“It would be wonderful if you could restock the shelves with the remaining inventory we have in the back. Non-perishable goods being the priority, then whatever else can fit on the shelves.”
“I’m on it,” she said, giving her father a swift nod.
He removed his glasses again and forced a smile.
A hum of commotion pulsed about the market, and while noisy, neighbors remained friendly and surprisingly calm in composure. One customer helped another get a hard to reach item from the top shelf. Another patron in line offered to share his bounty with a woman looking for a specific item he had the last one of. There was camaraderie even amid the frenzy, something Rachel hadn’t been a part of in years. It wasn’t every man for himself. Rather, the townspeople worked together as one to ensure their fellow neighbor could ride out the storm in comfort and calm.
By five o’clock, the atmosphere dimmed, and it wasn’t just the setting sun that darkened the skies.
Wind whipped at the exterior awning, flapping the fabric like a tattered flag. Wet, slushy snow splattered against the windows.
Rachel glanced around the market. The only time she had ever seen the shelves this bare was right before their grand opening, when their store was brand new and their inventory not yet displayed.
“I think that’s the last of them.” Stewart removed his glasses and swiped them clean. “Now that it’s dark, I doubt anyone will venture out on the roads. And even if they do, we have little left to sell them.” He pressed his palms to the counter and took a breath that puffed his chest. He blew it out through his mouth. “Summit Superstore is open twenty-four hours. Access to that supermarket will be easier since the plows clear the more heavily trafficked roads first. I think we’re safe to close down for the night. Thank you so much for your help, Sugar Plum. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
Rachel didn’t feel like she had been very helpful. Telling customers they were out of the items they so desperately sought was like being the bearer of bad news ten times over. But most people just nodded their understanding and moved along, many even wishing her family well and thanking them for staying open. One look up and down Main Street confirmed not all business establishments had.
After reconciling the register and straightening up what little items remained, Stewart flipped off the lights and locked up the building.
The biting wind from earlier now mixed with dense snowdrops that marred Rachel’s vision and coated her cheeks with slick moisture. They rushed toward her father’s SUV in the back lot. Equipped with four-wheel drive and snow tires, they didn’t need chains, but even with the windshield wipers on max, it was a white-knuckle kind of ride. Rachel had never been more grateful that her father knew these roads like the back of his hand. She was certain he could navigate them blindfolded, which wasn’t far from their current visibility situation.
“Your mother’s gathered all the candles, flashlights, and blankets. I called her about an hour ago. We still have power, but I don’t hold a lot of hope that we will through the night. You bring some warm pajamas with you? I don’t want you to get cold in that spare room. It tends to get drafty.”
“I’ll be fine, Dad. What can I help with when we get home?”
“We’ve got everything under control, Sugar Plum.” With an abundance of caution, Stewart gently lowered his foot to the gas to make the incline up their street. Tires spun beneath them, trying to gain traction. “Come on, Betsy, you can do it.” He rubbed a hand on the dashboard. “Just a little bit further, girl.”
The wheels finally found purchase in fresh snow and gripped their way up the rest of the driveway and into the garage.
“Oh, good!” Paula had obviously rushed to the door to meet them. Her chest heaved with relief. “You two are finally home!”
“Everything okay around here?” Taking his wife into his arms for a hug, Stewart pressed a kiss to her cheek.
It was the most affection Rachel had seen her parents exchange in years.
“I’ve been holding down the fort just fine, Stew.” Paula guided her family into the cabin like a hostess ushering guests in from the cold. She took her husband’s coat from his shoulders first, then Rachel’s. “Just threw a log on the fire and pulled a pecan pie from the oven. There’s a candle burning in every room and a flashlight in every nightstand. I know the drill.”
“And the tree? How’s it fairing?” Stewart’s glasses were in his hands again.
“As tall and sturdy as ever. These forests are built for the elements, Stewart. It’ll be just fine.”
CHAPTER22
Holden guided the snowmobile up the ramp and into the truck bed before killing the engine.
“You got an extra tie-down?” Lance hollered from his pickup parked next to Holden’s in the lot. “I’m one short.”
“You know me; I always come prepared.”
Holden lobbed a coiled strap toward his friend and got to work securing his own snowmobile. They had agreed they should each take one home in the off chance roads were closed and they needed a mode of transportation to check in on neighbors or trek into town for supplies.
This wasn’t their first snowstorm rodeo.
Scout wove her way up one ramp and down the other as though playing a game. While some animals experienced anxiety during storms, they didn’t faze Scout. In fact, it was fair to say she loved unpredictable weather. Out of the corner of his eye, Holden spotted her chomp in the air to catch snowflakes on her tongue, tail wagging full-force.
“Silly girl.” He ratcheted down the strap and gave it a good tug. “I’m going to grab my headlamp out of my locker before I head out. You need anything, or is it safe to lock up?”
Lance jumped off his tailgate, landing in a pile of snow that swallowed him up to his shins. “I’ve got everything I need. You can close it down.” He ran a gloved hand along his jaw. “You okay to ride out the storm alone at your place?”
