Taking off her wet clothes, she dried herself and put on a pair of jeans and an old sweatshirt. Sitting on the bed, she leaned her face in her hands and offered a brief prayer. Lord, keep him safe. He’s such a little guy. Her hair was still dripping, so she wrapped it in a towel and returned to the living room.
“Renee, do you want some hot cocoa? I thought I’d fix a snack.” Not that she really felt like eating, but it would keep Renee occupied.
When she didn’t get an answer, she flipped the towel back and searched the living room. No Renee.
Jenny went swiftly to the kitchen. “Renee? Renee, where are you?”
Surely her sister wouldn’t be so foolish as to go out in this. Swallowing panic, she jerked open the kitchen door.
“Renee? Renee!” Rain still pummeled the ground, drowning out the sound of her voice.
There was no answer to her call. Renee had obviously gone in search of Fudge. Jenny hurried outside, scanning the area around her to find some sign of her sister.
“Renee!”
She was nowhere in sight. Fear made it hard for Jenny to think. What should she do? If she went to find her, they could both be lost. She had no idea which direction Renee had gone and neither one of them knew anything about the surrounding area. But neither could she stay here and do nothing. Rubbing her forehead with her hands she tried to reason with herself. Think. Think. Oh, God! What should I do?
Choked by fear, she suddenly had a mental picture of Mitch. Of course! Mitch would know what to do. He knew every square inch of this area. Fear for her sister overrode any desire to keep out of his way.
She dashed back inside, hesitating as the lights flickered and then went out.
Jenny groaned. Feeling her way to the living room, she reached for her phone but there was no service. The closest cell tower must have been damaged or else the weather was hindering transmission. A little sob escaped her. Don’t panic. Stay calm.
Jenny fought the waves of terror threatening to overwhelm her. She needed to get to Mitch. Regardless of the condition of the road, she had to try.
Chapter 14
Mitch was trying to read by the light of a kerosene lamp, but it was useless. His mind was too consumed by thoughts of Jenny.
He hadn’t missed the fact that she had quickly ducked out after the ceremony, probably to avoid seeing him. Dark emotion sent a swift current of heat through his body. She could run all she wanted to, but she couldn’t hide forever. Eventually she was going to have to face him. He would give her tonight, but tomorrow was another story.
He was jerked from his thoughts by the sudden pounding on his door. Who on earth would be out in a storm like this? Laying the book aside, he quickly crossed the hall and jerked open the door, his eyes widening in surprise when he saw a bedraggled Jenny standing in front of him. Pulling her quickly inside, he shut the door to block out the cold wind.
“What the dickens are you doing out in this? Are you out of your mind?”
She stared up at him a moment before suddenly bursting into tears. Raising his eyebrows, Mitch hesitated only a moment before wrapping her shivering, wet body in his arms. His hands stroked up and down with a soothing, rhythmic motion. A familiar feeling of déjà vu overcame him.
“Jenny, honey, what is it? What’s happened?” he questioned softly.
Clinging to the front of his shirt, she lifted a terrified face to his. Through chattering teeth she told him, “Renee’s out there!”
Mitch went suddenly still.
“What do you mean ‘out there’? In the car?”
“No!” She thumped his chest softly with her fist, as though trying to encourage him to understand. “She went out to find Fudge.”
Mitch pulled back from her, gripping her shoulders. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest.
“You mean now? In this storm?”
Jenny could only nod her head.
“Oh, God!” The words were a cry from the soul. Those two words were all Mitch could think to utter and yet they encompassed all the prayers he could have possibly recited.
“Listen to me, Jenny.” He shook her gently to make sure he had her full attention. “I’m going to look for her. I want you to stay here. Do you understand me?”
Her eyes widened and she clutched his arm.
“I want to go with you.”
“No!” Seeing her distress, he softened his voice. “Listen to me. I need to take a horse. It’s too dangerous to be walking and I wouldn’t get very far in the Jeep.”
“I still want to go,” she told him stubbornly. “I know how to ride.”
“Listen. I know the territory around here. I’m familiar with the terrain. Regardless, it will still be dangerous wandering around in this kind of weather, for me as well as my horse. I won’t risk two horses. Do you understand me?”
Mitch could see the panic in her eyes. Frankly, he knew just how she was feeling but he wasn’t about to add his own fear for Jenny into the mix. She would be safer here; knowing that would help him to focus on searching for Renee.
He brushed the tears from her cheeks before bending his head and gently kissing her on the mouth. “Promise me you’ll stay put.”
* * *
Jenny could only nod. No sound could bypass the fear clutching her throat.
She followed Mitch to the door. He pulled on his sheepskin jacket and his Stetson.
Giving her a brief look, he told her, “You need to get out of those wet clothes. My mother’s clothes are still in the second bedroom. You should be able to find something that will fit.” He disappeared quickly into the darkness.
