Page 69 of The Wayward Son

Sawyer laughed. “It’ll just be a conversation.”

She bumped his shoulder. “Bring your muscles, just in case.”

“I always have them with me.”

They continued on in silence. The road was icy, so they had to be careful. And it was cold. The snow was wet and was beginning to soak through their coats. The wind had stopped, which was a good thing. That would’ve made things worse.

Sawyer stopped walking. “Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea.”

Jade tugged on his arm. “We aren’t going back. Come on. It can’t be that much further.”

“As long as we don’t walk right past the driveway.”

“I’m pretty sure we won’t miss the twelve-foot high Three Oaks Ranch sign.”

“It’s probably closer to fifteen.”

“I really don’t care how high it is.”

They continued on and Sawyer recognized a row of mailboxes. They were covered in snow, but he could tell what they were by the old pine tree behind them that had been hit by lightning a few years back. “I know where we are now.”

She looked at him. “Do I want to know how far away we are?”

“Not too far. Another mile to the driveway.”

“Oh. Is that all?”

He put his arm around her shoulder. “We’ve got this.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this cold.”

“I was once. We were out moving the cows and we got caught in a late spring snowstorm. Sitting on a horse in the snow is colder than walking in it.”

“Hmm. I’ll take your word for it.”

After about twenty minutes, Sawyer stopped again. “Okay. We need to get our blood moving. My hands and feet are numb and I’m getting sleepy.”

“What do you suggest?”

“Remember that race you challenged me to in Missoula?”

“Yeah. But I really don’t feel like running. I feel like lying down and going to sleep. I’ve heard that freezing to death isn’t a bad way to go. You just fall asleep.”

“We aren’t freezing to death. Not tonight.” He ran in place for a moment, even though his legs felt like lead. “This might be your one chance to beat me. I’m pretty cold.”

She smiled at him. “If I slip and fall, I’m never going to forgive you.”

“We’ll take it slow. And I’ll give you a head start. A count of five.”

She sighed, then started jogging down the road, as he started counting out loud.

He stopped at three and called after her. “You can do better than that.”

She picked up the pace a fraction, and he started jogging after her. He caught up to her and passed her, then turned around and ran backwards.

“I thought you had a chance there for a second.”

“Shut up. I hope you fall on your ass.”

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