Grant looked at the sleeping beauty on the floor in front of the smoldering cinders in the fireplace. Thandie had slept peacefully for hours now. He didn’t know what time they had finally dozed off, though sleep didn’t permit him much rest. Waking in a panic at the raging storm outside sometime in the black of night, he had paced the modest room and checked for more roof leaks. Finding no new drips, he emptied the nearly overflowing bowl of rainwater and placed it back on the floor.
With a chill in the air, he stoked what remained of the fire, knowing that all the rest of the wood was likely soaked outside. Grant covered Thandie with another blanket where she lay on the fur rug by the heat. Her skin radiated a warm glow, and her face was relaxed and smooth. He stayed awake and made certain that she rested unburdened by the events happening outdoors.
From a comfortable place in the crook of the leather chair’s back and armrest, he lounged until the first light of day brightened the windows. The rain still pounded the roof, although the thunder had stopped sometime in the night. In the dim light outside, he saw the damage left by the storm, likely to worsen if the rains continued.
The path leading to the barn was now a river. Tree limbs, full of new spring growth, were scattered across the lawn, and one whole tree had crashed over the split rail fence that led down to the dock. Out the front window, the once dry lakebed looked like a growing pond. Grant gazed out over the waters and could imagine what this place would have looked like in its summertime prime.
He could see Thandie leading a group of guests across the water in small canoes or teetering atop paddleboards, the sun highlighting the brighter bits of her hair and causing her already tan skin to darken. He’d come back for a retreat like that if The Foundry survived until then.
Outside, a bell rang out from the direction of the barn, loud and sharp enough to cut through the rain hitting the roof, and robbed him of his contemplation.
Thandie sat up and rubbed her eyes. “What is that?” she said as she got her bearings.
“Sounds like it’s coming from the barn,” Grant said. “Good morning.”
The bell continued with no letup.
“Oh gosh.” Thandie took stock of the surroundings.
Her eyes went to the empty bottle of wine, the skewers resting at the threshold of the fire, and her robe that had opened slightly but didn’t expose anything. She promptly and discreetly crossed the front sides of the robe and held it tight at her neck. He sensed her unease, perhaps embarrassment or vulnerability, in waking up on some man’s floor. Giving her space, he stayed back near the front windows.
“It’s bad out there,” he said. “Why don’t you get dressed and I’ll call up to the barn and see what’s going on.”
“I don’t have anything to wear. My things are all in my cabin.” She gestured to her robe as though he didn’t see that she was only wearing the white fluffy garment, which he most definitely was aware of.
“I did the laundry. The power came back on, and I threw your things in from yesterday,” he said with pride evident in his tone.
“You cleaned my clothes?” she said and looked like she wanted to die. Her hands covered her face.
“Did I do something wrong?” He didn’t think he had. He was very respectful and neat in the manner in which he did their laundry. “I was awake, and I knew you would want something more than that to wear today. Nor would you want to be seen leaving my cabin in only a bathrobe.”
She looked down at her garment and nodded. “I appreciate it, I do. Thank you.” She pointed to the bathroom and raised an eyebrow.
“It’s all folded on the counter in there.”
Thandie stood and walked to the bathroom door. “This place has a laundry?”
“There’s a machine in the kitchen, under the cabinet beside the sink. It’s small, but it does both the wash and the dry,” Grant said and walked to her. “I thought I was doing the right thing, but I apologize if I’ve offended you.”
“You haven’t.” Thandie brushed some of her curls back from her face. Her color was high on her cheeks. She craned onto her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you. It was kind of you to wash my panties. No man has ever done my laundry before, is all.”
The door closed in front of him, and he stood in stunned silence. The way she said panties was the sexiest thing he’d ever heard. A deep breath and a headshake later, he made himself busy cleaning up the night’s mess. He started by washing the dishes, folding blankets, fluffing pillows, and doing anything else to take his mind off of her getting dressed in those pink lace panties that he had so expertly laid out for her.
Grant was already dressed and ready for the day, though he hadn’t predicted the morning beginning with church bells. He picked up the phone and dialed the office extension. Even after several rings, no one picked up. With the rain still pouring outside, he wasn’t prepared to go out in it just yet, and the only window in the cabin that viewed the barn was in the bathroom. “Thandie, can you see the barn from in there?” he said through the door.
“Um . . .” she said, and it sounded as though she stumbled over something and caught herself on the porcelain sink. She giggled. “I’m okay, but I can’t see the barn well. The rain is too heavy. Did you get anyone on the phone?”
“No one answered. We should head that way, right?” he said.
Thandie opened the bathroom door and was finishing tucking in her blue shirt at the waist of her black cargo shorts. Folding her clothes in the middle of the night, he had only noticed her delicate pink undergarments. And on the nature walk, he had been too preoccupied with his darn gesture to see what she was wearing. He had hoped the flowers would make her day, but instead, they messed him up. What was worse was the way he had reacted to the fear grappling inside of him.