The rain had lessened, but Jenny knew the danger was far from over. Torrential rains caused flash floods. Pictures of Renee, Fudge and Mitch being swept away filled her mind. Renee was a strong swimmer, but even cars couldn’t withstand the rushing water of a flash flood. Groaning, she went to do as Mitch suggested, praying harder than she had ever prayed in her life.
Time continued to tick away and Jenny paced the floor, twisting her hands in frustration. If anyone could find Renee, it was Mitch. But where were they? Had Mitch found her yet? Renee would be devastated if something happened to Fudge. Her chaotic thoughts circled ’round and ’round.
The flickering kerosene lamps gave a mysterious quality to the room. Shadows danced playfully on the walls, mesmerizing in their choreography. At least Mitch had been prepared when the lights went out.
The windup clock on the mantel sounded out with ten chimes. Had it really been three hours since she had arrived? Shouldn’t Mitch have found Renee by now? In pitch darkness, she chided herself. She pushed her palms against her temples to try to stop the terrifying thoughts. Dear God, please keep them safe.
She sank into the armchair beside the sofa, rubbing the back of her neck. A sound from the porch sent her to her feet and flying toward the door. Flinging it open, her hand went to her throat when she saw Mitch standing there with Renee in his arms. Lightning briefly lit the sky in the distance, but thankfully the rain had stopped.
Jenny looked fearfully into his eyes. “Is she all right?”
Mitch pushed past her, heading for the bathroom.
“So far. She’s chilled clear through.” He lowered Renee onto the chair in the bathroom. “Take over,” he told Jenny. “I’ll get her one of my mother’s robes. Get her out of these wet things and dry her off.”
Jenny wrapped her arms around Renee, who was shivering uncontrollably.
“Come on, sweetie, we need to get these wet things off.”
A thump on the door told her that Mitch had returned.
“The stuff’s in the hall here when you’re ready.” Jenny could hear him striding away and knew that he would be seeing to his horse before he thought of himself.
Although Delores’s clothes w
ere much too big for Renee, Jenny found something that would suit. After getting her dry, Jenny bundled her out to the kitchen. She warmed some milk and made her some cocoa.
Mitch came in, shaking water from his hat. He glanced from one to the other.
“W-h-h-ere’s Fudge?” Renee asked him through chattering teeth.
“He’s in the barn with the horses. I dried him off and gave him some food and told him to stay. He’ll be fine.”
“Can’t I h-h-have him here w-w-with me?”
Mitch hesitated before nodding. “Sure.” He walked across the room and laid a hand on her shoulder. “You need to be in bed. You can use the guest room.” His look lingered on Jenny, but then he abruptly turned away. “I’ll bring in the pup. The road’s a mess. I’d rather you wait till daylight to go home.”
“All right, Mitch,” Jenny told him quietly. “Thanks.”
He glanced at her again, obviously surprised by her acquiescence. Turning, he quickly exited the room.
Jenny helped Renee into bed. When Mitch brought Fudge in, the dog coiled against Renee’s legs, his body still trembling. Renee was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow, her damp curls spread out in a fan. One hand lay curled into Fudge’s still-damp fur. Watching her, Jenny could hardly breathe through the choking lump in her throat. Thank You, Lord!
By the time she returned to the living room, Mitch was there. He had changed clothes; his hair twisting damply against his neck. He motioned her to the couch.
“Have a seat.”
Jenny ran her tongue across her lips and cleared her throat. Now that the drama was over, Jenny wasn’t sure what to say.
“Thanks.”
Polite strangers. Surely after all they had been through together they had gotten past that.
Instead of sitting across from her as he usually did, Mitch took a seat next to her, scattering her composure to the four winds. He leaned back and spread his arms across the back of the couch. It was always impossible to think clearly when he was this near. She always wound up saying something she shouldn’t. She tensed, feeling his eyes on her.
“I wanted to thank you for finding Renee,” Jenny told him quietly. “I can’t ever repay you. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”
It was several moments before Mitch answered.
“Renee told me some interesting things while we were out there.”
Jenny’s eyes flew to his. “Such as?”
“Oh, such as the fact that your hospital stay pretty much wiped out your savings.”
Hot color flooded her cheeks. “She had no right.”
“That’s why you wanted me to buy your ranch. Why couldn’t you just tell me?”
Jenny turned away, but Mitch leaned forward, taking her face in his hands. Her heart started beating faster as his green eyes plumbed the depths of her blue ones.
“She also told me about some fool of a guy named Alexander.”
Jenny’s eyes went wide. “How could she possibly have known about him? I never told anyone except my mother.”
Mitch smiled, but he remained serious. “Little pitchers have big ears, as the saying goes. She overheard a conversation between you and your mother.”
Jenny shook her head. “She never said anything.”
