?While not as heavy as earlier the storm continued to drop flakes on their town. Emma was thankful that she¡¯d asked JD to bring in some wood for her stove two days earlier. There¡¯d be enough to keep her and Nathan warmth through the night and into tomorrow if needed. Food was another story. She¡¯d had a few things tucked away; a carrot, an onion, and a pair of potatoes. It wasn¡¯t much but fried up, it kept them both from starving for the night.
¡°Awful good meal Miss Emma.¡± Nathan said with a satisfied smile.
¡°I probably should have kept back one of the potatoes for the morning.¡±
¡°I¡¯d wager by morning we¡¯ll be able to make our way.¡± He took a sip of tea. ¡°And I don¡¯t imagine Ezra would stand not knowing you¡¯re safe longer than that. Half surprised he didn¡¯t try coming to get you in the storm.¡±
¡°He wouldn¡¯t be that careless.¡±
¡°Maybe not. But when those fellas took ya, I had to make sure and stitch him up good because nothing was going to stop him from riding out to find you.¡±
¡°Was it really that bad?¡± When Emma has asked, Ezra had played it off, made it sound like the bullet barely grazed him.
¡°Wasn¡¯t as bad as it coulda been. Vin was worse off. But neither man should have been out on horseback.¡±
Lily stood at the window in her room watching the snow fall. It had slowed considerably in the last few hours. A strange silence had fallen over the small town. She could almost envision families cuddled around stoves and fireplaces taking refuge from the weather.
¡°Anything the matter?¡± Ezra¡¯s voice came from her doorway. Lily turned and smiled.
¡°No, just admiring the beauty of it.¡± Ezra snorted in derision. ¡°Oh now, I know you don¡¯t care for it because you¡¯re worried about Emma. I dare say that if she were here and you could lock yourselves away in your room, you would have no issue with Mother Earth.¡± She raised an eyebrow at him.
¡°A fair evaluation of the situation.¡± Emma¡¯s shop sat along the same side of street as the saloon which meant he couldn¡¯t even try to see if a light burned inside.
¡°If she didn¡¯t stay in her shop, then she found refuge somewhere else. Perhaps with Mary or at the mercantile.¡± She crossed the room and laid a hand on his arm. ¡°She is safe and will be back with you again.¡±
