The Comforts of Home

by Jodi Thomas

  Every Matheson woman groaned, including Saralynn.

  “I have to get to the hospital.” Reagan stood. “We could take one of the cars as far down the road as we could get and walk the rest of the way.”

  Noah shook his head. “It would take an hour, maybe more in this rain and mud.”

  Derwood smiled. “Why don’t you take a few of those horses in the barn? You should be able to cross the open fields.”

  “My horses,” Noah said. “Of course, they’re here.” He glanced at Foster. “Can you help me saddle them? Rea, get your coat.”

  Reagan started to object, but Noah and Foster were already out the back door. She had to get to the hospital, but riding a horse seemed like a crazy idea. Noah might have grown up around horses, but she’d ridden only a few times and never when it was raining with lightning still flashing around them.

  She walked out back, thinking this idea would never work. They had to come up with another plan.

  Noah hurried from the barn, leading two horses saddled and ready.

  “I can’t ride,” she said simply.

  “Of course you can. I’ll be right with you.”

  “No.” She’d barely been able to stay in the saddle when the horse walked. She’d never make it.

  “All right, Rea, we’ll ride double.” He helped her up and then swung up with his good arm and settled in behind her.

  They were heading out across the open field toward the Truman orchard before she could say anything. The horse moved easily into a gallop, and Noah’s arm cast felt like the bar of a roller coaster ride holding her in place. She wasn’t cold or afraid. This time on a horse, she felt safe and protected.

  He slowed when they reached the downed fence marking the entrance to the orchard. Years ago Uncle Jeremiah had made it easy for Aunt Pat to roll her little golf cart over the border between their land so she could collect all the apples she wanted.

  Noah whispered in Rea’s ear. “Do you think they used to secretly meet here under these trees? Who knows, maybe they’ve been lovers for years.”

  “I’d like to think that,” she said. “I’m guessing that would give them both some happiness.”

  “Or sadness. Meeting now and then, but never being truly together.”

  “We’ll never know,” she whispered.

  As soon as they reached the path, Noah encouraged the horse to pick up speed. They took Lone Oak Road as far as they could and then worked their way through the downed trees until they reached the edge of town. The little trailer park that had been there nestled among the old cottonwoods by the stream looked like a giant had taken his hand and stirred them all up. Some were on their sides, a few off their foundations. One was smashed completely, and a few looked like they hadn’t even been touched by the wind. People were out everywhere. Standing, watching the sky. Helping others. A few were moving slowly about, picking up the pieces of their lives that had tumbled out of their homes.

  When Noah crossed the bridge, he saw his first traffic. His horse panicked.

  Noah held the reins and controlled the animal with soft words and a firm grip. Within a few minutes they were crossing along the creek bed to the back of the hospital.

  Noah’s voice whispered against her ear, “You know, I’d forgotten how much I like riding. It feels good to be sitting in a saddle that isn’t bucking. I remember once when I wanted to spend every day in the saddle.”

  He reached the entrance and lowered her to the ground. “Go on in. I’ll find you.”

  As Reagan ran into the hospital, she heard one of the security guards yelling that Noah couldn’t park that horse at the entrance. Reagan smiled, thinking that if Brandon was awake she’d tell him all about what she’d gone through to get to him tonight.

  People lined the hallway. Firemen, tired and dirty from working; construction workers who’d heard Brandon was hurt.

  She saw Martha Q standing next to Mrs. Biggs near the door.

  “What’s happening?” Reagan asked them both.

  “The bullet went through. He’s in surgery now.” Mrs. Biggs cried softly. “We’ll know more as soon as they’re finished.

  “Where is his brother?” Rea knew Bran would be worried about Border. He might be only a few years older, but he thought he was Border’s parent.

  “He’s giving blood,” Mrs. Biggs said. “They’re running short of O negative with all the injuries coming in.”

  Noah had stepped up behind Rea. “I’m O negative.”

  Mrs. Biggs didn’t even have to ask; Noah was already moving down the hallway looking for a nurse.

