“But we are looking. And I honestly do not believe—”
Collin didn’t even let him get started. “And you didn’t answer my first question. How many men are out on search and rescue, Nathan?”
Others spoke up then. “Yeah! How many?” someone demanded.
“Not enough, that’s how many!” answered another.
Nathan’s face had gone a deep shade of red. “People, please. Order!”
Collin stuck his hands into the pockets of Wayne Christensen’s overalls and waited for Nathan to stop pounding that gavel. Once he did, Collin answered the question himself. “I’m guessing about nine. Nine men to cover the whole of this town and the valley. Have I got that right?”
“Nine strong, able men who are trained in effective search and rescue,” Nathan insisted, his face even redder than before.
Collin kept after him. “It doesn’t matter how good they are. Nine men are not enough. We need to put every able-bodied adult on the search until we’ve made a circuit of all the homes and ranches in town and in the valley. It shouldn’t take more than the rest of today and tomorrow, if we get a move on. After that, we can change our focus to salvage and cleanup.”
Down the row from him and Willa, one of the Crawford men called out, “Sit down and shut up, why don’t you, Traub? Let them that knows what they’re doing make the decisions here.”
“Yeah,” said another voice. “We don’t need the likes of you tellin’ us what to do first.”
And that was when Willa shot to her feet beside him. At first, Collin thought she would grab his arm and beg him to stay out of it.
But it turned out he’d misjudged her. “I feel I must add my voice to Collin’s,” she said in that prim schoolmarm way of hers that never failed to get him kind of hot. “We have no idea how many people might be trapped in their homes or their barns. There are bound to be collapsed buildings. People could be buried in the rubble, praying they’ll be rescued before it’s too late. We’ve already lost Mayor McGee.”
“Bless his soul,” said a woman’s voice.
“Amen,” said another.
Willa wasn’t finished. “Search and rescue is the first job. And we need to give it everything. We can’t afford to lose one more precious life in Rust Creek Falls or the valley.”
And Collin added his voice to hers. “We’ve got to save our people before we worry about our property.”
The room erupted in whistles and applause. People shouted, “By God, he’s right!” and “Search and rescue!” and “Collin’s said it!” and “Listen to the schoolteacher!”
By the time the clapping finally stopped, even Nathan had seen the writing on the wall. He did what he had to do and went along. “The council, as always, seeks to understand and take action according to the wishes of our citizens. We will call in the nine trained men and reassign them as team leaders.”
Willa leaned close and asked softly, “Call? The phones are out....”
He whispered back, “They’ll have handheld radios—walkie-talkies.”
“Oh. Right...”
Nathan was still talking. “For today and tomorrow—and as long as is needed—those nine leaders will head the teams in our search-and-rescue efforts. Volunteers, seek out a leader. Marjorie?”
Marjorie Hanke, the council member to Nathan’s right, stood, picked up a pointer and smacked it against the map of the county that hung behind the council table. The map had already been divided into sections for the proposed cleanup teams. “Team one, section one—and so on,” Marjorie announced. “We’ve been fortunate in that rubber boots, heavy rubber gloves and necessary tools have already been trucked in and will be provided to each of you. Please wear the boots and gloves at all times when searching in mud or standing water. Be on careful lookout, everyone, for vermin of all persuasions. Floods bring out the rats and displace the snakes. Thank you, Nathan.” With a nod, she set down the pointer and took her seat again.
Nathan wrapped it up. At last. “Getting around in the flood areas isn’t easy, but we are able to truck in supplies from Kalispell for those in need. The Ladies Auxiliary of the Community Church has set out a meal on the church lawn while we’ve been busy with our meeting here. If everyone will file outside in an orderly manner, Pastor Alderson will lead us in a prayer, after which we will share a late lunch. By then, your team leaders will have returned—and the search for missing survivors can commence.”
Chapter Five
Buster, leashed to a railing outside the town hall, whined and wiggled in greeting when Willa went to collect him. She took a minute to pet him and praise him for being such a good dog.
Collin got her pack from his pickup for her and then he walked across the street to the church at her side. When her friend and fellow teacher, Paige Dalton, waved and called her name, Willa quickly looked away and pretended she didn’t hear.
No, it wasn’t nice of her to treat a friend that way. But she wanted a few more minutes with Collin. Soon, he would be off with one of the search teams. And then he would probably want to go up the mountain, to check on his house. There would be no reason, once he left with the searchers, for them to be together anymore. The time had come when they would go their separate ways.
She would always be grateful to him—for saving her life in the flood, for helping her make it through those awful first hours trapped in the barn. But she felt a bit wistful, too. For most of that day, it had almost seemed as though she and Collin were a team, ready and able to do what needed doing, fully capable, between them, of handling whatever challenges might arise. It had been a strangely heady feeling.
She wished she didn’t feel so sad suddenly. But already, she was looking back longingly on the afternoon and evening before, and at the morning just passed. In retrospect now, it seemed hard to believe that she’d held a grudge against him for four long years. Her recent ill will toward him seemed something from another lifetime—from someone else’s lifetime. She simply didn’t have it in her to feel bitterness toward him now.
