The run across the yard hadn’t been as easy as he’d hoped with debris flying everywhere. When they reached the door, it was padlocked.

“Are you shitting me right now?” He’d never needed to get in there before since it wasn’t a working well anymore and had no clue where the key might be to this building but they didn’t have time to fiddle with it.

“If you could stand right here by the door, I need to find something to break that lock off.” The wind was whistling so loud he had to yell close to her ear so she could hear him.

“Would it be easy to pick the lock?” She was positioned up against the wood trying to shelter herself from the hail falling all over.

“No clue, never done that before. I think it’d be easiest to bust it off, it looks old.”

He sat her suitcase down on the ground beside her and while sticking close to the building, searched around the ground hoping to find an old tool or a big rock he could beat the thing apart with.

She tapped him on the back to get his attention.

“Will this work?” She handed him a big breaker bar. “I found it over here along the side.”

“That’s perfect, I could kiss you right now.” He had her stand back from the doorway while he gave the padlock a few good hits and while the lock itself didn’t come apart, the rusted metal screws that secured the eyelet came right out of the door and it all dropped to the ground.

“After you.” He opened the rickety door and waited while she walked in ahead of him. There were no windows in the old brick building but it looked sturdy enough and there were a couple big water pipes stuck down into the ground.

“We could probably anchor ourselves to these things, I’m sure they go down into the well which should at least a good hundred feet deep.” Several leather straps were hanging from the wall so he started to wrap one around them both.

“When you got up this morning did you ever think you’d be playing rescue hero to a woman you don’t know?”

“You’re right about that. When I got up this morning, I was yelling at my brother for leaving my bathroom a soaked mess.”

“Oh, your brother lives with you?” She didn’t see any signs of another person around.

“Lives with me is a strong word. He’s going to be staying at my place for a couple weeks, against my better judgement.”

“Don’t you like your brother?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that but he’s younger than me and pretty irresponsible. Doesn’t know how to clean up after himself or take care of anything. I guess I’m not excited about having to babysit him.”

“Doesn’t sound like fun. I’m sorry.” They didn’t have to yell much anymore as they were positioned on the ground on each side of the large pipe, with a leather strap wrapped around them both.

“No need to apologize. I plan to teach him a thing or two about responsibility while he’s here then hopefully send him off on his own. Enough about me though, do you have any siblings?”

“None that I’m aware of.” She shrugged her shoulders teasingly but he could tell she was completely serious about her answer.

“Do you think there could be more out there?”

“Anything’s possible, my father is a politician after all. There’s always some dirt hidden away that will turn to mud when the reports dig it up.”

“Wow, you don’t seem too positive about your father.”

“A long story.”

“Well as you can see by our surroundings, we’ve got nothing but time.” He tried to be funny in lieu of their semi-dire circumstances.

The building started shaking and she could feel the ground quake through the pipes they were clinging to. He put his arms a little tighter around her tiny frame.

“Are you sure we’re safe in here?”

“Honestly? I’m not sure but I really believe we wouldn’t be any safer in the house. At least this is a stone building. I would think the house would be just as rickety as the barn.”

“I’m starting to feel like I shouldn’t have left home.”

“Why did you?”

* * *

Wasn’t that the million-dollar question of the day? And she had the perfect answer.

“I left because I want to live my own life the way I want. I’m tired of having my father watching over my shoulder. He picked the perfect college, the perfect job and the perfect husband and I felt like I had no say in any of it.”

“You’re married?”

“No, thank god. That’s the biggest reason I left. My dad wanted me to be married because it would make him look good to have a loving family and grandkids when he ran for president.”

The hail was hammering down on the old wooden roof of the well house and the door started to shake.

“What’s happening Boone?” She slid even closer to him than she’d been before.

“I think it’s the tornado, must be right on top of us now.” Things sounded like they were hitting the building, then they heard a crash and an explosion right outside.

“Oh, my god, what was that?”

“I don’t think I want to know. Just close your eyes and hold on tight.” Boone squeezed her tighter and held her as close as he could. They both looked up when the nails in the roof slats started to squeak and the boards loosened. One by one they disappeared into the dark mass that had moved over top of them.

“Boone!” Kelsey screamed and started to cry, her fingers dug into the soaking wet t-shirt he was wearing. “Please don’t let go of me.” She’d never been so scared in her life.

Once the roof was missing from the building, it created a wind tunnel of sorts and felt like there was no gravity as they hovered over the ground, still clinging to the pipes. With Boone wedged between the pipes he didn’t move as much as Kelsey so when the suction from the funnel started to pull at her, he adjusted his grip under her arms and around her back while she buried her face into his neck. She repeated herself several times begging Boone not to let go of her, positive she would disappear into the twister.

They could tell when the mass started to move away from them when they both settled back onto the ground and the wind died down significantly. The hail had stopped and it was a light rain falling on them.

Kelsey couldn’t control her tears and clung to Boone while he worked to get the straps off from around them.

“Kelsey look at me.” He had placed both hands on her face. “Are you okay? Do you feel hurt anywhere? I am so sorry I got you into this.”

“Are you kidding me?” She spoke through her sobs. “You saved me, twice. I probably wouldn’t even be alive if it weren’t for you. None of this is your fault, I’m glad you brought me here. I couldn’t imagine going through any of this alone.”

Boone’s lips hovered so close as she spoke, then touched hers intimately. The kiss deepened as adrenaline fed both their emotions and she didn’t want to ever let him go. He’d rescued her. No one had ever taken care of her like he had.

“Boone!” They heard screams coming closer to them. The kiss ended.

“That would be my brother.”