Read Online Riding the Storm by Heather Graves - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Heather Graves
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nice and snug.’
‘I don’t want to. It’ll be awfully cramped and I won’t be able to breathe,’ Joanne grumbled as she stood in the doorway to the bathroom, watching as Ryan bolted the back door. ‘And I still think we should wait for your father.’
‘Mum, will you stop it?’ Finally Ryan’s nerve snapped. ‘Stop torturing yourself and me. Get it through your head that Dad’s not coming back. He died months ago.’
‘What a wicked thing to say!’ Before he realized what she would do, she stepped forward and slapped him across the face with the full force of her arm behind it. ‘You know where he is. Away at the show. Getting new equipment for the farm.’
‘The show?’ Ryan massaged his flaming cheek. ‘You think so, really? At this time of year?’
At last the meaning of his words sank in and she clasped both hands to her mouth, eyes wide with shock. Being forced to remember the truth knocked all the fight out of her and she allowed Ryan to push her into the bathroom and make her comfortable on a beanbag with the mattress tucked around and over her, Tinka at her feet. ‘Oh, my poor Peter,’ she murmured through trembling lips. ‘How could I forget?’
‘It’s OK, Mum.’ Ryan hugged her, feeling mean for forcing her to remember when he knew how emotionally fragile she was. But he was scared, too, and his patience had been tried to the limit. ‘We’ll be all right. We just have to get through tonight.’
Already the wind was howling through the trees, ripping off branches and shredding the leaves. There was a lot of banging outside as anything not tied down out of doors was getting blown around. It sounded as if a giant had lost histemper out there. The rain clattered on the tin roof, making it impossible to speak, which was no bad thing. Ryan pulled the mattresses closer as the wind screamed around the house like an angry demon. He couldn’t be sure how long it went on but it felt like forever until, just as suddenly as it had started, all the noise stopped, followed by an equally eerie silence.
‘There, what did I tell you?’ Joanne gave a nervous giggle as she pushed the mattress aside and struggled to her feet. ‘It’s over, thank God, and the house still standing. I must let Tinka out, she’ll want to pee.’
‘Mum, wait, the storm’s not over yet. It’s only quiet because we’re in the eye.’
But she was already urging the little dog towards the back door. She drew back the bolt and opened it before Ryan could stop her. He expected it to be torn from its hinges and his mother whirled aside by the force of the storm. Instead, all was quiet and still out there.
Tinka rushed outside and squatted quickly. She understood that she shouldn’t waste time. She finished what she needed to do and ran back to Ryan, tongue lolling. Absent-mindedly, he patted her.
But Joanne was in no hurry to come in and remained staring up at the sky in wonderment, arms outstretched. ‘Oh, Ryan, do look at the sky, how clear the night is. I’ve never seen so many stars. It’s as if you can look right through them all to see God in his heaven.’
‘Mum, please come back inside. The storm isn’t over yet.’
‘Don’t be such an old woman, Ryan. You worry too much. It’s just as I said – a big ole fuss about nothing. People give in to panic too easily.’
Ryan thought this a bit rich, coming from a woman who had a screaming fit if she saw a big spider, but said nothing, relieved to draw her back into the house.
The wind was already building from another direction this time and it wasn’t long before the storm was raging again, ten times worse than before. The wind screamed around them, venting its fury with a sound like several freight trains on a collision course. Then there was a loud noise like a bomb going off as if some flying debris had punched a hole in the other side of the house. Joanne was crying in earnest now, finally believing that they were in serious trouble.
‘What are
‘I don’t want to. It’ll be awfully cramped and I won’t be able to breathe,’ Joanne grumbled as she stood in the doorway to the bathroom, watching as Ryan bolted the back door. ‘And I still think we should wait for your father.’
‘Mum, will you stop it?’ Finally Ryan’s nerve snapped. ‘Stop torturing yourself and me. Get it through your head that Dad’s not coming back. He died months ago.’
‘What a wicked thing to say!’ Before he realized what she would do, she stepped forward and slapped him across the face with the full force of her arm behind it. ‘You know where he is. Away at the show. Getting new equipment for the farm.’
‘The show?’ Ryan massaged his flaming cheek. ‘You think so, really? At this time of year?’
At last the meaning of his words sank in and she clasped both hands to her mouth, eyes wide with shock. Being forced to remember the truth knocked all the fight out of her and she allowed Ryan to push her into the bathroom and make her comfortable on a beanbag with the mattress tucked around and over her, Tinka at her feet. ‘Oh, my poor Peter,’ she murmured through trembling lips. ‘How could I forget?’
‘It’s OK, Mum.’ Ryan hugged her, feeling mean for forcing her to remember when he knew how emotionally fragile she was. But he was scared, too, and his patience had been tried to the limit. ‘We’ll be all right. We just have to get through tonight.’
Already the wind was howling through the trees, ripping off branches and shredding the leaves. There was a lot of banging outside as anything not tied down out of doors was getting blown around. It sounded as if a giant had lost histemper out there. The rain clattered on the tin roof, making it impossible to speak, which was no bad thing. Ryan pulled the mattresses closer as the wind screamed around the house like an angry demon. He couldn’t be sure how long it went on but it felt like forever until, just as suddenly as it had started, all the noise stopped, followed by an equally eerie silence.
‘There, what did I tell you?’ Joanne gave a nervous giggle as she pushed the mattress aside and struggled to her feet. ‘It’s over, thank God, and the house still standing. I must let Tinka out, she’ll want to pee.’
‘Mum, wait, the storm’s not over yet. It’s only quiet because we’re in the eye.’
But she was already urging the little dog towards the back door. She drew back the bolt and opened it before Ryan could stop her. He expected it to be torn from its hinges and his mother whirled aside by the force of the storm. Instead, all was quiet and still out there.
Tinka rushed outside and squatted quickly. She understood that she shouldn’t waste time. She finished what she needed to do and ran back to Ryan, tongue lolling. Absent-mindedly, he patted her.
But Joanne was in no hurry to come in and remained staring up at the sky in wonderment, arms outstretched. ‘Oh, Ryan, do look at the sky, how clear the night is. I’ve never seen so many stars. It’s as if you can look right through them all to see God in his heaven.’
‘Mum, please come back inside. The storm isn’t over yet.’
‘Don’t be such an old woman, Ryan. You worry too much. It’s just as I said – a big ole fuss about nothing. People give in to panic too easily.’
Ryan thought this a bit rich, coming from a woman who had a screaming fit if she saw a big spider, but said nothing, relieved to draw her back into the house.
The wind was already building from another direction this time and it wasn’t long before the storm was raging again, ten times worse than before. The wind screamed around them, venting its fury with a sound like several freight trains on a collision course. Then there was a loud noise like a bomb going off as if some flying debris had punched a hole in the other side of the house. Joanne was crying in earnest now, finally believing that they were in serious trouble.
‘What are
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