Coming home

Charlotte

We pull into the driveway of Beau’s house and park behind a beautiful white Nissan Titan pickup truck. “Who’s here?”

“Nobody.”

“You get a new truck?”

“Nope, you did. Welcome home baby.”

She looks at me and gasps, “No. You did not. That’s too much Beau, this watch was bad enough I can’t accept a gift like that.”

“Yes, I did and yes, you will. Come on, I have something else for you inside.”

“Beau! I mean it you can’t keep doing this. I don’t need a car right now, I can walk to the barn and catch a ride with you to the grocery store.”

“Hush, it’s yours, end of conversation.”

“But…” his fingers come up and cover my lips. “But nothin, come on.”

He hops out of the truck and rounds the front to open my door and help me out.

“Beau,”

“Charlotte, you’re not one to argue with me now stop. The truck is yours. You need it. I want to give it to you, so I am. Period. Now bring your sweet ass into the house so I can keep spoiling my princess.”

I groan and follow him inside because what choice do I have? None.

I glance at the truck as we walk by and admire the pearly white paint and chrome trim. It’s gorgeous, and expensive, and too much.

When he opens the door to the kitchen I know instantly what my surprise is. I can feel the energy in the air, smell the presence of an animal, I can almost hear it trying to communicate with me.

“Beau!” I bounce up and down on my toes and clasp my hands together in front of my chest. “You didn’t.”

“I did. I don’t want you out here all alone when I’m not here. Cub is going to be your new security system.” He leads me into the living room where inside an octagon shaped corrugated gate is a tiny border collie puppy. He’s wagging his tail so hard it’s as if he’s wagging his whole body and his tiny tongue is hanging out flopping all over the place. “Oh my god, Beau, he’s precious,” I say dropping my purse on the floor and rush to pluck him out of his pen. Cub licks my face like it’s the best tasting thing on earth and fidgets so much I almost drop him, twice.

“I think he likes you.”

“How did you know?” I’ve always wanted a dog. When I was growing up all the dogs on the ranch were outdoor dogs and they weren’t considered pets. They worked in the plains and slept in the barn or outside or wherever they wanted.

My dad said dogs were animals and animals belonged outdoors.

“Lucky guess, and you have Pinterest boards full of Boarder Collies, baby.”

“You checked out my Pinterest boards?”

“I’m always checking you out.”

Cub is climbing up my neck trying to get my attention focused back on him. “Okay, okay buddy, I’m looking what are you trying to tell me?” I hold him out in front of me and look into his eyes. “You’re lonely? And you have to pee? Okay. We’re going outside,” I tell Beau and plant an excited kiss on his lips on my way outside.

“I don’t know if I like this,” he says.

I twirl around cuddling Cub close to my chest as we move through the kitchen. “Like what?”

“Sharing you.”

“Aw, jealous?” I wink.

“I think maybe I am.”

‘You’ll get over it, come with us.” I open the kitchen door and skip into the grass so Cub can do his business. Lightning lights up the sky and the distant sound of thunder makes Cub look up at me with concern. “It’s okay little buddy, it’s just rain comin’. You hurry up and do your business and we will go back inside.”

I feel warm strong arms circle my waist and Beau’s chin on my shoulder. “You seem to communicate with him well.”

“Yeah, horse whisperer, remember?”

He clears his throat and I feel him smile against my cheek. “Uh, Miss. Professional veterinarian, that there is a dog not a horse.”

“Thank you for pointing that out Mr. Professional rancher, I am aware. I have a knack for communicating with all animals. Horses are just my specialty. Dogs are way easier. They wear their feelings on their sleeve for all to see. Horses can be stubborn but I’ve never met one I couldn’t cure or tame.”

“How about you come inside and try to tame me?” he growls against my neck with a kiss behind my ear that makes me shiver.

“I don’t think it’s possible to tame you, but I’m willing to give it a try. What do we do with the baby?”

“I dunno, what do other new parents to with their baby when they want to get down to business?”

“Take them to a babysitter, put them to sleep.”

