Page 131 of Samuel

“Where is he?!”

“Finishing up with the fence. There was more damage than we thought. I had to leave him to get this calf to safety.”

God, she was going to murder the man she loved.

“How long ago did you leave him? I feel like something’s wrong. He wouldn’t just be out of cell range when he knows I’m so close to my due date. He promised me.”

“I’m sure he’s right behind me. It’ll just take him a little longer to get back because he’s on Jasper.”

She shook her head. “I’m going to d-drive out to the south fields and see if I can’t f-find him.” Her hand rubbed circles into the tightening muscles of her belly.

Zeke set his hand on her shoulder. “You can’t drive out there right now. The dirt road washes out in places when a storm like this rolls through. You could get stuck out there.”

“Fine. I’ll head back up to the house, but the minute that storm stops and he’s not back, someone needs to be going out to look for him.”

She took off towards the barn door, but stopped when fear washed over her. What was going on? Something inside her was screaming to get to Sam. She felt the ache low in her back starting to roll through the rest of her body, but shoved down the pain into the deepest part of her mind while she made her decision.

Pulling the keys from her pocket, Evie walked through the pouring rain as quickly as she could. Which was not quick at all. She was in full drowned-rat status by the time she sat in the driver’s seat.

Even with the heat turned all the way up, she was still shaking. A pain wrapped around her body and she pressed on the breaks as she stifled a moan. She’d been out to thefield Sam was working on once when he’d given her the grand tour after she started working there, but it had been months.

“Shit!” Evie cursed, swerving to miss the rising water as her body fought for her attention.

Not now Jellybean. Please just wait until we get to your daddy. I n-need to know he’s okay.

It was another ten minutes of gripping the steering wheel so tightly that she lost feeling in her fingers, but the near white-out conditions were making it impossible to drive quickly. Finally, in the distance, there was the outline of a small outbuilding. And a light was on inside. She could see it streaming through the small window. It would be the perfect place for Sam to weather out the storm.

Evie barely had the truck in park before she was leaping from the cab, rushing towards the building.

The door swung open, and she could finally breathe. Until she took in the sight of him. Shirtless, his jeans slung low on his hips, blood seeping down his face.

What the hell?

Fuck. Sam rummaged through the boxes Abby left along the wall of the building with emergency supplies looking for a bandage. The cut on his forehead was small, but it was bleeding like a bastard.

He needed to get that under control. And then he needed to find a way to get back to Evie. The rain was coming down so hard it sounded like an engine was bearing down on him.

Lights flashed through the windows. Shit, he actually had heard an engine through the storm. Zeke or Derrick must have made it through to come get him.

Sam walked to the door, opening it to call in one of hisbuddies when his breath was stolen right out of his lungs by the sight in front of him.

“Evie! What are you doing out here?” He pulled her into the building. She was soaked through, her beautiful sundress clinging to every curve of her body. Sam held her, cursing the way her body shook.

“You were out here by yourself and didn’t come home!”

“So you just took a truck and came out here to get me? What were you thinking?”

He watched her eyes dash up to his hairline and the color drained from her face so fast he was scared she was about to fall over. His hands reached out to steady her, but she didn’t so much as sway.

“You’re hurt! What happened?”

“It’s nothing, Bluebell. I promise. Just looks worse because it’s a head wound. I was just about to use my shirt to clean it up some. Jasper spooked and dropped me, but I really am fine.”

“Oh god. How hard did you hit the ground? Your heart?—“

“Just breathe for a second and listen. I’m fine. I don’t even hurt anywhere, other than maybe my ego. I haven’t been bucked off a horse since I was a kid.”

“You really feel fine?”

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