Angel nodded as Hannah took a seat on the other side of the big dog. “I always wanted one, but my dad is allergic. My mom tried testing him around those Labradoodle dogs because they’re supposed to be more tolerable to people with allergies, but he could barely breathe after twenty minutes.”
“That sucks.” Hannah was legitimately sympathetic. “Maybe when you’re older and have a place of your own you’ll be able to have a pet.”
“Maybe.” Angel was noncommittal. “I think I would rather just spend time with my dad right now and not think about it, though.”
“I get that.” Hannah didn’t know what to say to make the girl feel better. “I’m sure the second one of them wakes up that the doctor will call Boone and he’ll get in contact with you.”
“Probably,” she agreed. “Unless they don’t wake up.”
“I thought the doctor said they were most likely going to wake up.”
“He did, but he also said they would probably be awake this morning. They’re not awake yet.”
“That doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”
“It feels like it means something.”
Hannah wanted to reassure the girl, promise everything was going to be okay. She couldn’t, though. It would only make things worse if something happened to her parents and they didn’t wake up. Hope was important. A false sense of security could lead to ruin, though.
“How about I call Boone and see if he has an update?” Hannah suggested. “It’s likely he would’ve called as soon as he got the news, but he’s very busy with the accident. He has a lot to do. It can’t hurt to at least ask.”
Angel looked so hopeful it almost broke Hannah’s heart. “Would you really do that?”
“Of course. I can’t guarantee anything. I can definitely call, though.”
“Thank you.” Angel wrapped her arms around Jinx’s neck and hugged him as Hannah dug for her phone. At that exact moment, one of the goats managed to hop onto the bench and butt his head into Jinx’s hindquarters. The dog yelped and bolted from the table, heading for the fence. He was through it before Hannah could call out to him.
“Good grief,” Hannah muttered, starting after the dog. “I’ll call in just a minute,” she promised Angel. “I have to get him first. He chews on everything if you don’t keep an eye on him.”
Angel giggled as she focused on the goat, who stood in the spot Jinx occupied only seconds before. He looked as if he was puffing his chest out.
“I’ll help you catch Jinx,” Tyler offered, moving with Hannah. “Angel, keep the goats in line. They’re obnoxious when they get big egos.”
Angel laughed again, a sound Hannah particularly enjoyed.
“Jinx!” Hannah called out to the dog, who was halfway down Main Street. He looked back at her, an accusatory expression on his face. “It’s not my fault you antagonize the goats,” she explained in her most reasonable voice. “If you would leave them alone, they might leave you alone.”
As if to voice his disagreement, Jinx let out a sharp bark.
“Oh, calm down,” Hannah muttered. “You’re perfectly fine. That goat barely touched you.”
Jinx barked again.
From his spot in front of the saloon, Cooper looked intent on whatever Lindsey was telling him. His eyes flashed with fury when the request finally sank in. “Hannah?”
“Just a second,” she replied, not as much as glancing over. “I have to get Jinx.”
“No, you have to tell me why you said it was okay for me to strip for a teenager,” he countered, his eyes flashing.
“I didn’t say it was okay for you to do it,” Hannah shot. “I told Lindsey to ask you because I didn’t want to answer for you.”
“Yes, but you knew what my answer was going to be.”
“Most definitely,” Hannah agreed, frowning when Jinx began to whimper, his tail between his legs. “What’s wrong, buddy?” Cooper’s discomfort with Lindsey’s adoration was no longer a concern as Hannah focused on her dog. “Are you okay?”
“Maybe the goat hurt him more than we thought,” Tyler suggested, increasing his pace. “I’ll check him out. It will be okay.”
When Tyler was two feet in front of Jinx, the dog jumped to his feet and started madly barking. Hannah was taken aback — she’d never seen him act so aggressively — and her heart was suddenly seized by fear. “Jinx?”
Tyler instinctively held out his hand to keep her back, but Jinx barreled past him and didn’t stop until he was in front of his mistress. Then, to her absolute shock, he grabbed the leg of her pants and started tugging toward the nearest building.
“What’s he doing?” Tyler called out from his spot in front of the saloon. “What’s happening?”
Before she could answer, a new noise joined the fray and Hannah jerked her gaze to the west. The sight that greeted her was enough to have her stomach constricting. “Dust storm!” She pointed toward the sky.
“That’s what he was warning us about,” Tyler realized, leaning forward to scoop up the dog. “Everybody inside!” He pointed Hannah toward the post office, even though she would’ve preferred returning to the saloon. There was no time, though.
Cooper understood what was happening and nodded, grabbing Lindsey and shoving her inside the saloon. He turned to check on Angel and found her standing in the middle of the paddock, the animals already taking cover inside, and staring at the storm as if possessed.
“Angel!”
Slowly, the girl slid her eyes to him.
“Get inside,” Cooper roared. “The storm will be fast.” He cupped his hands around his mouth to make sure she understood. “We’ll come for you as soon as it’s over. You have to take shelter inside, though.”
Dumbly, Angel nodded and raced toward the barn. That was the last thing Hannah saw before Tyler shoved her inside the post office and slammed the door shut.
At the saloon, Cooper instructed Lindsey to hide behind the bar as he fought with the storm doors. “Don’t poke your head out for anything,” he ordered. “This should be fast, but it could be brutal.”
Lindsey’s eyes
