Harboring Hannah by Pepper North

Chapter 10

Enjoying each minute she spent with Deke, Hannah relaxed in the passenger seat of the massive truck. She watched the scenery pass in the comfortable silence that had settled between them. Deke reached across the console dividing them to wrap his warm hand over her thigh.

“I’m good,” she promised.

“I’m good, too.” He left his hand on her leg, caressing her skin with slight movements of his thumb.

Focusing on his possessive touch, Hannah loved the feeling of being claimed. She was his. Nothing had ever felt this good. Hannah tried to capture this moment in her memory. She definitely didn’t want to forget.

Music played on the radio, creating an intimate space inside the truck cab. Deke’s choice of radio stations had surprised her. His choices had provided a lot of information about him. He flipped through the channels when they’d lose reception of one. Each time, he’d check with her before settling on a different type of music: country, classic rock, pop, and light jazz. The only thing he avoided was talk radio.

With each selection, Deke smiled as he settled back in his chair as if he’d found his favorite. He alternatively sang along with the music in his deep baritone or tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. Hannah had never spent time with anyone who seemed to enjoy life as much as he did.

The next time the radio signal died, Deke waved her toward the controls. “Your turn, Little girl.”

“Really? I don’t want to choose something you don’t like,” she protested.

“I like just about everything,” he answered. “What’s your favorite?”

“It depends on my mood,” she confessed as she started scanning for something to listen to.

A news station popped up, and she clicked the scan button to stop. Her Dad always insisted on listening to what was happening in the world. Staying informed and up-to-date was important to him.

“Want to hear what’s happening in the news?” she asked.

“Nope. If you find the weather, let me know. Those clouds ahead look threatening.”

As Hannah looked up, noting the black mass gathering above, Deke reached for his phone. He handed it to her with the instructions, “Check the forecast for me. My code is eleven twenty-three.”

“You want me to use your phone?” she asked, hesitating. Most men didn’t want you anywhere near their phones.

“Yes. You’re welcome to look through my phone anytime you wish. I have nothing to hide from you. I promise.”

Hannah nodded and touched the number pad. “What app do you use?”

“Look in the folder labeled Weather.”

Quickly, she located it. “There’s a big cluster of storms ahead. It’s red and angry looking.”

“That’s what I was afraid of. We’ll keep on our path, but check occasionally to make sure we’re safe.”

Looking around, Hannah couldn’t see anywhere that would be a place to shelter in a storm. She felt protected in the big truck with her Daddy. Her lips turned up at the corners as she pondered whether the vehicle or Deke made her feel more secure.

“That was a pleasant thought,” he chuckled, looking over at her.

Hannah nodded and reached a hand over the console for his. She enjoyed holding her Daddy’s hand. Large, warm, and enveloping, Deke grasped her hand like he never wanted to let it go. That was an amazing feeling. To have someone care about her so deeply.

If only she were sure he wouldn’t change his mind. She’d already been a lot of trouble. Maybe Deke would decide she wasn’t worth it.

“Whatever you’re thinking, you need to throw in the trash,” he said firmly.

“What?” Hannah turned to look at him. He can’t read my mind, can he?

“You’re worrying about something. You know you can tell me anything.”

Hannah sat quietly for a few seconds as her mind whirled. Could she tell him? Finally, she answered, “I don’t want you to decide I’m too much trouble.”

“That will never happen.”

Quietly, Hannah crossed the fingers of her other hand. “Thank you, Daddy.”

Looking out the windshield, she said quickly to change the conversation, “I think it’s looking worse out there. That’s a weird cloud over there.”

“Look on my phone at the radar again,” Deke instructed.

As Hannah pulled up the app, a loud warning signal blared. “It says there’s a tornado warning. If it really knows where we are, it’s not very far.”

“That weird cloud you noticed is starting to turn. I think we need to take shelter, Little girl. Hold on to Neela. We’re going to have to race through the storm. There’s a road ahead to the right that looks like it will take us away.”

Immediately, Hannah dropped the phone in a cupholder and grabbed her stuffie to hug her close as Deke pushed the truck’s speed as fast as the boat would allow. She stretched up in the deep seat to look ahead. How far was that road?

The rain pelted against the windows, making it hard to see even with the wipers on full blast. Hannah couldn’t see anything. She glanced over at her Daddy, amazed he could peer through the onslaught. Deke controlled the truck against the wind that rocked it and the boat behind them. He’d locked his arms straight to steer.