“I’m not thinking either of those options are going to work. I just felt a drop of rain on the back of my neck, storm’s coming.”

“Okay, we take him to bed with us.”

“Uh, no. I don’t want him watching us have sex, or seeing you naked.”

I giggle and push my ass against his front. Beau Hill is jealous of a tiny puppy, imagine that. “He’s a dog, he won’t know what we’re doing.”

“How do you know?”

“I’m a vet, remember?”

“Yes and as a vet you should know that there is a certain position we frequently find ourselves in, mostly because I love looking at your sexy as fuck round ass when I’m pounding in and out of you, that’s called doggie style. I think his animal instincts might kick in, he’s gonna know what we’re doing.”

Innocent little Cub is frolicking around in the long grass tumbling over his own feet chasing his tail. I consider Beau’s excuse and decide on a compromise.

“Does he have a kennel?”

“Yes.”

“Then we take it in the bedroom, face it away from us and put him in it while I work on taming you.”

He’s quiet while he considers this. “Okay, works for me.”

When I squat down and call Cub’s name he stops right away and looks around. “Over here buddy, come on we have to go inside before it rains.” He bounds across the yard I scoop him up and look up at Beau who is surveying the dark sky.

“I don’t like the feel of this.”

“The feel of it or the look of it?”

“The feel. Feels like the night of the tornado.”

Oh no, I wasn’t here when the tornado went through. I’ve never experienced a storm of that magnitude before and I don’t want to start tonight.

“You’re scaring me.”

He looks down at Cub and me. “Tornados are scary baby.”

“Let’s go inside.” Cub senses my anxiety and cuddles deep into my armpit.

“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.”

Inside we unplug electronics that could be blown by a power surge during the storm and head into Beau’s bedroom. Beau had all of my things shipped here two days ago and he has put everything away neatly in the closet and bathroom. My pictures are set out in the dresser and the built in book shelves that take up one wall are lined with my books. Having my things all around me makes Beau’s house feel like home.

He’s standing in the door watching me take it all in when I turn to thank him.

“You did all this?”

“I did. You like?”

“I love.”

Cub whines from his kennel that Beau has strategically placed facing the bathroom away from the bed.

“He doesn’t like it in there.”

“He tell you that?”

“Yep.”

“Well you can tell him too bad, that’s where he sleeps. You’re mine at night.”

“I thought you lived at your parents.”

“Technically I do but Constance is doing well with Mom. I think they can spare me a few nights.”

The wind has picked up outside. At times it sounds like someone is tossing buckets of rain on the windows. The room lights up with lightning, followed almost right away by the rumble of thunder. I don’t want Beau to think I’m a baby but this shit is really making me nervous.

“Come here.” He holds out his arms and gestures toward himself. He wants to comfort me and I could use some comfort. I waste no time closing the distance between us. When I’m within arm’s reach he slides his hand behind my neck and guides me the rest of the way in.

“You might want to call your parents, there’s no basement or cellar in that house. They might be freaked after what happened to them before.”

“You want me to invite my family over here?”

“Well, yeah, they’re nuts but I don’t want them to die.”

I pull away and look up at him, “You think it’s that serious?”

“I dunno baby, it’s pretty bad out there. I wouldn’t want to be without a shelter.”

“Do your parents have a basement?”

“Yeah, it’s not very big but they have a safe place to go.”

I unwrap one arm from Beau’s waist and slip my phone from my back pocket. “I can’t believe I’m doing this after the way they acted today.”

“I know baby but it’s the right thing to do. They already lost everything once, they don’t need to go through that again.”

Beau’s heart grows a little bigger every day I know him. Today I think it doubled.

The line rings twice and mom picks up. “Mom, are you guys okay?”

“Why do you care?”

“Mom, stop acting like this. I’m calling to check on you because of the storm. Beau has a basement and he thought it might be a good idea for all of you to come over here in case it gets worse.”

“Beau thinks it would be a good idea does he?”

“Yeah, mom, we both do. I’m worried about you, there’s no place for you to go if a tornado hits.”

“We will be fine, it’s just a little rain.”

