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Luckily, Nan was always prepared, and the backseat contained a large wool blanket, a gallon of water, and a first aid kit. I pulled the blanket over both our laps, took a swig of the water, and pulled a bandage from the first aid kit, securing it in place on Nan's forehead. Now, all that was left to do was wait.
* * *
Slade
The storm had turned from a slight winter storm to a full-on blizzard within an hour. Luckily, not before we had reached the barns. The horses came in easily, without much prompting on our parts, and we went to work mucking stalls and stocking them with bales of hay, filling water troughs and making sure all Nan's babies were warm and safe for the night ahead. She'd have our heads, if we didn't.
The entire list took just over two hours, before we were able to hop in Blake's truck and make our way to the house to check on our girls. All I wanted was a steaming hot cup of cocoa, a hug from them both, and a gallon of hot soup for dinner.
When Blake pulled up to the ranch, my eyebrows furrowed in concern. It was completely dark. I turned to him. "Power's not out, is it? Should we have brought up the generator?"
He shook his head slowly. "It wasn't out five minutes ago. There was light in the barn, and we had the radio going."
I swore softly. "You stay here. I'll go check the house." Blake nodded, because we both already knew what had happened. They wouldn't be in there. Still, I ran up to the house and entered through the back kitchen door. Flicking on the light, I saw a mess. Discarded coffee cups sat in the middle of the nook, and the island was scattered with notecards. Sugar, flour, baking soda, and even a carton of eggs lined the countertop and one of Nan's aprons lay piled on the floor. I ran through the house, checking each room, knowing that it would be fruitless. The last place I checked was the garage. It was just as I suspected; Nan's old boat of a Buick was gone.
"Dammit," I yelled, cursing all the way back to the truck. I jumped in and shook my head at Blake. "Not there. Looks like they left in the middle of baking cookies. Or getting ready to, anyway."
"Nan and her damn cookies," Blake muttered, shaking his head in irritation as he backed out of the driveway slowly. "I'm gonna kill her, kill them both."
"Let's just find them, first. Keep your eyes open for Nan's old Buick."
Blake drove slowly, peering through the blizzard as we searched for the giant hunk of blue metal. The good thing was that car was nearly indestructible, a fact that had been proven time and time again through the years. They were more in danger of freezing to death than being unsafe, regardless of what happened to the car. And then, of course, there was the real danger. What Blake would do when he found them. Me, too, but mostly Blake. Hard earned discipline was his department. I just followed his lead.
The roads were already treacherous for us in the truck; I couldn't imagine Nan and Merry out in this. What had they been thinking? The closer we got to town, the bigger the worry knot in my stomach got. There was almost no traffic on these back road highways, especially not in this weather, but the closer we got to town, the bigger the odds of them being involved in a multiple vehicle accident grew to be. We turned the sharp corner right before the back road highway veered into a downtown four lane, and I gasped, stopping just short of grabbing Blake's arm while he drove. There, in a ditch was Old Blue.
"Shit, Blake, it's them. Pull over." He already had it in park and was cussing up a blue streak, interspersing the words with mumbled threats that made me fear for the state of Merry's behind when he finished with her. "Calm down, Blake." I hopped out of the truck and started across the road. "Let's just hope they are all right."
I hadn't even made it to the car when the driver's side door shoved open. I held my breath and watched Merry awkwardly climb out, running straight for me and propelling herself into my waiting arms. "I knew you'd find us! I'm so sorry. Nan made me. Blake's going to kill me. I deserve it. I'm so sorry." The words were jumbled together and mumbled into my chest, but I was able to get the basic gist.
Grabbing her bottom, I lifted her into the air, wrapping her legs around my waist. "I'm so glad you're okay, little one. How's Nan?"
Merry pulled away and frowned. "Okay, I think. Unconscious, but she did wake up for a bit. She knew what day it was and knew enough to reassure me that you would find us soon, before going back out. But, she did hit her head, and I don't know how we are going to get her out. And my phone was dead, and I don't even think I have your numbers, and I was so scared!"
"Okay, little one, okay." I looked across the road to where Blake was standing, leaning into the Buick as he assessed the situation. He turned and motioned for me to join him, and I looked at Merry helplessly. "I'm going to put you in Blake's truck, now, and go help Nan. We need to get you both to a hospital."
I saw the fear light into her eyes and remembered belatedly that she hated doctors and avoided them like the plague. There was no time to worry about that fact, now. I carried her to the truck and hoisted her in , wrapping my jacket around her shoulders to keep her warm. "I'll be back in a little bit, sweetheart," I reassured her, taking note of her trembling body, and turning the truck on and the heater with it.
With a kiss to her cold cheek, I shut the door, and jogged over to Blake. "What do you think?"
"I think I'm going to kill them both," he muttered. I glared. More of the same, and it was less than helpful.
"Okay, okay. Nan woke up. She's groggy and cold but recognized me and seemed coherent. She says her head hurts, and her back is a little sore, but she seems to think she can climb out of there, if we help her. Either that, or we call for help and wait an hour for it to get here."
I shook my head. "Merry is freezing. They both need medical attention, and the storm is only going to get worse. We're a mile from the hospital. Let's just get them there and then, hopefully, get them home before we end up stuck here in town until the storm passes."
Without waiting for Blake to respond, I hopped through the open driver's side door, balancing myself with one hand on the interior roof. "Hey there, Nan. Got yourself in a bit of a pickle, did ya?"
Nan smiled with her eyes, but her mouth was set in a grimace of pain. "I wasn't worried. I knew my boys would find me."
Nodding, I grabbed her hand and tried to help her into a kneeling position that would allow her to crawl out. "All you have to do, Nan, is get from here to the driver's side and then Blake will grab you. Do you think you can do that?"
"Boy, the day I can't crawl a few feet is the day you can put me in the ground," she snarked, slapping my hand away.
Nodding to myself, I grinned. Nan was going to be just fine. I awkwardly assisted her in crawling past me, and she did so, grumbling the entire time. "You tell Blake not to be too hard on Merry, you hear me? It was all my fault, anyway. I'm getting to be a right bad influence in my old age, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
"Oh, I know it," I snarked back, with a hand on her back to firmly brace her as Blake attempted to lift her out. I did not doubt a single word she said. Once Nan got something in her mind, it was best to just give in, because you wouldn't get a single moment of peace until you did. It was one of her more annoying traits, but also one of her more endearing ones. After all, that was precisely how Merry ended up here. A long line of things Nan wouldn't give up on had carved the way.
Once she was safely ensconced in the front seat of Blake's truck with Merry, I did a quick comb of the vehicle, grabbing both of their purses and the spilled contents.
Blake's horn blared, and I shook my head to clear it, continuing my task in a hurry. Right now, we needed to get these girls checked out and get them home.
Grasping both purses by their handles, I pulled the keys out of the ignition, locked the doors, and hopped out.
