The old man looked dismayed but did as Steve suggested. He grabbed some clean underwear and a fresh shirt out of a suitcase and stuffed them into his briefcase. “I’ll get some other paperwork done while I’m waiting, then,” he grumbled, “but they’d better get some bulldozers and plows up here soon, or somebody’s going to hear from me!”
“Do you have anything you want to get out of your truck?” Steve asked the other man.
“Nah. I’ll be okay.”
They went over to the minivan just as the woman was climbing out. She reached back in for the baby and then said, “Come on, Sweetie!” to the little girl who was climbing out of her car seat. The child was only two or three. She looked at the men all around them and drew close to her mother.
The woman looked up at the snowshoe tracks they had left in the snow on the long drive going up to the cabin. “I don’t know…” she said uncertainly. “I’m not sure I can get all the way up there with the kids.”
“We’ll take the children,” Steve said. “It probably looks worse than it really is. The boys and I have our snowshoes. If you can just get yourself up there, we’ll carry the kids and whatever you think you’ll need for them.” She hesitated but then nodded and began to throw a few things in a diaper bag and small duffle bag. At last she was ready.
Steve knelt on one knee in front of the little girl. “Hi, Sweetie!” he said. “My name is Steve—and this is Dan and Pete,” he added pointing to the boys. “What’s you name?”
The tot looked up at her mother, but when she smiled and nodded, she said, “Jenny.”
“Well, Jenny, we’re going to help you and your mommy and baby go someplace warmer for a while until the road opens up again. Doesn’t that sound nice? When we get up there, I’ll bet we can find some hot chocolate and marshmallows and cookies for you! There’s only one problem—it’s a pretty long walk and the snow is deep. It might be kind of hard for you, and you sure don’t want to get those pretty Dora the Explorer shoes all full of snow, do you?” Jenny looked at him with big eyes and shook her head no.
Steve went on. “I have a good idea, though! Why don’t we have Mommy walk right here beside us where you can see her, and I’ll carry you so you don’t get your feet wet and cold. Doesn’t that sound like a good idea?”
Jenny nodded, but then said, “Mommy’s feet get wet!”
Steve laughed. “Well, I’ll tell you what, Jenny—when we get up to the cabin we’ll let Mommy put on some warm, cuddly slippers and sit by the fireplace until she’s all warm and cozy again! Does that sound nice to you, Mommy?”
The woman laughed and said, “It sounds wonderful! Let’s go, Jenny! I want some hot chocolate and cookies, too!”
Jenny held her arms out to Steve and he picked her up. “Good girl, Jenny! Dan, why don’t you take the baby? Pete, you take the bags. You two can switch off when you need to, okay? Before we go, though, why don’t we introduce ourselves? I’m Steve. You already have met Pete and Dan.”
Jenny’s mother smiled. “My name is Liz and this is Cody. He’s thirteen months old and Jenny is almost three.” The baby grinned a slobbery grin and held out his hand to Steve.
“John. John Andrews,” the old man said, nodding at them all.
“Me? Oh, I’m, uh—Jake.”
“It’s good to meet you all,” Steve said. “Everyone ready? Let’s get going, then.”
It was a struggle getting up the long, climbing drive. Liz did fine, but the old man grumbled and complained, wheezing and stopping to catch his breath every fifty feet. Jake finally took John’s briefcase in one hand and his arm in the other and helped him along, even though he himself was limping on the foot that had been caught and twisted. Steve and the boys were able to get through the snow a little better with their snowshoes, but being loaded down with little ones and bags made the trip back up to the cabin a lot more difficult than the trek down had been.
Skeeter and the girls were outside having a snowball fight when they finally drew near the top. “Hey, guys!” Steve called. “How about a little help here?”
“Dad!” Skeeter yelled. The teens took off, plowing through the deep snow as quickly as they could. They stopped short at the sight of the group of people with Steve and the boys.
“Aww, look! A baby! And a little girl!” Kristi, Robyn and Anna rushed forward to help with them.
“Can you take the baby and the bags?” Dan panted. “Our arms are breaking!”
