Ranch Manny - B.A. Tortuga Page 0,83
tower gone down?
The drive seemed fucking endless, and God knew it had been long with Curly coughing up all the way there. He hit the edge of town, the whole place ghostly quiet but for the rain.
He got to the diner, groaning as he found it empty, two of the windows broken, a light post down across the parking lot.
He didn’t have time to stop. Jan’s truck wasn’t there so she wasn’t inside. He had to believe that.
The blue lights were spinning, about two miles before his turnoff, the cars blocking the highway.
He pulled up at the roadblock, his heart pounding so hard he could barely hear anything. Brent rolled down his window.
Dan Davies walked up to him, rain pouring off his hat-cover. “Mr. Brent. You’re going to have to wait to get through until the sheriff clears us to go in.”
“I can’t. My kids are all at home, Dan. Please. I got to make it home.”
“Shit. I—hold on.” Dan ran to the other deputy, talking hard, and then the man handed Dan a red first aid kit before Dan headed back to him and jumped in the passenger side of his truck. “Kerr’s going to pull away and let us through. You’re gonna need help. The tornado went straight through your property.”
“Christ.” He threw the truck into Drive, trusting in God to protect his babies and his lover and his horses. Brent tightened his shaking hands on the wheel and firmed his lips against the screams that wanted out. As soon as Kerr moved the cruiser, he peeled out, tires spinning. “Thanks, man. Thank you. You can bring one of the other vehicles back, assuming they’re still there.”
“As soon as we get the all-clear, Kerr’s heading to us.”
“Okay. Has anyone else called in?” There weren’t many other spreads in range of his, but downtown had shown some wind, and he needed a distraction.
“Jan’s place took some damage. Bob Whittaker’s barns are flattened. First Baptist lost the roof.”
The rain was coming down so hard he couldn’t hardly see, and he thanked God he’d driven this road so many times he didn’t need to watch to0—
“Brent! Tree!”
He slammed on the brakes, and they skidded, so he turned into it, missing the tree and stopping on the side of the road. Brent hopped out of the truck to see if they could get around.
“You think we can push it, man?” Dan shoved the trunk, and it rocked. “Come on. Help me.”
“Yeah. You’re a star, man.” Dan knew his kids, had been damn good friends with Shane. He knew what was at stake here.
They shoved and slipped and cussed a lot, but the tree got moved, and they dripped back into the truck. Brent drove a bit slower now, as the damage along the road became clearer.
“Who all is at your house, man?”
“Trace and the kids. Curly and Hal are at the hospital in San Marcos, and Wiley was at the livestock auction.”
“Shit. Okay. We’ll go get them.”
He turned onto his road, only making it a couple hundred feet before the drive became unpassable.
“Goddamn it!” he screamed, so fucking frustrated he couldn’t bear it.
“Hey. Hey, come on. We’ll walk it in.” Dan put a hand on his arm. “I’ll radio Kerr and let him know. I’m with you. Let’s get the truck off the road.”
“My babies and my lover are in that house, Dan.”
“I know. Let’s go. I have the radio. I’ll have them Care flighted if I have to.” Dan grabbed the first aid kit from the floorboard.
Brent clapped his hat on his head, then pulled his plastic poncho out of the back. “Let’s do it.” They would get to Trace and the kids, and every damn one of them would be okay.
They had to be.
Chapter 27
Someone was licking his fingers, over and over, and he swatted at whoever it was. “Shh. Stop it.”
“Dad-O? Oh, thank you Jesus. Dad-O, you got to wake up.”
“Jakob?” Fuck, his tongue felt thick and like it didn’t belong in his mouth. “What? I’m coming.”
“No. No, don’t yet. I watch Live Rescue. You could be real hurt.” Jakob appeared in front of his face. “You’re bleeding.”
“Are you okay?” Wake up, Trace Benjamin Redding! You wake up! “Are the girls okay?”
Tornado. Right. Come on.
“They’re crying, but not broken. The storm is gone, so I took them to sit in the hall so I could dig you out. The house fell on you.” Jakob was pale, eyes wide, but he was such a brave boy. A cowboy all the