Ben
thought he was kind of yummy, in a slightly older, weathered, hard-driven
cowboy kind of way. It was pretty clear from Ashton’s face that he hadn’t had a
very easy life—and had spent a lot of time outdoors. Though maybe not as
much lately, given the state of his leg. “You know, if you wanted, I could
massage your leg for you again.”
Ashton
put down his book. “Thanks. What you did earlier really helped. I’m hoping some
rest and maybe a lack of drama will let me ease up on it for a little while.”
He sat back and picked up his book once more. “Would you mind feeding the
fire?”
“No
problem.” Ben got up and added another log. The dogs shifted and then moved
back into place once he sat down again, jostling for position so Ben could pet
them. A few moved closer to the fire, lying down on their blanket. “Where did
you get the dogs?”
“This
one, Poochie, showed up one day as a pup. I found him in the barn, so I fed him
and took him in. Dad had those two, and the others I adopted through a friend
in town. She rescues dogs and she knows that I have a really soft spot. They’re
great dogs. Those two black Labs, Bonnie and Clyde, are the oldest of the
bunch—they’re getting to the point where it’s hard for them to get around the
way the others do. Daddy loved those old guys. I took care of my dad, and he
passed away in the house with those two guarding his bed. They slept on the
floor near him and stayed there. Both of them howled when he passed. It was so
sad.” Ashton turned away, watching out the window at the whiteout conditions. The
snow was falling heavier. “At least the temperature is rising a little.”
“How do
you know?” Ben asked.
“When
it’s as cold as it was last night, it doesn’t snow. Super-cold air is dry air.
For it to snow like it is, the temperature has to have risen. It will help keep
the barns warm.” He set his book aside and rubbed his eyes. “The light is going
to fade in a few hours.” He sighed and sat up. “I have some emergency lights in
the kitchen.”
Ashton
got up, leaning heavily on his cane, and went into the other room, opening up
one of the lower cupboards at the end of the counter and pulling out a few
lanterns. He handed one to Ben, who took it into the living room and set it
next to the sofa. Ashton brought one for himself and left the room once more.
He moved slowly, returning to the living room with more blankets, which he set
on the arm of the sofa before taking his seat once more.
“I have
some soup in the kitchen that we can heat up by the fire for dinner. At times
like this, we tend to get a little rustic out here.”
“Have
you ever thought about getting a generator for the house?” Ben asked.
“I have
one on order, and it’s supposed to be installed in a few weeks. Looks like my
timing sucks on that.” At least he had a sense of humor about it. “Isn’t the
first time I’ve done this.” Ashton brought up the footrest of the recliner and
covered his legs with a blanket. “I remember one night when I was a kid,
sitting where you are now, with a blanket and Mom’s hot chocolate, watching a
storm like this through that window.” His eyes became a little glassy. “We were
watching for my dad because he was out at the barns, making sure they were
secure. And then when he got back, the three of us, along with some of the
hands, built a fire, then brought the table in here and played cards for hours.
There wasn’t anything else we could do.
“Dad
worked all the time because that’s life on a ranch. There are always things
that need to be done, but with a storm, we could only hole up and wait, so he
spent the whole day with me and Mom.” He humphed as a dog jumped on his lap and
settled down for attention. “It’s one of the best memories I have of them. That
evening I slept on the floor, with Mom on the sofa and Dad in his chair, the
dogs all around me. I felt so safe and warm, and….” Ashton’s voice became
scratchy, and he turned away, peering out the window once again.
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Nice cover. The blurb sounds like a good read.
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