Page 62 of The Wayward Son

“I will.

After lunch, Sawyer and Jade went out to the truck with the plow and drove down the driveway. Sawyer plowed the new snow on the way out. When they got to the main road, they hit a bank of snow left by the highway crew, who had recently made another trip with the plow down the road.

“Dammit.” Sawyer drove slowly through it, trying not to push snow in front of the truck they left parked on the road. He made a wide turn on the road, and plowed through the rest of the snow bank left in front of their drive and the truck. When both were clear, they headed down the road toward J.T.’s house. It was slow going since the newly plowed road was turning icy in the freezing weather.

When they arrived at J.T.’s, Sawyer first moved the bank of snow left by the road crew, then started up the driveway. J.T. didn’t have a fence line to use as a guide, but there also wasn’t much to run into. Sawyer aimed straight for the trailer. When he was close, he circled to the left and followed the space between the tall pines. When they could see the house, Sawyer slowed down, and they saw J.T. outside, clearing off his truck. Finn was playing in the snow nearby. And Joey was on the porch.

When Sawyer got out of the truck, J.T. went over to him. “I thought I was going to have to help you.”

“I had a co-pilot, and it went pretty quick. You’re clear all the way to the road.”

“Thank you.” He looked at the sky. “The question is, for how long?”

“Yeah, I have a feeling we’ll be doing this again tomorrow.”

Chapter nineteen

"Deal the cards, Doc."

Jade and Sawyer stayed with J.T. for about thirty minutes, then headed back to the ranch. The snow was falling again, and with the heavy cloud cover, it’d be dark earlier than usual as soon as the sun started going down. When they got to the driveway, Sawyer dropped the plow blade and removed the few inches of new snow that accumulated since he and Jake plowed it.

Jade looked at the road. “You are going to have to do this tomorrow, aren’t you?”

“If it keeps snowing, which it’s supposed to do.”

They arrived at the barn, and Sawyer backed the big truck into its spot under the carport, then they went to the house. After a dinner of Jake’s cowboy stew, made by Sage, she, Jade, andSawyer spent the evening playing cards. They started out with Rummy, but ended up playing poker.

Sawyer stacked up his chips. “You guys aren’t much of a challenge. I kicked your butts.”

Sage leaned back in her chair and took a sip from the rum and Coke she was drinking.

“You just got lucky. And you probably cheated.”

“Wow. I’m not a cheater. What do you think I’m doing? Dealing from the bottom of the deck? Hiding aces in my sleeve?”

“Well, Doc Holiday, I wouldn’t put it past you.”

Sawyer scowled at her, then looked at Jade. “Are you going to stand up for me and my reputation?”

“Hmm. I think I’m with Sage. No one is that lucky.”

Sawyer shuffled the cards. “Maybe you two don’t know how to play. Neither one of you can bluff. I can read you a mile away.”

Sage sighed. “Whatever.”

He cocked his head at her. “Do you give up?”

“No. Deal the cards, Doc.”

They played for another hour and Sawyer kept his hefty lead. As they were putting the cards and chips away, he laughed. “Like taking candy from a baby.”

Sage ignored him and looked at Jade. “Do you want the bedroom tonight?”

“No. I’ll stay on the couch.”

Sage looked at Sawyer. “Where are you going to sleep?”

“I guess I’ll sleep in Granddad’s room.”

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