Colton glanced out from under the rim of his Stetson
hat as his horse picked his way through the snow storm. His slicker kept him
relatively dry, but the air was saturated with dampness. Colton gazed at the
darkened sky frown wrinkles creasing his forehead. After such a dry summer and
fall all this snow wasn’t doing anyone any good. The ground wasn’t frozen
enough to allow the snow to stay. A couple of days and the snow would melt and
leave behind a mess of mud and mire unless the temperatures dropped
drastically.
Colton had been working this morning checking line
fences. His ranch was home to about one hundred fifty cattle. He was out
checking his fences to make sure his cattle stayed within the boundaries of his
property. There was a chill in the air. Glancing at the skies he knew the storm wasn’t over yet. Winter could be
harsh in Minnesota but it wasn’t here yet. This, he knew, was only the
beginning; even though it was December he knew January and February could be
worse.
He nudged his horse to the edge of the creek watching
the waters as they swirled and rushed past him. He saw ice crusting around the
edges, but with the depth of the creek and the fast paced current, the creek
wouldn’t freeze until much later in the season. Because of the dry summer and
fall the water level was down and Colton was worried. This stream weaved its
way all over the property. His cattle needed the water it provided to survive.
From the corner of his eye he caught the sight of something that didn’t
belong in the water. It was a small shoe. Colton frowned and slid off his
horse. Reaching into the water he grabbed the shoe and hauled it out of the
river. Looking at it, he found it was a woman’s tennis shoe. Colton glanced
around but didn’t find anything else in or around the water that didn’t belong
there. Grabbing the reins of his horse he began walking upstream. Around the
bend of the stream he found the wreckage of a car that had come off the road
above the creek. The car had come to a sudden stop against a tree beside the
water. The car was a small dark blue sedan and the driver’s side bumper was
crumpled as it rested against the clump of trees. Colton could also see some
damage to the back passenger side panels. He wasn’t sure what caused the damage
in the back but could hazard a guess. He quickly glanced up the embankment and
found a slight indent of the path down the hill the car took. Snow had covered
some of the indent and that told him the accident happened sometime during the
night. One of the doors was open and there was a young woman slumped in the
front seat.
Colton made his way over to the car and checked the
woman’s condition. She had a nasty cut on her forehead and when he touched her
neck for a pulse, she frowned and tried to stir but couldn’t. Her skin was pale
except for the cut on her forehead. He glanced at the windshield and found a
spot where her head met the windshield. The oval impact area was marked by a
spider web effect in the safety glass. Her skin was cold and damp and Colton
knew he couldn’t leave her here. Another couple of hours and she could freeze
to death. She was dressed in black jeans and a blue sweater but she wasn’t
wearing a jacket. He glanced down at her feet and found she was only wearing one
shoe. How she lost the other shoe in the creek was anybody’s guess. All he knew
was her body temperature was dangerously low and she needed his help.
He gathered her into his arms and carried her over to
his horse. She wasn’t very big and she didn’t weigh more than a hay bale. He
lifted her easily. Knowing he had to get her warm in a hurry, he draped her in
front of the saddle then mounted his horse and adjusted her body to fit the
curve of his own. When he thought she was secure, he gathered the reins and
turned his horse toward home.
BLURB:
When human
bones are discovered in a cave just outside of town, it’s up to Sheriff Max
Reardon to find out who the bones belonged to. But someone in town doesn’t want the bones identified
and they go to great lengths to try and stop Max’s investigation.
They break
into Max’s house and try to destroy the evidence and when that doesn’t work,
they frame Max for murder. Can Max clear his name and bring the murderer or
murderers to justice?
When Micah died Sable
thought her troubles were over but she’s plunged back into her nightmare when
another family member comes after her. He’s not only after what’s left of the
Reardon family, but before he murders them he wants to bring down Gabriel’s
empire. Sable has to fight to keep herself alive and the others. Will she
survive the day of reckoning?
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