Texas Fire

by Gerry Bartlett

  “Yeah. When I got hold of one sticker, I think I took out a chunk of my skin.” She let him take the towel, hissing when he wiggled a long spine free. “You’re good. That only measured an eight out of ten on my agony meter.”

  Rowdy patted her shoulder. “I’ve had a little practice. I’ve had my own close encounter with a cactus. The needles can have barbs on the ends. We don’t want to just jerk them out. So the rest will have to wait.” He jumped up when he heard a motor in the distance. “We’ve got company. I hope they can stop in time without hitting anything. But if they try to go around, they could run off the road and get stuck in the sand.”

  The truck driver slowed down with a screech of brakes. He blasted a warning with his horn when Rowdy ran toward him, waving his arms. The trucker had probably been going over eighty when he’d seen the mess in the middle of the road. He was clearly skilled to be able to stop before he hit any of the debris. The guy put on his emergency flashers, threw open his door, and stood on his running board with a CB radio microphone in his hand. Then he hopped out of the truck and hurried toward them.

  Lucky barked, a pint-sized guard dog, ready to tear the man apart and snapping at the trucker’s pants when he got close to Megan.

  “Now there, Lucky, don’t you remember your buddy Leroy?” The man touched the brim of his gimme cap. “Little gal, this is quite a mess here. The weather must have caught up with you.” He peered down at her. “What the hell? You look like you lost a battle with a cactus.”

  “I’ll live.” Megan waved him back when he squatted down like he was going to make a stab at pulling out the needles. “I’ll deal with my wounds later. What about the road? You did a good job braking so quickly.”

  “Thanks, it wasn’t easy.” Leroy got up and frowned at Rowdy. “I knew the weather was going to be bad, but this is obviously from a twister. How’d you two keep from getting hurt worse?”

  “It wasn’t easy. The thing came out of nowhere.” Rowdy picked up an excited Lucky and thrust him into Megan’s arms. “We didn’t have time to do more than find a low spot and hunker down.”

  “Thanks for stopping, Leroy.” Megan gave the trucker a strained smile.

  “Didn’t have a choice, Megan. ’Course I would have stopped anyway, once I saw people needed aid. It’s what we do.” He cast a worried glance at the wreckage. “Hell of a thing. I called for help. You’ll need a couple of heavy-duty tow trucks right away. This is my regular run, so I knew who to contact.” He pulled off his cap and scratched his head. “But, hate to tell ya, the nearest town’s a good hour away.”

  “Thanks for calling.” Rowdy shoved his phone in his shirt pocket.

  The trucker hit his cap on his jeans, then locked eyes with Rowdy. “That thing all you carry?” At Rowdy’s nod, he spit on the ground. “Cell phone’s useless out here. If you’re going to drive or do business in these parts, you need to have a satellite system or a CB radio. Only things that work in these isolated areas.”

  “You’re right. Lucky for me this is the first time I’ve had any trouble and I’ve been years on this job.” Yeah, Rowdy would like a freaking satellite phone, but his company was too cheap to spring for one. He glanced at Megan. Now that the beloved daughter of the late company owner was with him, he should push for that. And he would. If he could get a fucking signal to call Headquarters.

  “Leroy, settle down.” Megan struggled to her feet, Lucky under her chin. The trucker was instantly by her side, holding on to her elbow to steady her. “Rowdy saved my life. He saw the tornado coming and got me out of that truck and running to a safe place just in time.” She pointed at their smashed vehicle. “Look. If I’d been in the cab when the tornado struck, I’d be roadkill.” She pushed her hair out of her eyes. “Then we ran into a rattlesnake. Rowdy shot its head off!” She pointed to the carcass still sitting on top of the trailer, a vulture pecking at it.

  “If that don’t beat all.” Leroy nodded at Rowdy. “You’ve had a rough day, sweetheart, and it ain’t over yet. What say I ease you over to my rig while I see if that help is on the way? I’ve got the air conditioner going. It’s nice and cool inside.” He glanced at Rowdy. “You got flares you can get to? We need them out both directions to warn oncoming traffic.”

