Linette’s gaze darted to Louise’s and then back to her husband.
Louise realized what concerned Linette. “Nate is out there, isn’t he? Will he be able to find shelter?”
“I hope so.” Eddie did his best to sound reassuring but failed.
Louise thought of the storm they had ridden through on the trail. Blinding snow, freezing. If a man were lost out there... She shuddered.
Her only consolation was to think of the story he had told of making a snow cave and surviving the elements that way.
Lord, God of everything everywhere, please help him find shelter. Don’t let him die.
If he froze out there and she’d never gotten the courage to tell him she loved him...why, she’d regret it to her final day.
* * *
Nate had lived in the mountains long enough to recognize all the warning signs of a storm. This morning the sun had had a halo around it. The horizon had been gray all morning. He’d even ridden by a rabbit hiding in some brush and the animal had not moved. Even more telling was that Mountain Mike had known it was coming.
Yes, Nate had seen the signs but ignored them. Even when snow started to fall and the wind picked up, he had ridden onward, set on finding the mountain man and buying the ranch from him.
Without a home, he had nothing to offer Louise.
Now the snow came down so heavy, he couldn’t see. The wind blew with cruel intensity, making it impossible to stay warm. Impossible to get any sense of direction. There had been little enough trail to follow with clear skies. Now there was nothing. His horse had stopped moving and Nate didn’t want to guide him forward not knowing what lay ahead. It could be a cliff with a life-claiming drop. He might never see Louise or Chloe again.
No. He would survive.
He slid from the horse and held tight to the reins. The horse was his only way of getting back to the ranch once the storm was over.
God, show me a safe place.
He stumbled forward, his free hand outstretched, lifting each foot and lowering it gingerly until he knew it hit solid ground.
Something brushed his head. He reached up to feel it. A tree. Trees meant shelter. Thank You, God. He eased forward farther. The wind howled above his head but seemed less fierce around his shoulders.
Branches caught at his legs and arms. He must have stepped into bushes. He pushed into them, drawing his horse after him. They were sheltered enough here. He persuaded the horse to lie down, then pulled the bedroll from the saddle. He draped the blankets and groundsheet about his shoulders and head, and sat with his back to the horse. Together they would keep each other warm.
They would survive because he had to get back and tell Louise he didn’t want to end the marriage. He wanted it to be real and lasting. He wanted to be Chloe’s father, Louise’s husband. He loved her.
Why had he never realized it before?
Snow continued to fall until he was encased in it. The bitter cold seeped into the very marrow of his bones. He couldn’t tell if it was day or night or how many hours had passed. It grew increasingly difficult to put one thought after another. The cold was affecting his brain. He could barely stay awake.
It would be so easy to let sleep claim him.
Chapter Twenty
The next morning, Louise rushed from the bedroom the moment she heard anyone moving about. The storm had battered the house all night. She’d shivered through the hours though she wasn’t cold.
Nate was out there, perhaps lost and freezing.
She might never get a chance to tell him how she felt. How she’d felt for a very long time, though she had been denying it in her attempt to hold on to the way things were before the Porters died. Now she saw that none of that mattered. They were temporary, as she’d learned. One thing alone had survived the deaths and trouble of her life. Love. It was all that mattered. Love was reason enough to leave the past and go boldly into the future, no matter what lay ahead.
Linette stood before the kitchen stove as Louise stepped into the room.
Louise skidded to a halt. She couldn’t force herself to ask the question for which she feared to hear the answer.
Linette smiled gently. “We left lamps in all the windows in case he tried to find his way home, but no one has come or left all night. Eddie will send out men to look for him the minute the storm lets up.”