Now, she could almost view the flood and its immediate aftermath as some sort of lovely, exciting adventure story come to life, an adventure starring the two of them—which was way too self-absorbed of her and she knew it. This was no adventure story. This was a bona fide real-life disaster. People she cared about were losing everything.
Including herself, if you came right down to it. She wasn’t holding out a lot of hope for the condition of her house. And what about all of her stuff? She had so many treasures—her favorite velvet sofa pillow, the fairy-tale books she’d collected since childhood, that spindly inlaid table she proudly displayed in the front hall...
The list was endless. What would be left of the things that she loved?
She ordered herself not to go there. Her belongings might be precious to her, but they were only things and she needed to remember that now.
At least she had flood insurance, as did Gage, thank God. Whatever condition her house might be in, there would eventually be money to repair or rebuild. Many people in town and in the valley couldn’t afford flood insurance. They could end up with nothing.
Collin nudged her arm. “You’re wrinkling up your forehead. What’s the matter?”
She tugged on Buster’s leash as he dawdled, sniffing at the curb. “Just worrying, I guess.”
“Stop.” He gave her one of those sexy bad-boy grins of his. “We’re going to get fed. It’s something to be happy about.”
* * *
At the church, the ladies auxiliary had been busy. They’d set up rows of tables out on the lawn. And they’d even thought of people’s pets. Thelma, Hunter McGee’s mother, gave her a bowl of water for Buster and a couple of dog biscuits. The older woman looked pale, Willa thought, and her eyes were swollen and red-rimmed.
Willa wrapped her in a hug and whispered, “H
e will be greatly missed.”
Thelma sniffed and forced a brave smile. “We must soldier on,” she said, and bent to give Buster a pat on the head.
Everyone remained standing while the pastor said a short prayer. He praised the stalwart heart and fine leadership of their lost mayor and asked that the people of Rust Creek Falls might find the strength they needed to endure this difficult time. At the last, he blessed the food.
“Amen,” they all said softly, in unison.
It wasn’t a fancy meal, but when you’re hungry, the simplest food can be so satisfying. They had chicken salad sandwiches, chips, apples, oatmeal cookies and all the water they could drink. Collin sat next to her. They didn’t talk. They were too busy filling their empty stomachs.
The volunteer firemen started coming in, muddy and looking tired. They washed up in the church restrooms and grabbed sandwiches, which they ate standing up. People rose from the tables and surrounded them, eager to join their teams.
Collin leaned close to her. He smelled faintly of her dad’s shaving cream, which made her smile. He muttered, “I meant what I said before. Finish eating and we’ll find a way to get to your house. I can join a team after that.”
She set down her cup of water. “Thank you, but no. You said it yourself in the town hall just now. The search for survivors has to come first.”
He looked at her, a probing sort of look. That dark lock of hair had fallen over his forehead again the way it tended to do. More than ever, she wanted to smooth it back.
But she didn’t. Instead, she took a bite of her cookie and downed her last sip of water.
“You sure?” He looked doubtful.
“I am, yes. First things first.”
* * *
Willa assumed she would end up watching the little ones while their mothers and fathers went out on the search-and-rescue teams. People knew she was good with their kids and trusted her with them.
While Collin went to join a search team, she asked Mrs. McGee about pitching in with child care. Thelma told her to check in with the church nursery. The older woman also volunteered to look after Buster for the rest of the day.
“He’s a nice dog,” Thelma said, her tone bright and cheerful, endless sadness in her eyes. “Taking care of him will be no trouble at all.”
Willa thanked her, gave her another quick hug and ran up the steps into the church, headed for the nursery in back.
Paige caught up with her in the sanctuary. “Willa. I’ve been so worried about you. The whole south side is flooded. Your house, is it...?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t been there since it happened. I left to check on the ranch and track Buster down before the levee broke. On the way, my car got swamped.”
“Oh, my Lord. But you got out all right....”
“Thanks to Collin Traub.” Willa brought her friend up to speed on how Collin had saved her from the flood. “My car’s a total loss. And we ended up waiting out the rest of the storm in the barn.”
“I don’t know what to say. It’s awful. But I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Yeah. Still breathing and all in one piece—and the barn and my parents’ house are fine.”
Paige asked hopefully. “Gage’s place?”
Willa bit her lip and shook her head. “Bad.”
“Oh, Willa.” Paige held out her arms.
Willa went into them and held on tight. “It’s all so scary...”
“Oh, I know, I know.” Paige pulled back, took Willa by the shoulders and gazed at her through solemn, worried brown eyes. “Collin, huh?” she asked gently.
Willa wasn’t surprised at her friend’s cryptic question. Paige was one of the few people in town who knew about that awful night at the Ace in the Hole and about Willa’s longtime crush on the Traub bad boy. Willa had told her friend everything on one of those Friday nights they shared now then—just the two of them, watching a romantic comedy on DVD, a big bowl of popcorn between them. Paige could keep a secret. She would never tell a soul.