  Reagan talked Mrs. Biggs into moving into the waiting room. Martha Q came along.

  She wasn’t sure how long she waited; all Reagan knew was that she couldn’t leave until she’d seen Bran.

  Mr. Wright came in. He looked around the room and went straight to a woman Reagan hadn’t recognized until he hugged her. Major Kate Cummings, the arson specialist who’d visited several years ago. To Reagan’s surprise, Mr. Wright kissed her on the mouth right in front of everyone. They talked, their heads almost touching for a few minutes before they seemed to notice there were people all around.

  Reagan leaned back in her chair. The night was full of surprises. “How was Bran shot?” she asked Mrs. Biggs, but it was Martha Q who answered.

  “I’m not sure. We think Brandon walked in and surprised Leland while he was robbing the place.”

  Martha Q leaned closer and added, “I was there right after it happened. When Kate”—she pointed to the woman still in Mr. Wright’s arms—“came up from the basement of the funeral home, there was the Biggs boy bleeding on the floor and that man, Leland, rummaging through the silverware drawer.

  “He looked up at us and yelled, ‘What do you two old bags want?’ Well, I wasn’t going to take that kind of talk. I headed toward him, yelling that he needed to have a little respect and what had he done. I pointed my finger at him and began to give him a piece of my mind on beating women.”

  Reagan, along with several others in the waiting room, was listening to every word Martha Q said.

  “I saw he’d left the gun on the counter and I aimed to get there before he did, but I’m not as fast as I used to be, even though I do work out at the gym now and then.”

  “What happened next?” Reagan pulled Martha Q back to her account.

  “Well, he was getting madder and madder as we both moved toward the gun. Apparently he likes to be the one yelling, not the one being yelled at. I started waving my arms like I was planning to teach him a lesson. I had his full attention when Kate slammed the snow shovel up against the back of his head.”

  Everyone murmured, amazed at Martha Q’s daring.

  “He was stunned by the blow and by the time he recovered, she’d hit him in the back of the knees. He fell like a pine tree downed with one whack. When he could focus, he was looking down the barrel of a gun Kate obviously knew how to handle. She was in the army, you know.”

  Everyone around began asking questions, and Reagan moved away. When she looked for Mr. Wright and the major, they seemed to have vanished.

  Chapter 54

  HARMONY HOSPITAL

  TYLER TOOK KATE’S HAND AND THEY WALKED TO A SIDE door off the waiting room leading to a courtyard. In summer it was covered with flowers and bird feeders, but now it looked dull and brown.

  They stood a few feet beyond the door so the rain couldn’t reach them. He hugged her again, needed to believe that she was safe. “You could have been shot, Kate. You could have been hurt.”

  “I calculated the risk. I wouldn’t have charged in if I hadn’t seen the fireman down. Plus, Leland wasn’t trained and I was, though it had been a few years since I’d practiced combat.” She patted his chest as if to calm him. “I also had a secret weapon. Martha Q as a distraction.”

  Tyler grinned. “I love you.” He said the words before he’d realized his thoughts had tumbled out, but once said, he couldn’t pull them back. “I love you,” he repea
ted. “When I thought you were in trouble, I had to fight to keep from running to you.”

  “You manned your post, Tyler. That was exactly what you should have done.” She patted his chest again. “And, by the way, Ty, I love you too. I have for a long time. I just didn’t know how to say it.”

  Chapter 55

  HARMONY HOSPITAL

  REAGAN WATCHED TYLER WRIGHT AND THE MAJOR THROUGH the long glass windows looking over the courtyard. They were standing close, talking only inches apart. He leaned down several times and gave her a light kiss. She had her hand over his heart.

  They were in love, Reagan realized. The forever kind of love that everyone else can see. A dozen dramas were going on in the waiting room, but just beyond the glass two lonely people had found one another. No, more than that, she thought. They looked like they’d found the kind of love that lasts a lifetime.

  When they finally stepped back inside, Tyler held her hand in his.

