They never made it to Pinedale. Fifteen minutes later, it was full-blown whiteout. The snow was dumping so heavily that she couldn’t even see the glow of the headlights, let alone anything beyond the hood. Rebecca had no choice but to turn on the emergency blinkers and ease the truck onto what she hoped was the shoulder of the road.
“Not too far,” Tommy warned. “The last thing we need is to get stuck.”
She brought the truck to a stop, startled to see that it was already five o’clock. It would be dark in less than an hour.
Her stomach sank as she shifted into park. “We’re not going anywhere, are we?”
He shook his head. “Call Alec,” he said, already reaching for the door handle. “I’ll get the horses settled.”
Chapter 5
Alec’s stomach churned as he stared out the window at the blowing snow.
Why didn’t he insist that Rebecca and Tommy stay in Colorado another night and wait for the storm to pass? Now it was well after dark, and he still couldn’t get through to either of their phones.
“Son.”
He turned to his father. “Yeah?”
“Come sit with me.”
He didn’t have the strength to argue. Obediently he crossed the living room and collapsed on the couch, grimacing when his temples began to throb. His throat was sore, his mood was foul, and the only thing he wanted to do was get some sleep.
“You’re gonna sprout a head full of gray hairs if you don’t learn to calm yourself down.”
Alec managed to smile. “Too late, Pop. I found my first gray three years ago.”
“Well, you’re doing better than me, then. I found my first gray the year I met your mother.”
He shifted in his seat. Another new trend he’d noticed–aside from the change in his father’s sleeping patterns–was that Walter was suddenly talking about the past. A lot. Up until a few months ago, Alec could count on one hand the number of times Walter had ever spoken of Julianne.
Now, it seemed, his father brought her up almost every day.
“Actually,” Walter added, “you know what I was thinking about earlier?”
“What were you thinking about?”
“I was thinking about the time Shania came out to visit over Christmas break.”
The name struck Alec with physical force. His chest constricted so hard and so fast that he broke into a bout of coughing. Fortunately he was already sick, so his father didn’t know the difference.
“You two begged your mothers for months to let her fly out,” Walter continued. “Kim finally relented and put her on a plane. You were, what…twelve? Thirteen?”
He finally managed to clear his throat. “Eleven.”
“Eleven.” Walter chuckled softly, oblivious to his son’s discomfort. “And you two sneaks thought it would be so fun to go riding in the middle of the night with a blizzard moving in. So you slipped out of the house and stole Cheyenne and off you went.”
In spite of himself, Alec smiled at the memory. “We made it all the way down to the river before the storm caught up with us. Shania got so mad at me when I said we had to turn around. She actually got off the horse and told me to go home without her.”
“Well, I’m glad you didn’t. That New Year’s storm is still one of the worst on record.”
“I remember.”
His father was silent for a minute. “When’s the last time you heard from her?”
“Shania? It’s been years. Since before Rebecca moved back.”
“That’s a shame.”
Alec’s temples began to throb again. “Is it?”
“Of course it is. You only get so many true friends in life.”
A searing stab of conscience pierced his gut. When he failed to respond, Walter peered at him sideways. “You ever told Rebecca about her?”
He shook his head. “I’ve never had any reason to.”
“Do you need a reason?”
“No,” he conceded. “But we don’t usually talk about that kind of stuff, Pop. She doesn’t really like to talk about her past and I definitely don’t like to talk about mine.” He released a deep breath. “Speaking of which, is there a particular reason you brought this up?”
“Actually, there is.”
Of course there is.
“And that would be…?”
“Tell me how you got Shania back to the ranch.”
Alec frowned. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Just humor me.”
He leaned back against the cushion and stared at the wooden beams above his head. “She lost one of her boots in the snow. We tried to find it, but the wind was blowing so hard it kept knocking us over. Finally I got her up on Cheyenne and stuffed my boot onto her foot.”
“Then what?”
“Then it took us almost two hours to get home. Cheyenne barely made it out of the valley because there was so much ice packed under the snow. You and Mom were beside yourselves when we finally made it back.”
“Oh, you don’t know the half of it,” Walter said. “Do you remember what your foot looked like?”
“Of course. It’s the only time I’ve ever had frostbite.”
“And do you remember what Shania’s foot looked like?”
Alec lifted his head, wondering if he’d forgotten something. “Her foot was fine, wasn’t it?”
“Perfectly fine. Why?”
“Ummm…because she was wearing my boot.”
“And why did you give her your boot?”
He shrugged. “Because she was my friend. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to her.”
Walter gave him a pointed look. “You think Tommy is doing any less for Rebecca right now?”
*
“Did you get ahold of him?” Tommy asked when he returned to the truck.
Rebecca shook her head and slid her phone into her purse. “Still no service. How are the horses?”
“In better shape than we are. I refilled their hay nets and threw a blanket on each of them, just to be safe.” He leaned over to inspect their fuel gauge. “Better kill the engine for now. Don’t want to burn through all our gas.”