Willa realized it was time to admit that she’d let injured pride cloud her judgment in a very big way. “I was all wrong about him.” There was no one else nearby, but she kept her voice low just in case. “I mean, so what if he turned me down once? It’s not that big of a deal. He’s a good guy, someone anyone would want at their back in a crisis.”
“Well, I can see that, but still...” Paige let the sentence die unfinished.
Willa reminded her friend, “Paige, seriously. The man saved my life yesterday and he was right there, sticking by me all night and this morning, too, when we had to face all the damage.”
Paige put up both hands. “All right. He’s a hero. You’ve convinced me.” And then she shrugged. “I’m not surprised, really. I always believed there was a good guy underneath all that swagger.” Like Willa, Paige knew the Traub family well. She’d even been in love with a Traub once—Collin’s brother Sutter. It hadn’t worked out for them. Now Sutter owned a stable in the Seattle area. He didn’t come home often, and when he did, he never stayed long. “So...” Paige hesitated.
Willa tried not to roll her eyes. “Go ahead.”
“Are you and Collin together now?”
Together. With Collin. The thought made her cheeks grow warm. She hastened to clarify, “No. It’s not like that. He helped me out when I needed a hand, that’s all. He helped me a lot and I’m grateful to him.”
“Right.” Paige gave her a knowing look. “And there is still Dane to consider.”
Willa felt instantly guilty. She hadn’t given Dane Everhart a thought since last night, when she’d made a big show of throwing the poor guy in Collin’s face. “I told you. I really don’t think it’s going anywhere with Dane—and yes, when he proposed marriage, I should have said no right then and there. But Dane is so sure that he and I are a good match. And he’s so charming and confident and... I don’t know. We get along, but it’s never been anything romantic.”
Her friend said softly, “But Dane would like it to be.”
Willa gulped and nodded. “It’s so completely...Dane, to decide to marry me and refuse to take no for an answer. But in the end, he’ll have to face facts. He’s just not the guy for me.”
Page coaxed, “But Collin is?”
“No. Really. Come on, Paige. I said it was nothing like that with Collin.”
“But you always liked him—and not in that friends-only way that you seem to feel about Dane.”
Willa lowered her voice even more. “It was a crush that I had on Collin, a teenage crush, that’s all—and stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you think I’m lying to myself.”
“Did I say that?” Now Paige was looking way too innocent.
“You didn’t have to. And you’ve got it all wrong. It’s just that Collin and I have patched up our differences and we’re on good terms now.” Okay, she’d spent the previous night in his arms, but only because it had helped them keep warm. And she wasn’t even going to think about that moment in the morning when they first woke up. Uh-uh. She was just wiping that moment clean out of her head.
“So you and Collin are friends, then?”
Friends? With Collin? It kind of felt that way, but maybe it was just the flood and all they’d been through since yesterday. She had to be careful not to read too much into it. He was off helping with the rescue effort now. When he returned, there would be no reason for him to seek her out. Their future contact with each other would be casual: saying hi when they passed each other on the street, stopping to chat now and then when they ran into each other at the store or the doughnut shop. “I don’t know. We’re...friendly, okay? We’re getting along.”
Paige’s soft mouth tipped up in that warm smile that always made Willa so glad to be her friend. She
chuckled. “Honey, you sound confused.”
Why not just admit it? “Okay. Yeah. I am, a little...”
“You come and stay at my house tonight.” Paige lived on North Pine, well north of the flooded area. “We’ll have a nice glass of wine and I’ll set you straight.”
Willa laughed, too. “Uh-oh.”
“Seriously. I want you staying with me as long as you need to. And don’t you dare go out and stay at the ranch alone now. You need to be with a friend.”
Willa felt suddenly misty-eyed. “Thanks, Paige.”
Paige leaned closer. “And I have to say, I like it that Collin stood up in the meeting and got everyone to see that we need to put all our effort on searching for survivors first.”
“Yes—and that reminds me. Are you helping with child care? I was just going to the nursery to see if they need me.”
Paige caught her arm again. “I guess you didn’t hear. The older ladies are taking care of the kids. Women our age in good shape, they want pitching in with the rescue effort. Come on. We’ll get ourselves on a team.”
* * *
Three people were rescued that day: two disabled shut-ins marooned upstairs in their flooded houses, and a rancher, Barton Derby, who lived alone and whose barn had collapsed on top of him. The team leaders kept in communication on their handheld radios and passed on the news when someone was found.
Barton Derby had compound fractures to both legs and had to be taken to the hospital in Kalispell, a long drive with so many of the roads badly damaged or still flooded. The word was that Derby survived the trip without incident.
The two shut-ins were physically unhurt, just very hungry and frantic over the damage to their homes. Willa and Paige’s team leader told them that Thelma McGee, who owned a big house on Cedar Street, had taken them both to stay with her until other arrangements could be made.
Marooned with the Maverick Page 6