The Cowboy's Homecoming

by Brenda Minton

  Jason shook his head when Jeremy walked in, flashing the light around the room. Jason had taken a seat on the edge of an old table.

  “How long do we stay down here?” Beth sat on the stool in the corner of the room, shivering, her bare arms damp from the rain that pummeled them as they ran for the church. He flashed the light in her direction and she glanced away.

  Jeremy pulled off the plaid shirt he wore over his T-shirt. He tossed it to her, as if it didn’t matter. But it did. When she held it in her hands and smiled it mattered a lot. She slipped her arms into the shirt and pulled it around herself.

  He turned away, listening, waiting. Jason stood next to him, his cell phone up to his ear. Jason bowed his head, leaning against the wall. Jeremy put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing tight. “She’s fine.”

  “Of course she is.” Beth smiled, her words sunny and bright in the dark room. “She’s Alyson and she’s probably in the basement praying like crazy for everyone else.”

  “Someone has to pray.” Jeremy looked up, listening for any signs of distress in the old church. It sounded as steady and solid as ever. He could barely hear the wind that he knew roared around them.

  Or maybe the storm was done, blown over. Maybe the massive, gray funnel hadn’t been a funnel. Now that was wishful thinking. There was only one way to find out for sure.

  “I’m going up.” He opened the door.

  Beth choked out a sound. He turned the flashlight in her direction. Her fingers were curled around the cuffs of his shirt and she shivered.

  “I don’t think you should go.” Her voice broke a little. Mascara streaked down her cheeks.

  His hand was still on the doorknob.

  “What do you suggest? Stay down here indefinitely?” He handed the flashlight over to Jason and pulled his cell phone back out of his pocket.

  “Well, until we know for sure if it’s over.” Beth wrapped her arms around herself; his shirt swallowed her. He couldn’t help but think about how her scent would linger with his on his shirt.

  He needed to get his business going and leave this town as soon as possible. He was starting to doubt the wisdom in building a home here, even if it was meant only to be a weekend home, a place to escape to.

  “I think it’s probably over.” He answered her question, smiling a little.

  “It might not be.”

  “Beth, it’s a tornado.” Jason sighed and sounded more than a little frustrated. It took a lot to get Jason to that point. “They don’t linger, they move on.”

  Jeremy nearly walked away from the door, back to Beth. He considered crossing the room and taking her in his arms until she stopped shivering.

  And then he considered the fact that he might be losing his mind.

  He walked out and closed the door behind him and tried not to worry about what he’d find when he got upstairs. The church could be flattened. His RV could be gone. His barn and his livestock were across the street. Who knew what had happened to them as the storm moved through.

  In the basement, nothing had been disturbed. The few small windows were intact. He hurried up the stairs and opened the door to the sanctuary. The church was untouched. The air around him was still. It was silent.

  It was eerie as anything.

  The birds that had taken up residence in the building swooped and landed on the hanging overhead lights. He no longer needed the cell phone for light so he dialed his sister’s number. She had a scanner and if her phone was working she’d be able to tell him what was going on.

  The cell didn’t work. He opened the front door and stepped out on the porch. His RV still stood at the edge of the parking lot. The trees were still standing. Across the road his house was no longer framed. He had to stand there for a minute, take it all in.

  He took a deep breath and whistled. After a few minutes he walked off the porch and looked around. He pushed his hat back and looked up, at the building that had sheltered them during the storm. And yeah, he got the irony in that.

  The church was untouched. The lawn was littered with tree limbs and debris from other people’s homes, barns and businesses. Not one shingle had blown off the church roof. Not one window had been cracked.

  Footsteps on the floor behind him dragged his attention back to the church and the two people who had gone through this storm with him. Jason Bradshaw was punching buttons on his phone and frowning.

  “No cell service,” Jeremy offered, knowing it wouldn’t help Jason feel any better.

  “Yeah, I have to get home and check on Alyson.”

  “Right. I’ll make a drive through town.”

