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That impression only increased as Drew ushered her down a hallway and into a large guest suite. Throughout the house, she saw beautiful, gleaming hardwood floors, accented by Oriental rugs that were probably more expensive than her car. Or what used to be her car. Panic encroached as she contemplated everything she needed to do in the aftermath of the storm. In addition to handling details about insurance claims and repairs, she wasn’t sure she had enough cash flow to wait for checks to arrive.
Drew interrupted her internal meltdown. “I thought you would like this side of the house. It gets the morning sun and you can spot the last of the hummingbirds stopping by our feeders on the way south.”
He stood with his hands in his pockets as if he didn’t know what to do with them. His obvious unease was so unusual she was taken aback. “Something’s bothering you,” she said quietly.
“Not bothering me,” he said quickly. “But I do have something important I want to say to you.”
“What is it?” Her stomach quivered. She couldn’t imagine what they had to discuss at this moment.
“I want you to live here at Willowbrook...until the repairs on your house are completed. No hidden agenda, I swear. I know we don’t see eye to eye, but we need to table our disagreement in the short term while things are in chaos.”
Her stomach fell to her knees. He was entirely serious. Though it seemed he was trying to be nice, suspicion reared its ugly head. “We don’t even know each other,” she said faintly.
Drew leaned against a post of the giant rice-carved bed and gave her a crooked smile. “I’m not sure you can say that anymore. We’ve lived a lifetime in the last twenty-four hours, don’t you think? I have plenty of room, and you would have online access and fax machines to deal with your insurance claims. You wouldn’t have to worry about grocery shopping or cooking or anything else. You could concentrate on getting Green Acres back in shape.”
What he offered was infinitely tempting. Her world was in tatters. But she was a mature woman. Would taking Drew’s help be too needy?
“I’ll think about it,” she said. “Thank you for the invitation.”
“Accepting help doesn’t mean you’re weak, Beth.”
“What, you’re a mind reader now?”
He crossed to where she stood by the window. “I’m grateful that my house is still standing. But if it weren’t, I would gladly accept a helping hand from my neighbor.”
“Horse hockey,” she said, laughing in spite of herself.
“It’s true. So please swallow your pride and let me do this for you.”
He liked the notion of being her savior. She could tell. It was a guy thing. Looking around the sumptuous, exquisitely decorated bedroom, she grimaced inwardly. This was a far cry from the roach-infested apartments where she had grown up. It was difficult to admit, even to herself, how much she wanted to stay.
On a normal day, she might have summoned the strength to turn him down. But after the tornado and last night’s ordeal, she was working from a final store of reserves. “I suppose I’d be a fool to say no.”
“I happen to know you’re a very smart woman.”
She couldn’t allow herself to depend on him indefinitely. This gilded world of wealth and privilege was not hers. The life she had carved out for herself was a good one, but it wasn’t this.
Even so, surely it couldn’t hurt to pretend for a while. “Okay,” she sighed. “You win. But only because I’m at a low point. And because I’m guessing that bathroom over there has a jetted tub.”
“You are and it does.”
Something happened then—something she couldn’t explain. The attraction that neither of them had acknowledged over the last months and days was tangible now. Fired in the crucible of the tornado’s fury, it had proven to be far more real than she could ever have imagined.
Desire hovered between them...around them. Drew’s expression was serious now. His warm gaze seeped into her bones, rejuvenating her. Did his interest in her have an ulterior motive? Did he think if they were intimate, he could manipulate her more easily? “I know what you’re thinking,” she said.
Hunger flashed in his eyes. “Not the half of it,” he muttered.
His mouth settled over hers in slow motion. Their lips met, clung. Strong arms circled her waist, pulling her up against his big, hard frame.
Dimly, in some far recess of her subconscious, she understood that this was a really bad idea. Living in Drew’s house...accepting his help. Playing with fire.
When his tongue slid between her lips, stroking inside her mouth intimately, a curl of desire, sweet and hot, made her legs tremble. She clung to him, flashing back to their terrifying dash to the storm cellar. Would she have made it in time without him? Awash with emotions that ran the gamut from gratitude to sheer need, she kissed him back.
