Free Sudden Storms by Marcia Lynn McClure Page B

Rivers exclaimed as she walked toward an empty feed bin used for storage. “It’s right down in here.” Rivers groaned, however, as she noticed the silky spiderweb just inside the bin. “Oh! I can’t stick my hand in there! Look at that web! It’s huge!”
    Rivers’s one true fear was spiders. She’d tried and tried to overcome it all her life, but to no avail.
    “I’ll get it,” Jolee giggled, coming to stand beside her.
    “No. I’ve got to get over this,” Rivers whispered, trying to force her hand into the bin.
    “That’s a widder web!” Jolee exclaimed.
    “Black widow?” Rivers choked, quickly withdrawing her hand.
    “Yeah. Looks like a big one! Look at the size of that web!” Jolee whispered. “Paxton would be very impressed. I really should get a jar and catch it for him.”
    Rivers wrinkled her nose and wondered why anyone would think to do such a thing. Then she watched in stunned horror as Jolee stuck her hand into the bin as if there were nothing at all to fear.
    “Jo!” Rivers gasped quietly.
    “Can’t be scared of ’em, Rivers. Just leave ’em alone, and they won’t hurt you.”
    Rivers’s eyes locked on the hatchet’s handle, and terror raced through her veins as Jolee pulled it from the darkness of the bin. A mere inch or less from where Jolee clutched the hatchet with one hand sat an enormous shining black spider.
    Rivers screeched at the sight of the spider, startling Jolee, who jumped, dropping the hatchet. The spider, however, seemed to fly from the handle at the same moment and onto Jolee’s dress.
    “It’s on you!” Rivers screamed.
    “Where? Where? Get it off!” Jolee squealed, swatting madly at her bodice.
    Rivers stood terrified as she watched the spider crawl up Jolee’s sleeve and disappear under a strand of her hair hanging loosely over one shoulder.
    “It’s on my neck! I can feel it!” Jolee whispered.
    The fear was plain on Jolee’s face and finally broke the spell of panic paralyzing Rivers. Slowly, she moved the strand of hair. There, like an evil omen, was the spider. It was perfectly still, and sitting on Jolee’s neck.
    “What do I do?” Rivers asked in a desperate whisper.
    “What in tarnation is goin’ on in here? Sounds like a bunch of screamin’ magpies,” Paxton thundered as he and Weston burst into the barn.
    “Paxton!” Rivers pleaded in a whisper, pointing to Jolee.
    Paxton looked at the tears streaming down both female faces and went to his sister.
    “Big ol’ nasty one,” he mumbled upon seeing the spider.
    “Shoot!” Weston exclaimed in a whisper. “She’s raised! She’s gonna bite!”
    Rivers watched in complete astonished fright as Paxton rapidly reached toward the threatening widow.
    “Ow!” Jolee cried just before Paxton smashed the villainous, eight-legged creature between his thumb and forefinger. Rivers wrinkled her nose and clutched at her churning stomach at the gruesome sight of the spider’s mossy green innards apparent on Paxton’s fingers.
    “Did it get ya?” Weston asked, his face stricken with concern.
    “Yes!” Jolee cried as tears continued to stream down her face.
    Rivers watched as Paxton quickly wiped the spider’s remains on his trousers and bent down to scrape a block of cattle salt with his pocket knife. He spit onto the salt scrapings and roughly rubbed the stuff onto his sister’s injured neck.
    “Dang bad place to get bit,” he muttered. “Venom will travel faster now. Let’s get her to the house.”
    Rivers stood frozen with horror and could only stare as Weston gathered Jolee swiftly into his arms. Paxton brusquely pushed by Rivers as he strode out of the barn, motioning for Weston to follow.
    As they entered the house, Rivers clamped her hand over her mouth and raced from the barn. When she’d reached the willow tree near the pond, she stopped and fell to her knees, sobbing. The shock of seeing the horrible spider was enough in itself. She was violently shaking and covered with an