Julie could feel the humidity and moisture saturating the air as she continued to limp down the dark road. She had only her mini flashlight to guide her as she stumbled over rocks and sticks along the rural route. She kept going, pushing onward into town where the restaurant they had just vacated was. She felt a drop of rain bounce off the top of her head as she pushed her way into the restaurant, exhausted from the journey. She surveyed the place; it was as they had left it except more patrons crowded the bar, the pool table and dance area. She limped over to the first available seat at the bar, and collapsed into it. The bartender noticed her limp inside and approached her.
"Ma'am, you're bleeding," he said stating the obvious of her hand and leg.
"I'm fine," she insisted, whipping out her cell phone now and scrolling through it for flights to take her home.
The bartender handed her a dish cloth to wrap around her hand wish she gratefully accepted.
"Do you need me to call someone for you?" he asked worriedly.
"I've got it, thanks," she assured him, not wanting him to ask too many questions or get too involved with what was happening….
Jessica had left her room at the sound of Nick and her father arguing. She passed the loft space where Julie's belongings lay on the floor, the window was wide open leading off the porch. She didn't need to be a CSI like her brother to know what had happened.
"Hey!" Jessica yelled as she hurried down the stairs "knock it off you idiots, we've got a problem."
"Not now Jess," Nick said frustrated.
"Julie's gone," Jessica snapped making Nick look at her in alarm now.
"What do you mean gone?" Nick asked.
"She heard you guys arguing about her and she ran away you dope," Jessica snapped.
Jessica showed them the open window and all of Julie's stuff on the floor.
"Damn," Nick swore, slamming the window shut as a rumble of thunder echoed in the distance.
"You better find her before that storm gets here," Bill said as if she was some sort of lost animal.
Nick was silent as he raced back downstairs, grabbing the keys to his father's truck off the key holder.
"Jess go with your brother and help," Bill insisted.
"No dad, I've got it," Nick snapped, slamming the front door shut as he exited.
Nick tried calling Julie's cell phone a dozen times but she wouldn't answer. He passed through the gate and noticed the broken frame; this had to be her work. He continued on down the road but didn't see any sign of her….
The pain in Julie's leg and hand intensified the longer she sat at that bar, scrolling through her phone looking for flights to get her home but with the impending storm, everything was being delayed. Nick's attempts to call her were annoying and she rejected them all. If he wanted her that badly he wouldn't have brought her here to be ridiculed by his family. From the window she could see lightning flicker against the grimy bar windows…
Rain had started to leave little drops on his car windshield as he sped down the road searching for her. There was no place around here she knew or could run away to except-
He stopped the car in front of the restaurant they had eaten at earlier, leapt out of the car and raced inside. The crowd blurred together but he spotted her at the bar looking disheveled but blending in with the other patrons. Sighing, he approached her and sank down into the next bar stool beside her.
"Rough night?" he asked casually as if he didn't know what was happening.
"I've had better," she snapped at him "took you long enough to get here."
"Well you could have made it a little less obvious sweet pea," he said "ready to come back home now?"
"I'm ready to go back to Vegas," she insisted "but this damn city and it's stupid storms delayed all the flights"
"Yeah that's Texas," Nick said.
"That's bull," she snapped.
"Come on babe" Nick said cutting to the chase now, "I know you heard my dad talking."
"Yeah what about it?" she snapped.
"You know I don't give a damn what he thinks," Nick said "I want you and me together and nothing he says will change that and you know that."
"Then why did you bring me here?" she asked sadly now, piercing him with a tear filled gaze.
"Honestly, I didn't think it would end up like this," Nick said "and I really am sorry, but we can't run away just because my dad's a stick in the mud, we have to go back."
"He hates me," she whispered sadly to him.
"No," he soothed reaching out to brush her hair "no he doesn't, he's just being weird for some reason, I can't defend him and I don't want to, but I can make sure he knows how much I love you, and if we can get a flight out of here tomorrow, I will do everything I can to get you away from here, I promise."
Julie stared at him, knowing he meant well and he really did love her and God did she love him.
"Fine," she sighed knowing there was no other way around it.
She moved to slid out of the bar stool but winced in pain as her leg ached.
"Sweetheart what did you do?" Nick asked her, noticing all the blood now.
"That stupid fence," she lashed out but smiled because he knew she was tougher than she looked and not even his father's fortress could keep her from getting what she wanted.