  Jason’s steady look landed on his sister. Beth stood at the edge of the porch. She still wore Jeremy’s shirt.

  “Are you staying here or going with Jason?” Jeremy stood at the bottom of the steps looking up at her. Somehow he’d managed to sound casual. That wasn’t easy when she was standing there with his shirt swallowing her petite frame. Once, a long time ago, she’d worn his jacket on a cool night. He remembered her scent had lingered on it, floral and citrus. That took him back to places he didn’t want to go. Or maybe he did. That was the problem.

  “I’ll go with you.” She walked down the steps and stood next to Jeremy.

  Jason shook his head as he shoved the useless phone back in his pocket. “Obviously the phone towers have been hit. There could be power lines down across the roads.”

  “Jason, we’ll be careful.” Beth smiled at her brother.

  Jeremy wasn’t part of a “we.” He’d never been part of a “we.” He’d have to explain that to her. He’d managed to live a whole life on his own. But now wasn’t the time for that discussion.

  Instead he found himself as part of a “we.”

  “We’ve been through a few of these storms, Jason.” Jeremy winked at Beth. “We’ll be careful.”

  Jason’s ever-present smile faded. “She’s my sister.”

  “Right, I get that. I’m going to try and make it to the nursing home to check on my mom. I also want to make sure this didn’t hit Grove.”

  Beth smiled at him, and then a softer smile for her overprotective brother. “Jason, go check on Alyson. We’ll be safe.”

  Jason rubbed a hand across his forehead and grinned a little easier. “Yeah, okay, I’m cutting the apron strings, sis.”

  “Good, they were getting a little tight.” She took a few steps and stopped in front of her brother. Rising to her tiptoes she kissed his cheek. “You’re the best.”

  “Yeah, I like to think so. I’ll be back soon or meet up with the two of you later.” Jason walked across the lawn toward his truck. He stopped once and leaned to pick up an envelope in the lawn.

  Typical of a storm, debris from other locations landed miles from home. Jeremy let out a sigh and surveyed the landscape that two hours earlier had been whole.

  The church hadn’t been touched. Beth smiled and started to point that out to Jeremy. Instead she let it go. No use stating the obvious. And Jeremy had walked away. He was studying the debris in the yard.

  Beth turned her attention to the property across the street. The frame of his house was gone. The barn was missing a piece of sheet metal from the roof. She shook her head and walked back to Jeremy’s side.

  “I’m sorry about your house.”

  He shrugged and smiled. “It missed the church.”

  “It would have saved you a lot of time if it hadn’t.”

  “Yeah, I guess it would have saved some explaining, too. People would be a lot more forgiving if it got torn down during an act of God, and not by me.”

  “Maybe God is trying to tell you something.” Beth had meant to tease, but it hadn’t come out that way.

  “I doubt that, Beth. The church has to go. I have plans for a building. I have a guy already selling his house to move here and manage things.”

  “I think you should have an alternate plan.”

  “What does that mean?” He stood in front of her, tall, his eyes pinning her down.
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  “I’m still going to stop you.”

  He grinned, slow and easy and she had a moment of serious doubt. “You’re pretty sure of that, aren’t you?”

  She matched him with a smile of her own. “I’m very sure.”

  “Let the games begin. Because as much as you don’t want that church torn down, honey, I do.”

  Sirens in the distance ended the dance. Jeremy walked to the edge of the church parking lot and she followed. Beth stopped next to him and closed her eyes. She let the soft words of a prayer fill her mind, a prayer for her community, for the injured if there were any, for homes and businesses lost. For strength. It had been more years than she could count since the area was hit by a tornado.

  She opened her eyes and looked up at Jeremy. He gave her an easy smile. Her heart did the two-step, obviously forgetting that they were on opposing sides.

  A police car pulled into the church parking lot, a county deputy that she didn’t know. They’d probably called in reserve officers to handle the situation. The car stopped behind Jeremy’s truck.

