“Oh no, that was an old tree.” Kate gasped with sadness. “Oh, what a mess but it could have been worse.”
“The barn has a piece of its roof missing,” Jasmine told her aunt. “I doubt we have phone service. We might have to wait until morning to see all the damage clearly.”
They saw headlights slowly coming up the dirt road.
“Look. Someone is checking in on us,” Kate said excitedly. She pulled the robe tighter.
Jasmine waited on the porch with her aunt, wondering if it was one of Kate’s neighbors. Kate told her she was friendly with the couple down the road and rented them some of her land. When she saw it was a police vehicle her pulse sped up with excitement. An excitement she should not be feeling. She had sworn off men, she reminded herself. Hadn’t she just given herself the no-men speech in the cellar?
“Is that the sheriff?” Kate asked.
The car stopped and Jasmine noticed it was Drake. She couldn’t prevent the smile that appeared on her face. “It’s Deputy Lopez.”
Kate waved to him as he got closer to them. “Oh, thank goodness, Drake. I doubt we have phone service since we have no electricity.”
Drake looked them both over. Jasmine felt suddenly warm when his brown eyes looked her over. Oh, why hadn’t she worn something nicer to bed? She could imagine how awful she looked.
“Are both of you okay? No injuries?” He sounded so concerned it warmed her up inside, even though he probably was like that with everyone.
Jasmine shook her head. “We went to the cellar and we were scared but safe.”
Drake looked around the yard and shook his head. “Poor tree. I see it broke your window. Didn’t Dale add a generator a few years ago?”
Kate nodded. “He did. I don’t know how to use it. I never asked him to show me.”
She looked so sad that Jasmine hugged her. “Now that we have this kind deputy here, we should take advantage of his kindness and ask him to show us what to do. Then in the morning we can start the cleanup process. It’ll be okay.”
Drake smiled, winking at Jasmine. She tried not to blush but she was glad it was dark outside. He affected her more than he should. “I’d be glad to. The roof on the barn looks like it’s a goner. It’s too late and dark to do anything about it now. All that can wait until tomorrow.”
Kate led him in to the house and towards the back of the house. She showed him the large generator on the back porch. Jasmine listened to his instructions on how to turn it on. She gave it a try under his watchful eye. She smiled triumphantly when she got the hang of it.
“I’m sure the power will be on later. I saw a few workers in town already trying to fix it,” Drake told them.
“How bad is it?” Kate asked. She sat at the kitchen table, looking tired. Jasmine looked at the clock on the wall, still running. It was three a.m.
Drake frowned. “Trees down. Minor damage to buildings and cars. Harvey Carmichael’s car was picked up and dropped off in the field outside of town. No serious injuries that I know of, but the clean- up is going to be a headache. It’s quite a busy place right now.”
“Thank you for coming to check on us, Drake,” Jasmine told him seriously. She knew he was probably checking up on Kate since he knew her but she still felt touched by his taking the time to make the drive out here. “I wish I could offer you coffee but...”
“That’s okay. Faith and Alana Blake are at the coffee shop making free coffee for anyone up and about.” He looked at Jasmine and she could feel the heat coming from his brown eyes. She felt her cheeks warm up. This was a terrible time to be attracted to another man. Hadn’t she just gotten out of a horrible relationship? She did not need this.
“Tomorrow we will check out the store and your car, Jazz,” Kate said with a yawn. She headed up to bed and Jasmine walked Drake out. She watched him leave with mixed emotions. She was attracted to him, but she had to remind herself she did not need the hassle men brought into one’s life. She was here to start fresh and concentrate on business, not get entangled in a messy, emotional relationship.
Chapter 5
The next morning, the power was back on. Kate and Jasmine sat in the kitchen drinking coffee.
Kate had called a neighbor who was going to clean up the fallen tree and keep the wood.
“Later I will call the window place in town. I am sure he is going to be a very busy person after this storm. I am just glad we had no serious injuries,” Kate said. They had placed plastic across the broken windows temporarily. The barn could be repaired later since it stood empty.
“I need to check on my car.” Jasmine was worried. “I know it’s probably totaled but hopefully the suitcases are fine.”
“Thank goodness you mailed your pictures and all your trinkets. They are nice and safe upstairs,” Kate reminded her.
“So, did I detect a bit of a spark between you and that handsome deputy last night?” Kate smiled.
Jasmine wanted to smile but she held it in. She didn’t look her aunt in the eyes. “No, why would you say that?”