She pulled her hair back into a low ponytail and slicked back the sides where her hair was curlier. “I used your hair paste. I hope that’s alright.”
Of course it was okay. He had done a good job showing her what kind of person he was and that he wouldn’t be offended by her use of his products. She was comfortable with him, and that was exactly where he hoped she would be. The alternative was that she was a thief, albeit an honest one. He nodded and took in the sight of her.
She was stunning, and natural. And worried.
Her brows pinched together in the middle, and although she tried for a smile, her mouth turned down at the corners. Without her asking, he embraced her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She leaned into him, and her body relaxed into his as though they were meant to fit together. The moment was carefree, until the bells rang out again, tensing her muscles beneath his hands.
“I’d offer you coffee, but I don’t think we have time for that. How ‘bout a jacket instead?”
“I appreciate it, but you should stay here out of the weather,” she suggested.
“Like hell I will. I’m not letting you go up there alone.” He handed her his flannel jacket and a poncho with The Foundry logo printed on the back. She slipped both items on and tied her boot laces—pink, he noted—while he retrieved a slick yellow raincoat from the little closet outside the bathroom. “You ready?”
She nodded, and he opened the door to a blast of cold, damp air. The mist hit his face, and he recoiled from the shock to his skin. He took her hand, and they dashed into the rain towards the barn. Between dodging downed limbs and puddles, the ground squished beneath his feet as they ran across the field. It was the most direct route and the only way not washed out between his place and the barn.
As they got close, the door opened. Margret’s head poked out and she waved them inside. Thandie went first and Grant helped close the door upon making it through. The bells rang out from nearby again, and he looked around for the source of the sound.
“What’s with the bells?” Grant asked Margret as he caught Anne’s eyes where she sat in the cucina. “Have you both been in here all night?”
“Afraid so,” Anne said. Her face drooped from lack of sleep, and he realized his mug unlikely looked any better.
“We were in here waiting for dinner when the storm hit hard. Been here since,” Margret said. “As for the bells, Leo has been out there ringing them for a while. The telephone lines are down, and he mentioned Pa would know what to do.”
“I know Pa,” Thandie said and shook the water off her poncho. Her eyes trained on the scene outside the glass doors.
“What do you see, dear?” Margret asked.
“It looks like some of the other guests are heading this way too. I wonder if there’s flooding in any of their cabins, or perhaps they heard the bells like we did and are coming to see what’s going on.”
Grant helped push the door open against the wind and let the two younger couples indoors. “Did you have any flooding at your cabins?” he asked.
“No, but it’s a swamp,” Brent said.
The woman on his arm added, “The lake is filling back up. All those pretty flowers—gone!” she turned to Thandie. “I’m so glad we went on the nature walk while we still could. It was so beautiful.”
Thandie took her hands. “It’ll all come back. It’s only water.”
“What if the lake stays filled?” Grant asked her as though she was a water expert.
She shrugged. “I guess we go for a swim.” That made everyone laugh, though nervously. “Look. He’s here.”
Grant flipped his raincoat hood up and walked out to meet the older gentleman. Driving his old blue pickup truck, Pa towed a flatbed piled high with sand. Coming to a stop right in front of the building, Pa hopped out, and Grant shook the old man’s hand. “Pa? Hi, I’m Grant. How can we help?”
Pa motioned for Grant to follow him around to the bed of the truck. He dropped the tailgate, where hundreds of sandbags were bundled and stacked. “We need these filled up. The bridge washed out, and all that water is coming this way if the rain doesn’t let up soon.”
Grant pointed at the lake. “It’s already here.”
“We better move fast,” Pa said with an uneasy chuckle. He pointed to the side of the barn. “Shovels are back there.”
Grant returned to the flatbed with the tools. Thandie stood beside the sand pile, unpacking the bags. Even Brent and the other man, William, came out of the barn to lend a hand. They all got straight to work. Everyone knew what needed to be done.
Thandie and Pa held the bags open. Grant and Brent shoveled loads into the bags. William tied them off and passed the filled sandbag to Leo. The bags were passed down the line of volunteers that wrapped around to the back of the barn where he could only assume some flooding or erosion was in progress. Grant didn’t realize when so many people had shown up to help, but he recognized them all as the other guests. Even the trio of older ladies was out there in their galoshes, swinging sand.
The once-dry creek that bordered the property swelled to the brim. What looked like a landscape feature running along the long path from the barn down to the old dock was now a torrent, threatening the stunning barn itself. The sandbags were their only hope now. Even if by some miracle they got the job done today, he knew that waterways often overflowed their banks after the storm was long gone. Getting the investment was the least of The Foundry’s worries, now surviving the day was on the line.
In no time, they used up all the sandbags in creating a barrier about two feet high along the back of the barn where the stream turned before making the last straight run into the lake. Grant hoped it would be enough. He had become very fond of the retreat and was willing to do whatever he could to save it.
“Thanks for the help,” Pa said and climbed into the driver’s seat. “I’m going for another load.”