  “I was about to get them out when you drove up.” Was this man issuing orders? Rowdy noticed he hadn’t been included in that invitation to cool off, either. Megan had obviously made a conquest. Good for her. Too bad it was hot as hell where he was standing. And—wouldn’t you know it—ants were swarming over his boots. Rowdy stomped them away, then went back to survey the RV to see what could be salvaged. He knew where the trailer flares should be, but there was no getting to them in this mess. He found some in the back of the truck, though, and went to work setting them out. Leroy helped Megan and Lucky into his truck and got on his CB again.

  Back in the RV, Rowdy spotted Megan’s duffel bag. It took some work to dig it out, but he managed to fill it with most of her stuff and threw it outside. His own clothes had been put away neatly in drawers that were now jammed closed or blocked. So much for being organized. He pried open one cabinet and found a trash bag, dumping cereal boxes and canned goods inside. He tossed the full bag out and hopped down beside it. He pulled his gun out of his waistband and tucked it in the garbage bag. He didn’t like the solution, but he didn’t want to walk around with a loaded gun, either, even though he had a permit to carry.

  “Hey, Rowdy!” Megan leaned out of the cab. “That’s my duffel bag. You got my stuff? Seriously?” She smiled at him.

  “Yes. Don’t get too happy. It will be a long time before we rest tonight. We’ve got to get this mess off the road and hitch a ride to the next town. Then find a place to stay.” Rowdy saw his schedule blown to hell. He heard a siren and realized the highway patrol had been alerted. At least they’d make sure traffic wouldn’t be a problem.

  He talked to the officer who climbed out of his vehicle. Apparently the twister had damaged some of the ranch houses nearby, but no one there had been hurt. They were still finding more problems on the highway, including one fatality. Rowdy decided Megan didn’t need to hear about that. Unfortunately, the resources for getting them on the road again were stretched thin in this part of the state. Rowdy walked over to Leroy’s truck, pretty discouraged as the patrolman roared off, responding to an emergency call.

  Megan threw open the passenger door. The blast of cold air was a welcome relief.

  “Leroy says tow trucks are on the way, but it’ll take them a while before the first one makes it. He’s getting behind on his delivery schedule because of us. I told him to let me out and go on, but he insisted he’s going to wait with us.” Megan turned to say something to the trucker, then turned back. “Get in with us. It’s nice and cool and I can see you’re sweating.”

  Sweating? Rowdy had moved beyond that to soaking wet. He was so hot he felt sure you could fry an egg on his forehead. To add to his misery, sand had crept into every part of him. When he brushed a hand through his hair, more sand flew out, stinging his eyes. Sunglasses. It was too much to hope they’d survived in the truck, but he dropped the bags and went back to climb inside. Hot damn, they still sat securely in the built-in case over the rearview mirror, which was now on the floor. Rowdy slipped them on, then walked back to the big rig. He had to admit that Megan’s ability to make instant connections with people had come in handy.

  Of course the trucker would have had a tough time driving around the wreckage anyway. Rowdy shoved that uncharitable thought away as he climbed on board, careful not to touch Megan’s injured hip. It wasn’t easy since it was a tight squeeze. Lucky greeted him with a yip and a lick that just missed his chapped lips. He’d obviously made friends with the trucker’s golden retrievers who were happy to have him join them in the small backseat.

  “Rough luck, running into that twister. If it had been a wet one, you’d have been in real trouble.” Leroy pulled a cold bottle of water from a cooler next to his feet and pass
ed it to Rowdy. “Megan showed me where you told her to lie low. Put you smack in the middle of an arroyo. Water fills those up quick as a wink, causing flash floods in these parts. Lying like that, the three of you would have been pushed in front of the flood, tossed about like pieces of tumbleweed, and drowned for sure.”

  “I could tell when I saw it coming that it was kicking up dust and sand, not water.” Rowdy couldn’t believe he was defending himself to this guy. “I know about arroyos.”

  “Sure you do.” Leroy got on his CB again. “Come in, Simon, what’s your position?”

  “About twenty minutes out. Quit nagging us, Leroy. We’re pushing as hard as we can.”

  “Over and out.” The trucker opened his door and jumped down out of the truck. “You two sit tight. I’m going to put some more flares out behind my rig and let my dogs take a leak. Doubt there will be anyone else along, now that I put the word out, but you never know.” He gathered his dogs after snapping on their leashes then slammed the door.

