Page 5 of Eyes Like a Hurricane

As quickly as he started rolling, he flips back over as if nothing happened. The woman puts the back of her handagainst her mouth to cover the delight she is currently getting out of my dog’s awkward greeting to her dog. Suddenly, she clears her throat and says, “Uh, before you put him in your car, you may want to check over his fur.” I look at her curiously, so she continues, “I would make sure he didn’t roll on a dead frog or fresh deer urine. He may have been picking up a scent, considering how eagerly he was smelling that specific spot. Dogs are known to roll in smelly spots. They may be attempting to cover their scent, mark their territory, or share their scent with another dog.”

Groaning, I say, “Thanks. Just what I need: to smell deer urine for the next four hundred miles.”

A weird look ghosts over her face, but she quickly shutters it and returns to her easy smile that now doesn’t quite reach her eyes. I desperately want to see her uninhibited smile and hear her addicting laugh again. Finn, noticing Chloe getting closer, lumbers toward her cautiously, and the two dogs begin sniffing each other. Next thing I know, Finn is flipping onto his back right next to her, but this time he is lying utterly still. Is he playing a game or playing dead, afraid she is planning to attack? It has been almost two decades since I had a dog, but I don’t remember my childhood dog acting remotely like this. I remember my childhood dog being brave and fearless.

The woman grins again, flicking her eyes toward me. She quietly says, “Looks like he is submitting to Chloe.” At that, she crouches down and begins to run her gentle touch all across Finn’s belly and chest.

I stand there dumbstruck, realizing I’m jealous of my dog. Would it be weird for her if I lay down on my back and hoped for chest rubs too? Snorting, I answer myself with a blatant, “Yes,Lach-lan, that would be very bizarre behavior and most likely get you arrested for indecent exposure or something.”

I can’t make out what she is muttering to him, but he seems to be loving it. Her dog takes that moment and licks Finn across the muzzle. As the woman stands up and brushes her palms on her jeans, she tilts her head toward me and says, “Well, it looks like he is just fine with other dogs.” I mentally suggest maybe it is Chloe he likes.

Smiling, I’m relieved. Introducing Finn to other dogs is something I was going to have to try once we arrived in town to make sure he was comfortable at the ranch. With hope, I reach out my hand and meet her aqua gaze head on, “It’s nice to meet you and Chloe. My name is Lachlan. Sorry for frightening you by having Finn tethered to the back. I promise he will ride in the cab for the remainder of our trip.”

She offers me a shy smile, then tilts her head to meet my stare. The wind catches some curled wisps of her dark hair which escaped her braid. As her hand slowly meets mine, the electricity that shoots up my right arm is unlike any sensation I have ever felt. It instantly turns me on to feel her soft skin making contact with the calluses in my palm. My hand engulfs hers, but she doesn’t pull away. She firmly shakes my hand with a whispered gasp, which tells me she felt the electrical charge between us too.

On bated breath, she finally says, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lachlan. My name is Aislinn.”

I draw in a slow, deep breath, catching a hint of vanilla and lavender. Goodness, she smells good. My eyes widen as I realize her name is Gaelic, meaning ‘dream.’ Knowing I will probably never see this stunning woman again, I sadly realize she will only ever appear in my dreams. Aislinn is a fitting name for this situation.

Trying not to appear disappointed by my revelation, I say, “Well, Aislinn, it was a pleasure to meet you and Chloe, but Finnand I have a huge drive still ahead of us. I need to fill my tank before conquering the pass, then grab some food and drinks.”

“Me too, me too,” she mutters. Her smile is tight when she continues, “Have a safe trip, Lachlan.”

With that last remark, she winks, throws her purple aviators back on, and turns to leave. I tip my Stetson at the last moment, and she rewards me with a bright smile. Unfortunately, her sunglasses only reflect my silhouette, not her hypnotic eyes.

Frowning down at Finn, I mutter, “Did you really have to embarrass us in front of the pretty girl, Finn?”

Chuckling to myself, I watch her white Jeep turn into the Safeway parking lot.

