Page 14 of On a Midnight Clear

In the days that followed , Angel and Vincent just naturally grew closer.

It was almost as if by unspoken agreement.

Angel suggested after supper one evening that he bring his things in from the lambing shed and return them to their bedroom.

She could still remember the look in his eyes and the slow nod he gave her.

After that , things fell into a routine that included him kissing her as they sat down to breakfast. He laughed more and showed the children greater affection.

Angel was amazed at what God had done in a few short months.

If only Benjamin would learn to trust her and to let go of his anger with God , life might be perfect.

The boy had made great strides, but there was still that bit of doubt. He had trusted God, and God had taken his mother and siblings away. It was hard for Benjamin to have faith in his Heavenly Father. What if He took away someone else?

The day before Christmas Eve, it began to snow as it had done off and on all month.

Up until now, the snow had barely left a mark, and the animals were still able to feed from the dried range grass as Vincent rotated them from one area to another in a wide circle around the house and barn area.

Things had been going well, and there was only a minimal need for additional feed and salt.

By Christmas Eve morning, however, the winds had picked up considerably and were getting stronger. The snow grew heavier and was accumulating.

“I’m going to bring the sheep in. Benjamin will help me.” Vincent motioned to his son. “Put on an extra pair of socks. Not sure how long we’ll need to be out.” He looked back to Angel. “We’ll move them from the north pen to the shelter fold.”

She nodded, knowing very well the fold where he’d set up a protective place for them against the rocky indentation of a low hill just beyond the barn.

Benjamin jumped to his feet and hurried up the stairs.

He returned with his extra work gloves and a second pair of socks.

He sat down by his boots while Vincent continued instructing.

“We’ve run ropes between the building and gates, so we’ll be fine if the snow gets worse. Whatever happens, I don’t want you and Ava out in the snow. We’ll see to the chickens and cows, and of course the horses. You just stay here and keep things nice and warm so we can thaw out when we’re done.”

“Is it a blizzard?” Ava asked, looking up from her primer.

“Not exactly, but it may be headed that way,” Vincent replied. “But don’t you worry. We’ll be safe and snug. And it’s nearly Christmas. Angel has been making all sorts of delicious things to eat, and we’ll sing some songs and open presents later tonight.”

Ava grinned and nodded.

“You ready, Benjamin?”

The boy was lacing up his boots. “Just about.”

The wind picked up and seemed to moan as it moved around the buildings outside. Vincent looked at Angel. “Better get the shutters closed.”

She nodded. “Ava and I will see to it. Please be careful.”

He smiled and kissed her forehead. “I will. We’ll both be back as soon as possible.”

Angel knew it was necessary to see to the animals.

They were the livelihood that had kept the family well cared for.

Vincent had told Angel how each pregnant ewe represented the difference between them being able to remain in the territory or not.

She had wondered, if everything fell apart, if he would want to return to Nebraska.

Granny and John Quincy would welcome him back with open arms, but how could Vincent return as a failed sheep farmer? His pride would be sorely damaged.

Angel knew if she opened the downstairs windows to secure the shutters, the house would be freezing from the cold. Instead, she chose to put on her boots and coat and tend the lower level from the ground.

“Ava, I want you to stay here in the house. It’s really important. I’m going to go outside and get the window shutters closed.”

“Papa told me to help.”

“I know he did, but you can help me from inside. I’ll close the downstairs shutters from the outside, and then you can make sure it’s not letting in any snow or wind. All right?”

Ava nodded. “That sounds important.”

“It is,” Angel assured her. She dug her wool mittens out from her coat pocket. “It won’t take much time. It hasn’t snowed that much yet. I’ll start with this window here in the dining room. You stand here and make sure the shutter closes all the way.”

Angel hurried outside and made her way around the house.

The wind blew a fierce attack that nearly knocked her to her knees a couple of times.

One by one, she wrestled the shutters into place and secured them.

