The Widow of Saunders Creek Page 7

  Outside, a clap of thunder vibrated the air and shook the house. The kitten gave a loud meow. He was too little to jump off the counter. A little moan of sympathy whispered through Corrie’s throat, and she hurried across the room, then gathered the little creature into her arms. She pressed it under her chin and slid her finger over his orange head.

  “You know they’re not really domesticated.” Good grief, I sounded like I had a speech impediment.

  “Well, this one is staying in the house with me.” She pressed her cheek against the kitten, and it struggled to get down. “You wait and see,” she said. “Within a week, all he’ll want to do is sit on my lap and cuddle.”

  I stared at her. Completely bemused—perhaps enchanted—by this woman who had most likely broken my nose, I could well believe she could make any creature love her.

  Corrie

  The rain beat down so hard the rest of the day that Eli refused to let me drive him to Springfield to the emergency room. I even Googled “how to set a broken nose” and offered to jerk the cartilage back in place, but I couldn’t blame him for threatening me with bodily harm if I came anywhere near his face.

  I opened every window in the house. The curtains danced as the storm blew and blew, perfuming the house with the aroma of fresh rain.

  We stayed in the living room. The wood floor felt damp beneath my bare feet, but I couldn’t bring myself to close the window. The kitten lay nestled against me most of the afternoon. I hadn’t named him yet. So far, he hadn’t displayed any personality traits that would give me a hint as to what I should call him, so I called him Kitty. “You know that’s not very manly,” Eli said, raising himself up from the couch cushions to stare at me in disgust. At least I thought it was disgust, but I couldn’t be sure, considering the swelling and bruising.

  I gave a stubborn lift of my chin. “He’s a baby. I don’t think it matters at this stage.” I eyed Eli. “Lay your head back.”

  As we listened to the rain, I insisted Eli lay on the couch with his head tilted back. It was the least I could do to make sure the damage was minimal until we could get him to the hospital. “Do you think it’ll stop anytime soon?” I don’t know why I asked Eli. He wasn’t a weatherman or psychic, but I was sick of the constant rush of rain and was honestly starting to worry about Eli. I hated the idea of his nose being permanently bent. That straight, beautiful Roman nose must have been a family trait, because Jarrod had it too.

  “This is what we call a Missouri gullywasher.” Eli grinned around the ice pack. He’d been taking ibuprofen for the pain and swelling and keeping his nose iced. I didn’t have the heart to tell him he was getting black eyes.

  “You hungry yet?” I asked, glancing at the clock and noting it was already after seven. “I’m starving.”

  He nodded. “I hate to admit it, but yeah, I’m starving too.” He took the ice pack from his nose. “How’s it looking?”

  “Like you’ve had one too many hits in the ring, Rocky.”

  He laughed, then moaned. “Ow, don’t make me laugh.”

  “Sorry.” I headed to the kitchen to see what I could whip up for us, wishing I hadn’t been such a glutton at lunch. I probably ate enough for three people. I opened the fridge and found eggs. It would take too long to thaw out meat. “I hate to be cliché,” I called, “but what are your thoughts on an extremely fancy and well-cooked omelet? I have fresh mushrooms, onions, red bell pepper, and a block of white cheddar.”

  “Sounds good,” he called back. “You might want to turn on the radio and check the weather. I’m not really liking the way this is keeping on, and the sky has an odd tint to it. Judging from the new lightning flashing from the west, it looks like another wave is coming.”

  He was right, and I realized I was kind of glad Eli was forced to stay with me. Storms didn’t frighten me, but I had a healthy respect for their power. And the house had electric wiring that hadn’t been updated in fifty or so years. According to Eli, the lights could power off at the drop of a hat.

  I switched on the radio I had set on top of the refrigerator. I had no idea where the local stations were, but soft music flowed into the room as I grabbed the eggs, vegetables, and cheese. I opened the cabinet and pulled out a nice pan.

  I washed the vegetables and cut them small—the way Jarrod had always preferred. I liked them in chunks, but I never remembered that until I already had them minced. I’d been doing things his way for so long it became a habit.

