It was a shock to return to Texas and the inclement weather after the relative peace and mild climate of Cozumel. She had never seen the damage left by tornados before, except as a picture or a video on TV. As they drove north from Fort Worth, she had not been prepared for the devastation the winds had left in their wake. And it was not even over.
In Montana a tornado was an oddity, winter blizzards were common, almost expected. The aftermath was nothing like she saw here. Blizzards could be accompanied by hurricane-force winds, but Montanans had learned how to live with them. There would be damage, but nothing like she was seeing as they drove to the ranch. She'd rather be back in Montana and the winter snowstorms than live with tornados.
The morning after they arrived, Travis put her on the back of his ATV, and they rode off looking to survey the damage the storm had caused. They saw that the addition of the culvert had helped prevent the road from washing out. Travis made up his mind that he and Matt would survey the area and put strategically placed culverts where damage might occur.
While they were out, he kept an eye on the sky. The breeze was mild, but things could suddenly change with the advent of an approaching storm. They were not out of the woods yet, he told her, the weather forecast had indicated that more tornados might be on the way.
He would not turn out the horses until he was sure that all danger of a tornado hitting was passed. They would get restless in the barn, but they would survive.
"Oh, I've got a surprise for you," he told her, "I think Hickory managed to cover Trixie and there's a foal on the way. Matt had a vet check her while we were gone, and he confirmed it. I don't know if you want to continue riding her or not, but I know you enjoyed using her as a saddle horse. You have three other horses you can choose from, but it's your decision."
"Hmm." She'd never owned a pregnant mare before, the news he had given her was kind of exciting. Would the foal be a palomino like its dam, or would it look like Hickory, who was brown with a white blaze and stockings?
Some hands didn't like mares and preferred to ride stallions or geldings, but she didn't. Sure, mares could be temperamental, and sometimes were unrideable for a few days a month: "Mare PMS" she called it. She didn't object to horses with an attitude, she had one too.
Travis drew her out of her reverie, he had been talking but she wouldn't let him know she hadn't been listening.
"I want to show you the storm shelter by the house and where it is. I've made it as comfortable as I could. I've spent the night there a couple of times, it's a good place to seek safety if a storm is severe. There's food inside that doesn't have to be prepared or refrigerated so you don't have to worry about going hungry."
He showed her the location of the entrance, it was only about twenty feet from the house. There were shelves for supplies and benches, as well as a space where an air mattress could be laid if it became necessary to spend the night.
"All the comforts of home," said Coralee and her sarcasm did not pass unnoticed.
"You'll be grateful for it, believe me. The one for the bunkhouse is less comfortable, but I built it where the wranglers don't have to go far to seek shelter. Tornados are dangerous."
Travis kept the TV on so that he could keep track of the weather trends. She wished he would turn it off, she was tired of listening to it and seeing pictures of the damage wreaked by the storm. She would step outside occasionally and had to admit that what she was seeing did not look good. The sky grew darker by the hour and the wind appeared to be slowly building.
Elena came and fixed lunch, she'd defrosted two steaks and fixed baked potatoes and a salad. In the refrigerator was a cheesecake that she'd made and topped with strawberries. Was this a last meal Coralee had jokingly asked her, but Elena's face was grim as she replied.
"If a tornado hits, yes, it'll be the last hot meal you have until it lifts. Make sure that Travis hooks up the generators, otherwise you're going to lose the food in the freezer. This is no laughing matter, Coralee, a tornado is serious. I'll see you tomorrow if the weather allows, otherwise I'll be at home with my husband." She turned and left.
"It was only a joke," muttered Coralee, "You're used to this, I'm not." She didn't like Elena any better now, but they understood each other, and Coralee was Travis's wife. Travis wanted the two women to get along, but they tolerated each other at best.
Coralee put the dishes in the dishwasher. Travis poured them whiskeys; as he handed one to Coralee, the wind came up with a loud whistle. As if on cue the lights began to flicker, and Travis ran to the kitchen and grabbed candles.
"Light these," he said, "I'm going to hook up the generators, so we don't lose power. Grab a few things in case we need to run to the shelter."
"Is it a tornado?" she asked.
"Maybe, I'm taking no chances. Get a few things for me, too."
Outside the wind grew louder. She went to the window, but Travis waved her aside and closed the curtains. "Stay away from the windows," he told her.
Then the noise came, like an express train, a noise Texans knew well and dreaded. "Oh god, Coralee, run to the shelter, now, I'll be right behind you. Go," he said and pushed her.
She grabbed her bag and ran to the shelter, Travis right behind her. Travis shut the door behind them and closed the latches. Outside the sound grew louder as the storm intensified.
Coralee stood, terrified, and Travis took hold of her, sat down, and pulled her on his lap. "Don't worry," he whispered in her ear, "This is an old root cellar that I enlarged and made into a shelter. We're safe here, the wind can't touch us. We'll stay here as long as we need to."
