Page 21 of Beyond Montana's Sky
The first sprinkle of snowflakes floated down. Visibility began to darken.
A gust of wind hit the surrey, rocking it. She gasped. Fear surged to her throat.What am I to do?She looked through the thickening dusk. They drove through woods, the tree branches overhead blocking the snow. She tried to remember the drive out, if anyone lived along the way. She didn’t remember seeing any houses.
I’ll drive on, but if this gets worse, I’ll search for a place to shelter in.Edith couldn’t imagine surviving by herself alone in the woods, but she’d do whatever was necessary to survive.I should have listened to Cai.
She thought of her son, and her throat tightened.If I die, Ben will be orphaned.She thought of Caleb and Maggie. Her death would ruin their wedding plans.
The wind muffled other sounds, and Edith took a while to realize the thudding hooves of another horse followed. Startled, she turned, only to see Cai Driscoll, warmly wrapped for the weather, riding just fast enough to slowly overtake the surrey.
The sight of him made relief sweep through her. As he drew alongside, Edith lowered her arms, and the horse started to slow. “Ca—” She caught herself in time. Using his given name in her thoughts was one thing, but they shouldn’t be informal. “Mr. Driscoll.” Although her face was stiff with cold, she flashed him a friendly smile and nodded.
“Hello, Mrs. Grayson.” He touched the brim of his Stetson. “Fancy meeting you out here.”
His mocking tone set Edith’s back up, and she resolutely faced forward, ignoring the man.
“Storm’s almost upon us.”
“Then you’d better return to your ranch,” she said tartly.
“Too late. The ranch probably has an inch of snow by now.”
“So what do you suggest?” She guided the horses around a large rock in the middle of the road.
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“On how stubborn you are.”
Unladylike or not, Edith couldn’t help rolling her eyes.
He laughed and lifted his chin. “’Bout ten minutes ahead is a cabin. We can take refuge there.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Whose cabin?”
“Mine.”
She stiffened. “What do you mean,mine?” I passed the boundary of your ranch a while ago.”
“Occasions just like this happen when someone or several people from the ranch are in need of shelter. So my father bought a little plot of land about half way to town, and he and the Andersons built a cabin on it. A basic place. Plenty of beds, though. We keep it stocked with food, firewood, clean bedding, and fodder for the horses.”
“But no one lives there?”
He shook his head.
“Then we can not stop,” she said primly.
“You had the choice of staying at my home with plenty of chaperonage. But you chose to leave and put yourself in danger with the storm that will hit hard within the next five minutes, ten if we’re lucky.”
Five minutes!She quickly glanced behind. Seeing the gathering dark clouds made her stomach clench.
“Now you don’t have a choice.” He tipped his head. “Well, you do have the choice between freezing to death and staying warm and cozy within a shelter until the storm passes.”
Not liking either, she frowned. Cai’s solution made sense, although she was reluctant to admit he’d been right all along.
“If it makes you feel better, no one has to know. My people won’t gossip. That’s a promise.”
A chill wind gusted hard, threatening to lift the stylish hat off her head, taking part of her hair and scalp with it. She repressed a shiver. As much as she hated to give in, Edith knew she’d be foolish not to.
