A Place Next to You

"He's no ogre."Belle Day increased the speed of the windshield wipers and gripped the steering wheel of her SUV firmly. Then she focused on the unfamiliar road, filled with mud and puddles. But it wasn't the downpour or the unfamiliar car route that was making her hysterical, but the person waiting for her at the end of the road."He's not an ogre, " she repeated to herself out loud. She only spoke out loud when she was nervous.
The car skidded, and Belle gripped the steering wheel tightly, as it seemed to be slipping out of her grasp. She took a deep breath and considered pulling over to the side of the road for a moment, but dismissed the idea. The sooner she got to Lazy-B Ranch, the sooner she could get out of there."That's not a very positive thought, Belle. Why did you agree to this?" she wondered. It was for Lucy, because she wanted to help that little girl.
Her desire to help her was so strong that she was even willing to put up with her father, Cage Buchanan, "who was no ogre." Just because the previous physical therapist had left, claiming he was an insufferable man, didn't mean the same would happen to her."You know Lucy isn't the only reason, " he told himself, but chose to ignore it. A tree Cage had pointed out as a sign appeared along the road.
He was approaching the ranch. The rain was falling heavily, soaking the earth after weeks of heat and drought. Perhaps it was a promising sign for his first day on the job. She arrived in front of the ranch gate. It was closed. Belle stared at it for a moment. Clearly, it wasn't going to magically open. She let out a sigh and got out of the car. The rain was coming down hard, and she nearly slipped on the mud.
By the time she managed to open the door, she was soaked. She got in the car, drove into the ranch, and got out again to close the door. She turned her gaze toward Cage Buchanan's house. It was quite impressive: small, simple, and with a porch in the front. It looked solid and sturdy. Belle got in the car and parked in front of the porch. The front door of the house was open, although a wooden screen blocked the view inside. She took her suitcase out of the car and climbed the steps, which were partially covered by a wheelchair ramp.
A soaked golden retriever calmly came to greet her."Are you the guard dog?" Belle asked, allowing him to sniff her while she brushed the mud off the soles of her sneakers with the edge of one of the steps. Once under the protection of the porch, Belle brushed her hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ears. For a day when she hadn't worn a ponytail... She couldn't have looked more pathetic.
She knocked on the screen door, trying to stifle the chills. But even though she was soaked, she wasn't cold. The chills were from nervousness, and she didn't like that feeling."Miss Day!" a girl's voice exclaimed cheerfully, and then Lucy appeared in her wheelchair. "The door's open. I'd better leave Strudel outside.""Strudel, huh?" Belle said, looking sympathetically at the soaked dog. Sorry, mate.
He entered the house, trying to ignore the animal's pitiful whimpers, and dropped his suitcase on the floor. He took a quick look around the house. Old-fashioned furniture, an upright piano that looked like it came from an antique shop, and an equally old television. It was clean but not very tidy. And there wasn't even a rug on the floor. Not even a single rug to absorb the puddle of water that was forming at his feet.
Belle looked at the girl who was the reason for her trip.