“Can I ask you something, Sarah?”
Even though she suspected what Bobby was going to ask, she looked up at him warmly, with a smile. “Of course, Bobby.”
“What was in like being in an orphanage?”
Sarah studied his face for a moment, trying to figure out whether that was a trick question, whether he knew about her past and wasn’t telling her or he was simply curious.
“I don’t like to talk about it,” she replied softly, looking away.
Bobby’s body stiffened next to her. His arm was stretched over the back of the swing behind her and she felt the warmth of his hand when he settled it on her shoulder. He pulled her closer to him in a side hug and kissed the top of her head.
“I take it the people you lived with weren’t taking good care of you,” he said, his voice low. She looked up at him, trying to keep tears from coming to her eyes.
“No, they didn’t take good care of me at all. These two boys bullied me all the time.”
“Wouldn’t your caretakers do anything about that?” She could hear irritation in his voice and was grateful for it.
“No,” she admitted. “I wasn’t loved or cared for. I don’t know…” She looked up at him. “I didn’t know how that felt. I… I think I know now, Bobby. I believe you care about me, truly.”
Bobby squeezed her again and she snuggled into his larger frame. She fit perfectly next to him, placing one hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat. It was going fast, just like hers. She felt a little tingle of excitement in her chest. He really did feel about her the way she felt about him.
Or maybe it was anxiety over the possible tornado.
Sarah smiled to herself. She was going to believe it was the former, not the latter.
Suddenly, Bobby’s body went rigid. This time, the grip on her shoulder alarmed her. She pulled up her eyes and looked at his face. His eyes were focused on the distance and he had leaned slightly forward, as if the few inches would help him see better.
She moved her gaze out over the horizon but could see only the dark, cloudy night. The black clouds were rolling over the nearly full moon so that it was light, then pitch black, then light again.
“What is it?” she asked, her voice anxious. Now her own heartbeat was rapid because of fear, not love.
They both sat forward, Bobby’s eyes still concentrated on the horizon.
“You see that?” he said, getting to his feet. “Do you see that?”
Sarah peered into the distance, waiting for the moon to come out from behind the clouds. But before that happened, several bolts of lightning lit up the distant land and she saw the clear definition of a funnel, whirling in the distance, ripping up whatever was in its path.
Chills ran up her spine and then back down again. She broke out in a cold sweat, turning wide, scared eyes to Bobby.
He looked calm and determined when he turned to her. He took both her arms in his hands and gripped so hard it hurt. Sarah didn’t say anything. She was nearly frozen with fear.
“All right, you saw it, too. I need you to stay calm. We brought all the horses into the corral, so I’m gonna go let them out so they can be free to run from the danger. The fence goes around the whole property, so hopefully they won’t get out. If they do, they do. And I have to bring the dogs into the cellar. You need to get underground right now. Do you understand me?”
Sarah stared at him, her breath catching in short gasps. She nodded.
“The first thing you need to do is get Sam.” Bobby was speaking so quickly, Sarah had to listen close to catch it all. “You go and get her and both of you get down in the cellar. She should have Sandy with her. I’m gonna get Scout and Brute and meet you down there after I make sure no one is in the bunk house. Do you understand?”
Sarah was still frozen, staring at him, nodding.
He shook her lightly. “Sarah!” he said firmly. “Do you hear me? Do you understand? Don’t be afraid.”
“But I don’t know how to get to the cellar,” she managed to squeak out.
“Sam knows where it is. Go! Go now!”
Chapter 12
It only took another second or two for Sarah to realize the urgency of the situation. This wasn’t time to panic. Bobby looked calm and determined, and she wanted to emulate that.
Sarah straightened her spine and backed out of his tight grip. “I’m going. You be careful! I’ll see you in the cellar.”
Bobby gave her a grateful look before turning to run out into the compound toward the barn. Sarah did the same, spinning around and dashing back into the house. She raced up the stairs, taking them two at a time, holding up her skirt so she wouldn’t trip. She was glad she hadn’t yet changed into her nightgown.
She felt a little tingle, thinking about how she would have been held tight in Bobby’s arms with only a thin fabric between them. Someday, that would be real. She sighed. It would be lovely.
She got to the top of the stairs and dashed down the hallway toward Sam’s room.
She pushed the door open and ran in, forgetting that she hadn’t brought a lantern. The on again-off again moonlight wasn’t enough, and it wasn’t in the on-again phase, so Sarah halted at the door and felt next to it for the table holding the lantern. A box of matches sat nearby and, with shaking fingers, Sarah lit the lantern.
