“No, they waited until after we were downstairs, probably until the light was off in the upstairs part of the house, indicating we had moved to the lower floor,” Frank said.
At least Lacy was glad they were safe now from the threat.
The next morning,Florence woke to her phone’s ringtone and picked up her phone from the bedside table.They had phone service!
Dan was calling.
“Hello, we finally have phone service!The brothers are dead.”
“At the house?”Dan asked.
“In the mountain of snow out back,” she said.
“The blizzard has stopped, snow has stopped.We’re clearing the roads, and we’ll be at your place before long.Is everyone safe?”
“We are.No one was injured in the fight.”
“Okay, we’ll retrieve the bodies when we’re able.Tell Rory we’re clearing the road to the ranch also.I guess now you don’t need any more protection,” Dan said.
“No, we’re good.I’ll be opening the coffee shop as soon as the roads are cleared.”
“All right.See you later.”
Frank was sitting up in bed.“Was that Dan?”
“Yeah, it sure was.The blizzard has stopped.I thought there was an eerie quietness.”
“Yeah, we’ve been listening to that howling wind for so long, I didn’t realize it had ceased.”Frank climbed out of bed.
A knock on the door made them both jump a little.They smiled at each other.“Yes?”Florence called out.
“We’ve got cell service,” Rory said.“Hal just called.The roads are still impassible, so he told me to stay here until they’re cleared.I told him we got rid of the threat.”
Florence and Frank had finished dressing, went to the door, and opened it.“Dan called and told us they’re clearing the roads now, but that it will be a while before they reach the ranch,” Florence said.
“Yeah, we figured that.The guys are using a couple of snow machines to clean up the parking area and the drive onto the ranch.”
“I bet they’re missing you.”Lacy began making bacon and eggs.
Frank got the coffee, and Florence served orange juice to everyone.“How are you feeling, Rory?”
“Better already, just knowing the snow will be cleared away.”
Then they heard snowplows, whooped and hollered, left their untouched breakfast on the dining room table, and looked out the front windows.
Two snowplows were moving snow off the main road.One reached Florence’s driveway and began shoveling it.
“Yes!”Florence said.“I have a snowblower.Once the snowplow is gone, we can use it to clear the area next to the garage door, and then we’ll clean off your truck.”
“See?They’re already ready for us to leave,” Rory joked.
Everyone laughed.
“It will be a while before they clear the road all the way to the ranch,” Florence said.“And we love having your company.This has been a real treat for us.”
“I agree,” Lacy said.“Except for Rory getting claustrophobic, it’s been delightful.”
Rory smiled and kissed Lacy.“For sure.”
