She pulled out the radio and it took her several minutes before she reached Rick Perez. Travis was right, even though the wind was going strong, the rain had mostly stopped, helping to extend the range of the radio signal. She told him that Ryan was here and safe, and then everything that had happened that evening. Rick said he would get an ambulance or a lifeline out to the ranch as soon as feasible. “But it might not be until morning,” he added.
Bobby called on the radio as soon as she was done with Rick. She cried, but tried not to let Bobby know she was crying.
“Mom! Uncle Travis found Cleo! She was trying to find a good place to have her kittens and she did, in his cellar. But Uncle Travis saved her before the cellar flooded, because Titan smelled her and barked. He’s a very smart dog. She has four kittens! She let me sit with her in the pantry, but I didn’t pet her because I didn’t want to scare her. But she didn’t hiss, I think she remembered me!”
“I’m sure she did,” Ellen said through happy tears.
“And she cleaned all the kittens, because she’s a good mom cat. And there are two black-and-white kittens like Cleo, and a gray-and-white kitten, and an all-gray kitten. Well, I think the all-gray kitten might have white paws. Can we keep them?”
“Can we talk about it later? They need to stay with their mom for a while.”
“I want to keep all of them.”
She laughed.
“The gray-and-white kitten I’m calling River, and the gray kitten is Stormy, because you know, they were born when it was raining. And the black-and-white kittens that look like their mom, I’m calling Panda and Pepper. Because they’re black and white, get it?”
“You’ve given this a lot of thought. Maybe Uncle Travis will want a kitten.”
“We can’t separate them!” Then he paused. “Well, maybe we can have two and Uncle Travis can have two.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
“Uncle Travis just made hot chocolate and grilled cheese sandwiches and I’m super hungry. I love you, Mom! I’ll see you in the morning!”
“I love you, too, Bobby.”
After he signed off, she let herself cry. Not because she was sad; on the contrary, she was relieved and felt extremely blessed. Her children were safe.
But she desperately missed her husband and always would.
She stared at a photo of John for a long, long time. And then, she closed her eyes and remembered how he used to spoon against her back and hold her. She almost felt his embrace.
Only then could she finally sleep.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Saturday
Ellen had coffee brewing at four in the morning when Jake came down the stairs after showering, dressed and ready for their trek to the Coulters.
“I drove down to the road this morning,” she said.
He poured himself a mug and sipped. “All good?”
She shook her head. “I thought it would be free and clear—there’s a lot of standing water, though it’s not deep. But two of those giant ash trees on the southwest corner? Completely uprooted and are blocking part of the road. We might be able to get around, but the ditches are still filled with water. Think the horses can make it across the field?”
“Yeah, they’re used to the terrain. We’ll take Clover and Stella. Sir Lancelot might have some trouble if we encounter debris.”
She nodded, deferring to her son about anything related to horses.
“Can you saddle up while I check on my patient?”
Jake’s face darkened, but he nodded and walked out.
She went over to where Sam was lying on the living-room couch.He looked like he hadn’t moved all night, and she worried that he had died. Though the gunshot wasn’t her fault, she felt a pang of guilt that she had done something wrong. But when she went over to him she saw the slight rise and fall of his chest, then his eyes fluttered open. Relief rushed through her. She wanted justice, not vengeance, and was glad he survived the night.
“S-sorry.” His voice was a croak, then he closed his eyes.
