The Comforts of Home (37 page)

Afraid there might be more bad news, Tyler tried to sound extra cheery when he picked up. “Good morning, Sheriff Matheson.”

“Not so good, Mr. Wright.”

He’d been the best man at her wedding. If she was cal ing him Mr. Wright, something was wrong. “What’s up?” he asked.

“The National Weather Bureau has issued a tornado watch for this afternoon. They say a wal cloud is already forming north of here, so we may be in for an active afternoon. No sightings near ground yet, but I wanted you to know that if it gets worse, we may need you at the fire station to man the phones and radios.”

“Of course.” He could already feel his pulse speeding.

“Just give me a cal and I’l be there in five.” Thanks to Alex and Hank’s efforts, the town had a central place in times when both the fire department and the sheriff’s office needed to be on ful alert. A few months ago the emergency teams at the hospital had signed on as wel . Tyler had offered to help and found himself at the phones relaying messages from one agency to another. Now it appeared he might get to put al his training to work.

He drove over to pick up Kate ten minutes early and, to his surprise, she came out as if she’d been watching for him.

“How was lunch?” he asked as she shook the rain from her hair.

“Fine. Martha Q wants me to help with Dreaming and Scheming, but I told her I wasn’t sure I’d have time. When I’m here I want to give you a hand.”

“Real y?”

“If you’d like.”

He pul ed to the curb, leaned over, and kissed her lightly on the mouth. “I’d like that, dear. I’d like that very much.” She smiled, looking suddenly younger. “I’d like that too.

In fact, the whole time I was having lunch with Martha Q, I was wishing I was back in your office having whatever Autumn brought us. I’ve got a ton of questions about your business. I guess until yesterday I real y didn’t see how much you help people. You’re a good man, Ty.” She moved over until they were almost touching. Once he was driving again, she said, “Now don’t pul over again, but I need to tel you one other thing about Martha Q.”

“Al right.” Tyler knew whatever it was wouldn’t upset him after she’d just told him she wanted to be with him.

“Martha Q is on her way over to your place. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if her car is fol owing us.”

“Why?” His first thought was that she wanted to plan a funeral, but as far as he knew no one around her was dying.

“I told her what you said about your place holding up if a tornado came and she agreed. She’s decided to camp out with us until this is over.”

“Great,” Tyler managed without too much enthusiasm.

“We’l make room for her.”

Kate laughed and patted his arm. “At least she’s not bringing Mrs. Biggs and her grandsons. Mrs. Biggs cal ed her grandson who is stil in high school and told him to meet her at the fire station. Her other grandson is already there working as one of the volunteers.”

When he pul ed in the drive his cel rang. Tyler answered and said simply, “I’m on my way.”

Kate waited as he closed the phone. “I have to go man the phones. The tornado watch has moved to a warning.

There have been sightings fifty miles from here, and it looks like they’re headed this way.”

“What can I do to help?” Kate was too much the soldier to look frightened.

At that moment Tyler Wright knew he loved Kate Cummings and he always would. “Get everyone downstairs. This building is probably the safest in town.

There’s a comfortable room below with couches and a TV.

Beth doesn’t like to go down there, but we have no one in the prep room right now so she shouldn’t object too much.

When it’s over I’l cal and let you know it’s safe to come up.” Kate nodded just as the siren on top of the town hal began to sound the alarm.

“You’d better get inside.” He touched her hand for only a second and then she was gone, running for the kitchen door.

Within minutes Tyler was at his station surrounded by volunteer firemen swarming in to be ready to help if trouble came. Bob McNabb took the seat on the opposite side of the table. With charts and phones lined up, they prepared.

Every cal had to be logged in. Every fireman who came in was listed and would be accounted for at al times. Tyler signed them in as they picked up radios and gave cel phone numbers.

Bob McNabb handed him a headset and Tyler took over. They’d stay in the bay with the phones ready unless a tornado came close, and then they’d al move to an underground storage room that was already set up like a bunker. Mrs. Biggs was in the kitchen. She’d have tons of coffee ready to pour into thermoses if men had to be sent out, and knowing Mrs. Biggs there would be double-fudge brownies for everyone when they came in after the storm had passed.

“Where’s Stel a?” Tyler asked as they set everything in place. Bob’s wife was never far away from him. Sometimes when she helped out at the funeral home, Bob would sleep in the car waiting for her.

“She’s got one of her headaches. I made her go lie down in the basement. It’s quiet down there and if trouble comes I’l be right beside her.”

Tyler’s first cal was from Gabe Leary, who wanted to know what was happening. His new house on the canyon rim was a dirt road mile from Timber Line Road. From there he could be in town within a few minutes. The problem would be the first mile getting off his land in a rainstorm.

“Load up that pregnant wife of yours and come on into town.” Tyler didn’t have time for smal talk. “I’l cal the hospital and tel her you’re on your way. Tel Liz that her brother said the safest place for anyone nine months pregnant to sit out a tornado is in the basement of the hospital.”