The wind chooses this moment to toss something against the house making me jump in Beau’s arms.

“Mom, it’s more than a little rain.”

“Thank you for the invitation Charlotte but we will be fine right here.”

I sigh. Are they so stubborn that they would rather be sucked up into a tornado than come to Beau’s house for shelter?

“Goodbye Charlotte,” she says and the line goes dead.

I guess so.

“No go?” he asks.

“Nope, she says they will be just fine there,” I say changing my tone to sound like my hoity toity mother.

“We can go get them.”

“They won’t come.”

“We could hog tie em and toss em in the back of my truck.”

I smile a weak smile. “I think that’s considered kidnapping and I’m sure it wouldn’t help convince them that the Hill family are good people.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“Would it be okay if we just snuggle until the storm passes?”

“Sure baby, whatever you want. Go change and I’ll make sure things are locked up.” He turns me by my shoulders and gives me a nudge and a swat on my ass.

“Be right back.”

“Okay.” I smile all the way to the bathroom where I find my face wash, toothbrush and toothpaste next to the sink. He seriously thought of everything.

When I’m done with my nightly routine and changed into a short spaghetti strapped t-shirt night gown I slip between Beau’s sheets. I sit with my knees up and my arms wrapped around them and wait. And wait. Cub is whining in his kennel now that I am out of his line of sight, and I can’t stand it.

I toss off the comforter and go to the kennel. I’m about to open the door when Beau walks into the room holding his phone. At first I think he’s angry that I’m giving into Cubs whining, but the tense way he moves and the stone look on his face says something else is wrong.

“What’s the matter?”

He walks right past me into the closet and grabs a raincoat.

“Mom’s missing.”

“What?”

“Mom’s missing and the National Weather Service just issued a tornado warning, not a watch, a warning. My mom is wandering around out there in this shit.”

“Oh my god. What are you going to do?”

“I’m going out there to look for her that’s what. I’m going over there, we’re going to start at the house and work our way out. Some of the ranch hands are searching the barns and buildings closest to the house.” He shoves his arms into the raincoat and pulls on his boots while he talks.

“I’m going with you.”

He freezes with his foot half way into his boot. “No. I have enough to worry about trying to find my mom, I can’t be worrying about you too.”

“I’ll stay with you, two sets of eyes has to be better than one.”

“I said no. I want you in the basement with Cub right now. Do not argue with me about this Charlotte.”

“But,”

“I said don’t argue.”

He stops next to me and bends over taking my head in his hands. He places a kiss on the top of my head and he’s gone. His tone was firm and not to be argued with, but his kiss said I’m doing this because I love you.

I take Cub out of his kennel and grab a pair of sweat pants a hoodie and a pair of tennis shoes to take with me into the basement. It’s chilly down there and if something happens, god I hope nothing happens, I won’t be running around half naked clutching a puppy.

On my way downstairs I stop in the kitchen and kneel on the window seat to look out the bay window for Beau but he’s already gone. My pretty new truck that I haven’t even had a chance to look at is sitting out there getting pummeled by sticks and rocks and who knows what else blowing around out there.

I should pull it into one of the garage stalls but I don’t know where the keys are and I don’t think Cub would like going out in the storm.

The thought of Beau’s mom out there, wandering around alone and confused and scared makes me sick to my stomach. Maybe she just wandered away in the house somewhere safe and warm and dry. I hope they check inside well before they go wandering around in this storm. It’s so easy to get turned around in the rain, getting lost on the Montana plains isn’t just dangerous, it can be deadly.

I head downstairs with my little shivering security system burrowing his head under my arm. I flick on the lights and take a seat on the end of a big grey sectional and try to put Cub down so I can get dressed.

He’s not having it so I work around him switching arms and pulling on my pants with one hand. I pull a throw off the back of the couch and snuggle in thinking about Beau’s mom. God I hope she’s safe.

Cub’s ears perk up and he nearly leaps from my arms when the doorbell upstairs rings. Who on earth could that be right now? Angel? Oh no, could she have wondered all the way here?

