but they're all
together now and appear none the worse for the experience." He
struck a match as he turned the manual override key and all the
furnace burner jets burst into flame.
She applauded. "Thank goodness. At least now
the house will be a little warmer."
He replaced the grate and stood. "A lot
warmer. About half the jets were stopped up and not taking flame.
This place will probably seem toasty warm when I get back from the
barn. At least compared to yesterday."
"I'm going, too." Holly retrieved her
coat.
Socks, with the benefit of a litter box by
the back door, remained curled on the chair.
"There's no need for you to go." Trent saw he
wasted his breath because she’d donned her coat and had the muffler
wrapped around her head. As she put on her gloves, he reached for
his own jacket. "No playing matador this time, okay?"
The searing look she sent his way only made
him laugh. Lord, he was sliding out of control. Why worry about
losing every dime he owned? At this rate he would be stark, raving
mad by the time they returned to Dallas.
Blue burst from the porch. In direct contrast
to the docile animal they had found yesterday, the dog cavorted,
sliding this way and that. He seemed intent on marking every post
or tree between the house and the barn.
Beside Trent, Holly stood on the tiny back
porch and stared. He shared her awe. A crystal glaze covered
everything. Every twig, every shrub lay encrusted in a sheet of
ice. Branches of trees drooped under the weight of their heavy
burden.
Nothing moved. No birds chirped; no animal
made a sound. Only the crack of contracting and expanding ice broke
the quiet. Then, a rooster's crow shattered the air. Though clouds
hid the sun, a few rays of feathered light peeped through to prove
morning had arrived.
"It's so beautiful." Even with the cover of
clouds the icy glare made them squint. He watched her breath escape
like puffs of smoke in the frosty air.
"If you insist on coming, you're on your own.
Hold to the cable so you don't fall." Trent contradicted his words
by bracing her waist as she edged her borrowed boots warily down
the slick steps.
Icicles hung from the cable, and their gloves
were stiff with ice by the time they reached the barn. The smell of
so many large animals in a confined space hit them in a wave.
Holly shook her head and pursed her mouth.
"Whew. It smells like a feed lot in here."
Trent put his hands on his hips and cocked
his head at her. "It is a feed lot in here, Princess." With
strident purpose, he went into motion. "Don't worry, with all the
animals penned, it won't take as much time today."
She reached for a pitchfork, but Trent
stopped her.
"You take care of the chickens. You saw where
I got their feed yesterday?"
Holly went to the correct bin. "Do we have to
do this again later today?"
"Nope. The pens should be mucked out, but
I'll pass. Maybe we can leave by tomorrow." He wanted to think they
would be rescued, but knew no one in this area would travel today.
“Think the snowplows will be out by then?”
She looked aghast. “Are you
kidding? There are no
snowplows . We don’t get snow as often as they do
further north. Some years we don’t get much snow at all, but
there’s never more than two or three storms a year like
this.”
“ No plows? How do people get
help?”
“ Eventually the county grader may clear
a path down the road. Sanding crews will cover the worst spots near
the bridges. That is, unless the weather changes quickly and the
ice starts melting.”
So, they were even more hopelessly
stranded than he had realized. Dear God,
help us . To fight the despair that threatened to
overwhelm him, Trent plunged into forking fodder to the
cattle.
After feeding the chickens, she moved to help
him with the hay. He waved her away. "We need the eggs, remember?
There won't be many in this cold, but maybe you could collect
what’s there while I finish with the cattle."
She stared at him, then looked at the floor
of the pen.
together now and appear none the worse for the experience." He
struck a match as he turned the manual override key and all the
furnace burner jets burst into flame.
She applauded. "Thank goodness. At least now
the house will be a little warmer."
He replaced the grate and stood. "A lot
warmer. About half the jets were stopped up and not taking flame.
This place will probably seem toasty warm when I get back from the
barn. At least compared to yesterday."
"I'm going, too." Holly retrieved her
coat.
Socks, with the benefit of a litter box by
the back door, remained curled on the chair.
"There's no need for you to go." Trent saw he
wasted his breath because she’d donned her coat and had the muffler
wrapped around her head. As she put on her gloves, he reached for
his own jacket. "No playing matador this time, okay?"
The searing look she sent his way only made
him laugh. Lord, he was sliding out of control. Why worry about
losing every dime he owned? At this rate he would be stark, raving
mad by the time they returned to Dallas.
Blue burst from the porch. In direct contrast
to the docile animal they had found yesterday, the dog cavorted,
sliding this way and that. He seemed intent on marking every post
or tree between the house and the barn.
Beside Trent, Holly stood on the tiny back
porch and stared. He shared her awe. A crystal glaze covered
everything. Every twig, every shrub lay encrusted in a sheet of
ice. Branches of trees drooped under the weight of their heavy
burden.
Nothing moved. No birds chirped; no animal
made a sound. Only the crack of contracting and expanding ice broke
the quiet. Then, a rooster's crow shattered the air. Though clouds
hid the sun, a few rays of feathered light peeped through to prove
morning had arrived.
"It's so beautiful." Even with the cover of
clouds the icy glare made them squint. He watched her breath escape
like puffs of smoke in the frosty air.
"If you insist on coming, you're on your own.
Hold to the cable so you don't fall." Trent contradicted his words
by bracing her waist as she edged her borrowed boots warily down
the slick steps.
Icicles hung from the cable, and their gloves
were stiff with ice by the time they reached the barn. The smell of
so many large animals in a confined space hit them in a wave.
Holly shook her head and pursed her mouth.
"Whew. It smells like a feed lot in here."
Trent put his hands on his hips and cocked
his head at her. "It is a feed lot in here, Princess." With
strident purpose, he went into motion. "Don't worry, with all the
animals penned, it won't take as much time today."
She reached for a pitchfork, but Trent
stopped her.
"You take care of the chickens. You saw where
I got their feed yesterday?"
Holly went to the correct bin. "Do we have to
do this again later today?"
"Nope. The pens should be mucked out, but
I'll pass. Maybe we can leave by tomorrow." He wanted to think they
would be rescued, but knew no one in this area would travel today.
“Think the snowplows will be out by then?”
She looked aghast. “Are you
kidding? There are no
snowplows . We don’t get snow as often as they do
further north. Some years we don’t get much snow at all, but
there’s never more than two or three storms a year like
this.”
“ No plows? How do people get
help?”
“ Eventually the county grader may clear
a path down the road. Sanding crews will cover the worst spots near
the bridges. That is, unless the weather changes quickly and the
ice starts melting.”
So, they were even more hopelessly
stranded than he had realized. Dear God,
help us . To fight the despair that threatened to
overwhelm him, Trent plunged into forking fodder to the
cattle.
After feeding the chickens, she moved to help
him with the hay. He waved her away. "We need the eggs, remember?
There won't be many in this cold, but maybe you could collect
what’s there while I finish with the cattle."
She stared at him, then looked at the floor
of the pen.
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