  “Checking to make sure everyone is okay.” The officer got out of his car. It was the normal routine after a storm like this, to go through the area making sure people weren’t trapped or injured. Or worse.

  “We’re fine.” Jeremy slid his fingers through hers and they walked across the debris-strewn lawn toward the officer.

  “How bad is it?” Beth asked, wanting to know but a little afraid to hear the answer.

  “Pretty bad. Estimates are that it stayed on the ground for about twenty miles. There’s a small area of Dawson that was hit pretty good. It leveled a few homes, more are damaged and Dawson Community Church lost part of its roof. The school sustained some damage so we’re going to have to find somewhere to set up a shelter.”

  “What about the nursing home? Was it damaged?” Jeremy held tight to her hand and she gave his a little squeeze. His mom had never been there for her kids, but she was still his mom.

  “Nursing home is fine. They have a backup generator and no damage.”

  “And Grove?” Jeremy’s sister lived in Grove.

  “Grove didn’t even get a thunderstorm and the cell is breaking up now.”

  “Where will people go?” Beth couldn’t imagine her town without the Community Church, or with friends moving because houses had been destroyed.

  “Not sure yet. With the school and the Community Church out of commission we’re pretty limited on suitable shelters.” The officer got back into his car. “Folks might have to go to Grove or even to Tulsa if they don’t have family to stay with.”

  “What about here?” She didn’t look at Jeremy. “I’m sorry, it isn’t mine to offer, but the church is intact. There’s plenty of room.”

  “Beth.” Jeremy’s voice was soft, raspy.

  She forced herself to meet his eyes. She wouldn’t be afraid. Nope, she’d just plow through and suffer the consequences. Jeremy’s jaw clenched and he glanced away, back at the church.

  “Sir?” The officer was in his car, window down and the engine idling quietly.

  Jeremy looked at Beth and then he shook his head and smiled. “They can use the church as a shelter.”

  The officer nodded and then the patrol car backed away, turning and pulling out of the drive. It cruised down Back Street toward town, lights flashing but no siren.

  Jeremy looked down at her, shaking his head. Beth waited, because he still had hold of her hand. Her mind flashed back a few years, to Chance, to the times when she’d pushed him too far. “Beth?”

  She shook her head. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t my place to offer the church.”

  “No, it wasn’t. You win this round, but we’re not finished.” He reached for her hand. “And stop looking so worried. As mad as you make me, I’d never hurt you.”

  He leaned close, pulling off his hat and raising her hand to hold it close to his chest, close to the steady rhythm of his heart. His gaze locked with hers. “I’ve never hit a woman and I don’t plan on starting now. Even if you drive me crazy. I won’t hurt you.”

  “I…” What did she say to that?

  Before she could think of anything to say, he moved closer.

  He touched her cheek and then his lips settled on the scar above her eye. And she didn’t pull away. As his kiss trailed down to her cheek she fought a shred of panic. She fought the confusing urge to fall into his arms. She fought tears that burned her eyes because for a long time she’d felt like pieces of a woman and she longed to be whole.

  Jeremy stepped away from her, and she could breathe again. She could think.

  “We should drive into town and see what needs to be done. And I’d like to find a way to check on my mom.” He sounded as if he was looking for a way out of this moment, too. As if he too needed space to breathe.

  Beth nodded because for the moment she couldn’t gather words to respond.

  She looked back at the church as he opened the passenger door of his truck for her to get in. The church had a reprieve. But for how long?

  “The church is safe, Beth. It’s still standing and tonight if people need a place to stay, it’ll be here.”

  “I know.” She climbed into his truck and he closed the door.

  Back Street intersected with Main Street. Main Street ran north and south. Tulsa was over an hour away. Dawson Crossing, the town had been named back in the 1800s. Folks had shortened it to Dawson and it sometimes got confused with a larger community close to Tulsa.

  Today Dawson looked as if someone other than Jeremy had been turned loose with a dozer. On the outskirts of town several homes were demolished. Nothing remained of those homes but foundations with scattered, splintered lumber. Home after home had been damaged. Trees were down, power lines hung from broken poles and roofs were partially gone. In town the convenience store had lost the roof over the gas pumps and the windows were shattered.