Elsa loved her windows and light, but it was quite the task facing the wind and icy snow to ensure they were protected against the storm.

When Angel finally made it inside, she knew there were still the upstairs windows to deal with. If she didn’t get them closed, the second floor would be colder, and the wind could even shatter the glass.

Ava faithfully followed her upstairs and went with her from window to window.

There were six in total. Angel couldn’t imagine what the cost had been to put in six windows, but she was determined to protect them from the storm.

One by one, she opened the windows, then had to stick half her body out into the storm to take hold of the shutters.

They were fixed in place by a hook, so that was the first part of the job.

It was hard to free the hooks with her covered hands.

Angel finally gave up and handed the mittens back to Ava.

She worked as quickly as possible, but her hands were stiff and white with cold by the time she managed to secure the last window.

She knew from other experiences with cold weather that she would have to warm them slowly using cold water, then tepid.

It would be painful, but at least the windows were taken care of.

Angel made her way back downstairs and went to the kitchen, where she had several pails of water set aside for use. She found it almost impossible to ladle the water from the pail to a bowl.

“I can do that,” Ava said, reaching for the ladle. “I won’t spill a drop.”

“That would be so helpful. Thank you, Ava.”

Angel sat down at the table, and Ava soon brought her a bowl of water.

True to her word, she didn’t spill a drop.

Soaking her hands was painful at first, but little by little Angel managed.

By the time she was ready for warm water, her hands and fingers were working again.

She supposed it was foolish to have rid herself of her mittens but wasn’t at all sure what else could have been done.

She glanced at the clock, surprised to see that two hours had already gone by. Where were Vincent and Benjamin? It shouldn’t have taken this long. Should it?

By the time another hour slipped by, Angel couldn’t help but go to the door and look out.

The snow was so blinding she couldn’t even see the outbuildings across the yard.

She took hold of the rope, more to reassure herself than anything else.

It was tied securely and held fast. They would be able to follow it to the house once they were able to get back to the barn.

Perhaps they were waiting out the storm in the barn.

There was access to the chicken coop, and no doubt the milk cows, rams, and horses were there as well.

Vincent might even decide to milk the cows before coming in for the night.

That thought gave her at least a small amount of comfort. Milking took time.

But when the clock chimed six and still there was no sign of Vincent or Benjamin, Angel felt certain something was wrong. Ava was worried as well.

“We should pray,” Ava said, coming to Angel.

“Yes, we should.” She knelt down with Ava by the fireplace and prayed aloud. “Father in Heaven, please be with Vincent and Benjamin. They’ve been out in the storm for a long time. Please help them to get back home safely. Please let the storm die down. In Jesus’s name, amen.”

“Can I pray too?” Ava asked.

Angel nodded. “Of course, sweet child.” She bowed her head again.

“Please, God, my papa and brother need your help. It’s so dark outside. And so cold. Please help them to come home. Give them some light.”

Her words struck Angel like a bolt of lightning. Give them some light .

It was dark outside. The storm had made it doubly so, and with the shutters against the windows there would be very little light shining from the house. If they’d lost track of the ropes or if they’d gotten separated, they would have no bearing on where they were or how to get back to the house.

“Ava! That’s it! The light. We need to shine the light.” Angel jumped up and went to the wooden box that held a large supply of candles. “Here, Ava, put the candles on the table. Find the candlestick holders in the pantry. I’ll get the lamps. We need to put lights in the windows.”

“But the shutters are closed.”

Angel nodded. “I know. We’ll just have to open them again.”

“But you can’t go outside. You can’t.”

Ava was right. “I’ll build up the fire in the hearth and stove. We’ll just have to open the windows from inside and push back the shutters. Hopefully the house won’t get too cold.”

The two of them quickly went to work. It wasn’t easy to unshutter the windows.

Angel had to make sure that each one was hooked back into place, otherwise the wind would blow it shut again.

After that, she closed the window and wiped away any excess snow before putting a lamp or candle into place on the sill.