Cara looked at him, sensing he was in a dangerous mood. If she asked or pleaded for his help, he was more likely to throw her out in the pouring rain.
“Where will I sleep?” Cara tried to keep her voice from trembling. It suddenly seemed too much. Being made mortal, worrying about her sisters’ safety, and this big muscled jerk being mean to her were almost too much for her.
Cara took the words back as soon as she thought it. Jericho wasn’t being mean to her. He hadn’t left her walking in the rain, nor wet or hungry. He was even giving a strange woman, whom he truly believed was crazy, a bed in his home for the night.
“In the room where you changed. There’s a bathroom in there also. Towels are in the bathroom closet. If you need anything, my room is across the hall.”
Cara nodded and left him washing dishes in the sink.
She entered the bedroom, wishing it was warmer. She couldn’t get the chill out of her bones.
Tiredness overwhelmed her, tempting her to just crawl under the covers and sleep. Instead, she went to the bathroom, which was as clean as the rest of his home.
It took her several minutes of fiddling before she could figure out the purpose of the shower and get the temperature of the water to warm her cold flesh.
Afterward, she dressed in a warm shirt she had found in Jericho’s drawers, and it fell to her knees like the last one. After she had pulled on the pants she had worn for dinner, she finally felt warm.
Quickly, she slid into bed, pulling the warm quilt over her. Within seconds, the warmth and the sound of the storm outside comforted her to sleep.
The next morning when Cara left her room, she found Jericho talking on the phone.
“Food’s in the kitchen,” he told her.
Cara nodded and went into the kitchen, finding a plate of food sitting on the counter.
She was almost finished when she looked up to find Jericho standing in the doorway, watching her.
“My neighbor’s basement is flooding with all the rain. I need to go over and help him. Would you like to go?”
“Yes, but what about taking me to town?”
Jericho shrugged. “The road to town is closed from the rain. It’s too dangerous to try it now. When the rain stops, I’ll be able to take you.” Lifting a dark brow, he asked, “Anxious to go?”
“Not at all. I just thought you were anxious to get rid of me.”
“Not at the cost of getting my truck stuck in the mud or getting killed in the flood waters. If you’re done, I washed the clothes you were wearing. Get changed, and we’ll go.”
Cara put her plate in the sink and then took the clothes he had washed for her. It only took her a few minutes to get changed, so it wasn’t long before she was following Jericho outside to his truck. Although the lightning of the night before was gone, the rain was still coming down in sheets.
The road to his neighbor’s house was in terrible shape. Cara had to hold on to the dashboard to keep herself in her seat, and that was with the seatbelt on. She felt the truck sliding a couple of times and glanced nervously outside her window.
If anyone would have told her that she would one day be terrified of heights, she would have laughed at them. However, hanging off the edge of a mountain in a truck that was more off the road than on scared her silly. It was funny how mortality changed your way of thinking. Cara thanked every god she had ever met when Jericho finally pulled into the driveway of a home.
Nowthiswas a home. Cara admired the beautiful log home that had been built to face a breathtaking view. The porch had a swing, and flowers were growing everywhere. This home showed the personality of the owners before Cara had even taken a step inside.
Jericho introduced her to an older couple waiting in the doorway. The frail woman looked much older than the man who stood lovingly by her side, holding her hand.
“Thanks for coming, Jericho. That sump pump has gone out again, and if it’s not fixed soon, Mary and I will be going skinny dipping.”
“Edward! He’s just joking, Jericho.” She looked embarrassed. “Go with him, and I’ll take care of Cara.”
Hesitating, Jericho gave Cara a hard look before he followed Edward out of the room.
“Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“I would love one.” Cara smiled down at the tiny woman and watched as Mary slowly led her into another room. It was beautiful, with a flowered couch and chairs highlighted by a multi-colored, braided rug on the wooden floor. The room was obviously an extension of this woman’s unique personality.
“I had Edward fix it before you came. Jericho told him he would be bringing you.”