  Rowdy and Megan sat in silence, staring out the truck window at the wreckage of what was supposed to be their home away from home.

  “Say something.” Megan was almost in Rowdy’s lap because of their close quarters.

  Rowdy twisted off the cap and took a deep swallow of cold water. “I wouldn’t have let you drown, Megan. Your trucker is an asshole.” And with that, they both lapsed into silence.

  * * *

  It was dark when they finally got to Fowlerton, which was less town and more a scattering of houses that included a yard owned by the tow truck driver and the E-Z Rest Motel. It didn’t take an insurance adjuster to know that both the truck and RV were a total loss. Rowdy was on the phone to CWC Headquarters. Megan tuned him out. She knew he was getting some grief about losing his ride. The company couldn’t afford any losses at this point. But they did carry insurance. She was on her stomach on the queen-sized bed, She needed a shower, but first she had to get those pieces of cactus out of her butt. Lucky kept jumping on and off the bed, every movement sending darts of pain through her. The desk clerk hadn’t liked the idea of a dog in the room, but seeing a company credit card and the request for two rooms in this dusty town had made him look the other way.

  “Okay, we’re set. They’re going to arrange for us to have a rental car. We’ll drive it to Sparkle City, which is close to the well sites, and get another truck and RV. Not sure what will be available, but we’ll have to ‘make do’.” Rowdy shook his head. “Don’t like the sound of that.”

  “But that’s not until in the morning, I hope.” Megan didn’t think she could go anywhere like this. She reached down and unsnapped her jeans. “Do me a favor?”

  “What? You heard me arrange for a room next door.” He stared as she attempted to pull down her pants. “Careful, you’re just making things worse.”

  “Then for God’s sake, help me! Pull those bastards out of me before I rip off my pants along with half my thigh!” Megan bit back a sob. How could he just stand there when she was in so much pain? And he looked like barely surviving a freaking tornado hadn’t even phased him. Instead he was preoccupied with his damn schedule. If he mentioned it one more time, she was going to pick up the nearest object, which in the E-Z Rest Motel was an ancient clock radio, and cram it down his work-obsessed throat.

  “Calm down and lie still. Let go of your pants and I’ll see what I can do.” He removed her fingers from her jeans with a surprisingly gentle hand. “Your pal Leroy left some first aid supplies before he took off. I’m going to wash my hands in antibacterial soap, then go to work on you. Can you be patient and wait for me to do that?”

  Megan dropped her head back to the pillow. “Fine. Scrub up. Thoroughly. All I need is an infected ass. But speed up. It feels like a thousand bees are stinging me back there.”

  He chuckled, proving now he was the asshole. “Only about six. But I know it hurts. You want something to take the edge off? Leroy left you a bottle of premium tequila. As a love offering.”

  “Crack that baby open and pass it here.” Megan reached out a shaking hand. She’d love to be roaring drunk when Rowdy started digging cactus needles out of her butt and leg. When a bottle hit her palm, she leaned up enough to get it to her lips. A swig made her gasp as it burned its way down her throat.

  “Holy hell, what is that?” she asked when she could talk again.

  “Mexico’s best. I’d say it’s part of Leroy’s regular run. He skirts the border and pops over there to get his supply.” Rowdy sounded farther away, then she heard running water. “Take another drink. I’m ready to start.”

  Megan did just that with a couple of swallows that probably permanently scarred her esophagus. “Go on, get it over with.”

  “I’ve got some antibiotic salve for your wounds once these are out. Lie very still.” He braced a hand on the back of her knee, holding her leg down firmly on the bed. Good thing, because when he worked the first needle free, she jerked.

  “Son of a bitch!”

  “I’m sure. Five to go. Keep drinking.” He kept one hand firmly on her leg.

  “You bet.” Megan swallowed, then bit her lower lip when he pulled out another one. This went on for what seemed like centuries until he finally announced that he was done.

  “I’m going to pull down your pants and look at your skin now. Put some salve on the wounds and make sure there’s not any part of the cactus spines still in there.” He suited action to words, not wasting time as he slid the denim, along with her panties, down to her knees. “Nice ass.” He said it clinically.