Their primary concern, of course, was the horses. Over the next several hours, they took turns going to the trailer to check on them and break the ice that was forming in their water buckets. Fortunately, all four of the horses were hearty and seemed to be handling the cold just fine.
“I just tried Alec again,” Tommy said when Rebecca reentered the truck. “No luck.”
She sighed and stared out at the blackness. “He’s going to be worried sick.”
“I know.” He reached behind his seat and produced a half-frozen bottle of water and some trail mix. “Emergency survival kit.”
Rebecca took a grateful sip of water, although it was so cold it made her cough. “Would your kit happen to include blankets, too? It’s really getting chilly in here.”
He started to unzip his coat until she reached out and stopped him. “Don’t be ridiculous, Tommy. You need that.”
“I think there might be one more blanket in the trailer. Let me check.”
She shivered when he opened his door and a fresh blast of freezing air entered the truck. For the first time, Rebecca started to feel frightened. She tried not to think about the news report from last winter about three people that vanished during a blizzard in Montana…only to have their frozen bodies recovered days later.
Alec was right to be so concerned.
They should have listened to him.
Tommy returned a few minutes later with a tattered horse blanket. “This’ll have to do.”
Rebecca buried herself under it, trying to calm herself as she breathed in the comforting scent of horse. “How are they doing?”
“Better than you,” he replied, his eyes full of concern. “You okay, Bec?”
She nodded, but she knew that her fear was written all over her face. Her toes were numb inside her boots, and she’d long ago lost sensation in her finger
tips. They’d been starting the truck every hour or so to let the heater run, but they needed to conserve their gasoline in case the storm took a while to pass.
If they ran out of fuel, they’d really be in trouble.
As if reading her mind, Tommy lifted his arm. “Come here. Alec’ll kill me if I let you freeze out here.”
Needing no further encouragement, Rebecca slid across the seat towards him. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close before he spread the dusty blanket across their laps. “How are your hands?”
“Numb,” she confessed.
He pulled off his gloves and set them on the dashboard before he removed hers. Then he cupped her hands in his and brought them to his mouth, blowing warm breaths against her skin as he vigorously massaged each of her fingers. To her relief, her fingers began tingling as circulation returned to them.
“Feel better?” he asked.
“Much. Thank you.”
Tommy grinned as she slid her hands back into her gloves. “You know, Bec, for a tough Southie girl, you’re not actually that tough.”
Rebecca laughed. “Well, don’t tell anyone, alright? It’ll ruin my image.”
He chuckled and rested his cheek on the top of her head. “It’ll be our little secret.”
*
Alec was dimly aware of the sound of a key turning in his front door. He opened his eyes and frowned in confusion when he realized where he was. Why was he sleeping in the living room? Then he sat bolt upright and stared at the clock.
It was eight in the morning.
Lucy glanced at him in surprise when she entered the foyer. “You slept on the couch?”
“I didn’t mean to,” he said, shaking the fog from his mind. “Rebecca and Tommy never made it back.”
Her eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“They left Steamboat yesterday. I haven’t heard from them since.”
Through the windows, he could see a cloudless sky. Alec reached across the table and picked up the phone, dialing Rebecca’s number for at least the twentieth time. It went straight to her voice mail. He tried Tommy’s number, with the same result. Either their phones were powered off, they were still out of service, or…
He couldn’t stomach the third option.
Lucy looked equally distressed as she unraveled the scarf from her neck. “Is there anything I can do?”
Before he could respond, the telephone rang. Alec nearly ripped his shoulder out of his socket when he dove for the receiver. “Hello?”
“Alec? It’s Liz.”
The name didn’t register right away. “Oh. Hi, Liz.”
“I’m sorry to bother you this early, but I’ve been trying to get ahold of Tommy since yesterday. Did they stay in Colorado an extra night?”
He swallowed hard. Somehow, hearing the concern in Liz’s voice made the situation that much more real. “No, they started heading home yesterday. But they’re not here yet, and I haven’t been able to get through to them, either.”
There was a long silence. “Well, would you mind if I came out there and waited for them to get back?”
“Of course not. I’ll be here.”
Alec trudged upstairs and forced himself through a shower, peeking out the window every few seconds in hopes that their truck would appear. No such luck. By the time he emerged downstairs, the driveway was still empty.
Lucy was waiting for him in the foyer. “Your father’s still sleeping. Would you like me to wake him up?”
Alec shook his head. “We stayed up late last night. Go ahead and let him sleep.”
She nodded and disappeared into the back of the house. He stood alone beside the front door, feeling the eeriest sensation of déjà vu. Before Rebecca, this was exactly what his life was like. Him, his father, and Lucy…going through the same mind-numbing routine day after day, week after week, year after year.
Rebecca.
His stomach clenched again at the thought of her being out there somewhere. Even before his father’s enlightening little anecdote, he had no doubts that Tommy would look out for her. After all, his reasons for choosing Tommy to manage the ranch went far beyond his ability with the animals or the guests.