Those captivating eyes will haunt my dreams tonight.

Chapter 5

Lachlan

Pulling out of the parking lot, I look left and right but see no sign of a white Jeep Wrangler. With a sigh, I put on my left turn signal and drive under the overpass. Taking one last left, I merge onto I-90.

I look in the back seat, but Finn seems totally at ease. He takes up the entire back seat, and I notice his paws twitching randomly. My guess is Finn is dreaming, but about what? I have no idea. He is probably dreaming about chasing rabbits. Maybe herding is instinctive, and he dreams of herding sheep. At the ranch, Finn will have a small herd to watch over, but it’s just big enough to shear and yield the amount of wool we need for spinning, weaving, and knitting therapy classes.

I look at the clock and see it’s approaching 11 a.m. As I think about it, I’m sort of surprised I haven’t heard from Callum yet. There are no missed texts when I glance at my screen. Picking up the phone, I figure it would be fine for me to check-in. I’m not checking in on his ability to run the ranch while I’m gone. I will say I am calling to make sure they don’t need me to pick up anything on my way home. Telling myself he won’t be offended, I instruct my Bluetooth to call Callum. I hear it ringonce, then twice. I begin tapping the steering wheel. Suddenly, the phone clicks, and before I can respond, a gruff voice fills my speakers.

“The ranch hasn’t burned down, clients aren’t getting airlifted to hospitals, and life as we know it isn’t ending,” grumbles Callum.

I try to reassure him by saying, “Don’t worry, man, that isn't why I’m calling. I have total faith in you! I was only calling with an update. I have Finn. We are making our way up over Snoqualmie Pass as we speak. There are enough snacks in the front seat to last until Spokane. I was calling to ask you if we need any supplies from Kalispell to save us a trip mid-week?”

With a dry chuckle, seeing through my intentions, he calmly says, “No, no, man, just get back to the ranch. We all want to meet Finn. Everyone is dying to meet him before they head home tonight. Think you will be back for Saturday night barbeque? I will be making ribs and corn on the grill. I think about eight of us will stick around. I want to make sure I grill enough. So far, Noah, Ingrid, Carl, Trent, Axel, Emma, and Tucker are coming. I haven’t heard from Declan, but he might be busy with your pops at the orchard.”

Grinning, I reply, “That is a great group. I will be there. Is Ingrid bringing out her fiddle for some music around the fire afterward?”

“Oh, I have no doubts. Your sister and her fiddle are never too far from one another,” he scoffs. Interesting, I wonder why that annoys him. Ingrid’s music is always the perfect way to end a barbeque. Although, I am her brother, so I may be biased when it comes to her musical talents.

“Okay,” I say, attempting to refocus his attention, “If you think of anything we need before I get back to town, let me know. I plan to push 70 mph the whole way through, so I shouldbe back to the ranch in decent time. Finn seems to be a great passenger. Any idea what he might be dreaming about? His foot keeps twitching.”

Callum chuckles, “Nah, man. I have no idea what the dog is dreaming about, probably some dream girl dog.”

Clearing my throat, as my thoughts drift to my dream girl. “Yeah, you are probably right. My money is on chasing a rabbit. Oh, by the way, has the new vet arrived? With all our horses and sheep at the ranch, I hope we can meet the new vet soon. Hopefully, he will be willing to make ranch calls like Doc MacAllen.”

I hear a hesitation from Callum, then he finally responds, “In the diner today, I overhead Mama Marge talking about the new vet with a guy our age. I heard him introduce himself as the vet tech, whatever that means. But he was a smaller guy with short, auburn hair. I think he said his name was Oliver. By the sound of it, the new vet is actually a woman, not a man. I have not been able to get her name, as she supposedly isn’t in town yet. I heard from Britt, who will be working at the front desk in the new office, that the new vet bought the house out on the north end of the lake. You know, the one with the awesome deck right off the kitchen, which was recently remodeled? Yeah, she paid a pretty penny for it. I heard she was coming from a big city but grew up in Kalispell or something.”

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