Deadly Is the Night by Dusty Richards Page B

that deep there.”
    â€œI hope not. Do you need anything? I will send some boys over here to move more firewood in by the fireplaces.”
    â€œGood. How is everything else?”
    â€œWe are working to feed the stock. I dread the cold that will come next.”
    Chet agreed. “Make sure everyone is safe and is accounted for when you end the day. Someone could get lost and die from exposure out there.”
    â€œI will tell everyone to do that. I never saw so much snow in my life.” He tipped his snowy hat and left the house.
    Liz joined him. “How long will it take to melt if it warms up?”
    â€œA week or more. There is lots of the white stuff out there.”
    She shook her head warily and laughed. “What a mess it will be.”
    â€œPeople unprepared are going to lose lots of cattle on the range.”
    â€œI never thought about that,” Monica said. “How will we do?”
    â€œBetter than them. We have lots of hay.”
    She nodded.
    â€œWe’ve worked to have that extra supply for years like this.”
    â€œI never think of those things. That is why I cook and you run ranches.”
    He hugged her. “We appreciate you.”
    The next day he helped fork hay on some big sleds that Raphael had bought somewhere as a bargain, prepared for this day. The first horse team had tromped out a way to the open country where the bawling cattle stood waiting. They looked great in the bright sunshine as forage was forked off for them.
    â€œWe may lose some cows that didn’t come in last night ahead of the storm,” his foreman warned him as he watched Chet throw some more hay. “You know that my boys can do this. Fork off the hay?”
    â€œI know, but I wanted to help. Not sit and worry about the other places and what they did not do right.”
    â€œWe are doing all we can. We had an old barn where I kept the dry wood, but the snow collapsed the roof in. Now, instead, I have boys cleaning the snow off of the other woodpiles so we will have the wood.” He shook his head. “I hope we don’t get more.”
    â€œMe too.”
    They had unloaded two of the sleighs and were going back for more. Chet rode one sled back. By evening Raphael had a head count and felt he’d lost no more than three head.
    As Chet stood before the living room fireplace warming his backside, Liz asked him about his man Toby at the new east place.
    â€œSoon as we can we need to take some food over there. Toby, his wife Talley, and his hands who are clearing brush may need something to eat.”
    It was almost a week before they could get into town on the one lane opened on the road. Chet with Miguel drove a big team to get supplies that the ranch needed and plus the ones he suspected his man on the eastern division would need when they could get there. It was a slushy mess but they made it, loaded the wagon bed with all the things from the mercantile, and headed home.
    Reports of people lost and killed from the storm filled the Miner ’s pages in the issue he brought home. Several more were unaccounted for and still unreachable out in remote places. When he returned Raphael told him they almost had the road off the mountain cleared to Camp Verde. He said he thought Tom and some of his men were making progress from the lower end. But the sun only shone for a few hours a day on those slopes, due to the winter angle, which slowed the melting.
    Chet thanked him. They tarped down the supplies, needed at the upper ranch, in the wagon and he thanked Miguel for his help.
    â€œWhen will you try to go to Toby’s place?”
    â€œEven if they have the road to Camp Verde open, that mountain across the valley may still be blocked on the far side, so it will be hard to get to them.”
    â€œWhen you get ready to go, simply send me word. I am very pleased to be asked to accompany you,” Miguel said.
    â€œI am certain we need a report about the second