She picked it up by the handle and rushed to the bed, setting the lantern down and sitting on the edge of the mattress. She touched the sleeping girl on the shoulder, noting how angelic the little blond looked when she was sleeping. Even when awake, Sammy looked like an angel. It made Sarah wonder just how beautiful a woman Rebecca must have been. There were no photographs, so Sarah figured she would never know.
“Sammy. Sammy, wake up, honey. We have to get to the cellar.”
Sammy didn’t open her eyes. She mumbled something incoherent and turned her face away from Sarah. She looked so comfortable, Sarah hated to wake her. She had her arms up on the pillow and was lying on her stomach, her face turned to the side. Her little cheek was plumped out, she was sleeping so soundly.
“Sammy,” Sarah said more urgently, shaking the child awake. “Sammy, there’s a tornado! You have to get up, dear! We have to go to the cellar and I don’t know how to get down there without going outside. Please wake up!”
Sarah shook Sammy violently and the child’s eyes snapped open. She gazed at Sarah for only a moment before rolling over and sitting up. She was sliding her legs out from under the covers in the next second.
“Where is Papa?” the little girl asked in a sleepy but alarmed voice.
“He’s out making sure the animals are safe and there’s no one in the bunk house. The tornado is out near the mountains, but I think it’s coming our way.”
Sammy hopped down from the bed and grabbed her small robe from where it was hung over her dressing table chair. “If Papa says we have to go underground, it probably is,” she said wisely. “I know where the door is. Come on, let’s go!”
Sammy slid her feet into a pair of slippers at the end of her bed, then reached back and grabbed Sarah’s hand and pulled her to the door. Sarah didn’t need a lot of prompting. She was so scared, picturing the house being ripped up and everyone tossed about in a whirlwind of rain and debris, she would have followed Sammy to the ends of the earth if she had to.
The two were out the door and heading for the stairs moments later. They went down hurriedly, Sammy in front of Sarah, sliding her small hand along the carved wooden railing. Sarah wondered if the railing would be there after the tornado passed through.
She’d been told that tornados could sometimes hop right over houses and barns. She hoped that’s what it would do now. She didn’t want her beautiful new home destroyed. What would that do to Bobby? What if one of them was hurt, or even worse, killed?
She shivered, concentrating on the little blond waves bouncing up and down as the girl ran down the stairs. She would have told her to be careful, but going into the cellar as fast as they could was the m
ost careful thing they could do.
She turned the corner when Samantha did and the two raced down the hallway.
“There’s the door!” Sammy called out, pointing with her small hand.
Sarah could see several doors in front of her on both sides of the hallway, but one stood out as different from the rest. It was plain and painted white, while the others were fancier and brown or cherry wood, with a hint of red.
They got to the door and Sammy tried to yank it open, but it wouldn’t budge. A look of concern crossed her little face, and she turned worried eyes to Sarah. “It won’t open!” she moaned.
Sarah’s first thought was that the little girl simply wasn’t strong enough to open it herself. She reached down and grabbed the doorknob, twisting it as hard as she could. It didn’t budge. She yanked harder and then slammed her shoulder against the door, hoping to jog it loose. She only succeeded in hurting her shoulder.
She turned to Sammy. “I can’t get it open, either. I don’t even know if your father would be able to.”
Both woman and child lifted their heads and looked up when they heard the sound of rushing, howling wind, a long, loud clap of thunder and the heavy pattering of rain on the roof. It had to be very loud out there, Sarah thought, for the two of them to hear it inside. Water was slapping the glass of the windows in every room, creating a noise unlike anything Sarah had heard before.
She instinctively reached forward, grabbed Sammy about the shoulders, and pulled the child to her. Sammy wrapped her arms around Sarah’s waist. “It’s okay,” the girl said, turning her face up to Sarah. “We can go in through the kitchen. There’s a door to the cellar there so Cookie can get supplies when she needs them.”
Sarah’s heart lifted and she sensed the urgency of the situation instead of the hopelessness she’d just been feeling.
“Let’s go, then!”
Sarah knew where the kitchen was. She took hold of Sammy’s hand and hurried down the hall toward it, trying not to drag the small girl with her.
She pushed the door open and went through quickly, stopping short when she saw Cookie leaning over the icebox. The cook spun around and stared at the two for a moment. Her face didn’t relax. She went immediately back to what she was doing.
“You two go on down to the cellar. I’m getting food, in case we need to stay down there for a bit.”
“It won’t be that long, surely,” Sarah said. “We don’t need food. Please. Come with us downstairs now. We don’t need food.”
Cookie gave Sarah a stubborn look, shaking her head. “This is a scary situation. We need food to comfort us.”
