Silver Thaw Read Online Free PDF

in Mystic Creek ain’t for sissies.” She took her apron off and tossed it in the laundry basket. “Andy finished up early and has our car heating.” Delores’s husband was the school janitor. “Anyone interested can divide the leftovers. If the power goes off, you’ll have no way to heat them without a gas stove, but if you’re low on groceries, cold food beats nothing.”
    Amanda wasn’t one of those lucky few who had a propane range, and she was always low on groceries. As she and Mary Lou began divvying up the food into containers that they washed and brought back each morning, she prayed the power wouldn’t fail. She and Chloe would freeze without electricity to heat their ramshackle rental.
    As Amanda left the cafeteria with farewells and be-safe wishes, she dreaded her mile-plus journey home.
My own fault, having to walk
. She’d never told Delores or her coworkers that she had no car because she didn’t want them to feel obligated to give her rides. Amanda had also feared that she wouldn’t get the job if the school board learned she had no vehicle, so she’d lied on her application. It wasn’t really a falsehood; she had two legs that provided her with reliable transportation.
    Freezing rain
. Not only would it hurt when the bits ofice hit her face and bare hands, but it would also be cold. And slick. She absolutely could not slip and fall. Her tight budget left no room for an injury that would make her miss work.
    Outside, Amanda hid in an alcove and waited until she heard Mary Lou’s vehicle leave the parking lot. A sense of urgency bubbled at the base of her throat, a need to connect up with Chloe, but she couldn’t risk being seen on foot.
    When the sound of Mary Lou’s engine died away, Amanda stepped carefully out of her hiding place. The concrete walkway and the recently plowed asphalt, now covered in a sheet of ice, were so slick that she could barely stay standing.
Oh, God.
    Amanda picked up her pace as much as she could. Chloe would be frightened if Amanda wasn’t at the corner to meet her.
    Thirty minutes later, Amanda crossed the East Sugar Pine Bridge. In the distance, she saw Chloe standing like a forlorn waif at the end of Elderberry, where the school bus had dropped her off. She waved and called out what she hoped was a reassuring hello.
    “Stay right where you are, baby. I’ll be there in just a minute!”
    Amanda was shuddering with cold by the time she reached her daughter, whose teeth were clacking like castanets. Grabbing Chloe’s hand, she guided the child over the slick ground toward the house, fairly certain that she looked like an inebriated ice skater to the many neighbors along Elderberry Lane.
    After a long soak together in the ancient claw-foot tub filled with piping-hot water, Amanda dressed Chloe in double layers before putting on her own clothes. Thenshe grabbed blankets from her bed and led the way to the kitchen, where she wrapped the girl in worn fleece and deposited her on a chair.
    Standing at the sink, Amanda gazed out at the frozen world beyond the frosty glass. Her heart squeezed with dread. She considered going to a motel, but that would cost money she couldn’t spare, and the conditions outside were too dangerous for pedestrians. If a vehicle spun out of control, she and Chloe might be hurt. The safest option was to stay put and pray that the power stayed on.
    Just then, the small house filled with the deafening sound of sleet hitting the roof. Startled, Chloe jumped up, tripped on her blanket, and would have fallen if Amanda hadn’t caught her.
    “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Amanda said as she sat down on an old dinette chair and drew her daughter onto her lap. “It’s only frozen rain.”
    Chloe stared at the ceiling as if she expected it to collapse on top of them. “It sounds like marbles hitting.”
    “Yes, it does.” Amanda raised her voice to be heard over the din. “I’d say it’s turned to hail. Hail can be as big as marbles, and it makes a