Gus whinnied from inside the trailer, and he stopped long enough to open it and check on his new four-legged friend. Gus’ eyes seemed larger than usual and he appeared anxious. Garrett climbed inside and comforted the old horse.
“It’s all right, Gus. I’m taking you to a new home. We only have to make it through all this damn storm,” he said,patting his neck. When he felt the horse calm, Garrett stepped out and secured the door. He used his hand to guide himself toward the front of his vehicle as the rain pelted his face, making it hard to see in front of him.
He moved to the passenger side and stopped to grab the flashlight. The last thing he needed was to run across a wounded wild animal in the weirdly green and dark sky. Turning it on, he aimed it in the direction of where he heard the loud thud.
Garrett gasped as he saw the form of a woman lying on the ground. A plastic sack covered her head and blood dripped from a large gash across her forehead.
“Shit,” he exclaimed as he dropped to his knees beside her. He debated on whether to move her due to her injuries as he dialed 911 and waited. The phone never rang. He glanced down and saw he didn’t have any service. The storm must’ve knocked out a nearby tower.
Panic set in as he debated carrying her to the vehicle and heading to Embers for the closest hospital. The woman groaned and decided for him as she turned on her back.
Her hand went to her head, and she flinched.
“Hey, hey,” he said, grabbing her hand and gently lowering it to the ground. “My name’s Garrett. I didn’t see you in the rain. Why the hell are you even out in this crap?” he barked nervously.
“Garrett Johnson,” she whispered as her teeth chattered. “I have to find Garret Johnson.”
He leaned close to make sure he heard her correctly. A loud siren from the nearby town echoed from behind him, indicating a tornado. The wind picked up, and debris flew across the road. Gus stomped his feet, getting restless in the trailer. Having no other choice, he gently picked up the drenched woman. The bag flew off her head, and her braidwhipped around his arm as he opened the door and braced himself against it as he set her inside the cab. He adjusted her legs, buckled her in, and closed the door. He ran in front of his truck and jumped inside.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get us out of this,” he said, holding her to the seat.
He turned back onto the road and pressed the gas, getting him closer to Embers. The rain suddenly stopped as everything came to a standstill. The tornado must be closer than he thought. Garrett slowed when he finally saw the gate for Serenity Ranch. He pulled in front of the old farmhouse. Banging on the door, he yelled at the top of his lungs. “Open up. It’s Garrett. We have an emergency.”
No one responded. The house appeared empty. Garrett shrugged out of his rain gear and wrapped it around his hand. Grabbing a stone figurine from the porch, he broke the window on the door, reached inside, and unlocked it.
Garrett barely made it down the steps when Matthew and Mac raced toward him in their vehicles. Damn, he didn’t think they put an alarm inside the old house. He threw open the passenger door and wrapped the woman’s arm around his neck as he lifted her.
Seeing the situation unfold, Mac jumped inside Garrett’s truck and pulled the trailer to the barn as Matthew helped him get the half-conscious woman into the house.
“What happened?” Matthew asked, examining the woman’s head. “She belongs in a hospital.”
“Have you seen the weather outside? The radio said it’s headed our way,” Garrett snapped.
“Take her to the basement,” Matthew ordered as he showed the way. “I have to return home. Stay there until I return. There’s food, ice, and warm blankets. Keep herawake until we can get her help.” He turned and raced back to his vehicle.
Garrett placed the woman in the chair. She shivered and her teeth chattered while she kept her eyes closed.
“I’m taking you out of these wet clothes. You’ll get warmer faster,” he explained as he knelt and slid off her boots and socks. Noticing a bathroom, he ran and grabbed some towels to dry her hair. He unbuttoned her shirt, wrapped the blanket around her, grasped the clasp on her bra, and removed the soiled and sodden items.
Her head lolled to the side as he moved her to the bed. Covering her lower half to protect her modesty, he tugged her jeans down and then her panties. The house shuddered as the wind picked up, and Garrett paused to listen.
Searching the room, he found a bowl and filled it with water. He returned and sat on the edge of the bed, dabbing the blood from her head. The gash didn’t appear as dire as he initially thought. She needed stitches, but it’d wait until the tornado cleared their path. Gently undoing her braid, he wiped the mud from her hair and dried it as much as possible.
“Come on, sweetheart. Open your eyes. We need to keep you awake,” he said as he wiped mud from her cheek. She blinked. Nothing prepared Garrett as she did as he bade. He stared into a pair of crystal blue eyes, sending a shock straight to his heart.
“I’m Garrett. When I came around the curve, I accidentally hit you. Can you tell me where you hurt?” he asked.
She clutched at the blankets as she pulled herself up to sit. She winced when she tried to move.
“Garrett…Johnson?” she asked hesitantly.
“Yeah. Do you know me?” he asked.
“No. And I wish to hell I never heard your name,” she whispered before swaying and passing out.
Garrett’s heart raced as he stared at her pale face. Her cheeks appeared flushed, and tiny freckles dotted her nose. Worried she may have other injuries, he placed a towel over her breasts and removed the blanket to discover the dark bruise forming on her lower ribs.
Unlike other women, she didn’t act fragile. Her eyes shot fire as she cursed him. He tried to recall if he ever met her, yet he couldn’t place her. Garrett didn’t miss how she fit in his arms, and despite the mud and rain, she appealed to him.