Thandie led everyone back inside the barn to get warm and dry until Pa returned. Leo was the last one in, and instead of stopping and taking a break, he ran toward the back of the barn nearest to where the stream came closest to the structure. Seeing dread on Leo’s face, Grant took Thandie’s hand, and they followed behind Leo.
How could the man not be worried? After all, everything Leo had worked for, all the time and preparation to get the retreat up and going, looked like it was at risk of washing away in an instant. His heart went out to the man who had been nothing but a gracious host the whole week thus far.
Thandie flexed her fingers around Grant’s as their feet sloshed through a half inch of water. Grant’s suspicions were confirmed in the exercise area. The rubber carpets were soaked, and rain spilled in from the window ledge like a waterfall. The flooding wasn’t coming from the rising waters at all, but from a poorly sealed window. A window that could be fixed if they acted quick enough.
“What can we do?” Thandie asked and let go of Grant’s hand.
“I can’t afford to replace all this stuff,” Leo said. “Will you bring as much as you can carry up to the loft or in the cucina?”
“Grant, I could use your help outside with a tarp.”
“Let’s go,” Grant said, and the two men ran back through the barn.
Grant didn’t see Thandie again for a while, as their routes were opposite. From outside the window, he could tell that she was working hard as the various equipment stocks inside dwindled. Leo met him with a hammer and nails, a tarp, and a scrap board. Pinning the tarp behind the board, Grant held it all in place while Leo hammered in the nails. It was an ugly fix, but it would keep the majority of the driving rain off of the failing window until a permanent fix could be made.
On his way back in, Pa pulled around and parked by the door with an empty flatbed.
“Pa, what happened?” Leo asked, but Pa was out of breath. “Why don’t you come inside really quick.”
Leo escorted the older man, and Grant held the door, snapping his fingers for someone to bring a chair over to them. Inside, Pa plopped into the seat without a complaint, and someone else handed him a water bottle.
“The road . . . is . . . gone,” he said between sips.
“Which road,” Leo asked, “the one out of town?”
“County Line is completely washed out. We’ve got to get these people out of here before the last one goes, too,” Pa said.
“Are you alright?” Grant asked and crouched down to the old man’s eye level.
“Nearly took me out, it did. I threw the truck in reverse as soon as I saw the banks crumble into the water, but the gravel just rolled under the weight of the trailer. It’s a miracle that the tires finally caught some traction when they did, or I would have been lost in the drink.”
“Goodness,” Thandie said. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“So, we need to evacuate?” Anne chimed in.
“City Hall,” Leo said. “It sits on the highest point around here. We can wait out the storm there and then get you all to the train station in Elizabethtown later today or tomorrow,” Leo said with shakiness in his voice. “I’m so sorry that this has happened during your stay—”
“You didn’t make it rain,” Grant said, repeating what he had told Thandie last night. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I can speak for me, and probably everyone else here that we have had an amazing time at The Foundry.”
Other voices joined him in agreement. It was seemingly unanimous that they had all had a fulfilling stay there.
Tears welled in Leo’s eyes. “Thank you all. I want to offer you each a complimentary stay here in the future, if we come out of this okay.” He wiped his cheek. “Now, can you each be packed and back here in twenty minutes? We’ll depart as soon as possible.”
The others darted outside into the rain to gather their things. Leo looked at Thandie, and she simply shook her head back at him as though to say she was not going. She moved toward Grant with determination in her serious face. “You need to get your things. It’s not safe to stay here,” she said and poked a finger into his sternum.
He captured her little finger and held her hand flat on his chest. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Grant, you have to. It’s a liability thing, since you’re a guest here.”
“Then I’ll check out.” He raised his voice. “Hey Leo, I’m checking out, you cool with that?”
“If you want to stay, then stay,” Leo said from across the cucina, where he was stacking chairs on top of the tables.
“Looks like I’m staying right here. With you.” He intended his voice to sound loving and protective, but there was a slight hesitation in his own words, at the implications of his statement. Though he was sure he was ready to move forward with his life, he wasn’t sure she was, or that she was feeling what he was feeling. It was awfully presumptuous of him, and with a little more time together, he hoped she would open up to him more.
“If you’re staying, then get to work.” She pointed at the cucina. “Why don’t you see if anything needs to be moved in there? And make us some sandwiches while you’re at it.”
“I’m on it.” Grant said again at yet another task he was more than happy to do.
Pa stood near the cucina door as Grant began toward that direction. “You know, I’m usually the one taking orders around here. It’s nice to see someone else being told what to do for a change.”
Grant chuckled, knowing there was more to that story that he would want to hear about some day. Just the thought of wanting to get to know more about the people around him was another indication that he was changing, moving on, for the better. “I’m happy to help.”
“This place is something special. It means a lot to the community, and I know we are all glad you’re pitching in here today.” Pa took Grant’s hand in his firm grip and shook it in gratitude.
“Take care making it to the city hall.” They exchanged a nod of understanding, and Pa was off.
As ordered, Grant went through the cucina doors and got to work on those sandwiches.