Page 59 of The Wayward Son

“Is he going to want us to go plow him out, too?”

“Most likely. I don’t think they have any guests at the inn. But they might want to get from one house to the other without hiking through the snow.”

“When we’re done here, I can drive over there. I imagine you don’t want to get too far away from Ember.”

“You’re right. I don’t.” He got to his feet. “In fact, I’m going to go check on her. Are you sure you can drive?”

“I’m good, Dad, and ready to plow when you are.”

“I’ll be down soon.”

As he left, Jade passed him on the way in. They exchanged morning greetings, then she continued into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. When she sat at the table, she glanced at Sawyer.

“I’m sorry about that last weirdness. I’m not sure where it came from. I’ll blame it on not sleeping well.”

He smiled. “No worries.”

“It was stupid, and I put you on the spot.”

“Jade, it’s okay.” She nodded and took a sip of coffee. “What’s the plan today?”

“Dad and I are plowing the driveway when he comes back down.”

“Sounds…not fun.”

“It’s not. Then I need to go plow J.T.’s driveway.”

She was quiet for a moment. “Your dad is staying here?”

“Yeah. Do you want to come with me?”

She smiled. “Yes, please.”

He cocked his head. “You’re kind of like a little puppy.”

“Needy?”

“No. You like to follow me around.”

“Do you want me to stay here?”

“No. I want you to come.”

She pointed at him. “Maybe you’re the needy one.”

He laughed. “You could be right.”

After a good breakfast, Jake and Sawyer waded through the snow to an extended carport attached to the side of the barn. There were three vehicles parked under it. The backhoe, a tractor, and an old four-wheel-drive truck with a plow blade attached to the front of it.

Driving the truck was a one-man job. But when the snow was as deep as it was, two feet and still falling, a second man was needed to make sure the truck stayed on the road. There was a three-foot rail fence on both sides of the driveway, built in part for this situation. It gave a clear path for the plow. But when two-feet of snow drifted, it often covered the top rail. It took a second person to walk the rail and uncover the posts and the top rail in that situation.

It was a cold, wet, and strenuous job and Jake and Sawyer would take turns driving the truck. Sawyer would be the first man on the ground while Jake manned the plow. But he started out in the truck and they plowed about thirty feet before the fence disappeared.

Sawyer still wasn’t fully recovered from the fight, and he was sore and tired by the time they switched places. At that point, they were only a third of the way to the main road, and they’d been at it for over an hour.

Jake looked ahead. “With the direction the wind is blowing, it might get a little easier when we get to the trees. Hopefully, they prevented some drifting.”

“Sure, once it’s your turn.”

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