Drew said she was a smart woman. But here, locked in his arms, with his mouth hot and demanding on hers, she knew that she was not. Despite every obstacle standing in their way, both past and present, she wanted to share his bed.
The town they both loved had been ripped apart. Lives were lost. Her own home was in shambles.
Perhaps it was the very existence of disaster that made her reach for what she wanted. Life was short. Life was precious. Even without a happy ending, she could have Drew. It wasn’t vanity to think so. She saw it in his eyes, felt it in the restless caress of his hands.
Deliberately, she nipped his bottom lip with her teeth. “You have things to do. But I’ll be here when you’re ready.”
Five (#ubd761d02-7e5e-5a2a-a1a0-d8accbb20aca)
I’ll be here when you’re ready. Drew replayed that sentence in his head a thousand times as he made his way from stall to stall checking on his horses. He relied on top-notch employees. But he wanted to see for himself that the horses were safe. These beautiful animals were more than dollar signs to him. They were noble steeds with bloodlines that went further back than his own.
He spoke softly to each one, smiling when a whinny of recognition greeted him. They were muscle and sinew and most of all—heart. Ever since he was a boy, he had loved the sights and sounds and smells of the horse barn. As an adult, he was fortunate to make his living working with these creatures. Though he would be reluctant to admit it, he grieved each time one of his prized stallions left the ranch.
An hour later, walking shoulder to shoulder with Jed down the streets of Royal—or what was left of them—he forgot all about Willowbrook. The random pattern of the destruction was hard to fathom. On one block, houses had been razed to the ground, no more than piles of rubble. But one road over, dwellings were untouched.
The west side of town was hardest hit; almost all of the businesses there a total loss. Smaller tornadoes had touched down across the county.
Drew had seen TV coverage of bad tornadoes. In his lifetime he’d personally witnessed a few storms that ripped up trees and tore off roofs. But nothing like this. Ever. The governor and his entourage had helicoptered in at daybreak and assessed the damage in preparation for a news conference. Faces from national news stations and The Weather Channel popped up everywhere. That, more than anything else, brought home the enormity of the disaster.
Royal was about to become famous for all the wrong reasons.
Earlier in the day, Jed had made contact with the point man for search and rescue. Now, he and Drew and a half dozen other members of the Texas Cattleman’s Club joined a team with canine support going from house to house looking for survivors. Thankfully, almost everyone had been accounted for by this point. While Drew and Beth had been trapped in the cellar the afternoon and evening before, the immediate rush to find missing and dead had been urgent and thorough.
Today was about making sure nothing was overlooked. Sometimes the elderly had no one to raise a red flag if they went missing. And they might be too weak to cry out for help. Hence, the careful attention of a half dozen teams working a grid system across the town.
Drew squatted in a sea of pink insulation and crumpled Sheetrock to pick up a lavender teddy bear, probably some little girl’s prized possession. He set it in a prominent place, hoping someone would find it.
Families were beginning the grim and heartbreaking task of sifting through what was left of their homes in an effort to reclaim valuables. National Guard units patrolled the hardest hit neighborhoods, discouraging looting.
Royal was a great place to live and raise a family, but in situations of chaos, the occasional vermin crawled out to prey on others’ misfortune.
By the time the sun hung low in the sky, Drew was beat. He and Jed grabbed a burger at a restaurant offering free dinners to rescue personnel. They stood outside to eat, in full view of what was left of Town Hall. Almost all of the three-story building had been leveled. Only a portion of the clock tower still stood, the hands of time perpetually frozen at 4:14.
Drew’s stomach knotted. He tossed the last half of his meal in a trash receptacle and stared at the eerie scene. It was painful remembering where he and Beth had been at the moment they heard the sirens. Why had they been spared when others had not?
It was one of those questions with no answer.
He turned his back on the tragic scene and rubbed the heels of his hands over his eyes. Jed’s light touch on his shoulder startled him.