  Reagan moved toward them, sorry to be the first to step into their private world, but needing to know more about what happened to Bran.

  When Kate greeted her with a smile, Reagan whispered, “I just talked to Martha Q. Is that the way it happened, Major?”

  Kate winked at Tyler and said, “That’s exactly how it happened.”

  Reagan doubted it somehow, but Martha Q was loving being the hero.

  “Reagan,” Tyler said in a low voice, “you don’t need to call Kate Major. She’s going to be retiring soon and joining me in the business.”

  “Really?” Reagan would have never guessed Mr. Wright would take on a partner.

  Kate nodded. “I’ll be just Kate,” she laughed. “Or, of course you can call me Mrs. Wright if you want to be formal.”

  Reagan saw it then in their eyes, a kind of happiness that made them both shine.

  “During the storm today,” Tyler began, “we both figured out something. We don’t want to be apart. Not ever again.”

  Kate laughed. “I’ve spent years looking for the right man. Who knew I could have just looked in the Harmony phone book to find the Wright one.” She smiled at him and added, “The perfect one for me.”

  Before Reagan had time to say more than Congratulations , a nurse called her to the recovery room. Noah followed her in.

  Brandon’s chest was bandaged, but he didn’t look near death, just groggy. “Thanks for coming, Reagan,” he said. “I wanted to tell you I’m not dying. All I could think about while I was on that kitchen floor bleeding was to let you know.”

  “The nurse said you’re going to be all right.” She leaned and kissed him on the cheek.

  “Yeah, that’s what my little brother said when they let him in a few minutes ago. He gripes about me being hard on him all the time, but he was crying like a baby.”

  “The nurse says I only have a minute, but I want you to know there’s a room full of people out there worried about you. I about went nuts with worry.”

  “I’ll be around for a while.” He noticed Noah standing by the door. “Thanks for the blood, cowboy.”

  “Don’t go thinking this makes us blood brothers. I was just paying back a favor.”

  Bran laughed, then groaned in pain. The nurse moved in and told them to leave. Rea kissed him one more time and left before she started crying.

  Noah led her down the hallway away from the others. When they were alone, he leaned down and kissed her gently.

  “What’s that for?” she asked, surprised by his sudden show of affection.

  “For not crawling in bed with him. I may be leaving to catch the last of the spring rodeos, but you’re my girl.”

  “What makes you so sure?”

  “Because you climb up in bed with me when I’m hurt. And you’re going to wait for me, Reagan Truman, no matter how much you hate it. You’ll wait for me to finish rodeoing, and then we’ll talk about the rest of our lives.”

  “You’re light-headed from loss of blood.”

  He shook his head. “No. I think I’m seeing better than I have in a long time. The rodeo isn’t my dream, it’s just a gamble I’m taking that might pay off. But whether I come home with winnings or broke, you’re still in my future.”

  He looped his arm around her shoulder. “You, me, the ranch, three kids. I see the whole thing clear as day.”

  Reagan laughed. Her Noah was finally back. “We’ll see,” she said, not wanting him to get too big a head.

  Chapter 56

  HARMONY HOSPITAL

  THREE HOURS LATER, GABE LEARY WALKED OUT OF THE delivery room to a crowd of Mathesons and his friend Denver Sims. Everyone went silent, but Gabe didn’t say a word.

  Denver moved forward. “Well, Gabriel, what do you have?”

  Gabe’s eyes were wide like he’d been through the toughest battle of his life. Being a soldier hadn’t prepared him for what he’d just faced.

  Denver slapped him on the shoulder. “Gabe! What is it? What’s wrong?”

  Gabe stared at his best friend. “I’ve got two daughters. Girls. Little tiny girls.”

  Denver laughed. “Don’t worry, they’ll grow and then you’ll really have to be ready for trouble.” He glanced over at Saralynn, sitting beside her mother. “You know, I don’t think being a dad is going to be half bad. I think I might give it a try. Little girls have a way of wrapping themselves around your heart.”

