Since the rain was pouring down hard, that didn’t make sense.

Miguel, water cascading down his face, said, “I was never looking for you. Cait?” He held out his hand and she took it and went up the stairs. Her dad led her to his truck; they got in, and he started the engine.

“What about Adam?” she asked.

“He can get in the back. Or walk. It’s no matter to me.”

Caitlyn turned away so he wouldn’t see her smile. They passed the two vehicles that were halfway down the embankment to the overflowing creek. Tomorrow they’d pull them out with the tractor.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“What are you so nervous about?” Miguel asked Cait.

“Nothing,” she said. It was three days since the tornado. It had struck west of them and hadn’t been too bad, a few trees down but no houses. To Cait’s mind, the damage had been inside, not out.

“If it’s the doc, why don’t you go see him? Make up an excuse of having too much food or too much...” He waved his hand. “Or you could tell him the truth, that you miss him.”

“That’s not my problem,” she said softly.

Frowning, he looked at her. “Then what is bothering you?”

She managed a weak smile, then said she needed to go do something. She couldn’t think what since she’d cleared all the accounts. There wasn’t a single piece of paper on her desk.

She quickly left her father’s house and went outside, blinking against the sunlight. She couldn’t very well tell him that she was afraid one of the Hattens would show up and blab all. It wouldn’t surprise her to see Jared ride up on a horse. He’d choose a big black one, as he was good at drama, and tell her he forgave her. Or that he understood. Or that she’d made the right choice but he wished she’d talked to him about it.

Just so it was great and noble. He was a Hatten, so that made him like something out of a romance novel.

But Cait didn’t care a fig about any of them. She was deeply worried about her father. She had betrayed him! She had told his deepest, darkest secret to a man he considered his enemy. How could she have done that? What was wrong with her?

When her father found out what she’d done, what would he say? Would he disown her? Tell her that if she wanted the Hattens so much she could go live with them? Would he turn his back on her forever? Or would he deliver the killer line: “I’m disappointed in you.”

When Uncle Pauly spoke, Cait jumped so high her feet came off the ground.