Robyn took little Cody from him and the other girls took the diaper bag and duffle bag. Skeeter ran over to his dad. “Do you want some help?” he asked.
“I don’t think you can carry her, Skeeter. Jenny is a big girl, aren’t you, Sweetie? Why don’t you run in and tell Mom that we’ve got some people here who really are looking forward to some cookies and hot chocolate!”
“Yeah! Me, too!” Skeeter turned and ran back to the log house as fast as he was able. He burst through the door and yelled, “Hey, Mom! We’ve got company!”
_________
CHAPTER SIX
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Knock-Knock
It was a full house. There was no telling how long it would take before the highway would be cleared and they could get plowed out, so Rachel offered Liz and her little ones the fourth bedroom. “Even if you don’t end up spending the night here, it will give you some space to let the little ones take a nap or just get away from the rest of us, if you need to,” she said.
“Oh, but your kids are all so nice!” Liz said. “They’ve been so good with Jenny and Cody. I appreciate them playing with them so much! I have to confess—it’s nice to have a little break for a little while. I haven’t had many moments like that since my husband left for Iraq.”
Rachel laughed. “Well, they’re not all my kids, but I agree—they’re a really great bunch! How long has your husband been in Iraq? And did you say he’s in the Air Force?”
Liz nodded. “Yes. He’s been in Iraq for almost exactly a year. Jim’s on his way home now! In fact that’s where we were going when we were stopped by the avalanche—to the airport to meet him! He’ll be so disappointed if we don’t make it on time now! We’ll all be so disappointed!”
“I know, Liz. I would be, too.”
“Jim will be worried, too. I hate it that I can’t call to let him know what happened. He didn’t want me driving through the mountains with the kids to begin with, and now when I don’t show up and he can’t reach me he’s going to be worried sick.”
“When is he due to arrive?”
“Tonight. There’s no way I can make it now.”
“Maybe not, but if they get the road cleared between now and then, perhaps you’ll at least be able to call so he won’t worry. Why don’t we pray about it right now, Liz?” Rachel suggested.
“Pray?” Liz looked at her in surprise.
“Sure! That’s what I do with all my problems—take them to the Lord. It’s so wonderful to know that He loves me and cares about whatever it is that upsets me. It helps me not to worry, too, when I can just hand things over to Him.”
Liz still looked a little doubtful, but she bowed her head while Rachel prayed. “Thank you, Lord, for bringing Liz and Jenny and Cody here. It is a blessing to have them here with us. We don’t know why You stopped them from continuing on their journey—maybe it was to save them from an accident up ahead or for some other reason—but we know You are in control, so we will just trust You. We ask, though, if it is Your will, that somehow Liz will be able to get word to Jim that she is alright so he won’t worry. We’ll just leave it in Your hands now, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Liz looked up with tears in her eyes. “Thank you,” she said. “No one’s ever prayed for me before.”
“Well, I’ll be praying for you now,” Rachel said. “How would you like to help me make lunch? The girls are playing with Jenny and Cody. We can talk some more in the kitchen, okay?”
“Sure!” They went downstairs to start making sloppy joes. They passed Steve and
the old man on the stairs.
“Will this be okay?” Steve was saying to John Andrews as he brought him up to the loft overlooking the great room. A comfortable sofa and love seat and several other pieces of furniture filled the cozy space.
The older man looked around. He didn’t look pleased. “It’s awfully noisy up here,” he complained. He nodded his head toward the great room below. The happy sounds of the little ones squealing and the teenagers’ laughter reached them. “How am I supposed to get any work done with all this racket?”
Steve frowned. “I’m sorry, Mr. Andrews. This is the best we can do. The bedrooms are all full. We can’t ask the kids to walk around whispering. They’re kids and kids make noise. You’ll just have to ignore it and do the best you can. Or you could go back to your car until help comes. It’s a lot quieter there—and a lot more uncomfortable.” He was sorry the moment the words left his mouth. He should have been more patient with the old man, but his complaints about the kids had annoyed him.
