Jenna's Cowboy (34 page)

The fire was contained by midnight but not yet under control Wednesday morning. Nate and Jenna shared their plans with their delighted families. They took Zach with them when they drove to the county seat to pick up the marriage license. But instead of going back toward the ranch, Nate headed toward Sweetwater.

“You missed a turn back there.”

Nate grinned and patted her hand. “Are you questioning my driving, soon-to-be Mrs. Langley?”

“Mostly wondering what you’re up to.”

“Going to the jewelry store.”

Her eyes lit up. “Really? And is there a special reason for that?”

“Need a new battery for my watch.”

“Oh, I see.”

“What you see?” called Zach from the backseat.

Jenna chuckled and scanned the scenery for something that might interest a two-year-old. “That big ol’ barn over there. See it?”

“Yeah.” He didn’t sound that impressed. He saw a bigger one every day.

“Keep looking, maybe you’ll see a tractor.”

When they got to the jewelry store, Nate glanced at his watch. “Why, look at that, it’s working.” Carrying Zach, he deftly guided her toward the engagement and wedding rings. “I’ve had my eye on one for a while, but since we’re here, you can tell me what you think of it.”

“Sweet man, I’d be happy with anything. Well, maybe not something from the quarter toy machines at the grocery store.”

“They’re probably up to fifty cents by now anyway.” He smiled at the middle-aged clerk who walked up behind the counter. “Could we see that one in the middle, please?”

The clerk unlocked the case and removed the ring, a beautiful diamond solitaire in a yellow gold band. Jenna was no diamond expert, but she thought it might be about half a carat in size. Too much money for her cowboy to spend, though he had a nice savings.

But then, he was marrying someone with a hefty bank account, she thought with a smile. She was secure enough in their love and in him to know he would love her just as much if she didn’t have a cent. So she wasn’t going to question him on the expense.

The clerk held it out toward them. It caught the light, sparkling more than any other ring she’d ever seen. The ring Jimmy Don had given her had been bigger, but it hadn’t been as bright or finely cut.

“Like it?”

“It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen one that sparkles so much.”

“It has to do with the cut and the clarity of the diamond,” said the clerk. “Would you like to try it on?”

When she hesitated, Nate leaned closer, carefully holding Zach so he wouldn’t kick the glass case. “See if it fits, sweetheart.”

“It probably will. I haven’t tried on a standard size one yet that didn’t.” She met his gaze. “But if I put it on and it fits, I don’t want to take it off.”

Nate laughed and glanced at the smiling clerk. “Is there someplace where we can sit down so I can hold this little guy and slip a diamond on my girl’s hand at the same time?”

“Of course. Come right over here.” She led them to a table with two chairs in front and one in back, obviously for displaying jewelry in a more comfortable setting.

Nate sat down and settled Zach on his lap. “You need to sit real still for a minute, okay? I have to use both hands.”

Zach nodded, looking up at some expensive figurines on a nearby shelf. Good thing Nate was hanging on to him, otherwise her inquisitive son would be trying to figure out how to get his little hands on them.

Nate looked at the clerk, and she handed him the ring. Jenna held out her left hand, and he took it in his. “Do I need to ask again?” He gave her the lopsided smile that had won her heart at fourteen.

“No, not again.” Jenna glanced at the benignly smiling clerk. “I’ve already said yes twice.”

Nate chuckled and winked at the clerk. “And one time I wasn’t even asking.”

That made the serene woman laugh.

Nate slipped the ring on Jenna’s finger. He didn’t propose again or tell her he loved her out loud. But he said it with his eyes, his touch, the tenderness of his smile.

It fit perfectly.

“I think it works.” If he grinned any bigger, he’d bust something.

“That, my love, is the understatement of the year.” She leaned up and kissed him.

A minute later, the clerk cleared her throat. When they looked up at her, she smiled brightly. “Will that be cash or charge?”

“Debit card.” Nate handed Zach to Jenna and shifted on the seat, pulling his wallet from his back pocket. She entertained her son by showing him how the pretty ring sparkled. Nate handed the woman the card and grumbled when she walked away. “Talk about ruining the moment.”

Jenna caressed his jaw. “Nothing could ruin that moment, sweetheart.”

He smiled, kissed her palm, and jumped to his feet. “Ma’am, wait. We need to look at wedding bands too.”

•• After returning to the ranch, they ate a sandwich, played with Zach for a little while, and took him over to the ranch house. Kim was happy to play with him until time for his nap.

Ramona agreed to watch him while they went to town. “I can’t go in there yet. I’ll do my part for now by cooking.”

Jenna’s mom and Emily had gone back to the church midmorning. Her dad and brothers came in about ten minutes after Nate and Jenna arrived. They had stayed in town all night, catching a few hours sleep at the shelter, then going back out again to work the fire line.

“We have it controlled,” said Dub, “though they haven’t made the official announcement yet. There are still some hot spots here and there, a few homes still burning. Some fresh crews from other counties came in about half an hour ago. They’ll take care of things now.”

The people who had been fighting the fire for twenty-four hours could go home and rest. Or in the case of many members of the Callahan Crossing volunteer fire department, see if they still had a home left.

