Page 47 of Spring Showers

“Which road,” Leo asked, “the one out of town?”

“County Line is completely washed out. We’ve got to get these people out of here before the last one goes, too,” Pa said.

“Are you alright?” Grant asked and crouched down to the old man’s eye level.

“Nearly took me out, it did. I threw the truck in reverse as soon as I saw the banks crumble into the water, but the gravel just rolled under the weight of the trailer. It’s a miracle that the tires finally caught some traction when they did, or I would have been lost in the drink.”

“Goodness,” Thandie said. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“So, we need to evacuate?” Anne chimed in.

“City Hall,” Leo said. “It sits on the highest point around here. We can wait out the storm there and then get you all to the train station in Elizabethtown later today or tomorrow,” Leo said with shakiness in his voice. “I’m so sorry that this has happened during your stay?—”

“You didn’t make it rain,” Grant said, repeating what he had told Thandie last night. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I can speak for me, and probably everyone else here that we have had an amazing time at The Foundry.”

Other voices joined him in agreement. It was seemingly unanimous that they had all had a fulfilling stay there.

Tears welled in Leo’s eyes. “Thank you all. I want to offer you each a complimentary stay here in the future, if we come out of this okay.” He wiped his cheek. “Now, can you each be packed and back here in twenty minutes? We’ll depart as soon as possible.”

The others darted outside into the rain to gather their things. Leo looked at Thandie, and she simply shook her head back at him as though to say she was not going. She moved toward Grant with determination in her serious face. “You need to get your things. It’s not safe to stay here,” she said and poked a finger into his sternum.

He captured her little finger and held her hand flat on his chest. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Grant, you have to. It’s a liability thing, since you’re a guest here.”

“Then I’ll check out.” He raised his voice. “Hey Leo, I’m checking out, you cool with that?”

“If you want to stay, then stay,” Leo said from across thecucina, where he was stacking chairs on top of the tables.

“Looks like I’m staying right here. With you.” He intended his voice to sound loving and protective, but there was a slight hesitation in his own words, at the implications of his statement. Though he was sure he was ready to move forward with his life, he wasn’t sure she was, or that she was feeling what he was feeling. It was awfully presumptuous of him, and with a little more time together, he hoped she would open up to him more.

“If you’re staying, then get to work.” She pointed at thecucina. “Why don’t you see if anything needs to be moved in there? And make us some sandwiches while you’re at it.”

“I’m on it.” Grant said again at yet another task he was more than happy to do.

Pa stood near thecucinadoor as Grant began toward that direction. “You know, I’m usually the one taking orders around here. It’s nice to see someone else being told what to do for a change.”

Grant chuckled, knowing there was more to that story that he would want to hear about some day. Just the thought of wanting to get to know more about the people around him was another indication that he was changing, moving on, for the better. “I’m happy to help.”

“This place is something special. It means a lot to the community, and I know we are all glad you’re pitching in here today.” Pa took Grant’s hand in his firm grip and shook it in gratitude.

“Take care making it to the city hall.” They exchanged a nod of understanding, and Pa was off.

As ordered, Grant went through thecucinadoors and got to work on those sandwiches.

CHAPTER22

Later, after the work was done enough, Thandie stood in the heat of the shower. Though she was saturated and sick of being wet, the hot water running over her cold skin soothed her weary muscles. Her hair, that she never liked all that much for the fact that it was only curly enough to always be tangled, needed a second run through of her conditioner. As she worked the cream into her ends, she inhaled long deep breaths into her lungs, preferring the warm lavender scented air to the musky damp odor of the mud outside.

Just beyond the door to her bathroom, a man whom she was accidentally falling for waited for her to finish up. Before sheltering in her cabin for the night, he had run to his room and packed up all of his things. It made no sense for him to stay and deal with the leaky roof, although he did say he had put a larger bucket under the leak in hopes of saving what he could of the place. A thoughtful gesture.

They had worked all day at securing the barn from the rising and falling waters. Pa had delivered the guests to safety, and Leo had joined them in town, where he planned to stay at America’s house on Main Street. He assured Thandie that he would be safe there, and that if anything changed, he would send Pa to come back for her and Grant. There was nothing left for them to do but wait it out.

During the day, the power had stayed on, despite the rain ebbing long enough to get their hopes up, then returning with harder downpours. She hadn’t seen anything like it before in the Midwest where, if it rained at all, the storms would come on fast and leave even faster. The forecast she had looked up at the start of the week proved to be dead wrong.

With the last of the conditioner rinsed out, Thandie turned the shower off and reached for a towel hanging on a hook just outside the white shower curtain. Drying off took no time at all as she didn’t wish to be wet any longer than was absolutely necessary. In this instance, she wanted nothing more than to put on her coziest pants and socks, wrap up in a fluffy blanket and sip wine by the fire.

Her wish was granted when she emerged from the bathroom, dressed in lightweight cotton pants and a matching pale pink henley tank top, to a scene straight out of a romance novel. As she walked out, using a hand towel to scrunch the water from her hair and give some life to her curls, Grant stood in front of the fire. His hand rested casually on the mantel, and he fixed his eyes on the glass of an old clock ticking the time by.

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