by Dahlia Rose
Taken by Storm
Dahlia Rose
eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement of the copyright of this work.
TAKEN BY STORM
Perfect Strangers Collection
Copyright © 2012 DAHLIA ROSE
Cover art by Amanda Kelsey
Edited by Trinity Scott
ISBN: 978-1-936387-40-3
ISBN 10: 1-936387-40-9
All Romance eBooks, LLC
Palm Harbor, Florida 34684
www.allromanceebooks.com
This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or business establishments, events, or locales is coincidental.
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever with out written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First All Romance eBooks publication: February 2012
Chapter One
“It’s very, unusual to have a Hurricane in February but because of the warmer waters of the sea this system formed quickly and gained momentum. Hurricane Anita has barreled its way across the ocean and will make landfall in the Florida Keys and Miami coastline as a category five hurricane. The National Guard has been activated and is working in conjunction with law enforcement to get as many people inland and in shelters as quickly as possible. Evacuations are mandatory, so to anyone listening to this broadcast that is in the path of this hurricane,get to high ground. Find a safe shelter since flooding will be a major concern.”
Sergeant Devin McKay turned the radio in his Humvee off and drove through the wind and rain into the dark night. These were only the outer bands of the hurricane and already signs were being ripped off metal poles. Trees bent low to the ground as the gale-force winds robbed them of their leaves and palm fronds. Being a native of Florida, Devin knew many would snap before the long night was through. They expected the storm to actually make landfall by three in the morning and batter the coast for the entire next day. He was making his last run looking for evacuees before he heading back to the National Guard command center where he heading up the search. This was the final grid and then they would try their best to help residents weather the storm.
“Hello? Is anyone out there?”
Devin frowned as he heard the static-filled message come over his radio. He tried to adjust the radio to see if he could get a better signal.
“If anyone is picking this up, I’m on channel eighteen of my radio. I’m Calliope LaRue and I run the Starlight Bed and Breakfast. I got all my guests out but I’m in need of help for myself and my dog.”
He could hear the fear and nervousness in her voice. He flicked the dial to her channel and picked up his radio microphone. “This is Sergeant McKay, United States National Guard, do you copy?”
“Yes, yes I do,” she said excitedly. “Oh thank God. It’s good to hear someone’s voice.”
“Ma’am, where are you located? I’ll come evacuate you to a safe location,” Devin replied.
“I’m in Key Largo.”
Shit, she was in an area already evacuated and that was right in the direct path of the hurricane. His impatience came across in his voice. “Your area has been evacuated since yesterday. What the hell are you still doing there?”
“I don’t know you but you don’t take a tone with me,” she snapped. Devin couldn’t help but smile. “I had to get my guests to safety first and my animals had to be boarded. Was I supposed to leave it and run on the first bus screaming?”
“I didn’t say that, ma’am…” Devin began.
“Quit calling me ma’am. I’m not in my golden years. Can you get someone out here to get me?” she asked.
“I should be there in an hour or so. Have what you need ready to go,” Devin answered.
“Does it have to be you? You don’t sound so nice,” she replied.
“I’m it, let me call in. And remember, one bag with necessities only,” he said.
“I know the drill, Sergeant McKay. Been hearing it all week.” Her tone was frosty. “I’ll expect you in an hour.”
Devin shook his head and turned back to the communications channel to let his second in command know he would be going out to Key Largo.
“Sarge, that area is already getting winds of over eighty miles per hour.” Corporal Kirkland said. “You might not be able to get back out if the roads get blocked.”
Devin sighed and rubbed his hand across his tired face. He hadn’t slept since they were activated to help with evacuations. His stomach grumbled because the last thing he had was some so-so coffee and an egg sandwich that morning. It was well after nine at night and he had to make some decisions fast in case he couldn’t get back to the command center.
“Kirk, if you don’t hear from me by midnight, everything goes through you until I get back.” Devin ordered. “Don’t let anyone take a piss without your say so. Update the police of what’s happening and where I’m heading. And if worse comes to worse send a rescue my way as soon as the weather clears.”
“Roger that, Big Sarge,” Corporal Kirkland said.
Devin broke communication and drove onward to the Starlight Bed and Breakfast. He hoped they could make it out before Hurricane Anita made landfall. He certainly didn’t think being stuck in the midst of her fury with a frightened female would be fun filled. He assumed her rudeness on the phone was because she was scared. One could only hope that a snippety female was not waiting for him through the storm.
* * * *
Callie sighed and rested her head against the desk in her office for just a moment while the winds howled outside. She heard a loud bang and knew that she had to move no matter how exhausted she was. The storm shutters for the upstairs balcony rooms needed to be secured. The last few days were spent in a bustle of getting her guests to safety. Her animals were boarded safely at a place inland that took horses. Then it was the long task of covering her antique furniture with plastic and boxing others to keep them safe from water damage. Getting everything to the storage area out back that would keep them dry in case of flooding was the last thing she did. She gave a mental cheer that she had the good sense to build the storage unit out of concrete and raise it six feet off the ground. But in all the activity she never regretted her choice to buy the old colonial house and turn it into a bed and breakfast. It had been her dream since she was a child and now she was living it.
