“Okay, I’ll be back before dark.”
“Go get the job done, Marshal. Then get back home safe.”
That brought a slow smile to his face. His gaze fell on hers and she didn’t avoid it… She couldn’t. “Nice send-off. I’ll certainly try my best to comply with the judge’s orders. Wouldn’t want to be in contempt or anything. Then I’d be at the mercy of the court.”
“We couldn’t have that,” she managed but it sounded strange to her ears. Her heart was pounding fast.
His gaze became more serious, as did his tone. “Stay put, stay safe. If you need anything, call.”
“Issuing orders to a judge? There is that marshal attitude again.”
“On that note, I’ll leave.” He didn’t look back as he hurried to the jeep. The lights came on, and he backed away and then disappeared.
Erin stood on the wide porch, having watched his departure, and then gazed around at the sheets of rain that grew in their onslaught. She hoped all was still well with the fishing cabin. For some reason, it held a special place in her mind…or was it her heart? Hurry home, she had said. And those words had more meaning than she had ever known. Her gaze searched into the dark and into whatever danger it held. For the first time, she knew that a feeling of vulnerability had seeped into her body along with the dampness. Erin stepped back into the light and warmth and slammed the door against such thoughts and feelings. All would be well. It had to be.
Chapter Nine
The sound of the rain on the metal roof, even two flights down, could be heard in its steady intensity. Erin was aware of the constant drumming even as she tried to concentrate on writing an opinion on the brief in front of her, but after gaining a stiff neck from tension and a slight headache to boot, she put away the documents and shut down her laptop. She turned off the lamp on the desk she had been using in front of one of the large windows in the living room and realized that the storm and the evening hours had darkened the outside.
She moved to turn on the lamps beside the couch and the one in the corner by the fireplace. Then she headed into the kitchen. The large oval clock on the wall above the dining alcove told her that she had been at work and Rance had been gone over three hours. A little voice inside her wanted to use the phone and just check in but she decided against that. He was a grown man, a marshal, and he certainly could take care of himself. She needed to focus on doing something. Maybe a salad that could be ready for dinner when he arrived? What could she put with it? She was opening the refrigerator when the cell phone rang. The abrupt sound made her jump as it seemed too shrill in the silence. She grabbed it from her jeans’ back pocket.
“There you are,” she answered, noting the name on caller ID, “haven’t floated off yet?”
“Not yet, but some others haven’t been so lucky.” His voice was flat, and she could tell that things might be worse where he was than expected.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Look, is there anything I can do? Can I make some food and get it to you all or anything? I’m not exactly helpless but I feel like it right now.”
She heard him in muffled conversation with someone, and then Cassie came on the line.
“Hi Erin, this is Cassie. I heard you mention food and the guys down here have some already, but Ally and I are trying to handle getting some food together over at the café across the street for some of the crew and volunteers. We could certainly use the extra hands if you want to help. And it might make my brother feel a whole lot better and not splitting his mind in two different areas right now…worrying about you there alone and what he’s facing here.”
“Yes, but how do I get there?”
“I’ll send a truck for you…in about fifteen minutes?”
“I’ll be ready.”
“Thanks so much, girl, for being willing to do this. And there’s rain gear in the closet just off the pantry. See you soon.”
Erin ran to check out the closet and found a red rain jacket with hood that would work and grabbed a pair of rain boots as well. They were a little big but would suffice. She stuck regular sneakers inside a plastic bag from the kitchen. Then, it took a minute to sweep her hair back into a ponytail to keep it out of the way of whatever she needed to do.
Just as she stepped out onto the porch a large double cab truck with the insignia on the side of the local fire department pulled into the driveway. Cassie hadn’t exaggerated about a truck. It was raised high off the ground with huge black tires that looked able to do a lot of work.
Just as she reached the end of the sidewalk, she saw a figure step out covered from head to toe in yellow rain gear. It was Rance and he met her at the front side door.
“Sorry if I get too personal in helping you up the steep steps.” He grinned as he steadied her while she reached up for the first foothold. It was high and she did make it, but it took more than a gentle nudge on her backside to make it into the passenger’s side, and then the door closed behind her. Rance was in the driver’s seat far quicker than she made it thanks to his long legs.
“Sorry, but you needed some help there at the last.” He tried to stifle the grin from moving into a laugh, but it didn’t quite work.
“I know I don’t have long legs, but I do appreciate your efforts. This is some truck.”
“It’s built tall to run over smoking embers and some fire, and to maneuver over swollen water crossings if needed. It’s a workhorse and earning its pay today.”
“Where are we going in it?”
“I’m dropping you at Tillie’s Café. It’s a local icon here on the courthouse square and has been for a couple of decades at least. Good food and good people. She’s opened her kitchen up and most of her private dining area for volunteers to make sandwiches and fill to-go boxed meals and other items. This has turned into a really bad storm, and it’s stalled over us—just like someone left the water running and the tub just keeps overflowing. Those houses that are built in low-lying areas on the south side of town and out into the county, they need to evacuate. We’ve been trying to get to those who waited too late to get out on their own. Luckily, we’ve had some helicopters arrive, but the ceiling is too low and wind too high right now for safety’s sake. The high school gym is open, and cots and stuff are set up, and they’re receiving people and pets. Tillie is operating both sites so Cassie and Ally and some of the ranch hands’ wives from Cade’s and Lane’s places are helping, too.”
“It sounds bad.” At that moment he turned a corner, and she stopped speaking. What used to be a low-lying bridge over a wide creek that she remembered they crossed earlier that day and was dry, was now a river where the roadway used to be seen. “Oh, my heavens, it’s changed so much in a short time. Is it safe to cross now?”
