No Place Like Home by Robin Nicholas

Author:Robin Nicholas
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Time to hit the road again.

Rafe scanned the forecast and meteorological data on the computer monitor, but there was no hint of storm development anywhere close. Even Jeremy’s Texas tornadoes had failed to pan out; the front had stalled to the west. Still, the panhandle was his best target area; he had to get back on the road. The trip to Trixie’s yesterday had done nothing to discourage his daughter’s growing infatuation with Mariah—not to mention his own. Chasing storms with Mariah wasn’t likely to reverse the trend.

“Dad!”

Sunny thundered down the hall, her steps accompanied by a gentler footfall he already recognized as Mariah’s. Resigned to the fact that she would be cuffed by his daughter’s small hand, he rolled his oak chair from the desk to face them.

They halted in the doorway to the den. Sunny had dressed in jeans and her favorite lavender T-shirt, her hair neatly braided—by his mother or Mariah? he wondered testily. Mariah’s curls tumbled past her shoulders in shining waves. Her lips were glossy rose, her eyes full of question as she checked out the computer screen.

Her curiosity reminded him of her reason for being here. He noticed it hadn’t taken her long to shed her hand-me-downs for something more suit-able—and expensive—in her role as journalist. She looked like a page out of L.L. Bean in her olive shorts and leather hiking boots. She wore her matching shirt like a jacket, and the ivory tank she had on beneath it had the shimmer of real silk.

Sunny beamed at Mariah, their hands entwined just as he’d known they would be. Rafe turned back briefly to shut down the computer. They could be in Amarillo in less than three hours.

“Dad, did you send in the film of Mariah’s tornado to be processed yet?”

Mariah’s tornado. Mariah smiled—a bit smugly, it seemed—and it grated on him that she’d gotten the shot he missed when he’d abandoned the shoot to get her to safety. Aware Sunny waited, he answered, “First thing this morning.”

He always had his film developed as soon as possible. It was the only way to ensure exposed film was safe from damage. Still, he knew Sunny would be disappointed as he told her, “But we’ll be a while getting the photos. The agency has a backlog of work.”

Sunny frowned at that. Mariah did, too. Threatening twin vortices, he thought, trying not to grin as he pushed out of his chair and crossed the room. Tugging Sunny’s braid, he assured them, “I explained we needed the photos as soon as possible.”

That erased their frowns, but Rafe felt a frown of his own coming on with the knowledge that Mariah might want to use the photo in her feature. If it wasn’t for Sunny’s need of the picture, he’d be wishing Mariah had stuck her thumb over the lens. Changing the subject, he told them, “I need to join Jeremy in Amarillo today. Storms are brewing out west.”

Mariah caught her lip, her apprehension over the prospect of chasing down another tornado evident.

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