Surrounded by love

Emmett Stone noticed that the clouds were becoming more ominous behind and above the snow-capped Blue Arrow Peak. Because of the way the air felt and smelled, as well as the appearance of the sky, he knew that the snowflakes' cousins, the raindrops, were about to start falling in buckets, even though they weren't supposed to start falling at this elevation until late September, which is another four months away. "We had better hurry back to the cabin, buddy," said the other person. He reached out and stroked the thick neck of his horse. Bullet, who had been by his side throughout the past thirteen years, grunted in assent to this statement. Even though his gait had slowed down due to the passage of time, the steed, thank God, still had some life left in him. Unfortunately, his four-legged, chestnut-colored friend had reached a point in his life where galloping was a thing of the past. In a single bound, Emmett was sitting comfortably in the old boy's saddle. The impending storm was being fueled by the wind that was picking up speed behind him. The storm looked like it was going to be one for the record books. The best course of action would have been to warn his younger brothers, who were working in the southern part of the ranch. It's too bad there wasn't any cell service in this area. The roads, which were all dirt for miles and miles, were likely going to wash away, which would make traveling on horseback difficult and make it impossible for Cody and Bryant to continue driving their truck. Sawyer and Reed Coleman, who worked for them as ranch hands, were not in danger because they were in town celebrating their sister's birthday. He took a look at his watch and considered the possibility that his brothers would be able to make it back to the cabin on time if they sped. even though he had his doubts that they would, he decided to leave a little bit earlier. They, too, consistently put in anywhere between ten and twelve hours per day, just like he does. The life on the ranch could be challenging at times, but it also had its rewards, which were plentiful. Since they were children, he and his brothers had been disciplined by virtue of those rewards. They had maintained the ranch and developed it into something of which they could be very proud. The value of their assets, which included their land, livestock, and other holdings, was estimated to be well into the hundreds of millions of dollars by the accountants. Even though he had every reason to be pleased with his achievement, he was not. The all-too-familiar gnawing at the back of his mind inched its way up into his consciousness, leaving him feeling unsettled and restless as a result. He readjusted his position in the saddle and endeavored to push the distracting thoughts out of his mind. It didn't work. Over the course of the past few years, the yearning had become increasingly intense. Why? He wasn't even sure what it was that he was yearning for, but he knew it was something. "Bullet, I need to be more like you. Just focus on getting through one day at a time. When a man thinks too much, he gets himself into trouble. He gave his horse a light nudge on the reins as they passed through the gate and onto the county road that surrounded the ranch. He dismounted, then shut the gate behind him. When he turned back to Bullet, he saw something about a quarter of a mile up the road. Was it an animal that had been injured? He leapt onto the horse and started traveling in that direction, which was in the opposite direction of the cabin. Checking into it is your best bet. It didn't appear to be one of their heifers or young bulls, which would have had calves in March. The animal appeared to be much too small. They had reached their full weaning age at this point and weighed more than 400 pounds each. No, the package that was in front of me was something else. A young female deer or a lone female wolf? Emmett became aware that he was not looking at a downed animal after he and his ride had traveled the equivalent of half the distance. It turned out to be a woman who was bundled up in the road. He encouraged the elderly boy to pick up the pace by clicking his tongue to the roof of his mouth and gently tapping Bullet's sides with the heels of his boots. Bullet did as he was told. When he finally reached the female, he jumped down from his saddle and knelt down next to her as soon as he could. She was mumbling to herself while lying on her back with her eyes closed and her face up. The cut that was just below her hairline was the first thing that he noticed when he looked at her. Why was she so far away from the paved road? what was she doing? He cast a few glances in all directions to see if he could spot her car but came up empty. What could have possibly taken place to her? Her clothing was torn in a few places, and she wore nothing on her teeny-tiny feet other than bare skin. Even in the condition that she was in, he was unable to get over how stunningly beautiful she was. Her auburn hair served as a frame for her beautiful features. The contrast between her pale skin and her thick, red lips was striking. She had the ideal amount of curves, which was exactly what he looked for in a woman. "Are you awake, miss?" Her eyes remained closed throughout the