“This is getting rough. Check your weather app and see if there are any tornadoes in the area.”
She pulled her phone out and pulled up the Weather Channel. Instantly, she saw the alerts. “Oh yes, definitely under tornado watch. There are several warnings out there right now.” A chill of worry filled her. She sat up and scanned the dark sky. Not that she could see anything.
“I was afraid of that. But I think we’ll be okay. We’ll take the next exit and stop for supper and try to watch a news report.”
“That sounds good.”
A few minutes later, they pulled onto an exit and headed toward a diner. Even from outside, they could see the glow of the TV in the bar area. “That should be good and we can watch the trailer from there with all the windows like that. It’s not exactly where I was hoping to take you for dinner.”
His words took her attention off the storm for a moment. The man wanted to take her somewhere nice for dinner. The thought was nice. And despite the fact that she hadn’t been on a date in a year because she wasn’t ready to trust anyone, the man seemed to understand what was going on in her head. Did he know she was thinking a nice dinner with him was suddenly very appealing?
He parked the truck and trailer. After he turned off the engine, he reached behind the seat into the floorboard of the truck and pulled out an umbrella. He handed it to her. Their fingers brushed and a shiver of awareness shot up her arm.
“I’m not sure it will protect you too much with the way the wind is whipping but it’s worth a try.”He pulled out a plastic hat cover and fit it on his hat to protect his hat from the rain. And then he grabbed a rain jacket and shrugged into it. “You go ahead inside. I need to check on the horses. Do you need a jacket? I’ll give you this one if you do.”
“I’ll be fine. I have a windbreaker that will protect me.” She reached into her bag. “You sure you don’t need me?”
“No, I’m fine. I’m glad you have those boots on. Your feet are going to get swamped in that water. I should have let you out at the door.”
“I won’t melt. I’ve done this before,” she said. “But it’s nice that you are thinking about that. See you in a minute.”She jumped out of the truck and headed inside.
She paused inside the doorway to wait for Cam. She peeled off the now soaked jacket. Cam was going to be soaked; she could see him through the darkness as he checked on the horses and then jogged across the flooding parking lot.
She pushed the door open for him. He took his hat off. “We stopped at a really good time.” He pulled off his jacket and hung it on a rack next to the door.
They entered through the secondary door into the diner.
The hostess approached them. “You folks stopping by to get out of the storm?”
“Yes. It’s awful out there,” Lana said. “Are there tornadoes around?”
The waitress nodded. “Yes. But this is the safest place to be right now. Do you want a seat in the bar area so you can watch the news?”
“That would be good,” Cam said.
The woman led them to the last table in the bar.
She scanned the diner.“I’m glad we’re here but I feel bad for everyone caught out in this storm who can’t get to safety. I hope that older couple seeks shelter somewhere.”
“I do too.” He reached for a menu and scanned it. She did the same. “I’m thinking those fajitas are in my future.”
She closed the menu. “All I can say is we are on the same wavelength because I see those in my future too.”
He grinned. “Then fajitas for two coming up.”
The waitress came back and he gave her their order. She’d just walked away when thunder rattled the diner’s windows and instantly the lights went out.
Chapter Ten
“Just what I hoped we’d miss.” Lana groaned the instant the lights went out.
Cam reached across the table and covered Lana’s hand with his.“It’s going to be okay,” he said, wanting to reassure her. He suspected the storm was adding more stress to her already full plate. “I’ll get you to your dad, so don’t let this weather put more stress on you.”
“Thanks, but it’s really bad out there. I know my dad is doing okay but this is going to slow us down.”
Everyone in the diner had started talking louder, and some were up, moving around to look out the windows. He was going to have to do something with the horses but his options were limited at the moment. This wasn’t the sturdiest diner he’d ever seen either. If a tornado set down on them, they didn’t have much more shelter than the horses did in their trailer.
“I’ll get you there, I promise,” he said, trying again to reassure her.
“Thanks. But we could be in a pickle.”Lana turned her hand over beneath his and held his hand.
His pulse quickened at her action.
One thing he’d learned about Lana was she didn’t really sugarcoat anything. “Yes, we could be. But I’m thinking positive. I’m going to go out and look around, see if I can hear or see anything when the next flash of lightning strikes. Stay here, away from the windows, and get ready to get under this table if you need to.” He could make out her expression in the darkness. Her hand tightened on his.
“Be careful. I can come too—”
“No, you stay here. I mean it, Lana,” he warned when she moved to get up.
“Fine. I’ll wait, but if you don’t come back in soon, I’ll be coming out there.”
He stood and moved to her side of the table and then leaned down, bringing his face close to hers in the darkness. The soft scent of her shampoo had him wanting to lean closer.“Stay put. I’ll be back. I don’t want your brothers and your dad coming after me.” And then, unable to stop himself, he kissed her. He’d been wanting to kiss her again ever since that time in the barn and now, he did it.
She gasped as his lips captured hers; then her hand came to cup his jaw and she leaned into the kiss. His adrenaline spiked and his breath caught in his chest.
