Standing on the sidewalk letting the rain drops fall and splash against her face was something she desperately needed. The sky was dark, not a star in sight. The rain beating down with a vengeance. It was as if the weather could feel what was coursing through her. The only visible light was down the road, the streetlight was barely above a dim flickering light in the distance. She was alone, on the sidewalk, with her thoughts. This is the one place she always hated to be. When she would get to this spot, she would emotionally spiral, it was if this storm knew this was coming and would be waiting for her. She closes her eyes to take a deep breath. In and out she thinks as she tries to calm her racing heart and the thoughts that plagued her mind. Life should not be this hard. Nobody was around and she was screaming on the inside for help. She felt so alone that not even the sound of the truck engine caught her attention. She was in her own world starring off into the abyss wondering what was wrong with her.
He clapped his hands to get her attention. How could such a beautiful woman look like she had the emotions of the world thrown onto her shoulders. She did not look weak by any means, nor did she look fragile. You could tell that something was running through her mind. How could he get her out of her own head and back to reality? Saying miss didn’t bring her back to reality. Asking if she needs help didn’t get her attention either. He was worried she would catch a head cold if she was out here much longer. The rain was coming down hard and fast. The radio station said the amount of rain they would get was alarming. The last time it rained the town had flooded. He had to get the sandbags laid. He was worried though. How could he help her when she seemed a million miles away?
She looked up and saw a man staring at her. His mouth was moving but she could not focus enough to hear what he was saying. The sound of his truck purring made her question what was going on. Without hesitation she stepped towards his truck. Placing her hand on the door handle she asked if he could take her home. Before he could even respond to her, she opened the door to the cab climbing up into the passenger seat. She realized she was drenched. When did the rain pick up? It was almost as if he could read her mind, he asked if she would like a blanket. “Yes, please”, if I may that would be great. After she had been handed the blanket, it dawned on her that she had yet to introduce herself. “I am Isabella, I go by Bella for short”. What is your name she inquired.
Surprised by her confidence of hopping into his truck without knowing him, he only had one thought. She needed to be saved or she needed someone to save her from something. All he knew is wherever she wanted to go he would take her no questions asked. She was so soft spoken and even drenched from this storm she was beautiful. Her eyes glowed under the storm. They were a beautiful magnetic blue. Snapping back to the present he realized she was talking. The only part that he had heard was “I go by Bella for short”. Not wanting her to think he was rude he introduced himself. In a husky deep voice he said, “I am Lorenzo, if you would like to, you can call me Leo”. He had a very thick accent that made it hard for others to understand him.
Bella turned her face to Lorenzo. He had very masculine features. His eyes were so soft, and she swore they were the most beautiful eyes she had even seen let alone gazed into. She was captivated by his eyes and his smile. She felt safe when she looked into his eyes. How could someone that she had never met before making her feel as if everything would be okay. Turning away before she could be caught blushing, she wondered if he could tell that he was able to calm her internal storm down. Did he notice me staring at him? Why was this storm beating down so hard? She had so many questions running through her mind that she did not hear the question that Leo had asked her.
Looking at Bella you could tell that she had a lot going on. She was very fair skinned, the bluest of eyes he had ever seen, and the most beautiful blonde hair that went down her back to her waist still framing her face perfectly. Her lips were a perfect pouty yet not pouty pink. She was still shivering though. Leo asked, “would you like for me to turn on the heater for you, so that you can get warm?” With her actively shivering he wanted nothing more than to make sure she was protected. Not getting an answer, Leo went ahead and turned the heater on. He wondered if she had felt the pull between them as their eyes locked with one another’s. Leo put the truck into drive and started to pull away.
Bella watched as the buildings passed by the passenger side of the car. I should tell him I am not from here. She was curious and wanted to see where he was taking her. To her surprise he had pulled up to the police station and hopped out. A tall officer that looked a lot like Leo came out. The man was maybe a good twenty-five to thirty years older than Leo. He had the same masculine features that Leo had. There was only one difference and that was the amount of white hair the officer had. They must be related in some way she thought. Possibly an uncle, cousin, nephew, or father? The two men even stood similarly it really was uncanny.
