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“I heard there’s a winter storm coming, so please be careful.”
“A winter storm?”
“Yes, and they’re predicting up to three feet of snow.”
“Oh wow. I can see it already coming over the mountains.”
“Please make sure you get home safely.”
“I will.” Abbie glanced at the clock on her dashboard. “It looks a lot later than one o’clock. The sky is dark because of all this snow.”
“Call me when you get home.”
“I will. Let me go now so I can focus on driving.”
“Sure. Love you, stay safe.” Lorna hung up.
Abbie noticed the snow falling heavier as she drove out of town on Main Street. She hoped she could make it home before it got too bad. Reaching over to turn the wipers on high, she realized they were having trouble keeping up and were now covered in ice. She hadn’t been aware of a snowstorm moving in since she hadn’t listened to the radio earlier that day. Flicking on the radio, she turned it up to hear the weather station warning of an incoming severe winter storm.
“Great,” she muttered to herself as she continued driving.
Her mind drifted back to Creed McBride and how foolish she had acted around him.
“You’d think you’d learn to think before you speak, Abilene Wells,” she scolded herself.
The snow was now so thick that she could barely make out other cars on the road in front of her. Finally, after thirty stressful minutes, she pulled into her driveway and let out a sigh of relief at having made it home safely.
****
Creed stepped inside his house and was greeted by his German shepherd, Ranger, waiting at the door. He took off his coat and hat before crouching down to give the dog some affection.
Ranger eagerly pawed at the backdoor, his tail wagging with excitement to be let out into the world. Creed dreaded this moment, knowing that Ranger had a tendency to roll around in the snow instead of just playing in it. He had found the dog five years ago, on the day of Wren’s funeral. A German shepherd pup, someone had abandoned him on the road and he ran straight toward Creed’s car as he pulled into his driveway. Without hesitation, Creed picked up the starving pup and brought him inside. After feeding him, Creed made a mental note to visit Dr. Tessa Garrett, the local vet, to make sure Ranger didn’t belong to anyone or have a microchip, which he didn’t.
Despite posting photos around town and checking for any potential owners, no one came forward to claim the dog. So, Creed kept him, grateful for the company and love that the dog provided. But deep down, he also wished he could meet the person who abandoned such a sweet and loving dog to give them a piece of his mind.
Opening the door, Creed watched as Ranger bounded into the snow with pure joy and energy. He couldn’t help but chuckle as the dog hopped off the porch and disappeared into the fluffy white blanket surrounding the house. With a heavy sigh, Creed knew he needed to grab some towels for when Ranger returned, as he always did after frolicking in the snow.
As he made his way to the bathroom closet and retrieved three old towels, Creed shook his head. “Why does getting wet from rain or snow differ from getting soaked in a bath?”
Returning to the kitchen with towels in hand, Creed peeked outside just in time to see Ranger burying his face in a pile of snow. Knocking on the windowpane, he couldn’t help but laugh as Ranger lifted his head, revealing a muzzle covered in snow. Opening the door, Ranger sprinted toward Creed but stopped on the porch to shake his body vigorously, sending chunks of snow and ice flying in all directions. Creed couldn’t help but swear as some of it hit him.
“Damn it, Ranger! Knock it off!” he scolded, though his laughter gave away that he wasn’t angry.
Ranger quickly obeyed, sitting down with a silly grin on his face. Kneeling down, Creed began to dry him off with the towels, trying to remove as much snow and water from his fur as possible. But before he knew it, Ranger took off running through the house again, leaving a trail of wet paw prints behind him.
The silence no longer bothered Creed like it used to. He couldn’t help but miss Wren and the life they could have had together. Their daughter would be five years old now, and Creed knew he would have spoiled her just as much as he did his wife.
Wren had been overjoyed when she found out she was pregnant. They both wanted a big family, but that dream was shattered now. That part of his life was gone.
“Stop dwelling on it,” he muttered to himself as he undressed and threw his clothes into the hamper. Barefoot, he made his way to his bedroom and retrieved a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt from the dresser.
After taking a quick shower, he wandered back into the living room where he planned to spend the rest of the day being lazy.
As a livestock agent with Montana’s Department of Livestock, Creed had worked hard to get where he was today. Only the younger agents were required to work weekends unless there was an urgent case that needed all hands-on deck. Days like today, with heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures, he was grateful to have time off to stay indoors.
He reclined on his favorite chair and turned on the TV to check the weather forecast.
“Damn,” he muttered when he saw the prediction for more snow and below freezing temperatures with strong winds.
