Asadi rolled Savanah onto her back, careful to keep her covered in the nasty old Dickies coveralls that she’d somehow managed to keep wrapped around her this whole time. He rubbed the back of his hand against her icy cheek and moved the beam of the flashlight in for a closer inspection. Hypothermia wasn’t the only danger. Frostbite was a major concern.
As gently as he could, Asadi pulled her left eyelid up to see if she would wake. Despite the bright beam, her pupils were wide. Rising from where he knelt, he whirled around in search of anything that could help. Within the trough of the massive sandhills, there was nothing but snow. But spotting a drift nearly three feet high, Asadi got the idea for a shelter. He grabbed the coveralls, dashed to the mound, and dug both hands into the powdery snow.
A shock wave of pain ran from the tips of his stinging fingers through the rest of his body. Pushing through the throb of his muscles and burning lungs as he gulped in air with each raspy breath, Asadi forged little walls that blocked out the wind. Convinced his dwelling was wide enough for two, he laid the coveralls over the dividers and covered them with powder.
Once it was tamped down, Asadi pulled what vegetation he could find in the near vicinity and mashed it down as insulation from the frozen ground. It wasn’t perfect, and it wasn’t nearly as comfortable as the shelter he’d made before. But it was the closest thing to a snow cave he could make with the resources at his disposal.
Now for the hard part.
Asadi knew it was dangerous to move Savanah. But he knew what would happen if he didn’t get her out of that howling wind. He dashed back over, kneeled by her shoulders, and cupped his hands beneath her armpits. The first tug was unproductive, as her body was frozen in the snow. But a second swift yank, with a mighty groan, broke her free from the icy crust.
After a quick readjustment, Asadi got a better hold, and pulled again with all his strength. He was careful to keep his momentum at a steady pace as he dragged Savanah back to the cave. Letting her rest before entering, Asadi decided to do something that he’d been dreading, and would possibly regret. He took off his coat, put it on Savanah, and zipped it up to her chin.
Immediately he felt his loss of body heat and wondered if it was a foolish move. But there was no doubt in his mind that she was dying. And if he didn’t do everything he could, he’d regret it forever. With what little energy he had left, Asadi pulled her into the cave and drew her in tight. Knowing that he should get her talking if possible, he struggled for the right words. But he didn’t struggle long because Savanah slowly opened her eyes and spoke first.
It wasn’t much, nor meaningful, it was simple and to the point. All she said was thank you. But if another word never passed between them from here on out, Asadi could live with that. Savanah would at least know that she’d not been abandoned, and he’d risked his life to save her.
Smitty was beginning to wonder if retracing the route on the John Deere Gator was a horrible idea. Despite his boast of knowing the ranch like the back of his hand, he hadn’t anticipated the trouble he’d have traversing the sandhills in whiteout conditions. The machine handled both the terrain and the weather like a champ, but his failure to locate the Polaris was pure user error.
It wasn’t just the storm or the emergency that was clouding his mind. It was the fact that he’d completely abandoned Garrett. But with the kids in danger, he’d determined that the investigation could wait. The only surprise was that the colder he got, the more motivated he was to keep on the hunt. If he was this frozen, then he could imagine how terrible it was for them.
Smitty was wondering if he’d gone too far south and should start searching east to west when a break in the snowfall revealed a most joyous sight. A quick count revealed that all the horses were accounted for. The only anomaly was the mysterious human within the middle of the herd. He killed the engine, so as not to spook the horses, but kept the light pointed in their direction.
The figure among them made a brisk jog over to the Gator.
“One miracle down,” Ike reported, as he slid into the passenger seat. “Just one more to go.”
“Glad for your good luck,” Smitty answered. “I’ve had no such fortune looking for the kids.” He shined his flashlight toward the herd. “Wish I knew how to find the horses again. Don’t think we’re gonna get them back to the barn without leading them by hand.”
Ike held up his phone. “Way ahead of you, my friend. Dropped points as soon as I found them. They’ve got a nice windbreak down in this trough and some tall grass to munch on too. So, I think they’ll be fine to ride out the storm here. We can come back at daybreak.”
“Any of them injured?”
Ike winced. “One looks a little rough, but he’ll make it. Couple are cut in a few places, but not too bad. We’ll need to have a vet waiting back at the barn to patch them up.”
Smitty hated the thought of the horses out there suffering but had to press on. “Didn’t expect to find you out here, especially on foot.”
There was a part of Smitty that was a little agitated at Ike for leaving Crystal alone when she was clearly distraught. But it was hard to be too mad at a man who was out risking life and limb to help save Savanah. And it wasn’t the first time he’d done it. Smitty owed Ike a hell of a lot.
Ike shrugged. “Something didn’t add up to me about Duke’s story. Call it a hunch. But I don’t think Asadi and Savanah are moving to the runway.”
Smitty looked around, feeling slightly less helpless than before. “Any clue where to start?”
Ike raised the screen on his phone where they both could see it, widened the map, and pointed to a spot. “Let’s start at the crash site and make concentric circles. The horses are within a half a mile of the UTV, so it’s as good a place to begin as any, I’d say.”
Smitty cranked the Gator and strained his eyes to see through the swirling snow. He imagined the hundreds of rings they’d have to make to cover the areas around the crash site. And the uneven terrain would only complicate the search.
“Circles aren’t real easy in these dunes, Ike. Worried we’ll miss a spot.”
“I know, but we’ve gotta try. Can’t leave a single stone unturned.”
Feeling a bit hopeless, Smitty turned away so that Ike couldn’t see his tears. “All right then, navigator.” He pressed his boot on the gas. “Lead us the way to my darlin’ girl.”