  “Thanks. I work out.” Megan straightened the bottle, now half-empty, before it fell over onto the dirt-colored bedspread. “Well, sometimes. I like to swim.” She realized he hadn’t touched her yet. “You going to do something or just enjoy the view?”

  “Both. Give me that damn bottle.” He grabbed it and she heard him swallow. “Shit. That’s strong.” She heard the clink of glass on wood, so he must have set it down. “You got tweezers in your stuff? There are a few barbs I’m going to have to fish out of your skin.”

  “Oh, great. More torture.” Megan closed her eyes.

  “Megan? Did you pass out?” He squeezed her shoulder.

  “No, unfortunately. Go ahead. Do your worst. Tweezers. In my makeup bag in my duffel.” Megan didn’t care if he’d also see her underwear, tampons, and birth control. Right now her head was swimming from pain and tequila. “It’s the pink flowery zippered thing.” She waited, hearing him cross the room and dig through her stuff.

  “I see it. You really need eye shadow and mascara on a job like this?” The bed sagged when he sat beside her leg.

  “A girl should always be ready for anything. Who knows? My prince may come along on an oil rig while I’m riding with you.” Meg smiled into the pillow. Prince? Ha. She knew a hell of a lot of toads, but the closest she’d come to a prince had been Eli, who’d wound up marrying one of her best friends. Megan had to admire her pal’s single-minded determination to get her man. Robin had been one of those girly girls who had no dreams in her head except snagging the richest bachelor in the dating pool. So, after an extravaganza wedding with a dozen bridesmaids, Robin and the prince had jetted off to Europe for an extended honeymoon. They’d come back with her old pal expecting twins.

  Stupid to be jealous. Domestic bliss had never been her dream. Of course, she had never pinned down a dream at all. Damn it.

  “You falling asleep there, princess? I’m almost done. Didn’t realize I was so good at this. You haven’t even flinched.” Rowdy braced her leg again.

  “Tequila haze. Works every time.” Megan realized she was buzzed. “Finish this so I can pass out. And don’t call me princess.”

  “Why not? Rich girl, slumming with the working class. You think I don’t know you’ll wind up with a pile of money at the end of this year no matter what I say about you?” Rowdy had lost his teasing tone.

  “Hey, I’m not counting on it.” Megan felt cold steel against her leg. �
�And if you don’t get this over with, I’m going to . . .” No threat came to mind. Stupid tequila.

  “Quit talking and brace yourself. This is the last one, but it’s the worst.” His grip on her bare leg tightened. “Hold still, I’m going in.”

  “Ow! Ow! Motherfucker! Stop torturing me!” Megan arched her back, her head up. “What the hell are you doing? Drilling for oil? Digging a tunnel? Let me go!” She reached, hoping to grab his hair and pull it out of his head. She missed and flopped back on the pillow.

  “Got it.” He held the tweezers in front of her face, and Megan could see a nasty bit of cactus barb, shiny with her own blood, in the grip of them.

  “Oh, I think I’m going to be sick.” She fought the wave of nausea and lost just as a blue plastic trash can was shoved under her face. She heaved until she had nothing left in her stomach. Lucky had watched all of this from the floor, clearly upset by all the yelling and noise. When she finally collapsed back on her pillow, the dog nosed her hand where it dangled limply off the edge of the bed.

  “Well, that was disgusting.” Megan gladly took the wet washcloth Rowdy handed her and wiped her face. “Am I still bleeding?”

  “A little. I’m going to cover these wounds with the salve, then slap a bandage over the whole thing. Can you skip a shower until in the morning?”

  “I couldn’t stand long enough right now to do it anyway.” Megan patted the dog, trying to ignore Rowdy’s skillful fingers running up and over her thigh. Had she really been stuck there? Didn’t matter. His touch was unexpectedly soothing and she let it happen.

  “Okay, applying some of these really big Band-Aids now. I should run out and get us something to eat and more first aid supplies.” He stood and loomed over her.

  Megan tried to roll over but gave up when it took too much effort. Instead she lifted her head enough to look at him. “No food for me. Just a cold drink. A Coke with lots of ice. Take the dog with you. Please? I just want to lie here. Undisturbed.” She wasn’t altogether sure she wasn’t going to hurl again and didn’t want an audience.