Making His Way Home (13 page)

Judging from the speed of the clouds bearing down on the lake, Cole has his doubts that would happen.

“The sky is a funny color,” Molly announced.

Unfortunately, Cole had to agree. He’d only seen that eerie shade of green once before, when a funnel cloud had dropped from the sky and shaved a path a half mile wide through a nearby cornfield.

He looked at Grace. “We’re not going to make it back before the storm hits.”

“The chapel isn’t too far away.” She had to pitch her voice above the high-pitched keening of the wind. “Should we go there?”

“I don’t think we have much of a choice.”

Trees began to bow as they struggled up the path. Grace stretched her arms over the children, trying to shield them against the drops of rain that pelted the ground.

Brody cupped his hands around Cole’s ear. “I hear fire trucks!”

Cole’s gaze snagged with Grace’s over the boy’s head and even before he saw the flash of fear in her eyes, he recognized the sound.

Not fire trucks.

A siren.

Warning everyone in the area to seek shelter.

Chapter Seventeen

“I’
m scared!”

“I know, sweetie. Stay close to me.” Grace wrapped her arm around Tori’s thin shoulders. “Do you remember the stone chapel? We’re going to stay there until it stops raining, and then Cole and I will take you to your parents, okay?”

“Okay.” The little girl pressed closer to her side.

Cole flashed Grace a reassuring smile that didn’t extinguish the concern banked in his eyes. “Lead the way.”

She tried to calculate the quickest way to reach the chapel. It was dangerous to be in the woods during a thunderstorm, but doubling back and following the trail would take more time.

Her heart jumped in time with the muffled thud of a tree hitting the ground not far away.

God, protect us.

“This way.” Grace surged forward, battling not only the wind, but the guilt that came from knowing she’d put the children in danger by not paying close enough attention to the weather.

Cole was a step behind her, his very presence keeping her own fears at bay. When she stumbled, it was his hand that shot out and steadied her.

Tori’s shoulders began to shake with silent sobs, and Grace pulled her closer. Kate had mentioned the little girl was terrified of storms and the dark, and now they had to contend with both. It was only three o’clock, but the thick clouds boiling over their heads formed an impenetrable barrier, blocking out the afternoon sun.

Just when Grace was beginning to worry she was leading Cole and the children in the wrong direction, the wind shifted and she spotted a small stone structure through the veil of rain. She sent up a silent prayer that Abby and Quinn had left the door of the chapel unlocked.

The same thought must have run through Cole’s mind because he sprinted ahead of them. Grace held her breath as he wrestled it open.

“It’s dark in there.” Tori balked on the step as Grace tried to urge her and Molly inside.

“I’ve got you.” Cole swept Tori up in his arms and kicked the door shut. The sound ricocheted against the walls.

“There’s a small room in the back.” Grace took Tori and Molly by the hand and guided them between the wooden pews.

She discovered a bundle of clean rags stashed in a small cupboard and used them to mop up the expanding puddles of water that dripped from the children’s hair and clothing.

Hail began to ping against the roof like shotgun pellets and all four children started to cry.

“I wanna go home!” Riley howled.

Grace knelt down and blotted the rain from his pudgy cheeks. “We’ll be okay, sweetheart.”

“How do you...know?” Molly sniffled.

“Because we’re in church,” Brody piped up. “And that means Jesus is here, right, Miss Grace?”

Cole laughed. The sound was so unexpected, the children turned to stare at him.

So did Grace.

“He’s not just in church, buddy. He’s everywhere.” Cole ruffled the spikes of wet hair that sprouted from Brody’s head. “Didn’t Grace tell you the story about the time Jesus and his friends were caught in a bad storm?”

“Not yet,” Molly said. “But she tells us lots of stories.”

“I guess that means I’ll have to tell this one.” Cole dropped to the floor and settled his back against the wall. Immediately all four children crowded into his lap. “Jesus and his friends were in a boat on the lake, not a cozy little building like this one. Waves crashed over the side and there was thunder and lightning.”

A shudder ripped through Tori’s tiny frame. “Was Jesus scared, too?”

“Nope. He was sound asleep. In fact, his friends had to wake him up.” Cole stretched out his legs, as if they were gathered in a comfortable living room instead of an oversize closet while a storm raged just beyond the wall. “Do you know what he told them?”

Tori sniffled. “W-what?”

