they both stayed right where they were. Ward enjoyed the sensation of stillness, and he glanced over at George as the dog put his head on Ward’s shoulder. “Hey, buddy.” He smiled softly at the dog. “Dot, would you…would you mind if I said a prayer?”
Only a beat of silence passed before she said, “Of course not.”
He reached up and swiped off his cowboy hat. Pressing it to his chest, he closed his eyes and managed to get a silent prayer out to help him align his thoughts. Another breath. Another moment of silence, with only the wind battering the truck and screaming past the shut windows.
Ward’s mind quieted, and he opened his mouth. “Dear Lord, we love Thee and we put our trust in Thee during this storm.” He’d never been very eloquent like Mother. His thoughts came out in short sentences, and he realized he’d made a mistake by asking her to pray with him.
“Bless any outside still to get home or to somewhere safe, where they can be cared for and kept from harm. Bless Ida and Brady and the babies. Bless Tyson and Dot’s parents in town. Bless all of us here at Shiloh Ridge to have the power, fuel, and food we need to have the merriest Christmas possible.”
He cleared his throat. “Amen.”
“Amen,” Dot said quietly, and Ward opened his eyes and busied himself with putting his hat back on.
A horrible alarm buzzed on Ward’s phone, startling him and making him jump a mile if he moved a foot. Dot’s phone joined the shouting, and he quickly looked at the alert on his.
“It’s the winter storm warning,” he said over the noise. He tapped okay so he wouldn’t get the message again, and Dot did the same, basking them back in silence. “Let’s get inside and take stock of what we’ve got.” He looked at her. “How about you slide over and get out on this side? Then we can stay together.” He looked out the passenger window and couldn’t see the house.
Alarm pulled through him. “Does George have a leash?”
“He’ll stay with me,” Dot said.
“Okay.” Ward took a deep breath and opened the door. The wind grabbed it and yanked, and Ward yelped as his arm went with the door. He jumped from the truck, and yelled, “Come on, George.”
The dog leapt out of the truck and Ward waited for Dot to slide over and get down too. He grabbed onto her hand and started in the direction he thought the house sat. The gusty wind had blown snow across the sidewalk and driveway, and Ward nearly smashed into his truck before he saw it.
He put his hand on the vehicle and guided himself and Dot around the front of it. “Let me open the garage door!” he yelled, unsure if Dot could even hear him. He held her hand as tightly as he could as he flipped up the keypad cover on the electronic pad. He pressed in the four-digit code and hit enter.
The door started to open. “In, in, in,” Ward said, urging Dot to go low and get inside. “George!” he yelled. “Come on, George!”
The wind blew dirt and snow into the garage, and Ward didn’t stop until Dot had gone up the four steps to the small cement pad that led into the house. “Go in, Dot. I’ll get George.” He joined her on the pad, ready to punch the button the moment the brown and white hound dog made his appearance.
He didn’t, and Ward’s pulse throbbed through his whole body. Could he leave her dog outside?
Dot whistled through her teeth, nearly deafening him, and he actually ducked his head to get his ears further from the sound.
“Dot,” he said after several more dogless seconds.
“He’s coming,” she said, her voice desperate. “George! Come on, George.” She whistled again, but Ward was ready this time.
The dog came running into the garage, skidding when his wet paws hit the slicker cement. Ward hit the button to close the garage, and he opened the door and herded everyone inside.
He closed and locked the door behind him and flipped on the lights. “All right,” he said, his mind whirring through a list. “Let’s get the heat turned up. Close all the doors to the rooms we won’t be using. I’ll get firewood and check the gas supply for the generator.”
“I’ll wipe down George and do the doors.”
“Pick a room,” he said. “Mine will be obvious. The other one that’s lived in is Mister’s, but