Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22667 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22667 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Theo breaks into a deep belly laugh that has Pippa Jane oinking happily as she glances between us.
“Don’t laugh,” I tell him, fighting a smile. “She’ll think she did something good and do it again. She loves making people laugh.”
“I’m sorry,” Theo says, still laughing as Pippa climbs into his lap, rubbing his cheek with her snout. He wraps his arms around her, patting her back. “She’s just so damned smart. It’s hysterical. Nothing’s getting by you, is it, Pippa?”
“Even an average pig is smarter than a three-year-old,” I say, scratching my mischievous pig between her happily twitching ears. “And Pippa’s way above average. She watches me play video games sometimes, and I swear she understands what’s going on. She always gets excited when I’m about to beat a new level. And she can count to ten and always puts her own toys away when she’s done playing at a campsite.”
“Amazing.” Theo shakes his head, marveling at my clever girl in a way she clearly appreciates if the way she’s grinning ear to ear is any indication.
“Okay, stop it, already,” I say, tugging her happily wagging tail. “I’m starting to get jealous.”
Pippa Jane lets out a soft squeal that sounds so much like laughter, Theo and I both lose it. We end up rolling onto the quilt I spread on the ground with Pippa between us, rubbing her belly and giggling like a bunch of kids.
We’re causing such a ruckus; I don’t hear the tree falling outside.
Who knows, maybe it didn’t make any noise on the way down, but it certainly makes its presence known as it comes crashing down on the opposite side of the cabin, splintering the wall, and shattering the sliding glass door.
Chapter Seven
THEO
As a giant tree demolishes the other side of the cabin like a wrecking ball, I grab Macy around the waist with one arm and Pippa with the other, dragging them backward as shattered glass skitters across the cabin floor.
When the crash is over and the tree is lying still—half in, half out of the rushing river—I ask, “Everybody okay?”
“Oh my God,” Macy says, her breath coming fast. “Is the whole cabin going to come down now? Should we find something to tie around Pippa as a flotation device in case we’re all swept downstream? We can climb a tree if we have to and hold on until someone comes to get us. She can’t.”
I hug her closer, only wincing slightly as Pippa crowds onto my lap, too, gouging my thigh with her hoof as she oinks in distress.
After a few moments with no apparent shift in the stability of the rest of the structure, I shake my head. “No, I think we’re okay. But see if you can get Pippa upstairs to the bedroom. If another tree falls, we’ll be out of the line of fire up there. It’s too close to the tree line to be in serious danger. I’ll put out the fire, gather our things, and meet you up there in a few minutes. I just want to do a quick look around at the rest of the cabin, see how things are holding up after the impact and all the water.”
“Okay, but hurry.” Macy squeezes my arm. “If we’re going to die tonight, I want us to all die together. Is that morbid?”
“A little,” I say, cupping her worried face in my hand, “but I feel the same way. But we’re not going out like this. People know we’re out here, and they’ll be out to evacuate us before things get too bad. We just have to keep the faith and our cool until we’re rescued.”
She shoots me a look that’s half grateful, half suspicious. “I’m not sure if you believe that or if you’re just saying it to make me feel better, but I appreciate it, either way. The only thing worse than dying in some disastrous, tragic way would be dying in a disastrous, tragic way after being forced to worry about dying for hours beforehand.”
“Agreed.” I rise to my feet and help her up after me. “Now head upstairs. I’ll be right there, I promise.”
She nods. “Okay. Let me grab her bed. If she sees me bringing it upstairs, maybe she’ll be motivated enough to tackle the tiny steps. Worst case scenario, I’ll have to carry her while she freaks out. She hates being carried. I think she’s afraid of heights or was dropped as a piglet.”
“I’m not a fan of heights, either, Pippa,” I say, bending to stroke the worried pig on the head. “Here’s hoping none of us have to climb any trees tonight.”
“I’ll hold your hand while we climb if we have to,” Macy says, collecting Pippa’s bed and a candle before starting toward the stairs. “With teamwork, all things are possible.”
“Can’t think of anyone else I’d rather have on my team,” I say, taking a moment to savor the warmth that fills her eyes before shooing her and Pippa up the stairs.