“I’ll be back,” he murmured and then he left her and strode to the door. Lightning flashed and thunder exploded just as he walked into the outer entrance to grab his raincoat. At least he thought it was the weather going crazy around him…it could have been the effects of that kiss because there was definitely fireworks and rockets exploding for him right now.
It was all Lana could do not to go with Cam. She jumped from her seat, her heart pounding like the thunder outside from the kiss they’d shared. Compounded with that, worry for him knotted her insides.
This storm had turned nasty.
The weather report on the television was no longer an option, so she pulled it up on her phone and was glad to see she could still pull up a report on it. There were flood watch reports all over the place. It had gone from bad to dangerous in zero to sixty seconds. Lightning lit the sky again and she saw Cam get inside the truck. Then he started it up. If she was right, he was moving the trailer to the side of the diner that would give the animals a little relief from the rain. His trailer was nice in that it was a hauler and had sides and a roof versus an all railed open trailer, thus giving the horses protection from most of the rain. He’d closed the window earlier before coming into the diner; still, the wind buffeted the sides and she had a feeling the horses were getting nervous. He did as she thought and pulled the trailer around to the back. A few moments later, she glimpsed him jogging through the rain toward the door.
Relief washed over her as he entered the diner once more. He was safe—or as safe as they could be given the situation. Unable to stop herself, she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him.
“Hey, you’re going to get wet.” He half laughed but held her against him.
“I’m glad you’re safe.” Then, feeling self-conscious, she pulled out of his arms. Her shirt was wet now but she didn’t care. She was just so happy he was okay.
The waitress was passing out candles and brought one to their table.“Would you like some coffee, cowboy? We still have some t
hat’s warm since the lights haven’t been off long.”
“That would be great.” Cam peeled off his jacket and laid it in the empty booth next to theirs. “Do y’all have an emergency generator?”
“Sorry. It’s not working. But our cook called the police—his brother is one of the deputies—and he told him the danger is almost over. I’ll bring the coffee. Might as well sit down there and snuggle.”
Lana had to admit it sounded like a good idea. “I think it’s going to blow over soon, as long as a twister doesn’t develop in the next few minutes.”
“Let’s hope you’re right.” He smiled in the candlelight. “Until then, we’ll just wait it out. At least I have great company.”
She smiled and slid into the booth, making room for him as the waitress brought his coffee and a cup for Lana, too, and set it on the table.
“Enjoy. Maybe that’ll help take the wet chill off. You got pretty wet out there,” she said.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve been soaked before. Thanks for the coffee. Let me know if I can help out with anything,” Cam offered.
“Thank you, but we’re just going to have to sit it out. Looks like we have a pretty calm crowd.” She headed off to take care of the other customers waiting out the storm.
“So now we wait.”Cam picked up the cup. Lightning struck outside and lit up the sky once more. “Looks like we might as well enjoy the show.”
And what a show it was. The lightning flashed and the thunder rolled. Though they stayed away from the big windows, they still had a great view of nature in all its glory—or fury—as they talked and watched the night.
Two hours later, the storm eased up.
“We better take our shot,” Cam said. They jogged through the rain and climbed back into the truck.
“That’s crazy!”She laughed, breathless as she pulled the door closed behind her.
“Tell me about it. Okay, let’s get you home to your dad. Maybe you should try to sleep so you won’t be worn-out when we get there.”
“I won’t be able to, I don’t think. Not knowing you’re not going to get any rest.”
“I do this all the time. I’ll be fine.”
“We’ll see.” She watched the dark road. “Not many people out now,” she said, hoping to change the subject.
“Most people found shelter and aren’t driving around yet. But we have an important place to get to.” He shot her an easy smile that was kind and made her like him all the more.
“That makes sense. If I wasn’t trying to get home, I wouldn’t be on the road either.”
Farther along, they passed several cars sitting on the side of the road and in different segments of the next ten miles. “They got caught in the storm. I bet that was scary, sitting it out in their cars.” She felt for them. It had been scary enough in the diner.
“Looks like that’s what happened.”
Suddenly, she spotted a car she recognized. “Cam, that was that older couple I spoke to earlier this afternoon. He was standing outside the car.”
“I think he was trying to fix a flat.” Cam began to slow the truck as he spoke.
“Are you going to help them?”
“Yes. I hope you don’t mind?”
“Oh no, I’m glad. I want to help them.”
“Good. I will get you to your dad.”
She smiled at him. “I know you will. But passing them up on the side of the road would haunt me forever, so thank you.”
“I’ll take that emergency cross-over up there. If it looks like we can get the trailer through it. That depends on what the rain did to it…”He slowed and then pulled to the shoulder as he checked out the ground between the highway lanes. “Looks good. I think we can make it.”
She was relieved when they made it back onto the highway going the opposite way and within a few more minutes after going back through another emergency crossroad, they pulled up behind the car. The poor man looked so relieved when they pulled up behind him. When she and Cam hopped from the truck and walked toward him, recognition came instantly to his startled expression.
“I know you.”
She smiled. “Yes, we crossed paths earlier this afternoon. We saw you and thought you might need some help.”
