The afternoon was quiet on the eve of Hurricane Adele. The soft breeze rustling through the trees was deceptively calm but there were signs of the approaching storm to be found everywhere, if one looked for them.

Jessica stood on the back patio, watching the dogs pace around the yard, occasionally stopping to stand nose to wind, sniffing wildly before turning to whine in her direction. She called the three mongrels to her with kissing noises, kneeling to pat each of them reassuringly. She sighed, concerned for their safety. Her father would likely insist they stay outside in the rickety old shed, which could barely withstand a mere thunderstorm.

She heard the sound of his car pulling into the driveway and stood, wiping her hands on her cotton sun dress. With one last look at the gathering clouds, she turned and stepped back into the house.

She found her father in the kitchen, putting grocery bags on the counter. Next to him stood a young man she had never seen before. He was of average height, with skin the colour of dark chocolate, dressed casually in a white T-shirt, pale jeans and brown boots. She found herself staring at his lips and blinked, brushing her hair back, half-wishing she had taken the time to flat-iron it that morning.

Her father nodded to her. "This is Craig, one of my summer workers. Him going stay here and help us out during the hurricane."

She murmured a hello as Craig grinned at her, displaying even white teeth. She was having trouble looking away from his lips again and, as he fixed his dark brown eyes on her, she felt a sudden shiver.

Her father harrumphed loudly, interrupting the moment. "Stay out of his way, you hear me?" He shot a glare her way. "He's here to work." Jessica forced her eyes to the floor, feeling like nine years old instead of 20.

She spent most of the afternoon in her room, listening to the sounds of Craig and her father boarding the windows and strapping down the roof. The large cottage nestled in the hills of St Catherine had been their home before her birth but it was showing signs of age in the leaking roofs and creaking wooden floors.

They had an early dinner, the three of them sitting at the dining table in front of the chicken and dumplings she had made earlier. She caught Craig glancing at the framed picture of her mother, hanging on the wall next to the large grandfather clock. She looked at her mother's bright smile wistfully, remembering the warmth and love that used to fill the house before she passed away. Now her father had locked himself into an orbit of solitude, circling only to bark instructions and eat meals, while she sat in her room and tried to carve a small life for herself within the confines of their isolated home.

Craig was the first guy she had seen in the months since finishing high school and she wasn't sure what to make of her reaction to him. She darted a quick glance at him and saw that he was watching her. Her father chewed and swallowed, in oblivion.

Clearing her throat, she asked, "Daddy, what about the dogs?" From the impatient expression on his face, as he finished gnawing on a chicken bone, she knew it was a losing battle. "Jessica, I tiyad of telling you. Dogs belong outside! Dem will find a way to manage, if not then, so what? Is just mongrel."

With that, he got up from the table, leaving his empty plate in its place. "Come Craig. We still have some more things to finish up." She kept her eyes downcast as they left the room.

Later that night, she woke suddenly, hearing the wind and rain beating against the sides of the house. She sat up, clutching the sheets and thinking of the dogs. Her father was not a cruel man but he had become a different person over the last few years. She hated confrontation and didn't like disobeying him, but she refused to leave the dogs to suffer through the storm alone. Squaring her shoulders, she pulled her hair into a ponytail and put on a pair of old jeans, her father's work boots and a poncho. She would hide the dogs in her bathroom until the hurricane had passed.

She snuck through the house and grabbed the back grille keys from the kitchen counter. Slipping through the back door, she was surprised to find the grille open. She stared out into the dark and saw Craig out in the yard, wearing a raincoat and trying to coax the dogs into the house. He caught sight of her and stopped, their eyes meeting across the sodden backyard, leaves and debris whipping through the air.

The canines were over-excited. She whistled at them and the three dogs came running, pushing past her into the warmth of the house, gratitude evident in their limpid brown eyes,

A sudden gust of wind swept through the yard and Craig rushed back inside, as she locked the grille and shut the door behind them. Without a word, he helped her get the dogs into her bathroom and she grabbed some old towels and blankets to dry them off. As she handed him a towel, his hand brushed against hers and she felt an electric jolt run through her, from head to toe. Jessica felt his eyes on her and studiously avoided looking at him.

After the animals were settled and happily drifting off to sleep, she took hold of Craig's hand.

"Thank you," she whispered. "You didn't have to."

He shrugged, his dark gaze full of things she couldn't identify. "They're important too, right?"

Feeling suddenly nervous, she started to let go of his hand but he held fast to her fingers. She stared at him. "Do you want me to stay, and help you with the dogs?" he asked. She almost laughed out loud at his brazenness.

"No!" she exclaimed, twisting her hand from his grasp. He smiled at her, his grin with an edge of mischief that she hadn't noticed before. He stepped back and looked around the room. "How do you live here, with nothing to do all the time?"

"I daydream a lot," she replied. She thought he would ask what she dreamed about but instead he finished circling the room and stopped behind her. His lips brushed her ear as he said, "From the time I saw your picture at your father's office, I wanted to meet you. No lie."

Her stomach quivered as his whisper turned into the softest of kisses, his lips barely touching her earlobe, ever so slightly grazing her skin, travelling very lightly down her neck to her shoulder. More excited than she had been in years, she turned to face him. Her breath caught as the playful glint disappeared from his eyes and he pulled her roughly into his embrace. The heat of his mouth sent tingles along her spine and she arched against him, amazed at her body's frantic response to his touch. It was as if a fire was consuming her, engulfing her senses as her lips and tongue continued with a demand that matched his.

One of the dogs yawned loudly and she managed to pull her lips from his, taking a moment to get her bearings. He leaned against her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She glanced at the dogs, her dogs, nestled safely in her bathroom as the storm gathered strength outside. She looked back at Craig, his chest heaving slightly, his eyes full of desire and promise. She walked slowly to the bathroom door and closed it, doing the same to the door to her bedroom. Outside the hurricane raged on, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. She felt fearful and yet enthralled. They reached for each other in the dark and, when he finally took her, the tenderness brought tears to her eyes.