Page 11 of Bailey

Pansy held very still, the blue heeler in her always alert until Reeves released her.

“All right,” he said. She jolted into movement, heading out of the office ahead of everyone, Sir only a beat or two behind. He followed them, and once again paused at the back door. “You go potty, and you come back.”

He opened the door, and the dogs went out. Reeves stepped outside with them and moved to the edge of the rain-splashed deck, where he lifted the camera and recorded. He could do a voiceover, or he could just dictate what he was looking at right now and cobble together the footage for this weekend’s video.

“Well, that rain they said was comin’ sure did arrive,” he said, his voice taking on his online persona-tone instantly. “It’s been raining like this for a couple of hours now, and they’ve actually closed the road where I live, so I can’t get out. They’ve called for an evacuation, but don’t worry, I’m hunkered down, and I have plenty of food, supplies, and a generator. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get back to camping soon enough.”

He kept the camera rolling until the dogs came running back, which happened only a few seconds later, thankfully. Then he stopped filming and headed inside to dry off the dogs.

That task done, Reeves closed the door against a particularly loud crash of thunder, got to his feet, and collected his camera. He went into the office and emitted a groan-sigh as he sank into his expensive, ergonomic office chair. He plugged in his camera, and with a few efficient clicks had selected the clips he’d recorded that day and set them to upload to a new file he labeled with today’s date.

Reeves had been making videos for a long time now, and the systems he’d put in place over the years sped the processing and creation of his content. He clicked on a file he never closed: his idea vault.

With the rain and the flooding, perhaps he should do a cleanup video, or he could even do a how-to survival video when snowed- or rained-in. He typed that idea into the doc, because that would just require setting cameras up around the house and him talking through the best generators, how he’d made dinner and pulled specific snacks to take upstairs with him and Bailey, and the supplies people might want to have in such a situation. A quiet excitement grew inside of him, which Reeves recognized as the inkling of a good idea.

The problem was Bailey. He leaned back in his chair, the idea now on paper and out of his head, where the beautiful woman he was currently stuck with had free rein. He couldn’t believe she’d asked him to her friend’s wedding, but of course Bailey had asked him a lot of questions.

Reeves had fiercely protected himself from being recognized in person. He ordered his groceries online and from an organic produce box, both of which were delivered to his house. If he had to go in a store, he went to a small, out-of-the-way place in Rusk or Dog Valley, where it was less likely people would be watching outdoor adventure videos online. He craved the anonymity in his peaceful, independent life, but as he sat there, Reeves also acknowledged how very lonely he was.

Dogs were good friends, but nothing more. Since Reeves had found Bailey passed out in the snow in the driveway next door, he’d been thinking about what his life would be like if she played a bigger part in it. Would she even want to? Or had she had a chance at love and willingly let it go?

“So maybe you could just start by agreeing to go to the wedding,” he said aloud, which caused Pansy to lift her head and cock it to the side, as if she understood English and perhaps simply needed him to speak the sentence again so she could advise him. He shook his head, and Pansy laid her head back down on her paws, her eyes soulful, and yes, maybe a little bit sad.

Reeves honestly felt the same way, and he looked up toward the ceiling where, right above him, sat the living room loft where he and Bailey had set up as their homebase for the day.

Dear Lord, he thought. I’m going to go upstairs now, and I’m going to have to talk to that woman. Bless me to say the right words.

Then he checked his video uploads one more time, saw that they were still humming along, and pushed himself out of his chair. He’d never been particularly eloquent or loquacious, and he wanted to hide behind the brim of his cowboy hat as he started up the stairs to the second floor. But he rarely wore one inside, and he couldn’t start now, because Bailey was intelligent and observant, and he’d have to have a reason for wearing a cowboy hat now when he hadn’t been before.

Bailey didn’t just ask questions about things; she wanted to know why. As Reeves reached the landing and headed around the corner, he found he wanted to give her the answers to her questions, and he doubled down on his prayers that the Lord would give him the right words to do so.

CHAPTER

SIX

Bailey headed back down the hall when she heard the sound of Reeves’s footsteps. He’d already gone around the corner into the living room, and she joined him, a hint of anxiety stretching through her.

“It started snowing,” she said.

Sir had just jumped up onto the couch, and Reeves pointed to it before Pansy did the same. “Really?” he asked. “I was just out there, and it was still rain.”

“It literally just started,” she said. “I was standing at the window, watching.”

His jaw tightened, but he remained silent as he moved over to a set of built-in shelves and collected a blanket.

“We’ll probably lose power if there’s snow,” she said. “I’m surprised we haven’t lost it yet.”

Reeves nodded in agreement, and that somehow validated Bailey’s nervousness and set her at ease at the same time.

“I’ve got plenty to keep us warm,” he said, facing her fully. “Blankets, pillows. My bedroom has an electric fireplace, and I’ve got a wood-burning one downstairs, though I don’t think we should go back down there.”

“A smaller space would keep the heat confined better,” Bailey said.

Reeves nodded, his lips pursing just the tiniest bit. He didn’t say much, but he certainly knew how to take care of himself and survive in cold weather, Bailey knew that.

“I’ve got generators, Bailey,” he said. “We don’t need to worry about the power going out.”

Relief rushed through her, and she sagged one shoulder into the wall beside her. “Really?”