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Authors: Sharon Dunn
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faster than ever. Chunks of debris floated by. Would she even be able to get back across on the log? As she stepped closer to the edge, a chunk of the muddy bank broke off. Clarissa slipped and her foot dipped into the river. Strong hands grabbed her and jerked her up. Ezra’s arms enveloped her as he pulled her away from the bank. “Did your foot get wet?”
She nodded. Her hand rested against his chest as she looked into his deep brown eyes. Now how was she going to get away?
Lightning splintered the sky followed by the boom of thunder.
“That’s pretty close. Let’s get away from the water.” He scanned the area around them. “If memory serves, there’s a cattle shelter around here somewhere. My brothers and I used to play in it when we were kids.”
Again lightning split the sky. This time it struck across the river, slicing through a tree and tossing it into the swirling water.
Clarissa pulled away from him. “Shouldn’t we head back to camp?”
“Too far. We need to find someplace else to wait the storm out.” He started running before he’d finished his sentence.
Lightning struck directly behind them. The nearness of the blast rattled her nerves. She slipped her hand into Ezra’s. He pulled her through the tangle of trees toward the shelter. The three-sided shed was in disrepair and leaned to one side, but at least it was a roof over their heads.
She slipped in beside him. “What is this place?”
“It’s a shelter for cows to go into when the weather is bad. A lot of the land around here is government property that is leased out to ranchers. Must not be any cows running on it right now or they’d be in here with us.”
Rain drizzled in from holes in the roof. Clarissa tilted her head and a drop fell on her face.
“Are you still getting wet?” He chuckled and pulled his poncho up, lifted the edge and stretched out his arm. “It’s a little dryer under here.”
She scooted under the shelter of the rain poncho, but still maintained some distance from him, uncomfortable with being so close.
“I can’t hold my arm straight forever,” he said.
She glanced at him and then edged nearer, close enough to feel his body heat. He adjusted the poncho so it covered them both. She pulled her knees up to her chest. Her wet foot felt like a block of ice. The downpour was so heavy that it looked like gray sheets of rain rather than drops. The opportunity to get away from the group was lost for now.
“I hope the others are okay,” she said.
“Me, too. If they made it back to camp, they’ll be able to keep warm and dry.”
“I’m not sure if we’ll be able to get back across the river.” She couldn’t hide the worry she felt.
“There’s always a way, Clarissa,” Ezra said.
She forced herself to smile. “That’s right, we’ll build a rope bridge with our shoelaces.”
He laughed at her joke. “You don’t need to worry. As soon as the rain lets up, we’ll find a way across. Are you a little warmer?”
She nodded. “Yes, but my foot is still frozen.”
“Take your shoe off, and I’ll see if I can warm it up,” he said.
She slid out of her hiking book and pulled the wet sock off. He gathered her foot into his hands. The warmth of his touch enveloped her.
“Better?” he asked after a while.
She nodded. The heat transmitted from his hands made her dizzy.
He let go of her foot. “Slip it into the boot. Don’t put the sock back on. FYI, wool socks are better. They pull the moisture away from your skin.”
After she put her boot back on, she sat listening to the rain, knowing that sooner or later Ezra was going to come around to asking her why she had left the tent two nights ago. She was trapped here with him until the rain stopped. It was no longer a question she could avoid. But how could she answer without admitting that she’d put him and the rest of the group in danger?
* * *
Ezra could feel her shivering next to him. He knew, though, that offering to wrap his
She nodded. Her hand rested against his chest as she looked into his deep brown eyes. Now how was she going to get away?
Lightning splintered the sky followed by the boom of thunder.
“That’s pretty close. Let’s get away from the water.” He scanned the area around them. “If memory serves, there’s a cattle shelter around here somewhere. My brothers and I used to play in it when we were kids.”
Again lightning split the sky. This time it struck across the river, slicing through a tree and tossing it into the swirling water.
Clarissa pulled away from him. “Shouldn’t we head back to camp?”
“Too far. We need to find someplace else to wait the storm out.” He started running before he’d finished his sentence.
Lightning struck directly behind them. The nearness of the blast rattled her nerves. She slipped her hand into Ezra’s. He pulled her through the tangle of trees toward the shelter. The three-sided shed was in disrepair and leaned to one side, but at least it was a roof over their heads.
She slipped in beside him. “What is this place?”
“It’s a shelter for cows to go into when the weather is bad. A lot of the land around here is government property that is leased out to ranchers. Must not be any cows running on it right now or they’d be in here with us.”
Rain drizzled in from holes in the roof. Clarissa tilted her head and a drop fell on her face.
“Are you still getting wet?” He chuckled and pulled his poncho up, lifted the edge and stretched out his arm. “It’s a little dryer under here.”
She scooted under the shelter of the rain poncho, but still maintained some distance from him, uncomfortable with being so close.
“I can’t hold my arm straight forever,” he said.
She glanced at him and then edged nearer, close enough to feel his body heat. He adjusted the poncho so it covered them both. She pulled her knees up to her chest. Her wet foot felt like a block of ice. The downpour was so heavy that it looked like gray sheets of rain rather than drops. The opportunity to get away from the group was lost for now.
“I hope the others are okay,” she said.
“Me, too. If they made it back to camp, they’ll be able to keep warm and dry.”
“I’m not sure if we’ll be able to get back across the river.” She couldn’t hide the worry she felt.
“There’s always a way, Clarissa,” Ezra said.
She forced herself to smile. “That’s right, we’ll build a rope bridge with our shoelaces.”
He laughed at her joke. “You don’t need to worry. As soon as the rain lets up, we’ll find a way across. Are you a little warmer?”
She nodded. “Yes, but my foot is still frozen.”
“Take your shoe off, and I’ll see if I can warm it up,” he said.
She slid out of her hiking book and pulled the wet sock off. He gathered her foot into his hands. The warmth of his touch enveloped her.
“Better?” he asked after a while.
She nodded. The heat transmitted from his hands made her dizzy.
He let go of her foot. “Slip it into the boot. Don’t put the sock back on. FYI, wool socks are better. They pull the moisture away from your skin.”
After she put her boot back on, she sat listening to the rain, knowing that sooner or later Ezra was going to come around to asking her why she had left the tent two nights ago. She was trapped here with him until the rain stopped. It was no longer a question she could avoid. But how could she answer without admitting that she’d put him and the rest of the group in danger?
* * *
Ezra could feel her shivering next to him. He knew, though, that offering to wrap his
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