The wipers set up a rhythm, slapping rain off the windshield as the semi rolled along. He slowed to avoid a low spot full of water, dodged the branches of a downed tree, and speeded up again, a little surprised at how good it felt to be sitting behind the wheel.
But then he’d always enjoyed the growl of a powerful engine, enjoyed making the big monster truck respond to his commands.
He was moving right along, getting close to Dallas, nearing the turnoff onto the road leading to the Tex/Am yard when he heard the news broadcast. A tornado watch for Howler County had just gone into effect for the next four hours. Lots of power outages. All of Iron Springs was down.
His nerves started humming.A watch isn’t a warning,he reminded himself. Still, he didn’t like to think Carly might have to face a tornado alone.
He should have insisted she stay at the big house, where the basement had been fitted out as a storm shelter, with food, water, beds, blankets, and medical supplies. Out at the ranch house, there was nothing but an old root cellar that hadn’t been used in years.
He spotted the turn into the truck yard before he had time to call her, convince her to make the drive before the storm got any worse. He turnedthe rig and drove through the front gates across the asphalt to a row of service bays.
He’d called ahead, had everything set up. One of the guys ran out as he pulled up. Linc rolled down his window and a sharp gust of rain blasted into the cab.
“I can take it from here, Mr. Cain.”
Linc put the truck in NEUTRAL, set the brakes, and swung down from the seat. “It’s all yours, Monty. There’ll be a crew here in the morning to work on it.”
“Yes, sir.”
Linc pulled out his cell and hit Carly’s number. The phone didn’t ring, just went straight to voice mail. He tried again, got the same result. He’d insisted she charge the battery, so he knew it wasn’t low. He tried Frank’s number, got nothing. Cell tower had probably gone down.
He phoned the land line at the ranch house, then the main house—still nothing. The power in the area was out, phone lines could be down.
His worry went up another notch. His gaze went to the pair of black Tex/Am Chevy pickups parked in front of the office, the company’s red-and-black logo on the doors. He’d planned to drive one of the trucks to his apartment and spend the night. The keys would be under the front seat.
He thought of Carly, wondered if she had driven up to the main house. Frank was staying there. If the storm got bad enough, the guards would take shelter inside as well.
But his gut said Carly wouldn’t go. She’d never felt comfortable in the mansion. She’d hole up in the ranch house, figure she would be safe inside.
Head down into the stinging wind and rain, he started walking. Despite the weather, he could be back in Iron Springs in less than two hours. Linc opened the pickup door and climbed in behind the wheel.
* * *
Carly had forgotten how fierce an East Texas storm could get. The power had gone out over an hour ago. Frank Marino had come to check on her shortly after it happened, but she’d told him she’d be okay and sent him back to the mansion.
The ranch house was sturdy, solidly constructed of brick. It had survivedon this piece of ground for decades before Linc had bought the property. It was in far better shape now than it had been then.
Unable to sleep with the wind whistling and rain battering the walls, Carly settled herself on the living room sofa, spread a quilt over her legs, and curled up to read.
Before he’d left, Linc had set his battery-operated radio on the kitchen counter. She’d turned it on when the power had gone out so she could hear any weather updates.
She turned the page of the romantic suspense novel she was reading by the light of an old-fashioned glass kerosene lamp she’d set on the end table. Combined with the glow of an antique brass lamp on the coffee table, the shadowy light formed eerie patterns on the walls.
It was after four in the morning. Linc should have reached Dallas by three. She’d expected him to call, let her know he’d arrived safely. Then she’d discovered her cell wasn’t working. With the power out, there was no way to reach anyone on the land lines, either. Linc would be worried, but hopefully he’d been following the weather reports and knew what was going on.
Currently Howler County was under a tornado watch, not uncommon in this area. Usually a storm like this passed without a funnel cloud being spotted or the weatherman updating the watch to a warning.
Instead of being frightened, Carly found herself enjoying the fierce beating rain and the sound of the wind whistling through the branches of the trees. An occasional flash of lightning bit through the inky blackness, followed by the roll of thunder.
She must have dozed off for a while. She wasn’t sure what awoke her, perhaps the roar of the storm. As her grogginess faded, she realized how much stronger the wind had become, how the house seemed to shake with each furious gust.
Tossing aside the quilt, she hurried into the kitchen to listen to the radio. At the weather report, worry hit her. The watch was now a full-blown tornado warning. She was supposed to take shelter immediately.
Fighting down a wave of panic, she forced herself to think. Frank had told her there was a basement up at the mansion. Both he and Linchad urged her to spend the night up there in case the storm got worse, but she had refused to leave.
Now she realized the mistake she had made. Her pulse began to thrum. Blowing out the glass kerosene lamp, she picked up the brass lamp and hurried toward the bedroom to change out of her nightgown and grab her raincoat.
Her pickup sat out front. The road would be bad but the truck had four-wheel drive and there was still time to reach safety.
