Chapter 9 - The White Storm
The blizzard arrived early.
Snow swallowed fences.
Temperatures plunged.
Thousands of cattle were trapped.
Garrett and his men worked without rest.
Sarah organized food, blankets, and hot coffee.
Penny was ordered indoors.
She hated this.
“I can help.”
“You can stay warm,” Garrett said.
“That helps.”
Penny frowned.
Garrett frowned.
Penny copied him.
He sighed.
Some things never changed.
Then a ranch hand failed to return.
Eli Carter was seventeen.
His horse came back alone.
Garrett prepared a search party.
Sarah caught his arm.
“Don't go.”
“I have to.”
“The storm—”
“He's somebody’s son.”
Those words ended the argument.
Sarah kissed him.
“Come back.”
Garrett promised.
Hours passed.
Night came.
No Garrett.
Sarah stood at the window.
Penny held her hand.
“He comes back.”
Sarah wanted to believe her.
Near midnight, bells rang.
Garrett appeared through snow carrying Eli across his saddle.
The boy lived.
Garrett barely did.
His hands were frostbitten.
His face blue with cold.
Sarah helped strip frozen clothes from him.
For two days fever followed.
Penny sat beside his bed.
“You can't die.”
Garrett opened one eye.
“Wasn't planning to.”
“You promised Mama.”
“Yes.”
“And me.”
“Yes.”
She leaned closer.
“If you die, I’ll be mad.”
Garrett managed a weak smile.
“Terrifying.”
Sarah watched from the doorway.
That moment settled something in her.
Fear would always exist.
Loving someone meant giving life the ability to hurt you.
But refusing love did not defeat grief.
It merely defeated joy first.
Garrett recovered.
When spring finally returned, they set a wedding date.
June.
Penny appointed herself wedding supervisor.
Nobody had authorized this.
Nobody could stop it.
Yet before the wedding, Garrett made one request.
He wanted to visit the creek where Elizabeth and Jonathan died.
Sarah understood.
He needed to say goodbye.
Not to forget.
To move forward.
May you like
And this time, he would not go alone.
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