“No, no. I’ll stay, I suppose. But tell your wife to keep the coffee coming,” he grumbled. Andrews threw his briefcase down on the sofa and pulled a table close to it. He sat down to work without another word to Steve.
There was no way Steve was going to tell Rachel to keep the coffee coming for this rude, ungrateful man! If he wanted coffee he was welcome to it, but his wife wasn’t going to wait on him! Steve shook his head and went back downstairs.
Jake was in the great room, looking around. “Nice place!” he commented as Steve joined him. He picked up the piece of pyrite Skeeter had brought back downstairs. “Is this real?” he asked.
“Real what?” Steve asked with a laugh. “It’s real pyrite, if that’s what you mean. Fool’s gold—not real gold.
“Oh. Oh, yeah.” Jake set the rock down. He looked around again. “Where’s the TV?”
“There aren’t any TVs up here. No computers or internet, either.”
“You’re kidding! You can’t get the news, then?”
“No. Sorry. There’s a radio in the kitchen but we can’t get much on that, either.”
Jake grinned. “That’s okay. What do you do up here, then, other than stare at the walls?”
“Well, so far we’ve done some hiking and skiing, but I think we’ve had enough of that for a while.”
“Hey, Mr.—er, Jake! We’re about to play ping pong! Wanna play?” Skeeter had been listening to their conversation and he piped up now with an invitation to the young man.
“Sure!”
Jake and Steve joined the guys on the other side of the great room. They organized a tournament and soon there was a whole lot of whooping and hollering going on! Little Jenny got interested in what the “big boys” were doing, and soon she was the official ball girl and went toddling after the runaway balls with the help of one of the “big girls.” The girls cheered on the players and even little Cody clapped his pudgy little hands and giggled in delight every time the ball went sailing past him.
They called a temporary halt when Rachel and Liz called them for lunch. They had pulled the kitchen table out to the dining room and placed it end to end with the dining table to make more room. Even then, it was a bit of a tight squeeze.
“Skeeter, would you please run up and tell Mr. Andrews that it’s time for lunch? I thought he heard when I called, but maybe not.”
Skeeter ran upstairs and was back again in less than a minute. “He said he’ll have his lunch upstairs. Just bring it up to him.”
“I don’t think so!” Steve began.
Rachel held up her hand. “We’re crowded down here anyway, Steve. It’s fine with me if that’s what he wants to do.”
“Well, you’re not waiting on him! If he wants to eat, he can come and get it himself.”
“Steve, let’s have a servant’s heart and show him the love of Jesus,” Rachel said gently.
Steve suddenly stopped. Rachel was right. And their other guests were watching him right now. “You’re right, Rachel. I’m sorry. I’ll fix him a plate and take it up to him myself. Let’s pray that we get the chance to know him a little so we really can show him Jesus through us.”
Lunch was lively and fun with the little ones entertaining them all. “Sloppy joes” took on a new meaning when Cody dug into his face first. Jenny chattered on and on, asking a million questions and telling silly knock-knock jokes.
“Knock-Knock!” she asked.
“Who's there?” Kristi answered.
“Butter!”
“Butter who?”
“Butter bring an umbrella, it’s gonna rain!” Jenny giggled and looked pleased with herself as everyone laughed and pretended to be surprised at her answer. “Knock-Knock!” she began again.
“Who's there?”
“Cheese!”
“Cheese who?”
“Cheese a cute girl!” Jenny pointed at Anna and giggled again, covering her mouth with her hand and ducking shyly.
“Why thank you, Jenny!” Anna said, standing and bowing.
“Knock-Knock!” Jenny was on a roll!
“Again? Who's there?”
“Denise!”
“Denise who?”
“Denise are above de ankles!” Everyone roared at that one!
Skeeter hooted louder than anyone. “A-ha-ha-ha-ha! That was a good one, Jenny!”
“Oh, don’t encourage her, Skeeter! She’s got a million of them!” Liz warned.
Jenny had to prove her right. “Knock-Knock!” she said again, giggling.