  Chapter 57

  SATURDAY

  MARCH 20

  WRIGHT FUNERAL HOME

  THE DAY AFTER THE TORNADO, RONNY SLEPT LATE ON HER little bed in Autumn’s sitting room. She was vaguely aware of Autumn crossing the room at dawn, and she could hear the mumbling of people talking beyond the door, but she didn’t want to open her eyes. Yesterday had been too much for her. The tornado, then the wait at the hospital.

  She’d left Marty five messages on his cell, and he’d never answered one. Apparently he’d stepped out of this one life and into another. She didn’t know if he’d been forced or bribed to go back to Dallas, but she knew he didn’t go willingly. The memory of him saying he didn’t know if he had the strength to fight worried her. Had he given in to his father’s plan of care, or had he simply given in?

  She wanted to be there to help him, but he wouldn’t want her there to watch him die. Whatever had pulled him away, Marty wanted to deal with it alone, and she’d never know if he was forgetting her or somehow thought he was sparing her pain.

  A part of Ronny thought if she just didn’t get up today, she wouldn’t have to face anything, but after fighting back tears for an hour, she knew that wasn’t true.

  Finally, when all was quiet in the kitchen, Ronny stood and slipped into her old baggy pants and T-shirt. She tiptoed out the back door of the funeral home and crossed to the muddy creek bed. Branches and trash cluttered the path now, making it look dirty and unwelcoming, but she maneuvered through the boards and pieces of roofing, not caring that her shoes were caked in mud.

  The morning was bright, almost as if nature were smiling and saying, Sorry about all the mess.

  Buffalo’s Bar had lost most of the roof. The trailer park that had been down in the cottonwoods just out of town since Gypsies camped there in the 1890s, was pretty much destroyed. Tyler told her last night there were a dozen injuries, but no one hurt badly. A construction site over by the mall had had lumber and supplies piled up for a new restaurant. Most of it had vanished in the wind.

  Ronny climbed the side of the creek bed a few houses from where Marty’s duplex stood. Like several buildings, it had suffered damage. Most of the ramp Marty had used to get in and out of the house was gone, and one of the Biggs windows had been blown out, probably by flying lumber, Ronny thought. The old Mission-style duplex looked pretty much the same, considering the fact that it had probably stood years of winds.

  When she reached the front door, Ronny bumped into Martha Q coming out of Marty’s place.

  “Oh.” Martha Q looked surprised. “I didn’t expect to see you here. If you’re delivering the mail, the man
moved out yesterday.”

  Ronny kept her head down and backed away. She didn’t want to talk to Martha Q. Martha Q, on the other hand, seemed to have something to say. She closed in faster than Ronny could back away.

  “I heard you moved out on your mother. I’m surprised you didn’t think of it years ago. By the time I was your age I’d been married twice.”

  Ronny figured everyone in town had heard some version of the story, truth or not. Apparently, Martha Q hadn’t heard that she’d been at Marty’s place the night her mother caused all the trouble. That was all right; people wouldn’t believe that a man like Marty would have anything to do with someone like her.

  “About time you spread your wings,” Martha Q huffed. “There’s nothing wrong with your brain, is there? You can think for yourself, count money, open a can so you won’t starve?”

  Ronny almost laughed, thinking of how she’d flown once down a back road with the windows down. “What are you asking, Mrs. Patterson?” Just because Ronny never said a word when she was around the innkeeper didn’t mean that something was wrong with her. She’d managed to get through three years of college online, and that hadn’t been easy with her gaps in education after being homeschooled by a mother who thought math was a waste of time.

  Martha Q stared at her. “You got enough money, girl? If I know Dallas, she didn’t give you a dime.”

  “I have money.” It crossed Ronny’s mind that everything she said might be relayed to her mother. “I’ll be fine. I’ve been gone almost a week and haven’t had to eat a frozen dinner once. I can learn to cook when I have my own place.” That she wasn’t sure of, but she wasn’t going to admit it to anyone.