Part 5 (2/2)

She checked the fence line around the area and found it all intact and st.u.r.dy. She checked on the horses and found them all fine with fresh hay and water. She checked the feed bags they'd locked up in the storage area. They all looked in good shape. With the men working like they did from sunup till sundown, there really wasn't much for her to worry about other than the meals and the housework. She was finally caught up on most of the office stuff. She'd finish that tomorrow or the next day.

Shovels. She'd forgotten about the shovels. Drew walked out to the old barn they now used as a toolshed and general junk building to pull out the snow shovels. She grabbed five shovels and dragged them over to the house. She left three there and leaned the other two inside the barn by the door. Finished, she stood on the back porch and thought about what else needed doing before it began to snow. They had plenty of hay in the hay barn, next to the horse barn. Maybe she should grab a few more things from the junk barn just in case. It wouldn't hurt to have a pickax and the regular ax by the back door.

Drew walked back to the old barn and began rummaging around in the mess for the axes. She saw something out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned her head, there was nothing. She searched for the axes and finally found the wood ax, but still couldn't locate the pickax. She started to carry the one she'd found back to the house when something knocked over some bailing wire behind her. She turned around.

”Who's there?”

There was no answer. She called out again but still no answer.

”Probably rats come in out of the cold ahead,” she told herself.

She turned around and something hit her over the back of the head. She went down, and everything went black.

”Man, I'm hungry,” Kenny said as they tied off the gate.

”I could eat a horse. No offense, Crooner,” Marshall said, patting the horse's neck.

”Let's finish this up so we can get inside where it's warmer. That snow is on its way. We need to get something to eat and some rest before it hits,” Jeb warned them.

They finished securing the gate and rode over to the barn. They quickly took care of the horses and saw to their feed and water. Then they checked the hay barn to be sure it would be easy to get to.

”Looks like Drew has already strung the ropes for us,” Kenny said.

”She got the show shovels out, too,” Marshall noted.

”Let's get inside and see what's for dinner.” Jeb shoved his hands into his pockets. They were cold, gloves or no gloves. The wind had picked up.

They piled into the washroom and peeled out of their outer garments, hanging them on the hooks by the back door. They cleaned their boots then washed up in the big sink. Still, Drew hadn't appeared to welcome them. While it was unusual, Jeb didn't think much of it until Kenny started calling out for her.

”Maybe she has the office door closed,” he said and took off for the living room and the office on the other side of it.

Jeb checked the pot of chili simmering on low on the stove. There were biscuits ready to put in the oven with a plastic cap over them to keep them fresh.

”She isn't in the office,” Kenny said with a look of worry on his face. ”I checked upstairs in case she took a nap, but she isn't up there, either.”

”h.e.l.l, all the horses were there, so she didn't go off riding somewhere. Check the trucks, Marshall.” Jeb grabbed his coat and gloves and put them back on.

”They're all there, Jeb.”

”Let's check the out buildings for her. Kenny, you stay here in case she shows back up. We'll be back in a few minutes,” Jeb said.

Kenny didn't look happy about staying behind, but he knew someone needed to, and Jeb was the foreman now. Jeb looked at him before he walked outside.

”Go ahead and get the first aid kit out. I don't have a good feeling about this.”

Kenny nodded and walked back into the kitchen while Jeb and Marshall finished dressing and walked outside.

”Do you want to split up, or check together?” Marshall asked.

”Together. I don't like this one bit. She isn't one to go off like this,” Jeb said.

They started with the horse barn and checked every stall and room, then walked around it. Then they moved to the hay barn and climbed around on the hay to be sure she hadn't fallen between any of the bails. After walking around the hay barn, they walked around the two smaller corrals.

”What's next, Jeb?” Marshall yelled over the wind. It had picked up over the last thirty or so minutes.

”The other side of the house. The old barn is over there. I'm not sure why she might be over there, but we don't have much more to check.”

They trudged through the wind to the junk barn and walked inside. There was no electricity out there. They couldn't see a d.a.m.n thing.

”f.u.c.k, Marshall, run to the house and get a couple of flashlights. I'll wait right here for you.”

Marshall nodded and took off for the house. A few minutes later he returned with two high-powered flashlights.

”She hadn't come back so far,” he said as they turned on their flashlights and began searching the area for Drew.

Jeb found her lying on the ax and cursed, afraid she'd hurt herself with it. He was almost afraid to turn her over.

”Marshall! Over here!” he yelled.

Marshall hurried over with his light and they searched her for injuries. When they turned her over and there was nothing there, Jeb knew a sense of relief. He pulled off his gloves and stuffed them in his pockets. He ran his hands over her face and hair where he encountered the sticky spot at the back of her head.

”Is there anything around here that might have fallen on her?” Jeb asked as he picked her up in his arms.

Marshall shown the light around and shook his head. Don't see anything over here that might have fallen on her. You think the ax did?”

”I don't see how. It was beneath her. Bring it with you, though. We might need it.”

Marshall followed behind him as he carried Drew to the house. Kenny must have been watching for them, because he held open the back door for them to come inside.

”What's wrong with her?” he asked.

”She has a b.u.mp on the back of her head that's bled some. Something hit her there,” Jeb told him.

”Can you carry her upstairs?” Kenny asked.

”I've got her,” Jeb told him.

”Someone had to have hit her,” Marshall said. ”There wasn't anything around that might have fallen on her.”

”Right now, let's see how bad she's hurt,” Jeb told him.

Jeb carefully laid her on the bed on her stomach. She weighed nothing and now didn't move. It unnerved him to see her still like this.

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