Mitch softly stroked a finger over her lip. “Honey, if he couldn’t see what a gem you are, he was totally blind.”
The feelings that overtook her at that statement left her helpless against his charisma. What exactly was he trying to say?
“I want you to tell me something. Honestly. Will you do that?” he asked.
Jenny wasn’t sure what was coming, but she nodded. What did it matter if he knew about her finances now, anyway?
“Do you love me?”
Her eyes widened in surprise and she would have turned away again but he wouldn’t let her.
“You said you would answer honestly,” he said.
She sucked in a breath and let it expire on a soft sigh. She was so very tired of pretending.
“Yes,” she told him, dropping her lashes.
“Jenny,” he breathed tenderly, his strong arms wrapping securely around her. Her lashes flew upward and she watched a slow smile spread itself across his handsome face. That same smile that always rocked her insides. His lips came down on hers gently at first, the pressure suddenly increasing when she offered no resistance.
For Jenny, the whole world seemed to have stopped spinning and left her behind. Could it be true, what Mitch’s lips were telling her? What about Amanda? Pushing away, she put as much distance between them as he would allow.
“Wait a minute. What about Amanda?”
He sighed. “I just knew that was what you were thinking.”
“I saw you together at the funeral, and then you left town with her.”
Mitch smiled as he looked down at her.
“Do you know you have the cutest pout? Every time I see that bottom lip stick out, I get this overwhelming desire to kiss you.” Suiting the action to the words, he kissed her briefly, his eyes alight with humor.
Jenny stared back at him, eyes flashing.
“Don’t try to change the subject. What about Amanda?” The fire left her as quickly as it had come. “She’s so beautiful.”
“Trust me. Her beauty is only skin-deep. Whereas yours...” He paused and hot color flooded her face at his look.
“I’m well aware of what I look like.”
“Are you? Are you, my little Jenny Wren?” He forced her to look him in the eye. “You have a beauty that transcends the physical. It’s something I can’t even begin to put into words. Just trust me when I say that to me you’re the most beautiful woman in the world. And I didn’t leave town with Amanda. She just happened to leave at the same time. She went her way and I went mine.”
Surely this was a dream and she would wake up to find herself back in her bedroom at the cabin. “But at the funeral...”
“Can we just forget about Amanda?” he growled in frustration. “I made it quite clear to her that I was in love with someone else.”
“You did? I mean, you are?”
He shook his head, grinning unabashedly at her. “We’ve wasted a lot of time, my darling,” he told her. “If it hadn’t been for a few misunderstandings, we could have been married by now.”
“Married? You want to marry me?”
She knew she must sound like an absolute dolt, but she couldn’t get her mind to function logically. She had allowed one experience with a man to color her thinking and she was having a hard time letting go of that past and looking forward to the future.
A flame seemed to ignite in the depths of Mitch’s eyes, turning them a deep emerald. What she saw there turned her bones to jelly. As hard as it was to believe, Jenny knew for sure that Mitch truly loved her.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “If you wanted to marry me, why didn’t you say something?”
Mitch leaned back, pulling Jenny with him. He kept his arms firmly wrapped around her as though he were afraid she might disappear. Curling her head into his shoulder, she nestled against him.
“Jenny, Jenny.” He sighed, staring off into space, gathering his thoughts together. “I wasn’t particularly anxious to get involved with you.” He felt her stiffen. “As you know, I didn’t have much faith in women. Only after my mother came back...only then did I realize how selfish and arrogant I had been, expecting everyone to live up to my ideals. But it wasn’t until I almost lost you forever that I realized just how much I cared. I was going to ask you to marry me the minute you got out of the hospital, but then my mother...”
He hesitated and she finished the thought for him. “Your mother was sick.” Sighing, Jenny leaned her head back and looked up at him. “I liked your mother.”
A wry half smile tilted Mitch’s lips. “I liked the woman she became.”
He glanced down at her, his eyes trailing a path across her face.
“But then after the accident, you changed and Hattie told me I needed to give you time.”
Jenny buried her head against his shoulder, remembering those turbulent events.
“Then you asked me to buy your ranch and I was more confused than ever.”
“I was just as confused. I lacked the faith to believe God could take care of us. I forgot for a time just how much He had done for us already. I was ashamed of myself for being such a coward. And I was afraid that you would think I was after your money if I continued to see you.”
The silence lengthened. Mitch was the first to break it.
“So, will you?”
Lost in her dreams, Jenny wasn’t certain what he was asking.
“Hmm? Will I what?”
Grinning, he caught her chin between his thumb and fingers to catch her full attention.
“Will you marry me?”
“In a heartbeat,” she told him softly.
Mitch laughed then bent to kiss her and they were lost in a world of their own.
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781460333921
THE RANCHER NEXT DOOR
Copyright © 2014 by Darlene Mindrup
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
The Rancher Next Door Page 17