“You doin’ okay, big brother?”
Drew nodded automatically, but inside he wondered if anything would ever be okay again. “Yeah.”
Jed rolled his neck. “A bunch of the TCC guys and gals are going to meet at the club first thing in the morning for another follow-up meeting.”
“Good idea.” Jed lived in Dallas and was a part of that branch of the Texas Cattleman’s Club. He was only visiting Royal for the moment, but he knew most of the same people Jed knew. Unfortunately, he’d picked a hell of a time to come. Drew was glad to have him around.
“I ran into Gil Addison while you were talking to the fire chief. Gil has been coordinating the whole thing. He wants to ensure that we’re pooling resources and maximizing relief efforts.”
“Makes sense.” Gil owned a thriving ranch south of town and had been TCC president for two years. Drew checked his watch. “I promised Beth we’d get her house secure before tonight. We’d better head back.”
“Suits me. There’s going to be plenty to do tomorrow.”
* * *
Beth couldn’t wait to see Drew again. When he wandered into the kitchen, she could see from his expression that the work today had been heartbreaking and difficult.
“Have you eaten?” she asked.
“Jed and I got a burger in town.”
“You want some dessert? Mrs. Simmons made apple pie.”
“Maybe later. We need to get out to your place.”
She nodded. “Your foreman has been so kind. He’s already loaded everything we’ll need into the back of your truck.”
“Jed’s going to help me. You don’t have to go. It might be dangerous.”
She frowned. “It’s my house.”
“Fine,” he said, his tone resigned. “Be out front in five minutes.”
Beth grabbed a jacket and a flashlight. Despite what Drew had said that morning, she planned to recover a few valuables. She lived out in the country, but even so, she didn’t like the idea of her home being vulnerable to anyone who chose to intrude. Drew was used to being obeyed. That much was clear. But he would have to get over it. Accepting his help did not mean letting him boss her around.
He climbed behind the wheel of his huge truck, leaving Beth and Jed to enter from the other side. Beth found herself sandwiched between two handsome Farrell males. Both men carried an air of exhaustion. She decided then and there not to deliberately provoke Drew.
He had been out working, while she had enjoyed the luxury of a wonderful nap tucked beneath a fluffy comforter, resting on sheets soft as a whisper. The bed Drew had chosen for her was huge and comfy and decadent. Did he have any thought of sharing it with his guest at some point in the future?
Her focus changed entirely as they traveled the relatively short distance between the two properties. Not a word was spoken in the cab of the truck as they witnessed the storm’s track. It had effectively ripped a trail along the private road, turning abruptly to power over Beth’s property and head toward town.
As they parked in front of her house and got out, the memories of the tornado came rushing back. It’s over, she told herself repeatedly, but still her knees knocked and her stomach pitched.
She touched Drew’s arm, her gaze beseeching. “I’d like to get my computer and pack a few clothes. If I go in through the side that’s not damaged, I’m sure it will be fine.”
He glanced back at Jed. “I’ll stay with her. Do you mind sorting out the supplies? We’ll do the tarps in a few minutes.”
Jed nodded. “No problem.”
Beth’s house was small, but even so, it was almost unbelievable to see what was damaged and what was not. The back of the house was relatively unscathed. One broken window...a few shingles missing. The bedrooms were habitable. At the front of the house, the small living room wasn’t in bad shape except where a piece of lumber had punctured the vinyl siding. But the kitchen was a mess. The tornado had ripped apart one quarter of the house, shattering crockery and literally plucking off the roof and twisting it into an unrecognizable mess.
Standing in what used to be the doorway to her kitchen, Beth lifted her shoulders and let them fall. “Well,” she said, forcing words from a tight throat. “I needed new appliances anyway.”
Drew took her hand and tugged her backward to a safer part of the house. “Don’t go in there, please. Anything could fall on your head. And Beth....” He trailed off, his expression troubled.
“What?”
