Counting Down by Lilah Boone Read Free Book Online Page B

attention. Abby turned away from Alex, broke free of his embrace to look at Kyle. The gentle glow she saw radiating from the center of his body filled her with a sense of hope. Some of her convictions returned to her and she straightened until she was standing tall.
    “Um… Alex this is Kyle Windstone, Jimmy’s business partner.”
    “Hi,” Kyle said with a quick wave. “Good to meet you.”
    Alex eyed the other man. “Yeah, you too.”
    “Glad you’re here to lend a hand.” Kyle expression turned somber. “We’ve got some serious work to do if we’re going to live through what happens next.”
    Abby felt her stomach flip at his words and she suddenly realized that the two of them had a lot more to talk about. Kyle Windstone was like her; whatever that meant. If she read his look correctly, the time to start fighting for their survival was closer than she had imagined.

CHAPTER SIX
     
    Tuesday, December 18th 2012, 6:31am
     
    K yle had been out of bed and working since five in the morning. He spent an hour tending to the horses and feeding the chickens before moving on to the task of hauling more water into the shelter.
    The December weather was oddly warmer than usual and he was already sweating through his tee shirt as he transported the cases three at a time. If he had known the sun would be so hot he would’ve worn something lighter than black. He wiped perspiration from his brown and felt it soaking into his dark hair.
    He knew the sun looked different, but he was no expert. It seemed brighter or bigger somehow, but it was hard to tell since he re ally couldn’t look up for any length of time to study it without threatening his retinas.
    Kyle’s mind raced with end of the world concerns as he navigated the narrow steps of the hatch.
    He was pretty sure they would be underground for a while and wanted everyone to be as comfortable as possible. Clean sheets and fresh smelling towels would be a nice thing to have. Any luxury at all would help preserve their long term sanity and hopefully stave off bouts of claustrophobia.
    He was still trying to figure out how to maintain access to radio and TV broadcasts while they were below the surface, but he couldn’t be sure there would be stations to pick up once it all started anyway.
    Then there were the dogs Jim loved so much. Kyle fully expected they would be coming into the shelter with them and he hated to think that all of the humans would have to live in a space that smelled like dog waste for an indefinite amount of time.
    Kyle was feeling overwhelmed when his thoughts unexpectedly turned to Abby. He felt a distinct wave of emotions that were anything but common to him and he found himself imagining things that he should never be thinking about his best friend’s niece. But those wayward thoughts didn’t frighten him as much as the fact that he simply wanted to be near her, take in her smile and talk with her. He could be content with that and it freaked him out immeasurably.
    It’s not that he was cold hearted or void o f romantic notions. Actually, his nature was just the opposite which was part of the problem. He had allowed himself to care one too many times and only gotten burned. He had learned to keep his heart neatly tucked away and out of sight. The fact that the mere sight of Abby Connelly had been able to awaken something in him he thought was long gone – that he believed he’d killed and buried – was both intriguing and terrifying.
    Sure, there had been girlfriends in the past. He was no amateur at the dating game, but for the past few years or so he had done little more than carry out one brief and meaningless relationship after the other and only when the opportunities presented themselves. There hadn’t been anyone who could actually stir his heart in a very long time and love wasn’t something he consciously sought after. In fact, he usually tried to keep it as far away as possible.
    He couldn’t put his finger on a reason besides