Winter's Torment Read Online Free PDF

sound that issued from her throat was a weak croak. He wouldn’t find her! He could pass right by her, within feet maybe, and not even know she was here!
    “ Winter! ”
    The voice grew slightly louder. She tried harder to respond. “Henry!” The sound of her voice was nothing but a crackling warble. Forcing one hand into the snow, she clasped the handful of snow and brought it to her mouth, waiting several interminable seconds as it melted. She swallowed the freezing droplets, then tried again.
    “Henry!”
    “Winter!?” Another pause. “Winter!”
    The sound was Henry’s, no doubt. He was nearby, but couldn’t place her location.
    “Winter!” his deep voice ordered. “Call out again, try again!”
    She tried again, using all her strength to call out as loudly as she could. “Henry! I’m over here! In the bushes!”
    Even though her voice was not very loud, but by some miracle he had heard her. In a matter of seconds, she heard his horse plodding through the snow. She watched in absolute shock as he appeared through the foggy, cloudy distance and dismounted, wrapped in a huge animal skin. He tied the horse’s reins to a nearby shrub, sheltered somewhat from the cold by the side of the gully. In the next instant, he was beside her, wrapping her and himself into the warmth of the buffalo robe.
    She was surprised that she had the energy to start crying, but she did. She felt his arms wrap around her, rubbing her vigorously, trying to get her circulation going.
    As he did, her limbs came alive with what felt like tiny electrical charges that caused pain. She began to moan, but he didn’t let up, not for a second. The tingling pain meant that the blood was once again flowing.
    “You foolish woman, braving a snowstorm to bring me a cheese sandwich,” he teased, relief heavy in his voice.
    She stared at him a moment, confused, and then offered him a wan grin. She responded, her voice shivering so badly that she found it difficult to speak. “It wasn’t… snow…ing when I left… the horse… she stum…bled, and when I got off to look, some…thing startled her.”
    “It’s all right, Winter, it’s all right. You’re safe now. I found you.”
    For some reason, Winter began to cry in earnest. Ignoring the pain and the stiffness, she wrapped her arms around Henry’s waist. “I’m so sorry… I made you sleep in the barn last night.”
    The laugh that rumbled from low in his throat startled her.
    “It’s all right, Winter,” he said. “I told you that I would give you all the time you needed.”
    “I.. it was late, but I thought… to get up last night and tell you to make a spot for yourself in front of the fireplace, but I… I fell asleep. This morning when I got up, you were gone.”
    “It’s all right,” he repeated.
    His compassion overwhelmed her, making her realize that not everyone was like Gunter. She felt overwhelmed with emotion. “Oh, Henry, I miss my little boy so,” she moaned, clasping him tightly to her. “I would give anything to hold him in my arms again… in fact, I almost surrendered, and decided that it might be best if I was to—”
    “It’s not your time yet, Winter,” Henry said, rubbing his hands up and down along her back, shoulders, and upper arms. “You feeling warmer yet?”
    She nodded, although her teeth still chattered. The buffalo robe kept a surprising amount of cold out, and she felt as if she were wrapped in a warm cocoon. “Yes… thank you,” she said. Henry gazed deep into Winter’s eyes, and she stared back at him. “What?”
    “Maybe this is the perfect time to purge yourself,” he said.
    He held the edges of the buffalo robe closely around them, enveloped her in warmth, security, and a safety that she didn’t think she’d ever feel again.
    “Get it all out, Winter,” he urged her. “Get it out so that you can finally deal with it and face it.”
    She knew that he was talking about her grief, but she felt hesitant. If she finally