  The Mad Cow Café didn’t look too worse for wear. There were shingles missing, but other than that, Vera looked happy to still have her business. She stood out front, her apron tight around her waist. When she saw Beth and Jeremy, she waved. Jeremy stopped his truck and backed up.

  “Is the café okay, Vera?” Jeremy leaned forward and Beth leaned back in the seat, giving him a clear view of the Mad Cow’s proprietor.

  “It sure is. I have a generator on the way so hopefully I won’t lose all my groceries. But I’m one of the lucky ones.”

  “Is there anything we can do?” Beth asked.

  “Not yet, Beth. I did hear that Jeremy’s going to open the church as a shelter. Do you need blankets?”

  Jeremy blinked a few times at how quickly word traveled in this town. He was all for letting people stay in the church. The word shelter implied a lot more than he had really planned.

  “I haven’t thought about it, Vera. I just planned on leaving the door open for anyone who needs a place to stay.”

  “Bless your heart.” Vera stepped off the sidewalk. Her dark hair was shot through with gray and her skirt and blouse were not as crisp as usual. She walked up to the truck and leaned in the window. “Honey, you need to move the pews and make room for cots. Wyatt Johnson has quite a few in storage at the Community Church. They also have blankets and other emergency supplies. The Red Cross will be showing up, too.”

  Go Wyatt. Jeremy just smiled.

  Beth jumped into the conversation. “We’ll need flashlights and plenty of bottled water.”

  Vera patted her arm. “Already taken care of. Jason was through here earlier and he’s going to bring a tank of water and set it up at the church.”

  Jeremy accepted that the church wouldn’t turn itself into a shelter. But people in Dawson were prepared the way they were always prepared. People here knew that in the space of a heartbeat, life brought change. He’d experienced plenty of change in his own life.

  In the last few weeks he’d gone from being a guy with a plan to the guy everyone wanted to stop. And now this. He shook his head and
he let it go because his plans being halted were nothing compared to people losing their homes.

  “I guess we should get on the road and see if there’s anything else we can do.” Jeremy shifted into gear. “See you later, Vera.”

  “Okay, but be careful. And don’t worry, I’ll bring up a big batch of barbecued pork for sandwiches to feed anyone that shows up this evening.”

  “Thanks, Vera.” Beth reached through the window and gave Vera’s hand a squeeze.

  “Do you mind riding along with me while I check on my mom?” He shifted his truck into gear and peered to the left, at a field littered with debris, including what looked like it might have been part of someone’s roof.

  “Of course not.”

  He slowed as they neared emergency vehicles, lights flashing. A first responder in an oversize coat stepped out to stop them and then walked up to his window. Jeremy waited.

  “Got power lines down in the road, Jeremy. I can’t let you drive through.” The volunteer was young, maybe in his late teens. Jeremy wasn’t sure if he should know the kid or not. But the kid knew his name so he guessed he must.

  “I need to get to the nursing home to check on my mom.”

  “Yeah, there isn’t a way to get there right now. Part of the Lawtons’ barn is in the road up here, and farther up there’s a big old tree across the road.”

  “Thanks, I’ll try again this evening.”

  The volunteer in his gray jacket with neon stripes nodded. His safety helmet was loose, a little large on his head. The jacket swam around his thin frame. But in a small community, it took everyone to pitch in when disaster struck.

  Jeremy backed his truck into a drive that led to someone’s field. He pulled around and headed back to Dawson. Beth leaned back in her seat and sighed. He glanced her way.

  “I can drive you back to your place,” he offered, slowing as the truck got close to a side road that would lead them to the Bradshaw ranch.

  “I’m not in any hurry.”

  Yeah, neither was he. Even at thirty, he didn’t want to meet up with Buck Bradshaw. Beth’s dad was a big man and probably still willing to take care of business if anyone messed with his little girl.