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“No, Baby. You stay here and finish up. Seth’s going to head over there with me.”
I turned to see Seth zipping up his coat in preparation to join the group. It hit me then what a good man Seth was. He’d been an exceptional teen, but I could see that he’d turned out as someone to be admired, the same as Daddy.
I looked at Seth. “Watch out for Daddy. He still thinks he’s in his thirties.”
He gave me a thumbs up and pulled up his hood, fastening it beneath his chin. “You got it. Have the hot coffee ready when we get back.”
* * *
Driving was getting dicey on the slick streets as more snow accumulated and became icy, so time was of the essence. Mr. Doyle rode shotgun beside Seth. They’d taken Seth’s truck because it had four-wheel-drive capabilities, whereas Mr. Doyle’s old truck did not. “Does Miss Judy still live up on the right?” Seth asked and pointed to the little house.
“Yes, and she’s our first stop. Pull in behind her car.” Mr. Doyle pointed to the woman’s driveway. “Her kids have been begging her to move to the assisted living, but she’s stubborn. I don’t blame her because I understand completely, except that she’s fallen a couple of times in the past few months.” Miss Judy had seemed elderly ten years ago.
They exited the truck, stepped onto the porch, and rang the doorbell. They heard shuffling and banging, and then Miss Judy opened the front door. “Hey there, handsome fellows. Want a cup of coffee?”
Mr. Doyle laughed at the woman’s spunk. “Snow’s getting pretty heavy. We stopped by to make sure your heat is working and see if you needed anything.”
She looked past Mr. Doyle at Seth, standing just behind the older man. “Is that you, Seth Jacobs? Goodness, young man, it’s been a minute.”
“Yes, ma’am. It’s great to see you.”
“I hope you’ve decided to marry our Kayla, finally.”
Seth didn’t know how to answer that. “She’s a tricky one. Maybe one day.”
Miss Judy laughed. “Well, y’all can move on to the next house. I’m fine. Got plenty of food, water, and heat. Might want to check on Old Jack outside of town. He isn’t getting on too well lately.”
“Will do. Please let us know if you need anything, okay?” Mr. Doyle said.
The two men moved slowly from house to house, checking on the residents of Cherry Creek. They then drove the ten minutes from town to check on Old Jack. “Is Old Jack sick?” Seth asked. Seth remembered him from when they were in high school. He didn’t know the man’s last name because everybody called him Old Jack—even though he hadn’t seemed super old back then.
“He was in the hospital recently with a bad case of gout. Glad we’re getting out here before conditions get too bad.”
The driveway was steep, so they took it slow as the tires slipped on the snow. “No lights on.” Seth noticed this immediately once they got to the top.
“No smoke coming from the chimney either. Usually has a fire going in the fireplace. Hmm.” They knocked on Old Jack’s door and waited. No response. “I’m going to try the door. It’s not like him not to answer,” Mr. Doyle said, frowning as their boots crunched in the snow.
Seth knocked, but there was no answer. The door was unlocked, and the house was freezing. “Jack?” They went from room to room, calling the man’s name.
“Let’s try the barn.” The big hay barn sat about fifty feet from the house. “He sometimes hangs out there.” Mr. Doyle pointed to the large, weathered structure.
Chickens squawked and scattered as they opened the barn door. “Jack? You in here?”
“Over here, young fellow.” The older man was wrapped in a blanket sitting beside a kerosene heater that had been around longer than either of them.
“You scared us, Jack. Why aren’t you in the house?” Mr. Doyle asked.
“I was out here feeding the animals. I might’ve taken a little nap in my chair for a bit. When I woke up, the snow was already falling. I decided to ride it out here. Path is too slick now.” He pointed an arthritic finger in that direction.
“Well, let’s get you back to the house and build a fire so you can wait out the snow.”
“I thank y’all kindly. I was afraid to try it myself.”
They gently wrapped the woolen blanket around the man and helped him back into his house, extinguishing the heater to prevent a fire hazard. Once they’d set the thermostat to a comfortable number and gotten a roaring fire going in the fireplace, they replenished the firewood on the hearth from outside and made sure Old Jack was set for food. Thankfully, he had a full refrigerator and several frozen TV dinners in the freezer.
“Jack, you call us if you need us, you hear?”
Jack nodded, and his eyes caught Seth’s. “Good to have you back, my boy.”
