Page 147 of Dust Storm

“You didn’t tell Gretchen to go through that intersection. You didn’t tell the clouds to stop raining for two years. You didn’t tell the herd to get sick. You didn’t tell me to join the Army,” Nate said. His mottled, scarred hand curled and stretched. “You didn’t tell me to walk up to a suicide bomber, and yet you still blame yourself for not stopping it.”

I froze mid-stride.

“Where’s Cass?” I snapped. “And the girls.”

Nate shrugged. “I dunno. They were out of the arena before we got out.” He put a hand on my arm. “You gotta chill out. This is not your fault. You can’t control everything. Don’t make it about you.”

With that, he went over to Becks and sat down.

Irritation sprang up my back, eating at me from the inside. I checked my phone.No calls.

I punched in her number, walked over to the empty half of the waiting room, and waited.

“Hey, Daddy.” But it wasn’t my kids answering the phone. It was Cass.

The sound of her steady voice was a balm. I let out a sharp breath. My blood pressure lowered at the sound of her voice. “What are you doing answering the phone like that? Where are you?”

Cassandra laughed softly. “It’s your fault. You put yourself in my phone as ‘Cowboy Daddy.’”

I slumped against the Coke machine and squeezed my forehead. That day felt like forever ago. “I forgot.”

She was never one to beat around the bush, and got right to it. “How’s Ray? How are you?”

“He—uh… Are the girls around?”

“They’re out of earshot,” she clipped.

“He’s in surgery. Between us, I don’t know if…”Shit.My eyes burned as heat and salt clouded my vision. I sucked in a sharp breath and tried to let it out, but I couldn’t. “I don’t know if he’s gonna wake up, Cass,” I choked out. “He might not make it.”

Tears streamed down my face and soaked my beard as I cried.

Cassandra was quiet. All that passed between us was the reassuring sound of her breathing.

I hunched over and braced my hands on my knees, letting out a long exhale. “Where are you at? Are the girls okay?”

“They’re fine. Don’t worry about us,” she said. “I’m at the burger place across the street from the hospital. I figured it would give you a chance to get settled before I bring them into the chaos.”

The burn in my lungs fizzled away. “How… How’d you get the truck out of the lot?”

Her laugh was music to my ears. “Bree helped me.”

“I’m sorry. It sounded like you just said my thirteen-year-old helped you drive.”

“Not like that.” Her words were soft and reassuring. “She sat up front with me and explained how to use a clutch and shift gears. I only ran over one or two cars.”

I chuckled at her sarcasm. “Are the girls okay?”

“They’re worried about Ray,” she said honestly. “But like I told you, I’ve got it. I don’t want you to worry about us.”

“Come on over when the girls are ready. We’re in the waiting room. It could be a while.”

We said our goodbyes and I hung up.

Half an hour later, Cassandra, Bree, and Gracie walked through the doors, carrying grease-soaked bags of burgers and fries for the family. Bree and Gracie curled up in the chairs beside my parents, looking only a little worse for the wear.

“Hey, cowboy. I brought you a?—”

I grabbed the front of her shirt and slammed her mouth to mine, kissing her hard and deep. It was wholly inappropriate for a hospital waiting room, but I needed her. I needed to feel her. I needed to know that she was safe.

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