Chapter 14

There was plenty enough for him to do to get ready to pull Andi’s car out of the ditch. He found a couple of tow straps and he loaded them into the utility box of the Kubota. Hmm, he thought, there would be more to do. For the thousandth time, he cursed the fact that the sweet old Ford tractor didn’t have the lift arms and bucket that the Kubota had, or the four-wheel drive that the orange powerhouse had. The Ford is a basically big gray and red antique that is mostly used as a lawnmower, but he loves it. And soon it will be a big gray and red daughter hauler, he thought, remembering how the twins enjoyed the hayride.

He tinkered and puttered and found a couple of boxes of decorations the twins might like in their new home. And he put them in the back of the Ranger. He fed the chickens and made sure that they would be ok for a few days. He may not be back until Wednesday or Thursday to check on them. Before he realized it, he had spent over two hours just piddling around in the barn. He closed it up tight, then headed back into the house.

Andi wasn’t anywhere to be seen, so he crept upstairs to find her in the full bed, curled up with Sandy, Madeline, and Wonka. He stared for a long time, trying to brand this scene in his mind forever, then he placed a kiss on Andi’s cheek and whispered in her ear, “I will love you and protect you until the day I die.” He waited to see if she would wake, but she didn’t. She did, however, snuggle closer to Madeline (or was it Sandy?) and had a sweet smile gracing her lovely face. After waiting for a spell, simply luxuriating in the sight of his future family, he pulled out his phone and took a picture, then headed back downstairs and made a few calls.

First, he called John, who wouldn’t reveal what he and Andi talked about, and couldn’t be bribed with a six-pack of Mallo Cups, so it must have been important. They talked for over an hour and ended with Paul agreeing to be there for church in the morning. He went back upstairs one more time and shook Andi’s shoulder gently. She murmured what he took to be “I love you” and she gently clasped his hand, then gave Sandy (or was it Madeline?) a kiss and slipped back into sleep. He slipped down the stairs quietly and sit down on the couch.

He then made another call, this time to Gerry Hirsh, and then one to Brad Clemmons, and then he tried to go to sleep, but it was impossible. His arms felt empty. He had so gotten used to falling asleep with Andi in his arms; Paul found he wasn’t able to sleep without her. He turned on the reading lamp next to the couch and went over the files he was looking at before he got the call to rescue a stranded tourist, but everything he needed to do with them was complete. Finally, he got up, stoked the stove full of wood, gathered his files and folders, put his papers and laptop in his backpack, and dressed as warmly as possible. He left the cabin quietly, put the backpack in the Ranger, then opened the barn door, started up the Kubota and headed off into the pre-morning darkness.