Hank was a few feet away organizing the others, but he nodded toward Tyler. “Tel her I’l check on her as soon as this is over and tel that husband of my sister not to speed. I don’t have time to go pul him out of the mud.” Gabe didn’t respond when Tyler tried to talk.

Apparently, when he’d been told to move, he’d dropped the phone and headed to the car.

Tyler smiled. They’d be at the hospital long before any tornado could get near.

Hank thanked him and added, “I’ve heard a change in the weather can cause labor to start. The water breaks and the woman has her bloody show before she even knows she’s in labor.”

“More information than I need to know, Chief,” Brandon Biggs said as he signed in for duty. He asked Tyler about Autumn and seemed relieved to know that everyone at the funeral home was waiting out the storm in the basement.

Spotters began cal ing in reports of sightings and Hank marked them on the map. In this open country a tornado could touch ground a hundred times before it hit anything.

Everyone else at the station waited and listened to the weathermen tel ing people in the county to take cover.

“We’l al ride this one out underground.”

TWICE AND at the Matheson ranch house a half dozen times during the day. He was moving from one plane to another, watching people, trying to not be conspicuous.

He fol owed the weather on his phone, always aware that storms or winds or even snow this late in some parts of the country could delay one flight and set his schedule off.

While he watched the weather, he always checked Texas.

Somehow it made him feel closer to her to know what the temperature was in her part of the country. A storm was moving in off the Rockies. Warm front coming up from the coast. The perfect mix for a tornado.

Denver never thought much about tornadoes. They were like earthquakes. Little or no warning. People who lived in tornado al ey just did what they could, as fast as they could.

No sandbags. No boarding up. No storing supplies. Just take cover. Be it underground or in a bathtub with a mattress over them, people prepared. Denver tried to picture Claire and her little Saralynn moving to an old game room in the basement. He had never thought to ask them what they did during the storms.

Only now, he had people he loved who might suffer.

Gabe was like a brother and Liz would need help waddling to a storm shelter. And Claire, his beautiful, wild, sophisticated Claire. Who would be there to help her with her family? Who would be there to help her?

As the day passed and he couldn’t reach her, Denver slowly went insane.

MINUTES after the tornado alarm sounded. He told Ronny she was welcome to stay in the back or he’d drive her over to the funeral home, but he had to get home to his wife before she went nuts with worry. She’d been in the Lubbock tornado in 1970 and hadn’t stopped talking about it.

“I’l stay,” Ronny said without hesitation. “I want to finish up with the mail, then I’l cal someone to come pick me up.” Donavan remained at the doorway. “You want me to cal and check on your mom?”

Ronny shook her head. “She always goes next door to the Carvers. He’s deaf and his wife is losing her memory, which makes them good company for Dal as.”

“I’m off then.” Mr. Donavan waved. “I know you’l lock up if you leave.”

She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. She had to think. Marty told her last night that he had a big showdown with his father this morning. Apparently, the family wanted him back in Dal as for another round of testing and operations. He said his old man had been trying to plan out his life since he was born and now, after the accident, Marty complained that he wasn’t sure he could run fast enough to get away.

Ronny didn’t want to take a chance of bumping into Marty’s family, or the girl in silk and pearls. She’d noticed that when she was with Marty he always turned his phone off. When they were together it was like they had their own little world. The worry lines across his face vanished and she felt safe. Last night they’d cooked a meal together and she’d had her first glass of wine. She’d left early because she could see how tired he was even though he tried to hide it.

She finished up the mail and tried to read a chapter from one of the books required in her online course, but she couldn’t concentrate.

When the sky darkened, Ronny could think of only one place she wanted to go. The little duplex halfway between her and the fire station. She put on her coat and the hat Marty hated, locked the back door of the post office, and ran al the way to his house. The wind whipped so violently, it threatened to knock her down, but she didn’t slow.

The duplex looked dark, but maybe the electricity was out. There were no cars out front, so if Marty’s family had come this morning they were gone now.

She tried the door and found it, as always, unlocked.

“Marty?” she cal ed as she rushed in. “Marty?” Ronny tried the kitchen first. He wasn’t there, but she could see his Volvo parked out back. An uneasiness passed over her. The house felt empty, too empty. She ran to the bedroom, thinking maybe he was working out on his equipment. It was al there, the bars, the weights, now silent as a playground in snow.

She slowed, walking back through the house like a mourner. Something was wrong. Very wrong. He wouldn’t have gone out in his wheelchair on a day like this, not even to pick up a paper. His fridge was stocked. The old house was drafty on cold days like this one. Marty always had the fire going in the main room, but not today.

The memory of the first time she’d stepped inside the place came back to her. There had been nothing personal.

Nothing that said,
This is Marty’s place
. There was nothing now.