His eyes widened in relief. “I would be so grateful.”
“Did y’all have to go through the storm here on the side of the road?” Cam asked.
“Yes, we missed the exit. It was a scary mistake. My wife is still upset over it.”
“We’ll take care of this for you.”
She moved to the window on the passenger side of the car; the lady looked up and instantly looked excited. She rolled her window down.
“Hello there. You’re that nice young woman from the store this afternoon.”
“I am. My name is Lana Presley and my friend is Cam Sinclair. He’s going to change your tire and I’m going to help him. I just wanted to say hello.”
“I’m Clara and my husband is Jim. It is so wonderful of you to stop and help. This has been a terrifying night, I don’t mind telling you.”
“I can only imagine how terrifying it must have been sitting here in the car. We’ll get you back on the road so hopefully you two can find a room for the night and relax before you get back on the road tomorrow.”
Clara sighed and dabbed at tears that suddenly filled her eyes and glistened in the interior light of the car. Lana was so thankful that she and Cam had spotted them on the side of the road.
“Relax, okay? I better go help Cam. I’ll talk to you in a minute.”
She hurried back to Cam and Jim. He looked worn-out and she wasn’t sure that he was in the best of health himself. This couple needed to get wherever they were going, that was completely evident.“I’ll help Cam get this tire on. Why don’t you go sit in the car with Clara? She seems worried.”
He started to argue but Cam stopped him. “Really, Jim, it’s okay. We can do this and you need to get out of this rain because your wife is going to need you to get her to safety somewhere. If you stand out here and exhaust yourself anymore, you might not be able to take care of her like you need to.”
That got him; Lana saw it in his eyes. “Okay. You’re probably right.”
“Your wife is your priority, so don’t feel bad. We’ll have you on the road in a few minutes.”
Lana could have hugged Cam in that moment. The one way to get this older man to accommodate them was to talk about him providing shelter for his wife. And protection. It hopefully gave him the excuse to do as they asked because he literally looked as if he needed to see a doctor himself.
“Thank you. I have been ill and this is really hard. We shouldn’t have made this trip. But my wife’s brother passed away and I could not let her miss his funeral, so we made this trip and coming off illness myself, it’s been tough.”
Cam patted his shoulder. “I’m sure sorry, sir, for your loss. But that’s why you need to go get in the car. It’s okay. We’ve got this.”
It was all Lana could do not to throw her arms around Cam Sinclair and hug the stuffing out of him in that moment. What a hero…he was almost too perfect to believe. She watched Jim nod and then go and get inside the car. She looked at Cam. Water dripped off his hat and rolled down his face. She knew that she looked the same but didn’t care.
She smiled through the water and then did what she felt like doing. She took two steps, put her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly.“Thank you. You knew exactly how to speak to him in order to get him to do what was needed.”
Cam hugged her close, melding their soaked bodies together. “You do know you’re soaked, don’t you?”
She laughed. “Yes, and you are too but I don’t care in the least. You’re an amazing man, Cam.” She couldn’t have cared less about the wind and the rain; all she could think about were his arms wrapped around her and the feel of his heart beating against hers. There was no other place on earth in that moment she would rather be.
“I’m glad you saw them and
if I can get thanks like this, then I’ll start being helpful to everyone on the side of the road between here and Texas.”
She chuckled and stepped out of his arms. “Don’t push your luck, cowboy,” she said, though to be honest, that sounded like a great plan to her. “We better get to work and get this sweet couple on the road again.”
He tipped his wet hat. “Yes, ma’am,” he drawled. His eyes glittered merrily in the light from the truck’s low beams.
Lana stood the tire up that Jim had managed to get out of the trunk before they’d gotten there. She rolled it over and watched as Cam got the jack under the car and jacked it up. He made quick work of getting the lug nuts off the wheel. Within moments, he had the flat tire on the ground and took the spare from her. She felt fairly useless but had enjoyed watching him work. Yes, she was very capable of changing a tire by herself—her dad and brothers had made sure of it. Besides that, any cowgirl worth her salt who hauled horses around better know how to take care of herself on the road. But she hadn’t had to break out her skills on this go-round. And the view had been fantastic.
Rain dripped from both their faces and they were soaked to the bone but smiling. She couldn’t help admiring the man who diligently worked to make the night better for this older couple.
After he removed the jack, he stood and laughed. “We are a pair.”
She laughed. “A soaked pair. But you did good, cowboy. Real good.”
“You’re not so bad yourself. How are you holding up?”
“I’m doing great,” she said through the wind. “Like I said earlier, I’m not made of sugar so I don’t melt.”
“I have to differ with you on that. I think you’re plenty sweet. There aren’t many women who would stand out here and do this. And you haven’t complained once. I’m really surprised you haven’t melted.”
She felt his words in the center of her heart. Which was ridiculous. The man was teasing her. But still, she felt them.
Jim and Clara argued with them about paying them something but finally relented and went on their way. But they’d made them promise that if they were ever near their address that they’d come by for dinner.
With This Promise (Windswept Bay Book 7) Page 8