She only had a few things in the sack she was filling. Sarah ran to her, leaving Sammy to go to the cellar door and place her hand on the doorknob, waiting for the two women to come with her.
Sarah took hold of the sack and Cookie’s arm. She made sure her grip was gentle.
“This is enough food, Cookie,” she said gently. “Let’s go downstairs now. There’s no need to panic. It will be all right. Bobby says the cellar is the safest place to be, and from the way the wind is rushing out there, I think it would be best if we get down there right now.”
Cookie gave her a reluctant, terrified look and nodded. “All right, Sarah. Bobby knows best, doesn’t he?”
Sarah smiled softly. “Yes, he does. Come on, let’s go.”
It was obvious to Sarah that Cookie had not been through that situation before. It was amusing and precious that the older woman’s first thought was to make sure everyone had food. Sarah didn’t know much about tornados, but she suspected that they took over and blew through at lightning fast speed, considering how fast the wind was blowing outside.
“Now isn’t the time to panic,” she said in a calm, low voice, ushering the cook to the door, which Sammy now had open and ready. The look Sammy was giving the cook melted Sarah’s heart. She was clearly concerned, resting one small hand on Cookie’s arm as the plump woman passed her, grabbing the hand rail and moving quickly down the cellar stairs.
Sarah gestured for Sammy to go in front of her and followed behind.
Sarah was carrying a lantern, as was Cookie. The older woman held up the lantern as soon as she got to the bottom of the steps to make sure Sammy could see better and not miss the last few steps.
As soon as her feet hit the dirt floor, Sammy spun around, her eyes wide.
“Sandy!” she wailed. “Where is Sandy? He usually sleeps in my room. I didn’t see him! Did you?”
Sarah’s stomach tightened. She had forgotten about the dog. Even Bobby had mentioned Sandy. She was ashamed but unsure what they could do about it. She took a knee in front of Sammy so she could look her eye to eye.
“Sammy, where do you think Sandy went? Don’t you think maybe he went for shelter?”
Sammy’s blue eyes were suddenly filled with tears. She hadn’t been afraid of or worried about the tornado until she thought about her favorite dog. “He should have been in my room, Sarah. What if he doesn’t find good shelter? What if he doesn’t know what good shelter is? What if he doesn’t know the tornado is coming? I have to find him! I have to go get him!”
Sammy dashed toward the stairs that would lead up the outside door, instead of going back in the house.
“Wait, Sammy!” Sarah lifted one hand outstretched toward the little girl, but Sammy was running too quickly for her to grab her. “Wait! You can’t go out there, that wind will blow you around! Why do you think he’s out there and not inside?”
“If he’s not in my room,” Sammy responded, her throat clogged with tears. “He’s outside. He’s always with me unless he has to do doggy business.”
Sarah nodded seriously. “All right, then I will go look for him. Your papa and I will bring him back. But you have to promise me you’ll stay right here and wait for me to get back. You can’t just go running around out there. Your papa would kill me if I let you do that.”
It was the truth. Sarah knew it. And she’d deserve it, unlike the beatings she’d taken at the hands of her brothers and father. Resentment filled her for just a second before she remembered what she needed to be concentrated on at that moment.
She ran to Sammy and gripped the girl by the shoulders, looking directly in her blue eyes. “I’m going to look for him. I’ll go back inside the house first, just to do a quick search.”
Sammy’s eyes narrowed and several tears slid down her soft, plump cheek. “But he’s not inside. He’s outside. He doesn’t do doggy business inside.”
“Are you sure he didn’t get scared and hide somewhere in the house?”
Sammy shook her head vigorously. “He wouldn’t have left me. He has to be trapped outside or something. He wouldn’t let me be in danger all by myself. That’s why he never leaves me. He’s my doggy and he protects me. That’s what Papa says. Papa never lies.”
Sarah felt a quick pang of regret before she focused once more on the situation. “All right, but I’m going through the front of the house first. I’m not going right out there into that storm until I know he’s not in the house. I don’t want you in danger, but I have to be careful, too.”
Sammy suddenly threw her arms around Sarah’s waist, hugging her tight. “You do have to be careful. I don’t want to lose you now.”
Sarah’s heart melted for the child. She put both hands on Sammy’s back and pressed down, the closest she could get to a hug in that position.
“All right, let me go find your best friend,” Sarah said, her voice soft with affection.
“I’ll be here with Cookie,” Sammy said, in a determined voice, strolling over to Cookie and taking the woman’s hand, giving her a comforting smile. Cookie smiled back and squeezed Sammy’s hand.
Daring to Start Again: An Inspirational Historical Romance Book Page 11