after realizing the women were going upstairs to Jessa, joined the other men in the dining room. Conversation inevitably turned to work since three of the four of them worked for Lance’s company. Dean, while not part of the company, was well informed about it and joined in the shop talk as well.
Will shifted his chair so that he could watch the lightning through the dining room windows. Mother Nature was putting on quite the show. Rain streaked madly down the glass as the storm continued. None of the kids were scared of storms so even when the thunder boomed, no one got upset. He just hoped Amy stayed put until the rain let up a little. Rain could create a whiteout situation similar to snow, and the twists and turns on the road from Collingsworth to the manor could be dangerous in these wet conditions.
Thankfully, the storm gave him a reason to hang around the manor. Will already knew he wouldn’t be leaving until Amy was home safe and sound. He just didn’t want it to be obvious to the others there.
~*~*~
Amy sat in a booth next to the window of the McDonalds. The rain sluicing down the glass blurred the lights of the cars on the street, and every few minutes there was a flash of lightning and a boom of thunder. She slowly ate the meal she’d bought knowing that it was best she stay in town until things died down a bit. Violet had called to suggest the same thing, but she’d already made up her mind. The storm had brought on an early twilight, and since Amy hadn’t driven the road at all before today, she wasn’t going to risk it in both darkness and rain.
Her phone rang, and she saw from the display it was her mom. Happy to have someone to talk to while she waited,Amy answered it.
“Hey, Mom,” Amy picked up a fry and dipped it into the ketchup.
“Hi, sweetie. How are you doing?”
“Fine. Just waiting out a storm in town.”
“A real gully washer?”
“Yep. And a nice light show, too.” Amy took another bite of French fry. “How are you and Dad?”
“We’re doing pretty good. It’s been hot here. We could use some of the rain you guys have.”
Amy frowned. Her mom’s voice sounded tense. “Is something wrong, Mom?”
CHAPTER TEN
