Maverick by Dahlia West

Author:Dahlia West
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: Dahlia West
Published: 2016-06-29T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

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AUSTIN AND WALKER were finally finished going over the monthly expense reports. He hadn’t intended to take so damn long, but Walker insisted on going over the invoices for the last several years for a vendor located in Texas. Lone Star Stud Service appeared to be closed for the evening, though, and Austin had only managed to leave a voice mail. Knowing he wouldn’t hear back tonight at least, he shut off the office light before closing the door. The living room was already dark and it seemed everyone else had gone off to bed.

He made his way up the creaking stairs and stopped at Leah’s door but it was dark underneath the crack. He headed straight for the bathroom, stripped off his clothes, and stood under the hot shower until he couldn’t stand it any longer. A few quick tugs and he’d be free of his torment but he was in a foul mood and decided to let himself suffer. He’d made a promise to leave Leah alone, but it didn’t feel right, and it definitely didn’t feel natural. He wanted her but he didn’t want to make things any more complicated. Deciding he’d had enough, he shut off the water, threw on a pair of shorts, and opened the bathroom door.

Before he even took a step, he heard a low rumble and realized there was a storm on its way. Storms out here were often more intense than they were elsewhere, even in town. The open land did nothing to slow the winds that sometimes whipped through at ferocious speeds. And being in the valley, thunder echoed louder, making it seem as though the storm was right on top of the house.

Concerned about the possibility of it scaring Leah, he headed quickly down the hall to check on her. He knocked on her door and waited, but no answer came. Surely she couldn’t sleep through all this? Austin hesitated then took hold of the doorknob and opened it just a crack. “Leah?” he called softly.

No answer.

In the distance thunder rumbled, but it seemed closer now.

“Leah?” he said again and finally opened the door wide. The room was empty, the covers on the bed pulled back. He squinted into the dark just case he’d missed her somehow. There was no sign of her, though.

The first drops of rain hit the window in a burst and the trees in the yard threw long, wild shadows across the floor as they swayed in the wind.

Austin frowned and moved down the hallway to the bathroom, but that door was already standing wide open and she wasn’t there, either. He headed downstairs, checking the living room first and then the kitchen. No lights were on anywhere and there was no one else on the first floor.

He was nervous now, throwing open doors, even to the office where she had no reason to be but he checked anyway, just in case. The basement door was still bolted shut (to keep Willow from falling down the steep wooden steps) and the side door was locked.

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