Page 72 of Takes Two to Tango

Meg wasn't in Oak Stand. She'd left hours ago for Austin to head up the staff meeting Rayne had postponed four days ago. Rayne had approved the summer menu, but some staffing changes had to be made before the weekend and a distributor contract had to be renegotiated. She and Meg had talked extensively about what needed to be done during Rayne's time in New York. She agreed Meg needed to step in for her and sent her to the restaurant never imagining Aunt Frances would get held up in Longview. Nor had she foreseen an unsettled weather forecast.

She set her iPhone on the console and sent up a quick prayer.Please let Henry be okay. Help him not to be afraid.

Maybe Brent would think about Henry and check on him.

But why would he? After the way they'd left things, what reason did he have to do her any favors? She'd basically taken his offer of a future together and shelved it. The man who'd haunted her dreams since she'd reached puberty had offered her his heart and she'd punted it back to him.

Well, not really, but she certainly hadn't done what he expected. To a degree, it baffled her she hadn’t tossed everything aside for a chance with Brent. Hadn't she secretly dreamed about having Brent to love, even when she wasn't supposed to be dreaming of him? Even when it seemed impossible? On the other hand, it made perfect sense to think hard about what taking a chance with him would mean.

Nothing was a sure thing. She certainly had learned that the hard way. Risk was part of life, and even in her career, she’d hedged bets and rolled the dice. Besides, Brent had understood what she needed. He hadn’t pleaded or tried to talk her into anything she didn’t want. Her decision wasn't capricious, andhis willingness to see things from her point of view had only endeared him more to her.

The force of the rain made it hard to hear the words Trisha Yearwood was crooning on the country oldies station.

Fear leaped in her belly.

God, please let Brent think about Henry. Please let someone remember I'm not in town. Let my baby be okay.

She glanced at the clock on the dash-2:35 p.m.

Only twenty-five minutes until the elementary school bell rang and the buses fired up. She'd never make it in time to pick up Henry before the buses departed. And the storm would scare him. But maybe the storm wasn't even near Oak Stand. Maybe it had passed the small town. Just because the weather was horrible along I-20 meant it had rained in her former hometown.

But her gut told her differently. Something felt wrong.

She punched the button that would give her the AM band on the radio and scanned until she found a local station, Eighties rock filled the car, ironically"Rock You Like a Hurricane" played. She sighed and fought to keep the car in her lane. The wind had increased and the gusts swooping over the open pastures on either side of the highway had her gripping the steering wheel for dear life.

A long harsh alarm sounded on the radio, interrupting the iconic song. A flat voice informed her that the National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for Howard County. Several funnels had been spotted over North Havens Road moving southeast toward the town of Oak Stand. All persons in the area were to seek cover and stay tuned to the radio station for further details.

"No," Rayne said to the emptiness of the car."No. Please. No."

The storm was ahead of her. And it was deadly.

Her heart thumped against her chest. Her baby was in the path of a tornado. Dear God.

She looked at the phone sitting in the console. She needed to call somebody, but she hadn't programmed in Brent's number. And she couldn't very well search the internet for the school number while she drove in hazardous conditions. No time to pull over. She had to get to Oak Stand.

Just as her hand hovered over the phone, the ringtone jangled, vibrating the phone against the leather holder.

She snatched the phone, pressing the answer button, even though the number was unfamiliar.

"Hello?”

"Rayne?" Brent called over the thready connection.

"Brent! There's a tornado. Henry's at school. Can you get to him?" she yelled over the pounding rain against her windshield. A gust caught her off guard and blew her car toward the shoulder. The sound of the rumble strips on the shoulder had her jerking the wheel, nearly overcorrecting.She steadied the car, clutching the phone, unwilling to toss it down even if it meant her own safety was at stake. Keeping Henry safe was more important.

She heard Brent saying something, but couldn't make it out.

"What?" she called into the receiver. "Please say it again."

His voice faded in and out. She thought she heard the name ..Henry" but couldn't be sure.

"Pleaseget to him, Brent!" she cried into the receiver.

The connection died and she threw thephone onto the passenger seat next to her purse. Fear pierced her, but she vowed she wouldn't dissolve into tears. She had to keep it together. Keep her cool. Get to Oak Stand.

God, how could this be happening? It was like a bad movie.

She couldn’t drive any faster than she was because visibility was down to almost nothing. A few cars had pulled to the sideof the road while others crept like tortoises on the normally speedy interstate. Five miles after she'd lost her connection with Brent, the rain eased slightly. Rayne gunned the car, increasing her speed to eighty miles per hour. She knew it was dangerous, but no longer cared. She had to get to Henry. He wasn't like most kids. With her out of town, he'd be petrified. The Tyler exit appeared in front of her swishing windshield wipers. She breathed a sigh of relief.

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