Hunter (Stud Ranch 2)

Isobel tried to focus. No, they weren’t going to die. She had Hunter. He grew up around here. She thought she could see where he was trying to take them. At the bottom of the embankment was the dam’s base where there were several concrete culverts. The sturdiest place around to take cover, though still open on one side to the storm.

Hunter took her waist as he stepped sideways down the steep grassy area. But they were rushing and the grass was slick from the rain. Her foot slipped once and he caught her, pulling her tighter against him.

They were almost halfway down when—

“Oh!” Isobel slipped again. Her feet went out from under her. Then, the world went topsy turvy— Ow! God. Ow! She rolled and slid and then rolled some more until she landed on the concrete at the bottom of the hill. All the air was knocked out of her lungs on impact.

She gasped for breath, feeling dazed and looking around. Where was Hunter? Was he okay? The tornado. Oh God, the tornado.

“Isobel!”

The next thing she knew, her body was being lifted. Cradled against a warm chest.

“Isobel, talk to me!”

She tried to say his name, but she still didn’t have any breath. Hail pelted her legs in painful stings though Hunter shielded most of her upper body. She couldn’t see the storm, couldn’t see anything but his chest. Her body jolted with his every step and with how fast he was moving, she knew the danger was far from over.

A few moments later, Hunter set her down. Concrete, hard at her back and underneath her. They’d made it to the culvert.

She sucked in another breath and finally managed to take in air.

“Hunter,” she gasped out. The wind was so loud, she doubted he could hear her.

He must have seen her lips move, though, because she saw the relief on his face right before he pulled her into his body. Even though he was as rain soaked as she was, he still radiated warmth. It made her feel safe. False comfort, she knew.

“Tornado?” she managed to ask, getting in more air with each breath now. She was less disoriented too and could make out the huge concrete box created by the structure of the dam. It would have been perfect—except for the fact that the tornado was heading toward them from the one exposed side.

Hunter pushed her into the corner and was trying to cover her body with his but she strained her neck to look over his shoulder. What little air she’d managed to gain whooshed out again.

“Oh my God,” she whispered, shrinking into the corner. Not that she could hear her own voice over the storm. It roared like a locomotive racing past at top speed. It was almost on top of them, and it had gathered momentum so that instead of a spindly little funnel it was a wide cone, tearing up swaths of land as it went.

“Hunter!” She flung her arms around his waist and tried to pull him as tightly as she could into the corner with her.

The roar got even louder and debris was flung into the concrete wall of the dam. Isobel screamed as wood chunks and tree branches crashed all around them. Hunter hunched his body over her, both of them curled into the corner as tightly as possible.

They were going to die.

They were going to die.

And it was all her fault.

If she hadn’t dragged Hunter out here. He knew it was a bad idea. She hadn’t taken the storm seriously, but his instincts were spot on.

And now here they were.

For all the miserable times in her life when she’d thought it just wasn’t worth continuing on—dammit, she just wanted to go back and smack herself now.

She wanted to live.

She wanted it so badly.

There was so much to live for.

Please God. Please. I want to live.

The wind howled. Debris continued to slam the walls. It piled up all around them. It felt like the world was coming to an end.

Chapter 16