Maddy rushed forward.
“Pippy!” Emma took the dog from Nora’s arms, and Pippy began licking her owner’s face.
“Oh dear!” Gram grabbed a throw from the recliner and began dabbing at a gash on Nora’s temple. “Just look at you.”
“Just a little scrape,” Nora said. “I’m all right.”
As Gram daubed at the wound, Maddy saw that Nora was right. It was just a little scrape, but the rain had made a bloody mess of her sister’s face.
“I must look like a drowned rat.” Nora was breathless. Her auburn hair was plastered to her scalp, and her clothes pressed to her body like a second skin.
“It’s awful out there,” she said. “And getting worse by the second.”
“Oh, heavens,” Gram said. “Your elbow’s bleeding too.”
In all the commotion, Maddy only now noticed Nora had come in alone.
Her blood froze in her veins. “Where’s Connor?”
“Connor?” Nora asked. “What do you mean?”
“He went after you.” Maddy’s voice sounded frenzied even to her own ears. “You didn’t see him out there? He didn’t find you?”
“No. I finally found Pippy at that house where the golden retriever lives. She was hiding under the deck. I grabbed her and ran back along the street, but we about got blown away.” Nora’s gaze toggled between the others. “How long has he been gone?”
Maddy’s chest felt weighted, making it difficult to draw a breath. “Over an hour.”
A long silence hung between them. An hour was a long time out there.
God, where is he?
What if something had happened to him? What if she never saw him again? What if her last words to him wereI can’t do this anymore?
She had to go after him. She reached for an umbrella in the base of the coat tree, though it would provide little protection.
“What are you doing, Maddy?” Emma said.
“I’m going after him.”
Gram took the umbrella with surprising force. “No, you are not.”
“I have to find him. What if something happened to him?”
With stealth beyond her years, Gram pivoted in front of the door. “Do you think any of this is a surprise to God? He’s in control. He has Connor in His own hands, and we can’t forget that.”
“Then He’ll take care of me too, Gram.”
Gram pursed her lips and tilted her chin at a stubborn angle. “Well, He also expects us to use our noggins, young lady.”
“Honey, it’s dark as pitch out there,” Nora said. “And the rain... You can hardly see two feet in front of your face.”
“Connor knows what he’s doing,” Gram said. “And he’d have my head on a platter if I let you go running after him. I have to live right beside the boy, so you’re staying here.”
Maddy stared into her grandmother’s set face. She’d never seen the woman so adamant.
Her heart thrashed against her rib cage as realization sank in. Gram was right. She didn’t want to admit it, but she knew it was true. Helplessness closed around her lungs like a cage, making it hard to draw breath.
Gram squeezed her arm. “I’m sure he’s just fine, honey. The Lord will take care of him.”