The truth was that he trusted Tommy with his life. He saw no reason not to trust him with Rebecca’s, as well.
But what if they weren’t just stranded somewhere? What if something more serious had happened…an accident of some sort? Until now he’d still fully expected the two of them to come waltzing through the door unscathed.
He’d never stopped to consider the alternative.
The doorbell rang, jolting him back to the present. “Hey,” he greeted when he opened the door. “Come on in.”
Liz gave a half-hearted smile as she stepped into the foyer. “Any word?”
Alec shook his head as he took her coat. “I called highway patrol on my way here,” she added. “They said they can’t do anything until they’ve been missing for at least twenty-four hours.”
“That sounds about right.” He motioned towards the kitchen. “Would you like some coffee?”
“Sure.”
Liz followed him into the kitchen and took a seat at the breakfast table, casually swinging one leg across the other. Unlike Jeff, she looked the perfect part of a small-town schoolteacher. She was pretty in a down-to-earth kind of way–slender and petite, with dark shoulder-length hair and ivory skin. Alec hadn’t gotten the chance to get to know her that well yet, probably because of her quiet, reserved nature.
Then again, he was used to Rebecca and Allison. Next to them, any woman would seem quiet and reserved.
“Cream and sugar?” he asked.
“Just cream, thanks.”
He set her mug down and walked back to the sink, gazing expectantly down the driveway. “It must be difficult for you to get away, huh?” Liz asked.
“What do you mean?”
“With your father.”
Alec’s surprise must have been written all over his face, because Liz immediately cringed. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s not any of my business.”
“No, it’s not that. I just didn’t realize that you knew about his condition.” He picked up his coffee and joined her at the table. “He’s always a concern if we go away, but that’s not why I didn’t go. Did Tommy tell you about the calf we pulled out on Wednesday?”
She nodded.
“Well, after being out in the wind all day, I woke up sick as a dog on Thursday. But Rebecca and I had already made plans to go down to this auction, and I still wanted her to go. So I asked Tommy to go and help her select horses, since she’s never done any purchasing before.”
Liz dropped her gaze to the table. “That makes sense. I just hope they’re alright.”
“They will be.” Alec studied the worried expression on her face and decided it was time to change the subject. “So how long have you been in Jackson?”
“Almost a full year now.”
“From Omaha, right?”
“Yeah. Well, just outside the city. My family has a farm there. Nothing like this,” she said, making a sweeping motion with her arm. “It’s more of a hobby farm, I guess you could say. Fifteen acres, a few horses, a dairy cow, and some chickens.”
Alec grinned at her description. “Sounds quaint.”
“It is. I miss it sometimes.”
“How long since you left?”
Liz leaned back in her chair. “I know my parents were hoping I’d go to school in Omaha, but I had my heart set on coming west. As soon as I got accepted to the University of Wyoming, I was gone.”
Her words struck a raw nerve, but he managed not to flinch. “You got your degree in Laramie?”
She nodded. “I just graduated last spring.”
For some reason, he’d assumed she was older. “So this is your first year teaching, then?” he asked, eager to shift the discussion away from college. “How’s it going so far?”
Their conversation came to an abrupt halt when he glanced out the
window and saw the truck and trailer making the long journey up the driveway. Neither of them bothered with their coats or gloves. Liz was right behind him as he raced through the front door, half-sprinting and half-sliding down the icy incline.
Rebecca saw them coming and waved from the passenger’s seat as Tommy pulled the trailer around and parked near the main barn. The truck had barely come to a stop when Rebecca opened her door and slid into Alec’s arms.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
“Why are you apologizing?” he replied, pulling back to study her eyes. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” she assured him. “I’m perfectly fine. The storm got really bad past Rock Springs, too bad to keep driving. So we just pulled over and waited it out.”
“You spent the whole night in the truck?”
“We didn’t have a choice. And we would’ve been home earlier, but we had to wait for the snowplows to come through and clear the road.”
His eyes drifted to the trailer. “And the horses are okay, too?”
She nodded. “Tommy knew exactly what to do. He took good care of all of us.”
A hand landed on his shoulder, and he turned to see Tommy and Liz standing behind him. “Sorry we scared you, boss,” Tommy said.
Alec returned his smile before he reached out and embraced him. “Thank you, my friend. You really are the best man I know.”
Chapter 6
The rest of the winter was refreshingly uneventful.
Rebecca’s mid-terms came and went, then her spring break, then Easter Sunday. Alec bounced back from his flu and settled into his own routines and, before he knew it, the calendar in the kitchen flipped to April. The longer days brought with them a welcome reprieve from the relentless chill of the Wyoming winter. As the snow began to melt, the trees began to bud, assuring them that spring was right around the corner.
Overnight, the Flying W became a whirlwind of activity. Their first guests would arrive at the beginning of May, giving them four short weeks to make the transition from the quiet of winter to the nonstop action of their busy season.
Indian Summer Page 4