Heart : Animal Senses Series Book 1

Chapter 18

Where had the heat gone today? It was July. When did it ever get this cold in July? Clearly, Northern Ontario had its own weather rules that were like nothing she'd ever experienced before. She rubbed her hands together and huddled deeper into the sleeping bag. Why hadn't the blue-haired boy sold her mitts along with the rest of the store? Fumbling with the flashlight until she found the on switch, she looked around the tent for those little candles. Should she even light one of those to warm up her hands? She looked up at the ceiling of the tent, with the screen covered by that flap thing—wouldn't the smoke just go out that way? Sighing, she clicked off the flashlight, with her luck she'd set the tent on fire.

Rayne shimmied down as far as she could in the sleeping bag and pulled it up over her shoulders. With a lot of grunting and wiggling around, she managed to move over by the door. Reaching one hand out, she unzipped the zipper just a few inches and peeked outside. She didn't need to look out to see how hard it was raining. The drops echoing off the tent already told her. Of course, she didn't have an umbrella or anything sensible like that, so she couldn't even make a run for the little cabin. Flicking the flashlight back on, she shone it outside. There was a mini river forming and streaming right by the tent. If the rain didn't let up soon it would be in the tent as well. How waterproof was the tent? The driest, warmest place would be the car with the heater on, but did she want to sleep in that seat again? Not really. Turning off the light, Rayne sat there staring out into the dark. Was the rain ever going to stop? It had started before dark and didn't seem to be easing off yet. Did it rain here every night? Next time she fled to a secluded place she was going to research weather patterns first.

Once again, she had no idea what time it was. Had she brought her watch and where would it be? No one wore watches any more, not in this day of cell phones and iPods. She didn't want to make a run for the car to find out how many more hours until the warm sunlight returned. Did she really want to sit here all night shivering?

Another heavy downpour distracted her from pouting, the rain so hard it was deafening. After a few minutes, she could hear each single drop as they hit the tent in the otherwise quiet night. Aiming the light outside, she watched as the little rivers were forming friends as they moved past the tent. She was going to be soaked soon. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her she hadn't eaten. She'd tried to work the little stove just before the rain had started, wanting something hot after a few days of fruit and bars, but the rain changed her plans and here she was, hungry. Rayne groaned aloud when she realized she'd moved all her food into the cabin. She was going to have to go to the cabin, there was no other option. Cold and a little dampness she might be able to handle, but she wouldn't be able be hungry as well. Sometimes being a vegetarian had its trials. Meat eaters could eat a big meal then spend the next eight hours digesting it.

Shrugging out of the sleeping bag, she flashed the light around inside the tent to find a bag to put the sleeping bag to keep it dry while running to the cabin. Her clothes and towels were in the cabin, everything was in the cabin except her bed. Okay, so leaving space in the tent wasn't the most brilliant idea. How was she supposed to know there were mini monsoons here every night, or at least the two she'd been here for? Rayne looked at her shoes, no sense in even putting those on and getting them soaked.

It took her three tries to wrestle the sleeping bag back into its little carrying bag. Why did they make them so small? As she stuffed the little candles into the sleeping bag a loud crack of thunder almost made her faint. Turning off the flashlight, she jammed it into the bag and turned around to unzip the door. Stopping, she looked down at her jeans. It would be easier to dry off skin than to squirm out of soaking wet clothes. It wasn't as if she would be seen running to the cabin without her clothes, the chances of Devin out wandering around in this were slim, not when he had a nice warm home to be in. Before she could chicken out, she pulled the sweat shirt over her head and tossed it into the corner. The t-shirt and jeans followed. Rayne hesitated when she grasped her bra, she wasn't taking it or the thong off. Alone or not, streaking through a thunderstorm naked just wasn't something she was comfortable with.