Read The Village of Gerard's Cliff for Free Online Page B

in her
hands, preparing to make a run for it, as the drizzle had turned
into a downpour. To her surprise, the door opened, and Connor ran
in, soaking wet. He stood dripping on the store's doormat for a
moment, wiping his eyes with a wet hand.
    "I'll take those." Connor
briskly grabbed the bags out of her hands. "You ready? Let's go."
He pushed the door open with his shoulder, allowing her to run
ahead of him. Allie ducked her head, and, squealing, ran to the
passenger door, which she quickly opened. She hopped in, slammed
the heavy door, then looked around to see Connor jumping in on his
side with the two bags in one hand, his other hand reaching over to
shut his door. They looked at each other, and then down at the
soggy bags bunched between them. The bags were already splitting
open, with a large celery stalk, and red and yellow peppers
spilling out of one. Connor awkwardly tried to stuff them back into
what was left of the bag, only to see it totally fall apart in his
hands, the entire contents now spilling down onto the console, and
floorboard. They were both shivering, drenched to the bone, their
hair plastered to their heads, with icy cold rainwater dripping
down their faces.
    Allie looked at Connor,
and burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all. She noticed that
Connor was staring at her as if she were crazy, but she didn't care
anymore. Then he joined in. Still laughing they wrapped the fruits
and vegetables, as best they could, in what remained of the wet
grocery bags, and deposited them in the back seat.
    She didn't mind the
silence, as they drove back to the inn. She was thinking about how
good it would feel to get her wet clothes off, and change into
something dry and warm. The next order of business would be to make
a roaring fire, snuggle in a big, fluffy blanket in the overstuffed
chair, and drink a mug of steaming hot coffee. She could smell the
aromas now.
    She glanced sideways at
Connor, who, once they had left the village, never took his eyes
off the road. These roads, with their many narrow twists and turns,
were not easy to drive on in daylight, Allie knew, much less in a
torrential downpour. The gray, cloudy sky made it seem like night
time. Connor was not that familiar with the roads either, so she
didn't want to interrupt his concentration. She watched the
windshield wipers swish back and forth fruitlessly, as they barely
made a dent in the solid wall of water that seemed never-ending.
Allie much preferred snow to rain. At least, everything came to a
standstill until a snowstorm was over. Everyone just stayed snug in
their homes until it stopped, then emerged and dug themselves out.
Rain in the winter just made everything muddy and messy.
    Thankfully, after what
seemed like a very long, slow, and nerve-wracking drive home, Allie
spied her home, and breathed a silent prayer of thanks. Connor
pulled up as close to the house as he could, parked, and shut off
the engine.
    The rain had let up
somewhat. Connor grabbed the wrapped groceries from the back seat,
and they ran to the front porch, stomping their boots on the mat in
front of the door. Allie unlocked the door, and entered her
sanctuary.
    "Mmm..m.m.." Allie leaned
her head back as she felt the warmth of the room envelop her.
"Home..." Connor closed and locked the door, trying not to drop the
soggy bag.
    "I'll put these in the
kitchen for you." Connor started toward the dining area.
    "That's okay, I'm heading
back that way anyway." Allie put her hand on his sleeve to stop
him. "I'll take them." He turned, and fumbled with the awkward
bundle, making sure nothing fell out, as he deposited it in her
arms.
    "I'm going to change and
make some coffee," she told him over her shoulder, as she headed
toward the back of the house. "Wait..." she turned around to face
him. "Have you had anything to eat since breakfast?" She wrapped
her arms more tightly around the slippery bundle, and then, not
waiting for a reply, she added, "I haven't, and I'm starved.