Hannah shivered at the sound of the air whistling around the sturdy truck. It was getting louder by the moment. She squeezed Neela up to her mouth to keep from squealing with fright. Her eyes focused on the blackness in front of them. Please let us be okay! Please let us be okay! I just found him!

“I’d stop to unhook the boat, but we’d lose too much time. It’s slowing us down, but I think we’re getting close. Where’s the storm headed? Is it still going west?” Deke asked, interrupting her thoughts.

“Let me check.” She fumbled to grab his phone and reopen the app.

“Stupid,” Hannah cursed herself. She should have been watching.

“None of that. I won’t have anyone speaking unkindly to my Little girl. Not even you. I didn’t ask you to keep watching.” Deke’s voice was stern and unyielding.

Instantly, she exhaled and focused. “It’s headed west, Daddy.”

“Thank you, Hannah. Here’s the road.” He slowed down to a crawl and turned. The wind caught the boat behind them and rocked the trailer and truck, but Deke controlled the motion and eased onto the pavement as he straightened out.

Hannah rocked back against the seat as he punched the accelerator. She glanced over her shoulder at the roiling black clouds behind them. One section had formed into a cone and was lowering. “It’s a tornado, Daddy!”

“Yes. Hold on to Neela and watch the radar.”

“The red is moving away from us,” she shared, hope gathering in her voice.

“Keep your fingers crossed, Little girl. It needs to keep going that way.”

Deke concentrated on the road. A car approached, coming toward them. He took one hand off the steering wheel to honk and flash his lights at them. Hannah turned around in alarm to watch it disappear behind the boat.

“They didn’t stop!”

“Hopefully, our warning will make them take heed,” Deke answered, glancing over frequently to his side view mirror.

A couple minutes later, he shared, “Looks like they turned around. They’re headed back our way now.”

Hannah bounced in her seat as the car came back into sight. It quickly overtook them and passed. Two frightened-looking children waved out the back window at them. Relieved, she waved back as they sped by before checking the display again.

“We’re getting farther away,” Hannah relayed. The massive red blob on the radar was slidinmovig to the side of the screen.

“Good. The wind seems to be dying down as well,” her Daddy shared, shrugging his shoulders.

Hannah pulled her legs up and sat cross-legged in the roomy seat. She kissed the top of Neela’s head and closed her eyes in relief. They were okay.

A vibration from the phone startled her. Hannah almost dropped it but held on to Deke’s cell. Her finger brushed over the screen by accident, answering the phone.

“Deke!” a voice called faintly.

“Oops!” Hannah apologized.

“I’m here! Just a second, let us put you on speaker,” Deke said, nodding at Hannah.

Quickly, she followed his instructions. “Got it.”

“Hi, Hannah. We’ve been waiting to meet you,” a deep voice greeted her.

“Hi?” she hesitantly offered.

“Deke, this is Osiris. There’s a big storm right on your path, or at least where we think you must be.”

“We just took Highway C north to get around the storm. It will add an hour or so onto our route, but we’re safe,” Deke answered.

“Good. You have precious cargo. Kenzie has been watching the weather with Lollipop to track your progress. They were very concerned.”

“Hi, Hannah!” a feminine voice called from the background. “I can’t wait to meet you.”

A woof echoed her words and the woman laughed. “Sorry. Lollipop and I can’t wait to meet you. Everyone is excited that you’re coming!”

“I can’t wait to meet you all,” Hannah answered, squirming in her seat.

“Thank you for calling, Osiris. We’ll keep in touch.”

“See you soon. Safe traveling.”

The line disconnected. Hannah looked down at the phone and relaxed. Kenzie was nice. She said everyone looked forward to meeting her. Could they all be that sweet?

“Kenzie isn’t making that up. I know the Littles can’t wait until we get to SANCTUM.”

“Really?”

“They love having new friends. Littles are the most welcoming people I know.”

Hannah held on to the phone until the radar displayed a gentler area around them. Carefully, she placed the phone on the console in Deke’s reach. The rain continued to lessen around them until only a few drips splattered on the windshield. She looked over at her Daddy in concern when he eased the truck and boat to the shoulder.

“I don’t know about you, Little girl, but I need to potty.”

Instantly, Hannah needed to go now. She nodded urgently to Deke before looking around. There wasn’t a bathroom here.