“Just because the rest of the home seems intact doesn’t mean that it is. It’s entirely possible that the house was momentarily lifted off its foundation. Which means you may have structural damage that could result in leaks or other problems. I don’t want to upset you, but it’s better to assume the worst and then be happy if it turns out not to be as bad as we think.”
He was right, of course. But hearing it laid out logically did nothing to lessen the impact of what had happened. She had worked so hard for this house. It was more than four walls and a roof. It was a symbol of all she had overcome. Seeing it in shambles broke her heart.
With Drew hovering, she quickly packed a bag with as many clothes as she could grab. Other than her computer and some pieces of jewelry, the only things worth stealing were her television and Blu-ray player. She sincerely doubted anyone would go to the trouble to drive out here and take electronics, so she left the living room as it was. As she handed off her small suitcase to Drew, it occurred to her that theft might be the least of her worries. What was going to happen when it rained? The tarps were surely a short-term solution.
Clearly, she wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding her jangled emotions. Drew hugged her with his free arm. “I know it seems overwhelming, but I’ll help you get things back together. Contractors, plumbers.... whoever else you need. You do have insurance, right?”
“Yes, thank God. And I think it’s pretty good. But I’ve never had to use it.”
“C’mon,” he said. “It’s almost dark. We have to string up the tarps while we can still see.”
They carried her things out to the truck and put them in the jump seat. Jed had already untangled ropes and unfolded three enormous sheets of heavy plastic. Beth leaned against the hood and watched as her Good Samaritans struggled and cursed and finally managed to get the first tarp in place. Gradually they encased the broken portion of the house in a shroud of overlapping layers.
It wasn’t airtight. And it wouldn’t keep out varmints, animal or otherwise. But hopefully it would protect her personal belongings from the weather. If she had to, she would rent a storage unit and move her things out of the house until the repairs were done. Since most of her furniture was thrift shop in origin, she wasn’t too worried.
Darkness closed in on them. As Drew and his brother tied off the last corners and used duct tape to secure vulnerable spots, Beth wandered over to the storm cellar. Squatting, she opened one side of the double doors. Without wind to contend with, it was as easy as raising a window. Nothing was visible down below. But she remembered. She would always remember.
* * *
Drew lowered the ladder and shoved it into the bed of the truck. His eyes were on Beth. She seemed so alone, it made his chest hurt.
Jed tossed a canvas bag of supplies on top of the ladder. “So what’s the deal with you and Beth Andrews?”
Still watching Beth, Drew shrugged. “We’re neighbors. That’s all.”
“C’mon, Bro. I wasn’t born yesterday. This thing you two have between you is more than surviving a tornado.”
Drew shot his brother a disgusted look. “Have I butted in about you and Kimberly? Drop it, Jed.”
“Fair enough. But be careful. Sometimes women mistake kindness for something else. It wouldn’t be fair to lead her on.”
“One budding relationship in your pocket and suddenly you’re an expert. Get over yourself. I can handle my love life without your help.”
Jed grinned smugly. “Who said anything about love?”
Muttering under his breath, Drew strode over to where Beth stood looking at the mass of metal and tires that had once been her car. “I’ve got an old rattletrap of a pickup out at the house,” he said. “We use it sometimes to run errands on the ranch. But you’re welcome to it for as long as necessary.”
Finally, she faced him. “I hate taking charity,” she said, her gaze stormy. “I’m already staying in your house. This is too much.”
“What does it matter, Beth? It’s not your fault the tornado struck here. It’s a whim of fate or whatever you want to call it.” He felt guilty that his place had been mostly spared. He would do whatever he could to help rebuild Royal. And he would start with Beth’s little bungalow.
It was so dark now he could barely see her face. “Let’s go.” She allowed him to take her arm and steer her toward the truck, but he knew she was struggling to deal with the blow to her life, her livelihood, her dreams.
As they pulled up in front of Willowbrook, Jed excused himself and walked away. Drew helped Beth down from the truck, his hands lingering a second longer than was necessary at her narrow waist. “I think I’m ready for that pie now. You want to join me? We can take it in the den and watch some TV.”
Beth nodded. “Sure.”
