Rising Storm by Kathleen Brooks

chance. He should’ve known better. Any person who was so good and kind to animals couldn't be that cold and uncaring as he had previously thought. And any person who had made love to him the way she did couldn't be the snob he had thought.
    But, now it was too late. He had lost his chance to really get to know her. If he hadn't been so blind, he could’ve been getting to know her over these last four, almost five months since their night together. Who knows where they’d be now. But it was all for nothing, she was with Ahmed now.
     
    *     *     *
     
    Katelyn couldn't be more exhausted. She had stayed up all night fighting with her father before he left on his private jet in the morning. She had never been so embarrassed. As she got dressed in her scrubs for work she was, for the first time, not looking forward to going. Her father had come in and disrupted the only place she knew as home and now she had to go face everyone. She had to face the fact that everyone would whisper about her father as they gave her pitying looks, or worse, judged her based on his actions.
    "Katelyn!" She jumped as she heard her grandmother scream, in the most lady-like fashion as possible of course.
    The tone of her grandmother's voice surprised her and she bolted down the stairs. She spotted her grandmother's hat first and then her laced gloves waving in the air. As she got farther down the stairs she saw that the person she was attacking with lace was the farm manager, Joey Heath.
    Joey had his hat in his hand and was tapping it against his jean-clad leg as he and her grandmother stared out the door towards the front pasture. They talked quickly and Joey kept shaking his head. When he heard her near, he looked pleadingly at her for help.
    "What's going on Nana?"
    "Joey found something! Come on, you’ve got to see it." Nana adjusted her red wide-brimmed hat that matched her lipstick and headed out the door.
    Her grandmother was in the lead and Joey followed dutifully behind toward a new section of fencing. Her grandmother stopped and looked down the hole where she guessed a fence post was supposed to go. Katelyn looked down and saw something black.
    "What is it?" she asked.
    "I don't know. It clanked when I hit it and that's when I came and got your grandmother. I didn't know what I should do," Joey told her.
    "I think it’s buried treasure." She hadn't seen her grandmother this excited in a long time. She couldn't stand still as she circled the hole.
    "Nana, not everyone buries the family silver in the back yard like your family did."
    "Does... it never stopped. It's kind of a family tradition ever since the war. Besides, it gives me an excuse to buy new flatware. All the women in the family do it when we're ready to redecorate. Joey, give me that shovel."
    "Ma'am?"
    "Well, you're not digging, so give it to me and I'll get it." She grabbed the shovel leaning against a newly planted fence post and shoved it into the ground near the black object.
    Katelyn and Joey crowded around and watched as little by little more was revealed of the object. Clank, Clank . The noise filled the air and with a gasp Joey leapt forward and grabbed the shovel.
    "Stop! That's not buried treasure, that's a freaking cannonball!"
    "What?" Katelyn leaned forward and looked in the hole.
    "I'm telling you, that's a cannonball." Joey stepped back and brought her grandmother with him.
    "Well, you can't just leave it there. Dig it up and bring it into the house. Then I'll call Beauford and see what to do."
    "Are you sure, ma'am?" Joey eyed the hole cautiously as if the cannonball may climb out on its own.
    "I'm sure. If you don't want to do it, then just hand me that shovel back and I'll do it myself."
    Katelyn stopped the snicker that was threatening to come out while she watched the wide brim of her grandmother's hat bounce as Nana placed her lace-gloved hands on her hips.
    "Okay, Mrs. W, whatever you say."
    Joey crept forward with the shovel and started to