Deke slid from the seat and rotated his head and shoulders as he circled the vehicle. Opening her door, he announced, “Thank goodness, there’s no one around.” He lifted Hannah to the ground and unfastened her jeans.

“Daddy! I can’t potty out here.”

“I’m afraid this is your only choice.”

He pushed her jeans and underwear over her hips and down to her ankles. “Hold your panties to the front when you squat down so you don’t wet them.”

Deke leaned back into the truck and grabbed several tissues for her. “This will have to do for toilet paper.”

Standing with her clothing around her ankles, Hannah watched in amazement as Deke moved further down the truck. He unzipped his pants and reached inside to pull his penis out. Immediately, he urinated.

Tearing her eyes away, she quickly squatted, tugging her clothes out of the way. Her body responded immediately to his actions as her face heated with embarrassment. She’d never seen a man pee before. Hannah badly wanted to look, fascinated by everything about this man. Focusing on the tissues wadded in her hand, Hannah realized he didn’t have any.

She reached one arm out as far as she could to offer some to him. His low chuckle made Hannah look over before she could stop herself. Deke tucked himself into his jeans and fastened them.

“Guys just shake, sweetheart.” He took the tissue she extended to him and bent over her. “Have you finished, Little girl?”

Feeling her face burn even hotter, Hannah nodded. He quickly wiped her dry without any fuss. Deke tugged her up to her feet and pulled her clothing back into place after checking to see that she hadn’t wet herself. Instead of being embarrassed, Hannah smiled inside. There was no doubt that Deke was a Daddy. He took such good care of her.

“I feel a ton better. Are you okay?” Deke asked, studying her face.

“I’m fine… well, maybe a little hungry,” she confessed.

“Let’s pile back in the truck.”

Deke helped her into the passenger seat and waved a hand at the organized stacks behind them. “I have some snacks behind my seat. Pull out some jerky for me and whatever you’d like. I’m going to double-check the mooring lines on the trailer to make sure the wind didn’t loosen them.”

Peering through the rear window, Hannah watched him tug on the first binding strap before tightening it. When he disappeared from view, she looked down behind the front seat to explore what food he’d stocked inside. Spotting several bottles of water, she grabbed one and opened it up to drink several large gulps. Hannah hadn’t realized how thirsty she was. He’d offered water a couple of times, but she hadn’t wanted any.

The door opened and Deke climbed in next to her. “That sounds good,” he said, taking the bottle from her hand and stealing several swallows. It seemed very intimate to share, putting their lips around the same top. She liked it.

Deke pulled back on to the road and directed, “Look for something that sounds good to eat?”

Hannah grabbed another bottle from the container and rummaged around to find a tube of potato chips, the jerky, and a package of vanilla-flavored wafers. “It’s like an entire dinner!”

“It’s not a nutritious meal, but I’m glad to serve you. That detour took us away from all the small towns where we could have stopped. I’m sorry, Hannah.”

“I don’t accept your apology.”

Deke looked at her with concern before turning on his blinker to pull the truck back over.

“No! You don’t have to stop. I just mean there’s nothing for you to apologize for. You kept us safe,” she rushed to assure him.

Flicking off the blinker, he laughed. “Your bottom is glad you explained. I thought I’d seen the first of your inner brat.”

“I’m not bratty. I’m a good girl,” she assured him.

“Thank you, sweetheart.”

“You’re welcome,” she answered with a grin. Spending time with her Daddy was fun. Getting to be Little full time was the best!

Hannah busied herself opening the containers and lining up treats for Deke. Chewing on a piece of jerky, she twisted around once again to grab her phone. She hadn’t checked messages all day long. Her friends knew she turned off her phone when she disappeared. Nothing from her family, either.

Deke had phoned or messaged every day—sometimes more than once a day. In his messages, he’d encouraged Hannah to call him, told her he was concerned and needed to hear from her, and checked on how she was.

“I’m sorry I didn’t answer your messages.”

“Can you tell me why you ran away?”

Hannah shook her head urgently. She tore off a piece of jerky with her teeth and chewed. She’d do anything to keep him from looking at her differently.

“I’m pretty understanding,” he suggested.

“Some things are better forgotten,” she answered.

“You’ll tell me when you’re ready,” he assured her.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Daddies know their Little girls. When you’re tired of carrying this burden by yourself, you’ll share it so we can erase it.”