Upstairs she had to step out on the balcony and in a second the rain had her soaked. It took all her energy to pull the heavy, board shutters across the French doors and get them locked. Two more to go, she thought mournfully. The house boasted three guest suites that were a honeymoon favorite. It now stood empty because she was not taking a chance with the expensive antique beds and armoires. The cost of hiring a moving team to haul everything into storage was well worth it. When everything was secure as it could get, she stood downstairs in the empty dining room and looked around while holding a florescent lantern. Everything seemed to be holding but with the power of the storm outside it looked like the walls breathed each time the wind blew. Please let it stay intact, she prayed silently. This was her life and it terrified her to think of it being destroyed.
Callie turned and went back other office. There she had her bag waiting and the large crate for her dog, Tiny. He was an English Mastiff and her friend Danni thought it was funny to name him as a puppy. He pushed his head against the bars and whined and she put her fingers for him to lick.
“I can’t have you running loose in this weather, buddy. We’ll be safe very soon and you can have that big ham bone I’m keeping for you in the fridge,” she consoled the animal.
From her desk she took plastic, waterpro
of package that held all her important paperwork, including the title to the house and insurance information, and stuffed it in the bag. She sat to wait for the surly sergeant she spoke to on the radio and listened to the storm rage outside. She must’ve fallen asleep because a pounding on the doors woke her up. Callie staggered to her feet and pushed her still-damp hair from her face and walked to the door. She picked up one of the iron pokers that decorated the hallways just in case it was someone who decided it was a perfect time to break and enter. The wind pushed the door open more than she pulled when she unlocked it. A dripping wet man wearing a uniform and a green rain poncho pushed past her, carrying his pack. He whipped the hood off his head while she stood there gaping and forced the door close himself.
Callie shook her head to clear the sleep cobwebs away. “Sergeant McKay?”
“Right on the first try,” he said dryly. “Why do you have a poker in your hand?”
She shrugged. “Might have been a burglar.”
“In the middle of a hurricane? Doubtful?” Devin looked around. “You have a fireplace down here?”
She pointed. “In the main dining room.”
He lifted his pack and began moving. “That’s good. Dry wood inside?”
“Um yeah and why do you care? Hey, shouldn’t we be leaving?” Callie followed him and demanded to know.
“No can do. The roads are blocked and washed out behind me as I came up here.” Devin turned. “Storm surge is over twenty feet now and you’re lucky you’re on a hill and a ways in from the beach. Hopefully the water won’t get all the way up. We’re bunking down here until this hurricane passes. I need to see your back rooms and anyplace we can use if things get to bad. Great firewood.” He dropped his pack by the woodbin and turned to her. “Going to just stand there or do as I ask?”
“I’m not one of your soldiers. Let’s just get that straight before anything else happens,” Callie snapped. “You don’t come in here and order me around.”
He looked her up and down and she felt very exposed all of a sudden before he murmured, “Trust me, I won’t make that mistake in thinking.”
Callie bit her lip and turned on her heels. “Follow me. The pantry is built with stone to keep it cool in the summer and it has really heavy doors.”
“Excellent, I’ll put some flares and a lantern back here. If you have any blankets, though, one or two in there as well in case we need to move quickly,” Devin said.
“Yes, sir,” she muttered behind him. A loud howl came down the hallway. “Oh no. I forgot Tiny.”
“What the fuck is Tiny and how can it make that God awful noise?” he asked.
She paid him no mind and went into her office to unlatch his cage. “I’m sorry, baby. I know the noise scares you.”
Tiny barreled out of the crate and pushed his head against her legs. She grabbed him by the collar and walked back to where the Sergeant was waiting.
He eyed Tiny. “What is that thing?”
“It’s my dog,” she said and led Tiny into the dining room.
She went to the fireplace and began to stock wood to build a fire. Devin came over and got on his knees to help.
“That is not a dog. More like a small horse,” Devin said simply. “Named Tiny, mind you. So very contradictory.”
“The wind is scaring him, he’s sensitive,” she said and rubbed the dog compassionately.
“An animal that size shouldn’t be afraid of anything less than a tank,” Devin replied. The fire roared to life and he sat back. “Nice and steady flame, no water coming through the chimney. We should be good.”
“Well then, I am going to go take a hot shower and get out of these damp clothes and find something to eat,” Callie said. Devin sighed and took off his coat before working on the laces of his boots. “Um, do you want to clean up or something?”
He gave her a smile and her heart leapt. “After working nonstop for the last two days I’m not going to say no. Does your tank have enough water?”
“We have guests who like to take long showers or fill the bathtubs to the brim with hot water.” She smiled. “When I bought the place I changed the plumbing out and put two extra-large tanks out back. Plus we have a water heater with a pilot light, no power doesn’t mean it goes out. I could bathe your platoon and still have hot water. I’ll leave you some towels in the bathroom and while you clean up I’ll find us something to eat. It’s going to be a long next few hours I assume.”