  Cooking usually made me happy. Cooking for Jarrod was always nice. He’d come into the kitchen, embrace me from behind, and nuzzle me. Then he’d let his hands roam until I was forced to push him away or turn off the stove and let him lead me to bed.

  Jarrod never did anything halfheartedly. He ate with gusto, worked with gusto, loved with gusto. He amazed me, and there would never be another Jarrod. A sigh left me as I cracked eggs into a bowl and began to beat them to a fluffy, bubbly consistency.

  I closed my eyes, fighting tears, as I dreamed of hands that would never again explore my curves and pull me close. Would never pick me up and dance me around the room. “Jarrod,” I whispered.

  What had Aunt Trudy said? Jarrod was as close as a whisper. I opened my eyes, knowing I had to pull myself from my grief and finish cooking Eli’s meal. Then I remembered her words, as clearly as if the old woman stood in front of me. “Jarrod isn’t lost to you. Death’s not the end.” Longing for him hit me so hard in the gut I lost my breath.

  “Are you there, Jarrod?”

  The radio went to static, and I switched it off. I jerked my head up as a clap of thunder shook the house and wind flew through the window, sending half my vegetables flying to the floor. “Five-second rule,” I could almost hear Jarrod say as I scooped the veggies back into their bowl.

  “No way, buddy,” I said out loud, laughing. I carried the bowl to the sink and gave the veggies a rinse. I was still smiling as I walked back to the stove. Somehow, I understood how people could say they sensed the presence of their departed loved one. Jarrod was so close to me right now that I felt I could see him if I tried hard enough.

  I cut two pats of butter and slid them into the pan. I lifted it by the handle and moved it around as the golden squares sizzled and shrank. My heart beat so hard I could count the beats in my ear. My skin tingled, but that could be from the wind. I knew this with my head. But I wanted Jarrod so badly I couldn’t help myself. “Jarrod?” I whispered. “Are you there?”

  I stood perfectly still, and suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder. “Jarrod?”

  I whipped around and came face to face with Eli’s bruised and swollen face. I couldn’t help myself. I screamed so loud I’m sure they could hear me all the way in town.

  “Whoa! Corrie.” He stepped back. “It’s just me. I’m sorry.”

  “What the heck, Eli? You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that.” I was so disappointed that the hand on my shoulder had been his and not Jarrod’s I practically growled. I’d been so sure he was there with me. “You should be lying down. I was going to bring dinner to you so you didn’t have to get up.”

  “Sorry. I heard something fall.”

  “The wind knocked over the vegetables.” I set the pan back on the burner and poured the egg mixture into the butter. The sizzle made me feel a little better for some reason.

  “I thought you were going to turn on the radio so we could catch the weather.”

  I pushed the egg around and added the vegetables. “I did. But it went all staticky.”

  “So you just turned it off?”

  “Yeah.” I shrugged. “Static wasn’t going to tell us anything about the weather.” I was embarrassed to admit that I had been preoccupied and forgot all about the storm for a while.

  “Maybe I can find another station.” He shook his head and switched it on just as the announcer’s voice broke in. “A tornado warning has just been issued for Stone County in Missouri. Again, a storm with rotation has been detected by Doppler radar, moving east an
d north along Highway 65 in Missouri. It has just crossed over into the Branson area.”

  “Is that us?” I asked, swallowing hard.

  “Not far from us. Can I use your laptop to check out the weather track? There should be a radar showing somewhere.”

  “Help yourself.” I motioned toward the table, where I left it open most of the time.

  “Thanks.” He nodded toward the stove. “Smells good.”

  “Hopefully it’ll taste as good as it smells.”

  “Hmm.” Eli clicked the keys on the computer, so I waited for him to elaborate.

  I slid our omelet from the pan, slicing off the more generous portion of the five-egg masterpiece onto his plate. I grabbed two forks, carried the plates waitress style, and set his down by the computer before sitting across from him.

  “What?” I asked when he didn’t say more. “And eat before it gets cold.”

  “Looks like we’re in the path of the tornado.”

  “The guy said Branson. That’s forty miles.”

  He nodded, but kept his focus on the computer.