“He told them not to be afraid. He was right there with them in that boat and he’s with us, too. He knows how we feel and we can ask him anytime to help us not to be afraid.”

“Can we ask Him now?” Molly asked in a small voice.

Cole smiled. “We sure can.”

Grace closed her eyes, holding back the tears that threatened to spill over as Cole began to pray.

“You know we’re here, Lord. You know we’re a little afraid of the wind and all the racket out there. But You promise that You are with us even in the middle of a storm and we trust You to take care of us—”

“Amen!” Riley’s exuberant benediction momentarily drowned out the sound of the rain.

Grace released a ragged breath. She should have recognized the source of the changes she’d seen in Cole. Time hadn’t sanded down the rough edges. Neither had the responsibility of caring for his family. His
faith
had.

Grace slid a glance at Cole, only to find him watching her. He nodded, as if she’d asked him a question.

Even while they’d been apart, God had continued to work in Cole’s life. Grace had encouraged him to turn to God for strength that summer, never knowing he had taken her advice to heart.

If that was the reason He had brought them together, Grace decided it had been worth the pain of letting Cole go.

* * *

Minutes seemed like hours as they waited for the rattle of the wind to subside.

“I think the storm moved past.” Cole gently dislodged the children from his lap and pushed to his feet. “I’ll be right back.”

The children wanted to follow, but Grace had them wait by the door until Cole indicated it was safe to go outdoors. When he waved to Grace from the doorway, they scrambled past her.

Grace’s knees buckled when she stepped outside the chapel and saw the damage.

The wind had stripped the trees of their leaves, leaving them strewn on the ground like confetti. One of the stately pines had been snapped off at the base and a grove of poplar trees had been uprooted, leaving gaping holes in the ground. Hail the size of glass beads littered the grass.

“It snowed!” Brody scooped a handful of icy pellets off the ground.

She moved to Cole’s side. “Tornado?” she murmured in a low voice so the children wouldn’t hear their conversation.

“From what I can see, there doesn’t seem to be a pattern with the damage.”

From what he could see. But what about they
couldn’t
see?

“Do you think—” Grace didn’t finish the thought. “We have to get back. Their parents are going to be worried sick.”

Grace and Cole held the children’s hands while they picked their way down the muddy path, dodging puddles and fallen branches.

People were streaming out of the inn when they emerged from the woods a few minutes later. Grace heard a startled cry and saw Jenna running toward them. Dev and Logan were only a few steps behind.

“I’m sorry,” Grace gasped as Dev picked up Tori. “The storm came in so fast...we went to the chapel.”

“Don’t apologize.” Jenna squeezed her arm. “None of us had a lot of time to prepare. One minute we were putting away the lawn chairs and the next minute we were chasing them across the yard.”

In less than five minutes, the rest of the children had been reunited with their parents.

Abby dashed up to her. “Are you all right?”

“I was just about to ask you the same thing.” Grace hugged her friend.

“Everyone is fine. Here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Jake got a call from a county officer a few minutes ago. A tornado touched down a few miles north of town, on Timber Drive.” Abby bit her lip. “He’s on his way over there right now.”

Timber Drive.

Grace tried to remember how many houses were located along the road and her mouth went dry.

“The campground?”

Abby nodded. “According to Officer West, it would have been right in its path. Jake isn’t sure if the people staying there even had time to make it to safety.”

Grace’s stomach clenched. The small campground didn’t have a pavilion or shelter of any kind. Most of the campers set up tents rather than expensive motor homes.

“Did Quinn go with him?”

“He and Alex went with Matt to move a tree that’s blocking one of the roads or I would have sent them along to help.”

“I’ll go. I’m volunteer with the local rescue squad.” Cole turned to Grace. “Can you tell me how to get to the campground?”

“I can show you.”

* * *

“Is it gonna sting?”

Adam, the five-year-old boy one of the officers had discovered hiding under the twisted remains of a pop-up camper, scooted away from Cole as he removed a bottle of antiseptic from the first aid kit.

“A little,” Cole said truthfully. “Can you count to five?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Great. Start counting and I promise by the time you get to five, it won’t hurt anymore.”

Adam’s lower lip quivered. “Okay.”

“Good boy.” Cole opened another package and removed a gauze bandage. Considering the amount of damage the tornado had caused, the boy was lucky he’d only suffered a few minor cuts and scrapes.

