Page 69 of Steadfast

She scanned the empty field. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she called out for Mia and Paisley. The wind stole her voice away the moment it left her throat.

Oakleigh was furious.

They should have never gone off on their own. Neither of them was equipped to handle the task, let alone under severe conditions.

Navigating the quad towards higher ground, she was hopeful to gain a better view. The wind whipped through her hair and blew the harsh, cold rain and hail into her face like knives. It hammered through the branches of the trees, causing the alarming sound of strained boughs bending and cracking.

She scoped out a herd of frightened cattle that were trotting by looking for shelter.

There was still no sign of Lil’ Slim.

She pulled the radio off her belt again and called for Mia and Paisley to respond with their location.

No response.

Oakleigh’s heart began to pound, and the annoyance that burned in her chest was quickly turning to panic. Easing her mind, she considered maybe they had somehow managed to find Lil Slim and had safely made it back to the ranch house. With a little spark of hope, her cold, stiff fingers squeezed the radio. She wrapped her other arm around her middle, attempting to keep in any remnants of warmth.

“Audrey, checking in. Any word from Paisley and Mia?” She impatiently listened to the static. Squeezing her eyes shut, she whispered a desperate little prayer.

“Please God. Please let them be there.”

There was a loud hiss and a click.

“Nothing yet, Oakleigh.”

Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach. “Okay, keep me posted if they show up.”

“The power just went out. I looked out on the porch, and it looks like it might flood,” Audrey stuttered. “I’m—I’m getting a little scared.”

Oakleigh felt the strong temptation to yell into the radio and unleash her own fear, which was now overflowing. Instead, she gulped down every word and emotion that threatened to spill over.

Taking a quick sip of oxygen, she calmed her nerves. She pressed the radio to her lips and forced a peaceful, positive tone as though she were speaking to a toddler.

“You’re going to be just fine, Audrey. We are in a tough spot, but you’re doing a great job. It’s all under control.”

What Audrey didn’t need to know was that it was all very muchnotunder control.

She strategized as she looked out at the weather beaten pasture, now pooling with rainwater and debris. Oakleigh was learning the hard lesson of why Maeve had insisted on the sandbags and why she had firmly instructed that no one venture into the East Pasture during the storm.

She steered the quad down the hill. The wheels were doing more sliding now than driving. She hit a large puddle harder than she had wanted. The murky water splashed over the front end, soaking through the inner layers of her clothes all the way to her skin. Oakleigh bit her lip hard until she tasted coppery blood in her mouth as she accelerated through the flooded pasture.

The quad puttered to a stop.

“What? No!” She flipped the ignition switch, and the engine trembled as it roared to life. Pressing out a relieved exhale, she once again twisted the throttle.

The quad rolled forward, sputtered, and died.

Slamming her fist on the steering column, she felt pain reverberate through her stiff, cold hands. She threw her headback, allowing the sideways rain to now freely pour down her face.

“You’re anall-terrainvehicle!” She shouted. “It was like an inch of water!”

Oakleigh examined the dashboard, and the harsh realization hit that she had made a terrible oversight. It wasn’t the fault of the quad, the terrain, or the weather. The little red needle on the fuel gauge pointed firmly belowEmpty.

I’m an idiot.

Sawyer had practically nagged her to death every single day about maintaining her gear and equipment. Oakleigh had persistently waved him away as if he were some annoying, chirping bug buzzing in her ear. She made the hasty decision right then and there that she wouldnevergive him the satisfaction of knowing that he had been right.

Now she was miles from the house on foot, soaked through by torrential rain, and she still had no idea of where Paisley and Mia could be.

---