A massive thunderclap directly overhead jolted Ronnie Deschaines from sleep. Reaching out a thin arm, she fumbled for the clock on her nightstand. Pressing the button to illuminate its face, she saw it was only 4:15. Next to her, Luc still slept soundly. She frowned in the darkness, reading the glowing red numbers on his bedside clock and corroborating that it was, pretty much, still the middle of the night. She knew she wouldn't ease back into slumber, not when she'd been jarred awake so unexpectedly.

Resigned, she threw back the covers and slung her legs over the side of the bed, fumbling for her slippers. They weren't there. Then she remembered. If she didn't put them on top of her dresser, Leuther, Luc's German Shepherd, would invariably appropriate one or both and bring them to his master, dropping them on his side of the bed.

The puppy was now eight months old and smarter than Ronnie would have thought possible. He liked her and was obedient, but Leuther was slavishly devoted to Luc.

There was no hope of slipping from the bedroom unnoticed. Leuther's eyes were open, but he waited for Ronnie's hand signal, indicating whether he was to remain by Luc's side or come with her. She loved him, too, and knew he'd be heartbroken as only a young dog can be if he were left behind. She folded her arm across her chest in the universal sign that meant "come," and the pup stood at once.

They'd scarcely reached the kitchen when another massive thunderclap shook the house, and Ronnie felt Leuther press against her leg with a quiet whimper. There must have been a lightning strike nearby. Ronnie was a cat person, but she knew dogs often became afraid of thunder. She put her hand on the top of his head. She didn't want to give Leuther the idea anything was wrong, so she didn't offer any comfort beyond gentle reassurance.

A moment later, Luc stood in the kitchen doorway. "I guess the storm woke everybody up," he observed. He heard the coffeemaker gurgle and said, "Oh, good, you started the coffee. It's not likely we'll be going back to sleep."

Rain was pounding on the porch roof and overflowing the gutter. Ronnie watched it pour from the edge of the overhang in a solid sheet. "Is it supposed to rain all day?"

Luc picked up a remote and flicked on the wall-mounted TV. "There's your answer," he said. "The whole state is green. The whole Southeast, too, all the way up through the mid-Atlantic. Looks like it'll just rain here for the rest of the day once this red cell passes. We might as well watch the news and drink our coffee. It's too early for breakfast."

"We could call a few people and see if they want to come for breakfast," Ronnie suggested.

"Now?"

Ronnie shook her head. "We could make calls at seven-thirty or eight and have them come at nine."

"Who'd you have in mind?"

"Caroline and Dane. Rickie and Aaron. Andee and Frank. Asha and Tim. Luisa and Tomás. Sara and Jon."

"It sounds like you're loading up Noah's Ark," Luc said with a laugh. "You might be! We've already gotten several inches."

"Oh, don’t forget Luna and Cricket," Ronnie added. "Leuther should have his friends over, too."

Luc grimaced. "Oh, goody. Wet dogs. I can hardly wait," he teased.