Not Another Diva

25 - Shelter From the Storm

Slow Hands // Niall Horan

As our lips are still tangled in this kiss, a flash of lightning breaks across the sky, closely followed by a clap of thunder. Sudden storms are common in Colorado, so I'm not surprised. But Brianna jumps about three feet in the air and pulls away from me.

"What?" she squeals. "Is it supposed to rain?"

"I guess so, based on the thunder and lightning." And the fact that water just dropped on my head. It's just a few drops now, but in no time it will be much stronger.  "Sorry, I should have checked."

"What should we do? It takes hours to get back to your house! I don't want to get struck by lightning!"

I don't want to increase her panic by telling her that is a distinct possibility. The lighting is practically on top of us. But I've got insider information about this spot on the ranch that she doesn't have.

"There's an out building just around the bend. We can walk the horses there and take shelter inside until it passes."

"How long will that be? It might rain all day." Brianna follows me as I lead Bonnie and Clyde along the stream.

"Not long. These storms don't last more then an hour or two."

I sense Brianna nodding as we continue to walk toward the out building. It's here on the property for just this reason. Ranchers may be out longer then planned, or sudden storms might make riding back risky. So we have a back ranch house that gets used every now and then in situations just like the one Brianna and I find ourselves in. Although I wasn't planning on needing it, I had planned on using it. The ranch house was already part of my little get-away plan with her. We're just moving there sooner then I thought we would.

Ah geez, I sound like I'm trying to seduce the girl. I mean, yeah, but not like that. Dang. I think this whole thing might have been a bad idea. I don't want Brianna thinking this was the goal....

I'm gonna stop thinking about it now.

"Where are we going? Is there a cave or something nearby?"

"Something like that." I give her a little wink, then swallow the guilt from how things are about to look.  The house is just now coming in to view.

"Oh! That's convenient," Brianna says the moment she sees it, true relief in her voice rather than accusation. "I hope it's warm inside!"

"It will be." I swallow again right after speaking.

I push aside all of my conflicting thoughts and just focus on getting us to the house. It's built just past the stream. A small one bedroom that's more of a cottage then anything else, it doesn't have electricity but it does have a wood burning stove and running water. There's a side shed that's always kept stocked with firewood so I know we can warm the place up. Canned foods and other non-perishables are stocked as well. We could technically last out here for a few weeks if necessary.

What I wouldn't do for a few weeks alone with Brianna...

There's an open stable for the horses and some fresh hay. Brianna insists on helping me set Bonnie and Clyde up for the time being before heading into the warmth of the house. We're soaking wet at this point, the rain now pelting us in a steady flow.

"I'm sorry our outing turned south like this," I tell her as I unlock the door. Brianna surprises me by grabbing my hand and turning me to face her. The look in her eye is something I haven't seen before. Or have I? Maybe in one of her videos when the guy was draped all over her, but this time is different.