He nodded. “Thanks.”
Callie moved and Tiny followed. She pointed her finger and said sternly, “Stay.”
Tiny sighed and flopped down to the floor and looked at her mournfully. She smiled at him and walked away. The hurricane was picking up strength. She could hear the wind howling and branches snapping. The old colonial had weathered many a storm and come through fine it its history since it was built. Callie hoped this time its luck would hold as well. She found a pair of sweats in the bag she had downstairs and clean underwear. Luckily the downstairs bathroom was stocked with everything they would need. A loud crash came from outside and she jumped, barely keeping the scream from coming out of her lips. She was trying to be very calm but as a California girl transplanted to Florida this was technically her first hurricane. Yeah, since she had the place there had been storms and bad weather, she knew how to be prepared. But a cat-five hurricane was a whole other story.
Under the hot water she lathered her hair and washed her body, all the while thinking of the sergeant downstairs. She’d played it cool when he whipped off the raincoat but Lord the man was sexy. He had jet-black hair that was cut low but a wet lock had hung on his forehead. His eyes were such a light blue it was startling, and it felt as if he could stare right though you. Devin had sexy lips—lord they looked kissable—and he was built. She could only image how his body looked beneath that uniform. He was probably tall and rock hard. She felt her stomach clench just thinking about him. “Down girl, down,” she murmured to herself. In the middle of a hurricane was not the time to be lusting after the hot soldier camped out in her dining room. She brushed her hair and pulled it back into a half ponytail to keep the curly tresses away from her face. Dressed, she took a breath and stepped out into the hallway. She grabbed thick comforters from the hallway linen closet on the way back to the dining room and mentally prepared herself to spend the many long hours in the company of Sergeant Devin McKay.
Chapter Two
Devin dug around in his pack and sighed. He could be trapped in worse places for a hurricane. He thought of the awful cots in the shelters and the cramped room where they would be sleeping in rotation until the crisis was over. A fireplace, a hot shower and food not from an MRE packet was living in luxury at this point.
“So what’s the deal with your owner?” Devin asked the huge dog that now came to lie close to his feet.
He rubbed the dog’s massive head and contemplated Calliope LaRue. He averaged her height to be around five feet five inches to his six feet three inches. Her hair was a halo of thick, reddish brown curls and his fingers itched to be buried in its mass. Those full lips could be pursed tightly when she was irritated or so kissable when she decided to take down the walls. He was getting a read on her from early. Her prickly nature was a defense mechanism and he was more than willing to see what she hid under those layers. Tiny moved with a small woof and turned to the door. She came in wearing a pair of sweats with a pink line down the side and carried a handful of thick blankets. She turned around and bent to put them on the floor and he saw her rear. The sweats had “bootylicious” written in rhinestones and he grinned. Got that right, she had a fine ass.
“I left towels in the bathroom and some men’s body wash my guests seem to like,” she said. “Sandwiches and soup sound okay?”
“It’s great, thanks,” he replied and got to his feet.
In his hand he carried an extra T-shirt and some boxers. His other uniform was at the command center so he would have to make do with his damp ones. The thunder boomed and sh
ook the house. Callie made a scared little sound and quickly covered it up with a cough. Devin grinned as he walked out of the room. She was afraid and didn’t want to show it in front of him. The wind howled outside as Hurricane Anita showed her fury. He could only imagine the devastation outside and hoped everyone in her path was safe. He didn’t want to have to send details looking for bodies in the midst of chaos and broken homes. He knew some Floridians didn’t take the weather seriously until it was too late.
Devin moaned as the hot water hit his skin. With his hands against the tile he bent his head so it could run through his hair and down his back. He felt the knotted muscles of his neck and shoulder ease in relief. He wanted to stay under the spray for an hour or so but instead he washed quickly and was soon out of the shower to dry off. He put on clean socks and stepped out of the steamy bathroom back into the cool hallway and walked back into the dining room. Callie had soup and sandwiches waiting on the stone hearth of the fireplace. The smell made his mouth water and his stomach did a little dance of joy.
“It’s not much. I hope you don’t mind,” she said.
He sat down on the floor next to the fireplace and the fire warmed his back. “It’s better than anything I would be eating at the command center right now.”
Devin took a big bite and almost moaned in delight as the taste of fresh ham and cheese exploded into his mouth. The soup was hot and warmed his stomach in between bites of the meaty sandwiches. She had a thermos with hot coffee that actually tasted like the real thing and not the crap that they were serving in the command center. He certainly didn’t mean to eat silently but his stomach insisted it be sated first, and after, he felt human again. On his weather radio updates kept coming in and the news wasn’t good. The winds were over one hundred miles per hour and the hurricane was coming ashore.
“You barely ate,” he said. He saw her jump as the thunder boomed again.