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The truck bounced several times, and he was sure the tires had blown out. His ears popped, and his stomach roiled. Jasmeka had stopped crying and was still, which worried him more. All he could do was pray that they wouldn’t go any higher or flip.
Then just as suddenly as the tornado was upon them, it was gone. The truck stopped bouncing, and all lay in total silence.
“Stay put for a minute,” he whispered to Jasmeka. She didn’t move.
He raised his head and gazed around. The driver side window had shattered, and the windshield wipers were bent. Who knew how that happened. Beyond the truck, the peacefulness of the cotton field defied the fact that a tornado had just come through. There was only damage where they were parked and a few feet in several directions. The gray clouds were gone, and the blue sky with fluffy white clouds mocked them.
“It’s over,” Miguel said. “You can get up.”
Ahead of her, he climbed out of the truck and then helped her. She stumbled into his arms, shaking and crying. His heart ached.
“Se acabó. It’s all over, baby,” he whispered as soothingly as he could.
She clung to him in such a state he didn’t know what else to do to calm her down. Gently, he raised her chin and kissed her sweet lips. She surrendered to him, and he devoured her mouth while crushing her to him. Not until the tremors eased and she moaned did he raise his head to look into her eyes. A few tears were left there, so he brushed them away with the pad of a thumb.
“Bueno?”
She nodded. “I can’t believe I was so scared. I’ve lived here
all my life, and I’ve never been caught in a tornado.”
“Yeah, pretty scary stuff. Let’s see if we can still drive. I want to find Angel.”
She looked at him. “You are worried about him.”
He ran a hand through his hair, embarrassed about admitting his fears. “Of course. Despite everything, he’s my little brother. I have to make sure he’s safe, even if he hates me.”
“He doesn’t.”
Miguel examined the truck’s tires. Three were flat. They weren’t going anywhere in it unless they wanted to damage the vehicle further. “We’re walking,” he announced and held his hand out to Jasmeka.
She peeked at the sky and slipped her hand into his. He judged their position and determined the way they needed to go. Nothing in the way of traffic was coming up or down the road, but he headed back the way they came.
He listened to the sound of small rocks crunching under their steps, while Jasmeka walked close to his side. Every now and then her hip bumped his leg, and he was so aware of her, it almost took his breath away. Not that he wanted to make love to her. Okay, he did, but that wasn’t it. There was something about her that drew him like a moth to flames. Even quiet, she was vibrant with life and energy. She gave off something in her personality that made him feel hopeful, and he couldn’t recall the last time he felt that way.
So what do you want to do about it?
The question rolled through his mind over and over. He thought of staying longer in Texas to see where things might go between the two of them. The idea terrified him, but not because of her. It was because of his family. A long time ago, he’d decided he would never open himself up to them, to allow them to destroy him. That resolve still held inside like an impenetrable wall. Whenever he thought of forgiving his dad, he thought of his mother and the pain she had gone through over that man. After they left Texas, for a while, his mother wasn’t doing well, and he had to provide for them.
“What are you thinking?” Jasmeka said out of the blue.
He searched for a different subject than what he’d been thinking. She continued to look at him with those big brown eyes. A desire to tell her the truth came over him, but he resisted as long as he could. What if he left and went back to New York? A protest stirred inside.
“I was thinking about what you told me about my brother,” he said.
The space between her brows crinkled. “Angel?”
“David.”
“Oh, well, he was a good man no matter what you think.”
“Do you…” He hesitated, feeling warmth in his face and embarrassment for blushing like a young boy. “Do you still love him?”
The brown eyes widened, and she lowered her head, staring at the ground. He tensed, thinking he had his answer, and anger rose in his chest. A desire to fight came over him, but how could he fight against his own brother, especially when he was gone?
“I don’t love him,” she said.
He didn’t believe her, but she held her head up and looked him in the eye.