duration of her mumbling. He lowered himself to her level in an attempt to comprehend what she was saying. “Right. Have a need to...indulge. Bliss. All right...please assist. Found the... solution" She kept going on and on, but he had no idea what she was trying to say because she was talking so fast. Her wound was no longer bleeding, but it had probably just recently stopped bleeding. Her long auburn hair was stained with the dark blood. He felt for the steadiness of her pulse by placing his fingers on the back of her neck. To his good fortune, the vibrations of the beats were distributed evenly across his fingertips. Courageous spirit. He wasn't sure if she had any internal injuries, so moving her might be dangerous, but it was a risk that he might have to take in order to save her life. Even if he stayed with her and covered her with his own body, the storm would have arrived in a flash, and he couldn't leave her in the middle of the road to be drenched in its aftermath. He moved his hands over her body and gave her a light touch here and there in order to determine whether or not she had any broken bones or other wounds. The sensation of touching her slender arms and legs awoke powerful emotions within him, including the need to possess her, the need to claim her, and the need to protect her. He brought his thoughts under control. This vision of the beauty of a woman required him to maintain his concentration. He grabbed the woman and swung her into his arms as soon as he was sure that he could move her without causing any additional harm to her. "Bullet, take it easy and slow. Because we don't want to cause her any harm. His longtime companion c****d his head to the side and blinked. Emmett was confident that the horse had comprehension. Many people underestimated the amount of intelligence that horses possessed. He had performed this action several dozen times before with other injured creatures, but he had never done it with a woman before. He hauled her up into the saddle with him. "Don't worry about it, miss. I promise." A drop of rain struck him on the nose. He put his Stetson on her bloodied head and covered it with it to shield her face from the impending rain. "Let's go, Bullet. "Take it easy and slowly." * * * * As Cody Stone drove his truck to the cabin, he let out a sigh of relief and a big breath of relief. "Home sweet home." "I couldn't agree with you more, brother." His twin brother, Bryant, took the passenger seat in the vehicle. The rain was falling so heavily that the windshield wipers were unable to keep up with the pace of the precipitation. He had been driving without any vision for almost an hour. His shoulders were more tense than he could ever remember them being, and it wasn't because he had to replace a half dozen fence posts and string new barbed wire for the fences either. His shoulders were tighter than he could ever remember them being. It was nerves caused by the possibility of rolling the truck on some pretty narrow roads, which was the cause. They were dry, and they were challenging. They had been wet and were difficult. After getting wet, they became dangerous. It was clear that Emmett had arrived early because all of the lights in the cabin were turned on. When he looked up at the chimney, he noticed smoke coming out of it. Good deal. A fire was unquestionably exactly what he required, and he knew that a few sips of whiskey would do the trick in terms of warming up his interior. He climbed up onto the front porch of the cabin and heard the board that desperately required a couple of nails squeaking. The board was in a terrible state. It was never his intention, nor that of his brothers', to attempt to fix it. Many years ago, their mother began referring to it as the "cabin's doorbell," which was a phrase that never failed to bring a grin to their fathers' faces. He preferred their home in the valley, where they spent the majority of their time, to the rustic cabin they had purchased. The cabin had an old-fashioned feel to it and some areas were drafty. Although it lacked Internet access and didn't even have a phone, it was more sentimental to him than his home did. Over the years, he and his brothers had increased the amount of time that they spent up here. Emmett asserted that it would be preferable to be on the ranch, particularly during the winter and spring months, rather than fifteen miles away. Additionally, he was correct. During blizzards and heavy rain or snowfall, the roads frequently became impassable. The rain that is falling right now is likely going to cause a rock and mud slide, possibly even two or three of them. Turkey's Pass would unquestionably require the Bobcat, and the Narrow Belt would most likely also be required. It was possible that Nickel Ridge would emerge unscathed from this storm, but given the rate at which the rain was falling, he had my doubts. That would imply that it would take at the very least six or seven days to clear the road leading into town. Not a problem. They had enough supplies to last for several months if necessary, which was a comforting thought. Cody unlocked the door and went inside the cabin as Bryant followed closely behind him. Emmett was nowhere to be found, despite the fact that the fire was burning and the lights were on.