Outside the wind howled, and she kept a tight grip on him and wouldn't let go. In Montana it was spring, and calves were being born and frolicking in the pastures. No tornados were threatening to uproot and destroy barns and houses or take innocent lives. She wanted no more of Texas and she never wanted to go through this again.
"I hate fucking Texas," she wailed, not caring how he would respond, "I don't want to live through another tornado, not ever."
He laughed at her, "Little coward, this isn't even bad, I've been through worse. Yes, it's scary, yes, you're going to have to learn to live with it, but Texas has gifts, too. Pretty soon we're going to be back on the road showing horses and going to the sales; you'll forget about this. I know it's going to take time before you can call Texas home, but the time will come."
The winds picked up again and she buried her face in his shoulder. He said nothing, he could feel her trembling in his arms. "It's all right," he whispered, "It's the first time and you're scared. It will always be scary, but you'll get used to it. Maybe not completely, but you'll come to terms with it. You're no coward, you're just not used to it like I am."
In the morning she found herself lying on an air mattress and covered by a blanket. She sat up and saw that the door was no longer closed so she got on her feet and left the shelter.
Outside it was chaos. Trees had been uprooted and tossed around. One of the sheds had been torn from its foundation and flattened. She looked up at the house and was amazed that the storm had not blown it away.
Travis drove up in his ATV. "Good morning," he said in a cheerful voice, and she wanted to kill him, "Let's have a look at the house, it looks pretty good from here."
She got on the back of the ATV, and they drove through torn-up bushes to the top where the house stood. There were a couple of steps missing, but that was easily fixed; some of the shutters that covered the century-old windows had been torn away, but the house looked good. Travis turned the ATV around, saying, "We didn't lose the roof, and that's the important part. I want to take you down to the barn so you can check on your horses and the chicken coop, I think your chickens survived."
The hands were out and about, Travis had built a stormproof shelter for them, and no one had been hurt. The horses were shaken up, but they were all right. The original owner had known the Texas climate and had built a sturdy barn that could withstand the winds of a strong storm.
They had been lucky this time, it could have been worse.
She ran to check the chicken coop and was relieved to see it more or less intact. The roof had been torn off, but someone had covered it with a tarp so that the chickens were safe and dry. They had taken shelter in the lower level and had huddled there until the storm passed. The laying boxes were intact, and a few even had freshly laid eggs inside.
Matt came up to her with a grin on his face, "So, how did you like the tornado?"
"I didn't, I was scared shitless." She glared at him.
"Well, you survived, that's the main thing," he took off his hat and scratched his head, "We're lucky, that Hinson ranch down the road lost the roofs off the house and the barn. You never know what a tornado is going to do. It didn't touch down here, but next time things may be different. Welcome to Texas, Mrs. Wheatley." He left her and went to talk to Travis.
No one had checked on the cattle, but she saw wranglers saddling horses and heading out to the upper pastures where the herd had been moved. She saw Travis coming towards her and hoped that he would stay behind, with her, the power wasn't even on in the house, they were running on generators.
"Take the ATV and go back to the house, Coralee." Travis turned to go into the barn.
"No! You can't leave me here, I'm scared. I don't want to be left alone. What if the storm comes back." That sounded absurd and childish, but she didn't want him to leave her.
He took her face in his hands, "Coralee, it's over, you're all right, don't be a baby."
"Don't be a baby." How many times had she heard that growing up? She had stopped being a baby years ago, it was okay to be scared sometimes, she had just been through a tornado for the first time, and it had terrified her.
"Don't say that to me, I hate it. I'm not a baby, I'm scared," she said through gritted teeth, "I've just been through the most terrifying experience in my life, and you all don't even seem to be affected.
He kissed her, "All right, then stay here with the girls but don't get in their way. I don't know how long I'll be gone. Take someone and go check the house and the generators. I don't know how long we'll be without power; it could be a couple of days. Cross your fingers."
She watched him disappear into the barn, feeling like her peace of mind had left with him. If she had to stay here, she wouldn't go back to the house unless someone went with her. Instead, she went to the barn and mucked every stall, working out her frustration. She cleaned the chicken coop and gathered the freshly laid eggs, then cleaned out the bunkhouse.
Working had helped her relax so she got on the ATV and rode up to the house. She checked the fuel in the generators, then grabbed some stew meat and defrosted it. She put it in a small cooler, along with the other things she needed, and then went back to the bunkhouse.
Beef stew was a recipe she knew by heart. She browned the now-thawed meat added water and beef broth to the slow cooker and let it cook for a while before she added the peas and carrots. While the stew cooked, she made biscuits and put them in the oven. She sat and read a copy of "Western Horseman", taking the biscuits out after fifteen minutes.
Travis and the hands who had gone with him returned and she greeted them with a hot meal and a fresh pot of coffee. He kissed her and whispered, "That's my girl," as the hands sat down to eat their first hot meal of the day.
She felt pleased, felt like she had redeemed herself. She hadn't overcome her fear but she had worked through it. For now, she couldn't ask for more.
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