Bad Penny by Sharon Sala Page B

clothes…I don’t know what happened to my clothes.” Wilson cupped her face, then bent until their foreheads were touching.
     
    “They’re in pieces all over the damned pasture,” he said. “I was afraid you were, too.”
     
    Cat leaned against him as the sound of an approaching vehicle became louder. Wilson watched his father driving across the pasture, dodging debris as he went. In his wake were the camera crew and their van.
     
    “It’s Dad,” Wilson said.
     
    Cat turned to look; then her eyes widened. “The others? Who are they?”
     
    “News crews. They’re all over the place, filming the destruction. Dad and I ran into them when we were looking for you.”
     
    Carter came to an abrupt stop, slammed the shift into Park and got out on the run. He’d been so sure Cat was at the bottom of the pond…To see her alive and standing was more than a miracle.
     
    “Lord have mercy, girl…you’re okay. You’re okay.”
     
    He wanted to hug her but was afraid he would hurt something beneath all the mess, so he settled for a soft pat on the back. “Come on to the truck, honey. We need to get the both of you home. Wilson went in the water after you three times. Last time he went under, I didn’t think he was gonna come up. I was already planning on where to hide, because I knew I
     
    couldn’t go home and face Dorothy without our kids.” At that, Cat began weeping openly again.
     
    “Lord, don’t do that,” Carter muttered, as he swiped at his eyes. “You’re gonna have all of us bawling like babies. So let’s get in the truck before those newspeople get here and want an interview.”
     
    “I’ll get the seats filthy,” Cat said.
     
    “I don’t give a damn,” Wilson said as he swept Cat off her feet and carried her to the truck. He sat her on his lap as Carter started the engine, his arms around her shoulders, hoping to cushion the ride as the truck took off, bouncing across rough ground on the way back to the road. They passed a news crew that tried to flag them down.
     
    “Don’t stop,” Cat begged.
     
    “Don’t worry, honey. I won’t,” Carter said. As they drove past the pond, Cat gasped. “Is that your truck?”
     
    Wilson wouldn’t even look at it. He just kept looking at her. “I thought you were in it,” he said.
     
    Cat heard the break in his voice and shuddered. But for the grace of God,
     
    she would have been. Then she closed her eyes. She’d seen all the tornado damage she cared to.
     
    By the time they cleared the field and got out onto the road, the news crew had obviously decided what they had on film was enough and went in the opposite direction, off to the next scene of disaster.
     
    It was none too soon for Wilson. But when they reached the ranch, the yard was full of vehicles. The limb that had gone through the living room window was gone, and his brother Charlie was nailing a piece of plywood over the opening, while two of his sisters were sweeping up glass. He could see one brother-in-law down at the corral nailing up a broken panel and another throwing debris into the back of his pickup.
     
    “Looks like Mom made a few phone calls,” Wilson said. Then Dorothy came out of the house carrying a blanket.
     
    Carter sighed. “Yeah, and I did, too. I called your mom after you found Catherine. If she’s still crying, don’t say anything. It’ll only make her cry harder.”
     
    Wilson gave Cat a quick kiss on the cheek. “You know the routine,” he said. “Just let her fuss. You’ll both feel better.”
     
    The thought of facing everyone in this condition was daunting. Cat clutched Wilson’s hand. “Don’t leave me.”
     
    He just shook his head. “Don’t worry, baby. After all this, you’d have to kill me to get rid of me.”
     
    Cat exhaled shakily as Dorothy reached the truck, took one look at Cat and burst into tears.
     
    Carter frowned. He couldn’t bear to hear a woman crying, especially one of his.
     
    “Now, Dorothy,