“The boys and I are going to drive around a little, want to double-check things one last time.” He sighed heavily, resting his arm across Sue’s shoulder. “And take a look in the daylight at what we’ll be facing in the days ahead. Judge Coleman said y’all could go with us if you want to. Knowing how things are might help you prepare a little better when folks come back in.”

Nate and Jenna rode with Chance and Will. She felt her parents needed time alone to deal with the disaster together. Emily seemed to sense the same thing and politely declined when her mom asked if she wanted to go along. But when Chance asked if she wanted to go in his truck, she changed her mind.

Will wasn’t too tired to pick up on the vibes between his brother and the cute blonde. He surprised Jenna when he squeezed into the backseat with her and Nate.

They followed Dub down Oak to Main Street. The businesses in the heart of downtown hadn’t been touched by the actual fire, only the heavy smoke that still hung in the air. That would cause damage, but at least the buildings were intact.

By the time they reached Maple, the buildings began to show scars from the fire. Jenna glanced up the side street and drew in a sharp breath. Where only part of the stores at that point on Main had been scorched, there appeared to be nothing but rubble from First Street north. The smoke was so thick, they couldn’t tell how far it went.

“It came in at an angle,” Chance said quietly. “That’s why it hit the streets north of here harder. The wind must have shifted a little about the time it got to Fourth. It moved mainly north from there.”

Between Maple and the next street, Hickory, the damage increased dramatically. Beyond Hickory were only ashes and rubble as far as they could see.

As they slowly wound through the streets, the devastation stunned them. The cotton gin, five businesses, the Mission, and more homes than they could count had been completely destroyed.

To her surprise, Jenna didn’t cry when she saw the ashes of the Mission. But she wept as they passed block after block of burned-out homes. A lone chimney stood here. A burned car there. A child’s swing set in a backyard, scorched but standing while the ruins of the home still smoldered.

“Look at the trees.” Emily pointed to a big elm tree. The trunk was burned halfway up, the lower branches looked like charcoal, but a few dried leaves still clung to the uppermost branches. Many others were the same way.

At the museum, the section that housed the office, conference room, and records storage room was a blackened, gaping hole. The main portion of the building was still intact, though no doubt heavily smoke damaged.

From her spot in the backseat, Jenna glanced at Emily in the front. Tears streamed down her face. A few minutes earlier, she, too, had been crying for the families who had lost their homes. But these were fresh tears, perhaps of thanksgiving because she’d had the foresight to take the records. Perhaps gratitude that the whole building wasn’t gone.

Chance stopped in the street to give them a good look. After a moment, he reached over and gently squeezed Emily’s hand. “You did a good thing yesterday, Emily Rose.”

She squeezed his hand back. “We did a good thing, Chance.”

Will winked at Jenna but wisely kept his mouth shut.

When they got back to the shelter, they learned that the judge and fire chief had a partial list of the damage. In addition to the things they had seen downtown, ninety-eight homes in town and two farmhouses along with their barns had been destroyed.

They hadn’t tallied the burned cars scattered throughout the southwest and west part of town. In the farm and ranch area where the fire started, it would take days, perhaps weeks, to determine how many cattle had been lost or miles of fencing burned.

The firefighters had thoroughly searched the burned areas and found no sign that anyone had died in the fire. Nor had there been any serious injuries.

At 3:00, the authorities allowed the townspeople back into Callahan Crossing. As the news spread through announcements on the radio and television and by word of mouth, cars slowly streamed into town. Thick smoke still hung in the air, making it difficult to see. With street signs burned and landmarks gone, some folks had trouble finding where they had lived.

Those whose homes were intact, like Jill Harmon’s, comforted those who had lost everything. In the areas where the rubble had cooled enough, people sifted through the ashes with rakes, looking for keepsakes and anything that could be salvaged. They found little. The fire had burned so hot that appliances were mere piles of twisted and melted metal.

Mrs. Dodd’s son arrived from Austin and took her to see the ashes of the home she had lived in for fifty years. The only thing they found worth keeping was a pocketknife that had belonged to her late husband.

Jenna, Nate, Sue, Emily, and Lindsey worked at the shelter alongside others from their church and other churches in town. They served meals to those who had begun trying to clean up, handed out clothes and food supplies to those who needed it. Often they simply sat down and listened to stories of heartache and bravery and gave someone a shoulder to cry on.

People from FEMA, along with volunteers from the Salvation Army and Red Cross, were also there to help with financial assistance and how to get other aid. Insurance claims adjusters arrived practically in a caravan.

Members of all the churches in town organized to provide meals for the weeks to come, bringing the food to Grace Community on each church’s designated day and also working in the kitchen. Church folk from other towns brought food too, and came in to help. Cleanup would take awhile, and people had to eat.

The Baptist church filled up with donated appliances, furniture, towels, sheets, and other household goods. They quickly had to start sending people to the Presbyterian church with the overflow.

Money poured in from all across the nation, some through aid agencies and some into the disaster fund established at the Callahan Crossing National Bank. A committee was established to handle the funds at the bank and disburse them fairly and to those most in need.

Through it all, despite all the material loss, everyone thanked God that no lives had been lost, nor anyone seriously injured. The whole town hadn’t been destroyed. They would build again. Callahan Crossing had always been a close-knit community. It was even more so now.