Flinging off the throw I hop up and race upstairs with Cub barking in my arms. The lights in the kitchen flicker and go out when I hit the top of the stairs so I take out my phone and use the flashlight to guide me through the room.

When I reach the door I have to point the light at the floor because of the glare on the glass door. When I do the last person I ever expect to see is staring back at me.

It’s my mom and dad is right behind her with Jack Jr. and Stella and holy shit, Ashton Pride.

Mom’s eyes are wide with fear when she raps hard on the glass yanking me from my shocked state.

I quickly unlock the door and I don’t have to open it when a strong gust of wind pushes it wide open. Everyone falls in and Jack Jr. and Ash work together to push the door shut again.

“Oh my god, mom, are you okay? Why are you out driving around in this, I thought you were staying at home.”

“We were until the wind tore off a piece of the roof and we decided we would be better off here,” Stella says. Ash nods agreeing with his woman but mom and dad and Jack Jr. look less than thrilled to be standing in Beau Hill’s kitchen.

“I’m glad you came to your senses, come downstairs, this way.” I shine my phone out in front of us and take the lead back downstairs to the basement. The power is out now so there are no lights but every one of us has their phone out with the flashlight on.

Cub was ferocious before I opened the door upstairs but now that he sees I’ve welcomed the intruders into the house he is quiet.

“You got a dog?” Stella asks.

“Um, yeah. Beau got him for me today,” I say swinging my eyes to my mom and back to Stella.

“What?” Stella asks when she sees mom shake her head.

“Mom thinks Beau is the devil and he’s trying to steal my innocence with sinful tempting gifts like a puppy and a watch.”

“What the hell? Where is Beau anyway?”

“Did you see anyone wandering around out there?”

“Wandering around? No why? Did you lose your boyfriend in the storm?”

“No, his mother is missing and he went to look for her.”

“Missing? Why would she go wandering around in a storm like this?”

I hesitate, Beau hasn’t told anyone about his mom.

“Doesn’t that woman have more sense than that?” mom says and I seriously want to smack her.

“No, mother, she doesn’t. Angel has Alzheimer’s disease, she doesn’t even know who Beau and Mack are most of the time.” I spit my words at her with a fury I’ve never felt for my mother before.

“I hadn’t heard that,” Stella says.

“My grandma died after years of suffering from Alzheimer’s,” Ash says surprising the hell out of me. He has such a terrible reputation for being a total asshole it’s hard to believe he is the same guy.

“I’m so sorry, that must have been hard,” I say touching him on the arm.

“It was. Babe, I think we should go and help them look for her,” he says to my sister who also surprises the hell out of me by agreeing with him.

“Yeah, you’re right. We can take both cars and cover more area.”

“Mr. Deardon, you want to take Mrs. Deardon and Jack and Stella and I will take my truck?”

Dad freezes and mom’s mouth falls open. Apparently Ash Pride doesn’t know about the Hill/Deardon family feud. I eyeball my dad to see what he’s going to say.

“Uh, yeah sure.”

Yeah? Sure? My father Mr. Jack Deardon Sr. just agreed to go searching for a lost member of the evil satanic Hill family. Hell must be freezing over at this very moment.

“Jack,” Mom says, but dad gives her a stern hard look and she shuts her mouth. She shuts her mouth!

I must be dreaming like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Toto, or in my case, Cub and I are about to be swept away by a tornado. That makes more sense than my family helping Beau’s family find his mother.

“I’m coming with you,” I say to Stella and Ash.

“Okay, come on.” Stella leads the way followed by Ash, myself, and the rest of the gang. Beau is gonna be more than pissed when he finds out I left the house and Cub might just burrow straight through my chest, but I’m not staying behind while everyone else is out risking their lives for Beau’s mom. No way.

It’s only ten steps from the kitchen door to the driveway and maybe five more to the truck, but I’m soaked to the skin when I crawl into the back of Ash’s truck. Cub is dripping wet and shivering like a leaf inside my sweatshirt.

“Okay, which way?”