Leo walked up to his dad, “Papa, I found this girl standing in the rain on the side of the road”. “She climbed into my truck, and I didn’t know where to take her”. Leo kept looking back at the truck. He didn’t want to leave her alone for to long. He was worried about her. Surely if anyone would know what to do it would be his father, Fernando. He was the sheriff of this town. Looking to his father for answers Lorenzo asked what he should do.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Fernando and Leo walked over to the vehicle. He had his son introduce the young lady to him. Without hesitation his son did as he was asked. Walking over with Leo, Fernando noticed that his son had not laid one sandbag. After seeing the passenger seat and looking at the young lady Fernando understood why his son had not completed his given task. Knocking on the window Fernando asked if the young lady could roll down the window. To his surprise she rolled the window down immediately. “Hello miss, I am Fernando, my son Lorenzo told me he saw you standing on the side of the road is this true”? If this is true, you mind me asking where you are from, or where your home is so that we can get you there safely”.
Bella could not believe that Fernando was Lorenzos father. Yes, these two men looked so similar, but Fernando did not look old enough to have a son in his late thirties to early forties. Gasping she could see the similarities in both men. It was like they were looking in the mirror. Answering Fernandos question she responded with, “I am Isabella, you can call me Bella if you want. I am not from around here. I took the first red eye out of New York. When I landed here, I asked the taxi driver to take me to the closet town. I went into the bookstore to buy a guide and to check out any local authors. I got lost in a book and did not realize how late it had gotten.” The bookstore owner came over and told me that the book would be here for me tomorrow, but she could feel there was a storm brewing. She needed to close the shoppe and get home to her children. “I then grabbed my purse and stepped out onto the sidewalk”.
After hearing her recants of the events that took place Fernando asked if she would mind waiting in the truck. He could tell there was something different about this girl. He couldn’t put his finger on it just yet, but the way that his son and Bella looked at each other it was like they had known one another from a past life or something along those lines. The energy he felt between his son and this young lady was something he hadn’t seen or felt in a very long time. Not since he met his wife, Maria. Asking Leo to walk with him, he asked his son if he could feel there was a connection there. His son responded there was something about her. This made Fernandos feelings even more confirmed. This was his son’s person. His son’s soulmate if you care to believe in things like that. His wife told him when they met that they were supposed to spend their lives together. He was happy for his son. He had been waiting a long time for this moment. Fate is the only thing he could think of that would have brought Bella to this town.
Bella watching the two men walk away wondered what they were discussing. She could feel a static pull to Lorenzo. It was something she could not explain. This was worrying her because her mind was traveling at the speed of light. She needed the explanation as to why there was phenomenon. As Leo was walking away part of her felt like she was being pulled away. She could not understand why, but she knew she needed to be next to him and have him next to her. He made her feel warm and safe. There was a fire deep in her that she was not able to explain. It burned stronger when he was around her. Watching him take every step away from the truck felt as if it was crushing her. As she was about to get out of the cab Leo turned around and wondered over to the driver side with a smile on his face. How can this man be so attractive in everything he does she thought.
After speaking with his father Leo knew why he was pulled to Bella. It made sense that his father would know how he was feeling because of how his papa looked at his mom with complete adoration. This is how Leo was feeling about Bella. He knew deep in his soul that they were supposed to be together. He didn’t know that during this storm he would meet with person he was meant to spend the rest of his life with. Saint Michael really likes to throw curve balls at them. Grabbing the door handle he opened the door to the truck and climbed up to settle next to Isabell. Starting the engine Leo started to drive away. His papa gave him something to really think about, should he tell her that he can feel the pull between them? To get his mind off of forever Leo turned his head slightly towards Bella asking her if she would be okay staying in his family home, if she was not there was a guest house she could stay in on the property. If that also didn’t work, he could take her a little further down the road to his Nonna’s home. Not wanting to overstimulate her Leo reached over to turn on the radio it was barely above a whisper, but the music was peaceful and light. In that moment it was very much welcomed.
She sat there thinking about how things would be different if she had stayed in New York. She wouldn’t be caught in this storm that seemed so personal. Listening to Leo start up the truck engine she wondered if should say anything about the energy between them. Coming back to reality Bella realized Leo had been driving for a few minutes. She had no idea how she could ever repay the kindness that Leo and his father, or as he said papa had shown her. These two were opening their home to a stranger. How could she tell him that she wanted desperately to stay with him. He is who she felt safe with. She had never found home until she met him. When was next to her everything in the world felt right. The radio playing quietly in the background made Bella smile. It was peaceful yet such a romantic instrumental. Looking at Leo his perfect jaw line sent shivers down her spine. Her voice barely louder than the radio let Lenny know that she wanted to stay with him. She watched as his face softened under what she had said. How could she a woman this man barely knows have such power to soften a man she barely knew.