“Who's there?” they all asked together.
“Dishes!”
“Dishes who?” they chanted.
“Dishes a very bad joke!”
They all laughed again, but Liz put her hand on her little daughter’s shoulder and said, “Alright, Sweetie. That’s enough knock-knock jokes for now, okay? You can tell them some more later!”
“Okay, Mommy.”
The conversation turned to their situation. Jake told them how he had been driving slowly through the blizzard the night before, trying to find a place to pull off and wait out the storm when suddenly the avalanche had slid down the mountain right in front of him. “I couldn’t see a thing while I was driving. Never saw your driveway or the lights from your house. All of a sudden, though, I saw a wall of snow coming right at me! I slammed on my brakes and managed to stop before it covered the whole truck,” he said. “I was just lucky it wasn’t bigger than it was. It might have buried me! A few seconds further down the road, or if I hadn’t been so quick to stop and I might have been buried! Man, I can’t believe how lucky I was!”
“It wasn’t luck, Jake,” Skeeter spoke up. “It was the Lord!”
“Yeah. Yeah, you’re probably right.” Jake said. He looked uneasy.
Liz said, “I was scared, too. I must have come up behind you shortly after it happened, Jake. I didn’t realize your truck was caught in the avalanche. I turned around and tried to go back but the same thing had happened a little further back, so I came back again. I was upset, of course, because I was afraid I wouldn’t get to the airport in time to meet Jim, but I was just plain scared, too. I mean—being stuck with two little ones on a mountain road in a blizzard with avalanches happening all around! And then on top of it, hearing on the radio over and over again about an escaped convict being on the loose somewhere on Majestic Mountain! I was terrified!”
“Escaped convict!” several of them said at once.
“When did this happen?” Steve asked urgently.
“I-I’m not sure. A few days ago, maybe? They’ve had reports about it off and on ever since.” Liz looked nervous.
“Why? Do you know something about it, Steve?” Jake asked. He looked around at them with his eyes narrowed. “I think you do.”
“Not really. We just found a prison jumpsuit in the creek the other day, and then yesterday we stumbled upon a little cabin in the storm. It looked like he had been there, as well.”
“Hmm… Not good. So you think he might still be
in the area?” Jake looked uneasy.
“I have no idea, Jake. He could have moved on a couple days ago and be long gone by now. I was going to call the authorities and let them know what we found, but as you know, the cell phones don’t work and we can’t get out. So our information will just have to wait, I guess.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Jake didn’t say anything else, but pushed himself away from the table and went to the window to look out.
Steve spoke up. “Well, let’s not worry about it. We’re all together here, safe and comfortable enough until help comes. One lone escaped prisoner is not going to bother us—there are too many of us and besides, we’ve got Skeeter to defend us!” Everyone laughed and the tension was broken. Skeeter stood up and this time it was his turn to take a bow. He hammed it up, of course, flexing his muscles and posing like Superman.
Steve went on, “Seriously, we have the Lord with us and we do not need to be afraid! He is in control! Now, let’s just relax and enjoy the rest of the time we have together—and have some fun! I want to get back to the ping-pong tourney, but we need to get a few chores done first. If everyone pitches in we can get the work done in a hurry. Girls, I’d appreciate it if you’d wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen. Let’s let Mom and Liz have a break since they made the lunch. Pete and Dan, we’re going to need a lot more firewood. We’ve gone through it a lot faster than I expected. Skeeter, you can stack it like before, okay?”
“What can I do to help?” Jake asked from his spot by the window.
“Want to help me shovel the SUV out? We’re not going anywhere until the road opens, but at least that much will be done. We won’t shovel the drive until the time comes, though. It will just blow over again.”
“Sure, I’ll give you a hand,” Jake said.
The guys headed outdoors to chop wood and shovel. Kristi, Robyn and Anna started clearing the table and ran water for the dishes. “I think I’ll take the kids upstairs for a nap,” Liz said. “None of us got much sleep last night, so I just might join them!”
Mystery on Majestic Mountain (Kristi Cameron Book 9) Page 5