  Tornadoes, or at least threats of them, were common in the Ozarks. I’d discovered that in the two years Jarrod and I lived at Fort Leonard Wood, which was about one hundred miles or so to the north and east. I had stopped ignoring the threat when the base was hit a couple of years earlier. I was lucky enough to be in a house on the other side of the base from where it touched down, but plenty of the families I knew were affected.

  He exhaled a heavy breath. “You could be right,” he said. “But I’d rather not take a chance. Can I use your cell phone? Mine’s in the truck.”

  “Of course,” I said. I even got up and grabbed it off the refrigerator, where it had been sitting since my mother called this morning.

  He took it and shook his head. “You have six calls and ten texts.”

  I didn’t doubt that. Well-meaning friends and family still “checking on me.”

  “I’ll take a look later.”

  He grabbed his fork and then wolfed down two bites as he held my iPhone with his left hand and punched the touchscreen with his thumb. He glanced up at me as he tasted the food, and his eyebrows rose in what I interpreted as an acknowledgment of my culinary achievement. That was enough for me.

  “Mom,” he said into the phone. “Are you keeping an eye on the weather? Good. I’m at Granny’s with Corrie.”

  I smiled inside. Would this house ever be mine in the family’s eyes? Probably not. Even Jarrod had always referred to it as Granny’s house. “When we move into Granny’s house,” he’d say. “Granny’s house needs a new roof.” Always Granny’s. Honestly, it didn’t bother me. What bothered me was the thought that they begrudged me the home. I thought back to my encounter with Aunt Trudy at the bridge, and my heart lifted once again. Even if no one else believed I belonged here, she did, and so did Eli.

  “Yeah,” Eli was saying. “I just checked the weather on Corrie’s computer.” He paused. “She doesn’t have a TV, and she had the radio on the wrong station.” He glanced at me and smiled, but I could see worry clouding his eyes. “Should I come over?” he asked. Alarm seized me. He was thinking of leaving me alone in the path of a tornado?

  “I haven’t checked the cellar here since we started working. There’s been a lot of other work, but I’ll take a look.”

  Cellar? I didn’t know I even had one.

  “No, Ma,” he said. “I didn’t know I was talking funny.” He cast a glance my direction.

  I blushed and winced. I left him talking and went into the living room to retrieve Kitty, who was curled up on a chair. He didn’t seem at all happy to be picked up, but after a few seconds of coaxing, he relaxed and let me hold him.

  Eli was saying good-bye when I got back to the kitchen. “Do you need to go to her?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “Aunt Liz is there.”

  “Oh, Jarrod’s mom?” Of course he meant Jarrod’s mom. How many Aunt Lizzes could there possibly be in one family?

  Of course, there were three Joans and half a dozen Billys, named after the granddad they all called Pop, but I’d never heard of more than one Liz, so I had to assume.

  Eli swallowed the last of his omelet and nodded. “Yeah. She doesn’t have a basement or cellar, so she always heads to Mom’s in bad weather. Mae and her kids are there too, and I imagine she dragged Uncle Fred. They’re all hunkering down in the basement with a game of Yahtzee and the TV and radio dialed to the right stations.”

  I almost felt bad about the relief rushing through me when I realized that Eli wouldn’t be leaving me until it was all over. But I had to admit I kind of liked the idea that he’d called to check on his mom.

  Eli stood and then grabbed the table, as though the room had started to spin. I jumped up and took hold of his arm. “Okay?”

  “Just a little dizzy. I got up too fast.”

  “You need to go back to the living room and lie down.”

  He shook his head, staring at me with his eyebrows up. “Have you forgotten we’re in the path of a tornado?”

  “No, but have you forgotten you have a broken nose?” I knew better than to discount this one, considering how nervous Eli seemed, but I also knew he was injured and that his nose could start a gullywasher of its own any second if he didn’t get his head back.

  But clearly, Eli wasn’t inclined to tempt fate. “I’ll be fine. Just stood up too fast.” As if to demonstrate his point, Eli let go of the table and stepped toward the doorway. “I need a flashlight. Do you have one?”

