Chapter 4
Caleb checked the weather one more time before deciding if he needed to run out to the store again. Being snowed in was no issue for him but in this small town, he wondered how quickly it would open back up after or rather, how long it would take to get to after.
His truck was four-wheel drive, so he could go out, and he grew up where a snowstorm was a normal occurrence, but the way Daniel was talking about the storm, this seemed out of the ordinary for them.
He checked the pantry and the fridge and made a small list. Then he headed next door to see if they needed anything. No need for all of them to run out.
Knocking on the door, he looked around and tried to imagine the place covered in snow. Mike was right; it would be photo-worthy when the snow fell.
“Come in,” Macy yelled.
Caleb shook his head and let himself in. She was in the kitchen and he followed the sounds. A baby sat in a high chair gurgling and immediately drew his attention.
“What are you doing?” he asked her.
She cooed and smacked her hands on her tray.
“Is that right?” he played along.
She smiled and did it again. He pretended to be alarmed by it and got her laughing.
“You’re good with her,” Macy commented, turning away from the stove.
“Eh, she’s just a little person with a silly sense of humor.” He acted surprised again when she slapped the tray.
“That’s one way of looking at it. I’m in the middle of making dinner, did you want to stay for some?”
“No, thank you. I just came by to see if you needed anything from the store. I wanted to make one last trip before things close.”
Macy laughed. “You and half the town. There won’t be much on the shelves, if anything.”
He groaned. “Is it really that bad?”
She nodded. “It’s like the weatherman says snow and things just poof off the shelves. Let me see what’s on your list and I’ll let you know if you should even bother.”
Caleb handed it over. “Where’s Daniel?”
“He’s on his way back in from the shop.” She pointed out the window where he was walking up. “You should just stay home. Snacks are gone with the bread and milk.”
“Really? Ugh.” He took a seat at their table. “Guess I’m glad I stopped by then.”
“Everything okay?” Macy asked when Daniel walked in.
“Not sure. Kristen’s friend went up to the mountain to stay in Mr. Anderson’s cabin and test it out for him, whatever the hell that means.”
“Grace?” Caleb asked, immediately paying full attention.
Both of them turned questioning gazes on him.
“I met her two nights ago when she was on that awful date.” He shrugged as if it were no big deal, embarrassed at having said her name so quickly.
Daniel raised a brow but didn’t say anything about it. “Well, yeah, her. Heard that was a terrible date, by the way.”
“Whatever you heard, I can promise you it was worse just from what I heard sitting there next to them.” That didn’t tell him what was wrong, though. “So what’s the issue?” He tried to ask casually.
“She isn’t answering her phone, and we don’t know if she knows how bad the storm is supposed to be.”
“From what Mike said, she forgets her phone all the time, so she’s probably fine.”
“Probably,” Macy agreed. “But she was supposed to call and check in with Kristen and didn’t yesterday. That’s not odd for Grace, but I didn’t know she still hadn’t heard from her.”
“She’s up there just following instructions from Mr. Anderson. We don’t even know if she got a fire started. I was just talking to Mike and we pretty much decided one of us needs to go up there and check on her.”
“How far is it?” Caleb asked. He didn’t bother pretending that he wasn’t interested now, this was dangerous.
“Two hours from here?” Macy asked Daniel.
He nodded. “Yeah, give or take.”
Caleb checked his watch. “Give me directions, I’ll run up there.”
“Are you sure?” Daniel questioned.
“You all have families and people waiting for you to get back. If I get up there and something needs to be done, I’m not in a hurry to get back. Plus, I can see if the store is actually out of cookies and chips like your wife says.”
“They are,” she insisted.
“She’s right. No chance there’s a snack food left on the shelf.” He pulled out his phone. “Let me call Mike and tell him you’ll go and get you the details.”
As he made the call, Macy moved closer to him. “You might have to talk her out of staying up there if it doesn’t look like she can handle it. She’s a little stubborn sometimes.”
That didn’t line up with the version of the woman he’d met. The Grace he met seemed more like a people pleaser. But he kept that in mind just in case.
Daniel gave him the address and a box of cookies as payment for going to check on her. “She obviously isn’t expecting you, so try not to scare her too bad.”
They all laughed. “I think I’ve got this. At least I’ve met her. With any luck at all, I’ll get up there, and she just forgot her phone, and the rest is going fine.”
“We’ll let you get out there and to it then. It’s only going to get colder.”
“I’ll let you know when I get there and my phone is on me and charged.”
“She’s the least attached to her phone person I’ve ever met. Wild since she’s also got a real knack for hurting herself or breaking things.”
Macy elbowed him.
“What? Grace is the least graceful person we know.”
“That doesn’t mean you should say that out loud.”
Daniel looked at Caleb for help.
“I’m with her on that one.” Caleb put his hands up. “Might be true but she seems really nice.”
“I never said she wasn’t,” Daniel tried to defend himself. “I’m just saying she needs to keep her phone on her.”
“All right. I’m heading out and will keep you posted.” He grabbed the box of cookies and went back to his place for his truck. It was going to be a long few hours.
Looking up at the sky, he hoped the weather held like forecasted, but he doubted it, though. It looked like the snow might move in earlier.
In case it did, he went back to his house and grabbed his camera equipment. He would get some good photos in the mountains if it started snowing.