Page 29 of Big Daddy Bull Riders

“He doesn’t like the thunder,” she announced. “Poor thing is shaking bad.”

Slater reached over and rubbed the top of the dog’s head at the same time Jackson did. Their hands stayed there, on top of each other, neither seemingly in a hurry to move.

Mina smiled and wondered again just how close the two cowboys were.

The rain picked up. Driving on those roads could be slow going anyway, thanks to the mountainous curves, but the thunderstorm slowed them down even more.

“Maybe we best just pull into our place,” Slater suggested.

“Are we close?” Mina asked.

“That’s us up ahead,” he replied.

She looked out the windshield and could make out a mailbox on the side of the road that marked the entrance to a gravel drive.

“You okay with that, honey?” Jackson asked. “I can keep going and get you back to the newspaper office if you’d like.”

“I think we need to just get out of this rain,” she said.

“Smart girl.”

The truck’s tires crunched atop the wet gravel below as they followed the winding drive up to a two-story wood-frame, white farmhouse. The place looked like it was at least a hundred years old but maybe even older.

“I’m going to get as close to the porch as I can,” Jackson told them as he angled the truck near the front steps. “Make a mad dash! I’ll be right behind you.”

Lightning illuminated the area, followed a second later by the loudest thunder Mina had ever heard. The atmosphere itself seemed to be supercharged.

“Come on!” Slater yelled over the blowing rain and howling winds. “Stay with me and let’s move fast!”

But more thunder boomed. Flashes of brilliant light had a dizzying effect, and Mina felt a tad disoriented as she stepped out of the truck.

Sir Dogsworth got away.

“Come back!” she yelled.

The animal was clearly in a panic. It made sense, she figured. He’d most likely survived some pretty scary storms as a stray, and without a proper home to take refuge in, he must have been terrified. That trauma remained and he didn’t realize that he was safe now. Had he simply stayed in her arms, they’d most likely already be inside the house by now.

“Get on the porch!” Slater yelled. “I’ll get him!”

But Mina disobeyed, instead chasing after the golden retriever just as fast as her legs would carry her. He tore through the grassy yard, curved around the house, and headed straight for an old gray barn in the distance. The only problem was, between him and that barn was a patch of dirt that had turned into a pit of mud in the sudden monsoon-like rains.

Mina and Slater were right behind him.

A few seconds later, Mina felt someone else coming up and looked over her shoulder to see Jackson giving chase, too.

She slipped and fell hard into the mud.

“Honey!” Slater called, turning to help her.

“Get the dog!” Jackson called, though it was barely audible thanks to another roar of vicious thunder that sounded at the same time. “I’ll get her!”

No sooner had Jackson uttered the command than his feet flew out from under him and he went down on his butt, mud splatting around him, some of it landing on Mina.

She started laughing despite their less-than-desirable circumstances.

She returned her gaze back ahead, hoping to see Slater had caught Sir Dogsworth.

“Come here, boy. Right here,” he said with a whistle.

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