Anticipation Read Free Page A

well there was only one way he was coming back down…by being carried.
    Kicking off her sandals, she put her hands on the ladder and stepped on the first rung. “Mom and Dad said they wanted to keep you forever. I’m thinking taxidermy might be a great option at the moment.”
    When nothing but silence greeted her, she let out a heavy sigh and began to climb.
     
    * * *
     
    Jonas drove up to the Flying Wind Bed and Breakfast, tense anticipation flowing through him. After he’d seen Deidre earlier, the rest of his day moved so slow he could’ve sworn the clock’s hands moved backward at a couple points. Usually he was so lost in his work he stayed late and didn’t leave until his stomach started rumbling. Today, he couldn’t wait until his watch read six o’clock. Pulling to a stop in front of the B&B, he cut the engine.
    Disappointment tightened his chest when he didn’t see Deidre’s smiling face and gorgeous long blonde hair appear in the doorway. Behind the screen door he could see the front door was open. Maybe she was in the kitchen and hadn’t heard him drive up.
    He opened his door and unfolded his tall frame from his car. As he walked up the steps, he wondered if he should’ve changed clothes first. No, that would make this trip appear premeditated. Yet only God and he knew his motivations for checking on the Nelsons’ house weren’t entirely altruistic. Ever since Glen and Dot Nelson told him their daughter was going to watch their home for them while they were on vacation, Deidre had invaded his thoughts.
    “Deidre,” he called through the screen door as he rapped on the whitewashed wooden frame.
    Nothing. The tiny hairs on the back of his neck began to stand up.
    So far the vandalism at the B&B had consisted of spray painted walls, some stolen equipment and a broken window. One goat had almost died. He knew goats would eat just about anything, but…
    Jonas reached for the automatic weapon clipped to his hip. As he slowly pulled open the screen door, Deidre’s frustrated voice reached him from a distance. He turned in the direction, tightening his fingers on the gun’s grip. She sounded as if she were outside somewhere. His senses on high alert, he closed the door and listened.
    Deidre called out once more, sending him running in the direction of the barn. Gravel crunched and scattered under his boots as he ate up the distance in record time, his pulse racing.
    Once he entered the barn and his gaze landed on the lone pair of woman’s sandals sitting at the bottom of the ladder, Jonas’ heart skipped several beats.
    “Deidre.” Deep concern made his tone harsher than he’d intended.
    “I’m up here.”
    His tight shoulders relaxed at her casual tone. He tracked her movement above him by the bits of hay dust that fell through the space between the boards. When the floorboards over his head made an eerie creak, his sense of calm evaporated once more.
    “Get down from there. There’s a reason your parents built a new barn. This one’s not safe.”
    “I have to get Snowball. Be down in a sec,” she called out right before he heard a heavy thump and a triumphant, “Gotcha!”
    A distinct snapping sound accompanied the thick billow of hay dust from above, causing Jonas’ gut to tense. When Deidre screamed, he moved with lightning speed beneath her position on the weak wood.
    The floor gave way and splintered boards rained down on his head. Jonas took Deidre’s full weight with her fall, catching her in his arms. Her momentum sent them both to the barn’s ground floor amid broken planks and onto an old bed of hay.
    Jonas got a mouthful of cat fur before Deidre scooped up the animal and stared at him in wide-eyed shock. Gripping the cat tight to her chest, she panted. Her gaze darted between the hole in the ceiling and back to him several times before she seemed to catch her bearings. “Sheesh, my stomach went straight to my throat. That was close!”
    As he pushed a broken floorboard off