Adam’s grandfather hadn’t been quite as fortunate. The EMTs who had been called to the scene were getting ready to transport him to a local hospital.

“How are you doing, champ?” Jake Sutton plunked his navy blue police cap on Adam’s head and was rewarded with a soft giggle.

Cole had met the police chief briefly the day before, when Jake and Emma had pitched in to raise the shelter for the competition.

By the time he and Grace had arrived, Jake and a local game warden had taken charge of the scene, sending volunteers to check the campsites. Cole began to treat the injured campers who’d taken shelter in a metal utility shed and Grace had offered to help one of the female officers check the list of campers to make sure everyone was accounted for.

“There’s a guy over there with a lump on his head the size of a tennis ball,” Jake said in a low voice. “He says he’s fine, but can you take a look at it?”

“No problem.”

Adam began to fidget. “Where’s my gramma? I wanna see her.”

“You’re all done, champ.” Cole closed up the first aid kit. “And I’m sure your grandma is anxious to see you, too.”

“I’ll take him over there.” Jake picked up the boy and carried him over to the ambulance, where his grandmother was talking with the paramedic who’d treated her husband.

Cole grabbed an ice pack and made his way over to the young man slumped over on the tailgate of a pickup. He spent the next ten minutes trying to convince the guy that yes, he had suffered a minor concussion and needed medical attention.

On his way back to confer with the rescue workers, he spotted the female officer Grace had left with.

“Hey.” Cole changed course and jogged over to her. “Where is Grace?”

The officer frowned. “She’s not back yet?”

“Back from where? Wasn’t she helping you?”

“One of the campers mentioned there was a couple staying in one of the rustic cabins. There’s three of them, about a mile up the road.”

“I thought Jake said everyone was accounted for.”

“Everyone who
registered
. Sometimes people notice the cabins are empty and they decide to stay there without paying the fee.”

“Who went with her?” Sutton had materialized at Cole’s side.

Although the inflection in Jake’s voice didn’t change, some of the color drained from the woman’s face.

“She said I should stay here to help...she didn’t mind going alone.”

* * *

Alone.

The word continued to cycle through Cole’s mind as the tires of his SUV chewed through the branches that littered the dirt road. Some of them were the size of small trees. Cole inched the car around, between and over them.

About three quarters of a mile, Jake had said.

Which meant he had to be getting close.

A whitetail deer leaped out of the ditch and landed in front of the car. Cole stomped on the brake to avoid hitting it.

The headlights illuminated the red pine lying across the road less than ten yards away. Grace’s truck was parked at an angle in front of it.

There was no one inside.

He tipped his head back and slammed his hands against the steering wheel.

Okay, God. Now what?

He hopped out of the car and strode over to the tree to see if he could get around it. It was half the tree, the other part was a few feet from the ditch, sticking out of the ground like a broken matchstick, the jagged splinters charred from the lightning that had sliced it in two.

Cole turned slowly, considering the list of options that were swiftly dwindling down to two. He could either turn around and find another way to the cabins. Or he could do what Grace had done. Go the rest of the way on foot.

A breeze rattled the trees, and Cole got an instant shower from the moisture that glazed the leaves above his head. He grabbed the nylon jacket from the trunk of his SUV and shrugged it on.

Three cabins, none of them with electricity or running water, according to the warden.

Grace was smart, Cole reminded himself. If she’d run into trouble, she’d find a way to let someone know where she was. He stuck to the road until he saw the boxy silhouette of a cabin in the distance.

And a light flickering in the window.

Thank You, Lord.

As he reached the front door, a shrill cry pierced the air.

Cole didn’t bother to knock. He burst inside and felt his heart turn over in his chest.

Two figures—one young woman lying prone on a narrow bunk bed attached to the wall—the other...

“
Grace
.”

A pair of chocolate-brown eyes locked on his face. Grace, who’d been kneeling by the bunk, pushed to her feet and took one wobbly step toward him.

Cole caught her against him on the second.

“How did you...” The sentence chipped off. “This is Stephanie. She needs some help.”

A low moan from the woman on the bed backed up Grace’s statement. She broke away from Cole and hurried back to the younger woman’s side.

“What happened?” Cole’s mind shifted into high gear, working out the logistics of how to get an injured girl back to the campground as he strode toward the bunk. “Where is she hurt?”

Grace reached for the girl’s hand.

“Stephanie isn’t injured. She’s in labor.”