  I nodded. “In the Jeep. I’ll be right back.” I thrust Kitty into his arms. “Hold him for me, please.”

  I ran out to the Jeep and back and was breathing hard when I got back inside. I handed it over, and he relinquished the cat. “Where’s the cellar?” I asked. “I didn’t know I had one.”

  “It’s right outside the back door.”

  “Really?” Surprised, I followed him through the hallway to the mud room and onto the back porch.

  “What did you think this was?” he asked, pointing to a wooden door lying almost flat on the ground.

  I shrugged. “I never noticed. I haven’t really been here much, you know.”

  The rain had let up to almost a sprinkle, and I was beginning to wonder if our worry was much ado about nothing. I knew for certain I wouldn’t be going underground if I didn’t have to. A nice finished basement with a family room was one thing, but a cellar was not nearly so people friendly.

  Thunder crashed, and Kitty sprang from my grasp, scratching my skin as he went. “Kitty!” I called after him and started to follow, but Eli grasped my wrist. “You’re not going after that cat in this.”

  “This? It’s barely sprinkling.” The wind had come to a full stop. “It’s not even blowing anymore.”

  “Ever heard of the calm before the storm? Look at how green the sky is. It’s getting ready to hit.” He yanked open the cellar door. “Here, take the flashlight and climb down.”

  I hung back. “You first.”

  “No. You first. I have to close the door.” He pointed to the west. “Look!” The sky opened up and poured as I noticed the dark cloud headed toward us. I grabbed the flashlight and hurried down the steps.

  Eli got inside and closed the door just as hail began to pelt the earth.

  Eli

  The cellar was everything I remembered from childhood. The air smelled musty and felt damp and cool. Cobwebs lined the ceiling until Corrie insisted I knock them all down. We had been in the cellar for an hour, and the tornado still hadn’t passed. I figured it must have switched directions, but I hated to leave the shelter until I knew for sure. It was going on nine o’clock, and after my early start today, not to mention my broken nose, my head ached. All I wanted to do was crawl into my bed and sleep.

  I glanced at Corrie. “Did you bring your phone?”

  She shook her head. “I’d have grabbed it if I’d known we were going to be stuck down here.”

  “
Well, what did you think was going to happen when I asked for a flashlight and started toward the cellar?” I shook my head. It felt like a tornado had touched down on my face.

  “I don’t know.” Her legs were stretched out in front of her on the floor, her back resting against the concrete wall. “Why do you want my phone?”

  “I wanted to check the weather. I think the brunt of the storm turned before it got this far, or we would have heard it go over.”

  She breathed out her relief but shook her head.

  I stood up in the cramped space and then made my way to the steps.

  “What are you doing?” Corrie asked. I could hear the fear in her voice, and I hated to be the cause of any more emotional upset for her, but we had no choice.

  “I’m going to open the door and take a look outside.”

  “Do you think we should wait a few more minutes?”

  For a woman who hadn’t even wanted to come to the cellar in the first place, she was pretty storm-spooked all of a sudden. Besides, I didn’t think a few minutes would make a difference. I hadn’t heard the wind or hail in quite some time, so I was pretty sure the threat was over. “Come on,” I said, holding out my hand. “Let’s be brave.”

  Her face relaxed and a smile surprised me. She slid her small hand into mine, and I felt like a million bucks. Aunt Trudy’s smoke-husky voice came back to me. “She’s not for you.”

  Well, what did she know? Something was happening to me that had everything to do with this girl, and whether Aunt Trudy approved or not, I wanted to know exactly what it was.

  I held Corrie’s hand while we walked across the cold concrete to the stairs. I felt her hang back as I started to ascend. Loosening my grip, I allowed her hand to slip out of mine. “I’ll go first. Shine the light so I can unlock the door.”

  “Be careful.”

  I nodded, hurrying up the steps. I opened the door and saw that my feeling was confirmed. “It’s fine,” I called down.

  Relief covered her face, and she walked up the steps. As I climbed out of the cellar, I saw that we’d sustained more of an impact than I’d imagined. The new roof might need a few shingles replaced, and a couple of small trees were uprooted. The clothesline was down.