Page 44 of The Sandbar saga

Chapter 16

Rain splattered thewindshield. Race turned up the speed of the wipers, trying to see through the fog covering the inside of the glass. His overheated body from his run worked against him, and he used the back of his hand to wipe the condensation off.

Losing the battle, he turned the defrost on high and rolled his window half down. He couldn't get any wetter.

Pulling through the gate of Sherwood Community, he hugged the shoulder of the road with his car and wound his way up to Hill Street. Looking ahead at the house, he relaxed. Katie had beat him home.

Parking beside her new car—a car that was twenty years old and on its last wheel, he gritted his teeth and jogged up to the door. She should've allowed him to buy her a dependable vehicle. The salt air had already eaten through the undercarriage of the beater she purchased with the money she'd earned working at Beachcomber Real Estate answering phones and being the gopher at the office.

On the step, he took off his shoes and socks, knocking off the sand he'd collected on the beach during his run. The door opened before he could put his hand on the knob, and Katie stared woodenly at him.

Forgetting the need to keep the elements out, he walked inside and put his arm around her. "What's wrong?"

"The storm. Your note." Her chin chattered. "The bridge."

He shook his head. "I went to Fort Stevens and ran on the beach."

"Y-you never crossed the Megler Bridge?" She shook.

He rubbed his hands along her arms, holding her in front of him. "I took the New Youngs Bay Bridge."

Her body sagged. He wrapped his arms around her, rubbing circles on her back. He'd hoped over the years her fear of the unknown dangers of the sandbar with the tides coming in would fade. But her maturity only deepened the upset that came over her each time she even thought about him driving over the bridge. Her reactions intensified if there was rain or a storm in the air.

Sometimes, he suspected her desire to become a real estate broker was driven by her knowledge that she could focus on the market within Clatsop County and avoid going over to Washington. She had no problems driving over the New Youngs Bay Bridge to work every day.

Her body warmed against him. Realizing he still had on his wet clothes from getting caught out in the storm, he pulled her away from him.

"I'm going to get some coffee going. Do you want me to put the teakettle on?" He studied her until she nodded. "Will you be okay while I grab a shower?"

"Are you going to stay at home?"

He caressed her cheek with the pad of his thumb. "I'm home for the night."

He was scheduled to meet Sharon Boitano, a nurse at the local hospital, for drinks and dinner, but he'd cancel.

Katie squeezed his arms, assuring herself he was here and okay. "I'll start the coffee."

Knowing she'd pulled herself together enough to move forward and put the storm behind her, he left her alone to go to his bedroom. Canceling his date by text, knowing he was selfish and rude, he stripped off his sweat-ridden shirt, shorts, boxers, and walked into the adjoining bathroom.

He set the water to warmer than usual and stepped under the showerhead. The first assault of the spray brought a groan from him, and he closed his eyes, letting the heat penetrate his skin. He regretted trying immersion therapy on Katie when she was fifteen years old.

He'd thought the distance away from the bridge with her going to school in Washington would let her view the session as less intimidating since she could leave and not have a visual reminder every time she stepped out the front door or went to the store.

Fisting his hands at his side, he tried to forget the way she trembled against him. Her reaction had him wanting to surround her with a bubble, protect her from her fears. As her psychologist, he had to put his personal feelings aside.

He hung his head, letting the water beat down on his neck. His label meant nothing the moment he signed papers taking responsibility for her. Their doctor-patient relationship had ended when his emotions came into factor.

The barrier he'd sworn to uphold had crumbled long before that.

Washing his hair and body, he rinsed off the soap. He blinked open his eyes only to have the room go dark. Shit.

He turned off the water, grabbed blindly for a towel, and dried off his body. The wind howled outside with the lack of power muffling the noise.

Wanting to get out to Katie to distract her from the storm, he walked into the bedroom. Careful when moving, he took one step at a time, skirting the dresser, the bed, and patted the exterior wall until he found the curtain he hadn't opened earlier.

With the drapes out of the way, the gray sky gave enough light to the room, he could see everything. He turned to go to his closet.

The door opened, and Katie entered holding a lit candle in a jar. "The power went out..."