“Take a left when you pull out of the driveway. The road will take you to the main house. They were going to start close to the house and work their way out.” I shout. The wind is so loud and the rain is pounding the truck like a million bullets, his wipers are on high and you still can’t see anything.

“I can’t see shit,” Ash mutters and Stella reaches out to touch his arm.

“Don’t veer off the road, it won’t do us any good to be stuck in the mud.”

“I’ll try.”

And he does try. He does a damn good job making his way to the main house. I watch dad’s headlights behind us all the way to make sure he doesn’t slide off the road either.

“Keep your eyes peeled for any movement,” Ash says when we stop at the end of the Hill’s driveway.

“Are we getting out?” I ask. “You two stay here, and leave the headlights on so I can find my way back to you. I’ll get your dad and Jack Jr. and have your mom come up here.”

Wow, Ash is a take-charge authoritative kind of guy. So far I like him, a lot. No wonder Stella is still with him. Usually she hooks up with guys that she can control and when she gets sick of them, peace out.

Ash doesn’t take any shit and Stella has stars in her eyes when she looks at him.

Not a minute later Ash is helping my mom into the driver’s seat of his truck and the guys head out to join the search party.

“Good Lord almighty, I’m drenched,” mom says shaking her arms. Sprinkles of water spray everywhere and Cub ducks down into my shirt even further.

“Thanks for being a good sport, Mom,” Stella says. Mom shrugs and I wonder what kind of magical power Ash is using on my family.

“Keep your eyes peeled, I can’t imagine she got too far from the house in this rain,” Stella says.

“Right,” I say and cup my hands on the glass of my window to peer out into the black night.

We sit for what feels like an eternity cringing every time something big hits the truck or a sheet of rain sweeps over us rocking the truck back and forth.

“I saw something!” mom yells pointing out the front window.

“You sure it wasn’t one of the guys?” Stella asks.

“No, no, she had on a white nightgown, all the way to the ground. That way!” she says bouncing up and down in her seat.

Stella looks at me, “What do you think? Should we get out and go see or try to drive in that direction?”

“Ash said to stay here.”

“Yeah but he never said what to do if we saw something. Mom, drive,” Stella says and without a moment’s hesitation she shifts the truck into gear and starts driving.

The wind gusts so hard it moves the truck left a few feet and I hold onto the back of Stella’s seat. “Oh my god.”

“That’s right honey, you keep praying, that’s what got us through the tornado. I never prayed so hard in my life and it worked like a charm. We all walked away without so much as a scratch, every one of us.”

I never asked how they survived the tornado. I didn’t want to traumatize any of them any more than they already had been by making them relive that day.

She continues slowly to the tree line near the pond. “I saw her!” Stella yells and throws the door open running right out into the worst storm I’ve ever been witness to.

“Stella! I yell and scoop Cub out of my shirt and toss him to my mom. I put my hand on the handle of the door only to find resistance. It won’t open. When I look up Beau is standing outside glaring at me. “Beau! Let me out, Stella saw your mom, she went that way!” I scream and point in the direction that Stella went.

The roar of the storm is a thousand times louder with Stella’s door open. Cub barks and I turn to look at my mom, when I turn back Beau is gone. Shit.

I’m about to try the door again when Stella and Beau stumble into the front seat with Angel Hill between them. They fight against the wind to hoist her limp body up into the seat and after quite a struggle they succeed.

“Can you make it to the house?” he yells to my mom.

“Yes, I think so. We left Jack and Jack Jr and Ash a few hundred yards back though.”

“I’ll get them, just make sure my mom gets to the house.” He turns to me, “And you stay in the damn truck!” he yells and points his long finger at me right before he disappears.

Stella climbs into the back with me, the door nearly snapping her leg when the wind blows it shut.

“Shit, I can’t believe I found her,” she says and I lean forward and take Cub from mom so she can concentrate on driving.

“Here.” I hand cub to Stella and scoot forward to check on Angel. “Mrs. Hill, are you injured? Can you hear me?”

She turns her head in my direction and her eyes light up with recognition, “Kylie Mitchel dear, how are you? Is your mother still working at the mill in Westberry?”

“Um, no Mrs. Hill, I’m Charlotte not Kylie.” I don’t even know who Kylie Mitchel is, but my guess is she’s somebody from her past since those are the memories Alzheimer’s patients usually get to keep.

“Oh. You look so much like Kylie.” Her words trail off and she looks out the window. “Oh my, it’s raining cats and dogs isn’t it Sarah?”

She remembers my mom, shit I hope she doesn’t remember how much she hates her

“Yep, Angel, this is quite a storm but we’re going to get you home now safe and sound with Mack don’t you worry.”

Who is this woman?

“Mom, stop, that’s the house,” Stella yells just in time to keep her from driving up onto their porch.

I’m considering my next move since Beau ordered me to stay in the truck. I should get out and help them get Angel into the house but at what risk?

Thankfully I don’t have to make that decision when Beau opens his mother’s door and scoops her into his arms and barks. “Follow me.”

All three of us struggle against the wind holding onto the truck until we reach the steps of the porch. I reach out and take ahold of the bannister and Stella links her arm with mine and mom does the same with her other arm.

Our human chain pushes against the wind up the stairs. At the top I feel Beau’s arms around me helping us along until we are inside.

“We should get to the basement, the tornado warning is still in effect,” Beau says.

“What about the others?” Stella asks.

“Dean’s got them, he’s bringing them in. They’ll be here in a second, everybody is accounted for, let’s move.”

Beau herds us like cattle down the steps into his parent’s basement where Mack is tending to a soaking wet Angel.

I tense when I see him worrying what he will say when he turns around and finds two Deardon’s in his house.

Beau leans in close to my ear and whispers, “It’s okay. Dad knows your mom and Stella found her. He also knows everyone in your family risked their lives to help.”

“Oh.” Well hell, maybe the Hill/Deardon family feud is finally over. Too bad it took a tornado almost sucking a woman with Alzheimer’s into the night sky to do it. Cub pokes his head out and Beau looks down at the two of us. “Are you mad?”

“Fuck yeah I’m mad baby. I told you not to leave the house, you leave the house. Ash tells you to wait in the truck and you almost end up in the pond. You could have been killed and I’m not good with that, not one fucking bit.”

He closes his eyes and smashes me to his chest in a hug full of frustration, fear and love. Cub yelps when he is squished between us. Beau reaches down, picks him up with one hand and without looking hands him to Stella. “Hold this, I need to kiss my fiancé.”

His what? Wait a minute, did he just… I don’t get time to finish that thought. His mouth is on mine kissing me hard, long and wet, really wet.

My legs buckle under me, my head is in a fog and pop rocks are exploding like crazy in my tummy. I raise my arms up and push my fingers into his dripping hair and forget where we are, who we are with, and how incredibly inappropriate we are being.

Beau holds me tight against his chest lifting me off the ground. We kiss for so long that the fog in my brain eventually lifts and I hear more than one person clear their throat.

When he finally pulls away he locks eyes with me. “Charlotte Marie Deardon, will you do me the honor of marrying me, so I can keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t do any more stupid shit for the rest of our lives?”

“Yes, she will,” Stella, says elbowing me when I don’t answer right away.

“What she says,” I say smiling ear to ear.

“Did you find it?”

Now I frown. “Find what?”

“Your ring.”

“Um, no. You gave me a ring?”

“We did, it’s on Cub’s collar.”

Stella gasps and holds Cub up so I can see an enormous diamond ring dangling from a tiffany blue ribbon on his collar. How on earth did I miss that?

Beau reaches out to untie the ribbon and slides the ring on my trembling finger.

He tips his head to the side and smirks. “I can’t believe he didn’t tell you, since you talk to animals and all.”

I look at Cub and back to Beau. “He says he was keeping it a secret for you.”

“Hmm, I see. So, you like?” He nods at my hand where the most beautiful princess cut diamond I’ve ever seen in my life sits twinkling even in the dim light of the Hill basement.

“I love. But I love you more.”