"No. No stop! Please, stop. No!" Jeweldean was awaken by Sonny's voice, yelling. She opened her eyes and saw Sonny was still sleeping. Jeweldean knew that this was another nightmare, so she reached over, and grabbed Sonny's hand.

"Sonny." Jeweldean said, she scooted closer.

"No. Let go of me. Don't touch me. Let go!" Sonny yelled. He yanked his hand free of Jeweldean's. Jeweldean almost had to dodge Sonny's hand because he almost accidentally hit her with his frantic.

Jeweldean placed a hand on Sonny's chest. "Sonny. Wake up."

Sonny stopped yelling. Jeweldean softly shook Sonny's shoulder. "Sonny."

Sonny jerked his eyes open and looked at Jeweldean.

"It's me, Jeweldean." Jeweldean said when Sonny had a concerned look on his face.

Sonny's breathing slowed, and he sat up. That's when Jeweldean saw how bad Sonny was sweating.

"I'm going to grab you a rag." Jeweldean whispered, and slid out of bed. She grabbed a cloth, got it wet, folded it, then walked over to Sonny's side of the bed, and placed it on his head.

Sonny's breathing slowed almost to a normal pace. He placed his left hand over Jeweldean's hand that was holding the cloth on his forehead.

Sonny looked at Jeweldean. "Thank you."

Jeweldean sat down on the side of their bed, and looked at Sonny, dropping her hand from the cloth.

"You're welcome." Jeweldean looked at her hands in her lap.

"I'm real sorry I woke you up, honey. This is why I wanted to sleep in the barn." Sonny said to Jeweldean.

"It's fine, Sonny. I don't mind." Jeweldean forced a smile and tried not to think of how tired she was. "Do you want some water?" Jeweldean asked, standing up.

"Yes, please." Sonny took the rag off his forehead.

Jeweldean handed Sonny a glass of water. "Thank you."

Jeweldean nodded, and sat back down on the side of the bed. Jeweldean saw how upset Sonny was, and after he drank his water, she asked him, "Do you want to talk about the dream?"

Sonny shook his head and placed the glass on his bed side table. "I would rather just try to go back to sleep."

Jeweldean nodded. "Okay." Jeweldean patted Sonny's leg, stood up, and then took the rag and glass back to the dresser. Then, she crawled back into bed. Once she laid back down, she felt Sonny's arm around her waist.

"Thank you, again." Sonny whispered into Jeweldean's hair.

With her back to Sonny she answered, "You're welcome. I love you, Sonny."

"Love you too, dear."

Jeweldean laid awake for a few minutes as she tried to think of what she could do to help Sonny. Finally sleep over came her, and she fell back asleep, but she could tell by Sonny's breathing that he had not yet fallen asleep, and Jeweldean reckoned that he most likely wouldn't.

Jeweldean made a fire in the fireplace early the next morning. She wrapped Suzanne and Sadie up in another warm blanket. She put another blanket on Cody's bed, and also on her own. After the fire was started, and stew was cooking, Jeweldean walked to a window in the kitchen and looked out at the sky. As she hugged herself to keep warm, she saw that the sky held snow clouds.

"That would explain why it is so cold." Jeweldean said aloud to herself. She walked back to the fire and stirred the stew, hoping the warm steam would warm her cold body. Jeweldean pulled a chair near to the fire in an attempt to get warm. After a few minutes, she ran upstairs to grab a sweater, and check on Sadie, then she made her way back downstairs and again, sat by the fire.

Just when she got warm, the front door opened. A strong, cold gust of wind blew in when the door was opened. Jeweldean looked to the door, and saw Sonny standing in the open doorway. His cheeks were flushed pink, and when he took off his hat, his hair was ruffled. He shut the door behind him and took off his gloves and coat. Jeweldean forgot all about being cold when Sonny smiled at her, and she walked over to where Sonny stood. She folded her arms and fell against his chest, resting her cheek on his chest in an attempt to get warm.

Sonny chuckled, and wrapped his arms around Jeweldean. "Are you cold?" Sonny asked.

Through chattering teeth, Jeweldean replied, "Yes. There's co-coffee and s-stew on the f-fire."

"Well, let's get you a cup of coffee, and a bowl of stew then." Sonny replied, pulling away from Jeweldean, and walking over to the counter to grab a bowl, ladle, and coffee cup.

Jeweldean stood by the fire until Sonny placed a coffee cup and a bowl of steaming stew on the table, then she sat down, wrapping her hands around the warm cup. Sonny stood across the table from her, then went into the living room and grabbed a blanket. Walking back out to the kitchen, he wrapped the blanket around Jeweldean's shoulders.

"Better?" Sonny asked.

Jeweldean took a sip from her coffee cup, and still holding it close to her face to absorb the steam, she replied, "Much better; thank you."

"Good." Sonny replied, and grabbed a bowl of stew and a cup of coffee for himself, then sat down across from Jeweldean.

"It's mighty cold out, today. I have the hands working on shifts. A few minutes in the house by the fire, then a few hours back out working. I'm on break right now, that's why I came in." Sonny explained to Jeweldean then he took a bite of his stew.

"Is that the only r-reason?" Jeweldean asked, smiling. She pulled the blanket over her shoulders more and took another sip of her coffee.

"Well, that and I wanted to see the kids and my beautiful wife." Sonny answered, then looked up from his stew at Jeweldean who was all bundled up. "Are you still cold?"

Jeweldean nodded. "I was warm when you hugged me, but now I'm cold again."

Sonny chuckled, stood up, walked over to Jeweldean, grabbed her hand, and pulled her up to him in a hug. Sonny leaned down and gave Jeweldean a long kiss. The blanket fell to the ground, but Jeweldean was now warm, and didn't want to move when she kissed Sonny back.

"Are you warm now?" Sonny asked, pulling back ever so slightly.

"Yes. But, I think it's because of the fire, not you." Jeweldean teased Sonny.

Sonny kissed her again, then said, "Our food is goin' to get cold."

Jeweldean sighed. "You're right." Sonny pulled away from Jeweldean to pull out her chair for her. Once she was seated, he wrapped the blanket around her shoulders again. Then, he moved his stew and coffee across the table, and sat down next to Jeweldean. Sitting close enough to Jeweldean, he wrapped one arm around her shoulders, and ate his stew with the other.

"How are you always so warm?" Jeweldean asked Sonny, who was casually eating his stew. He hadn't even taken a sip of his coffee."Honestly, I don't remember you ever being as cold as I am."

"I don't know. It's probably because you always have a fire goin' whenever I come inside after bein' outside. You also always have hot coffee and stew or warm biscuits or something, too."

"Besides that. Even when we are outside working, the cold never seems to phase you."

Sonny replied, "I don't know why. God probably made me that way so that I could always keep you warm."

Jeweldean smiled, and took another bite of her stew. Just then, the door opened again, and Austin and Cooper walked in, bringing more cold air with them. Jeweldean got cold all over again. Shivers ran up and down her spine, so she pulled the blanket tight over her shoulders, wrapping her hands inside the blanket. Sonny looked up at them, but didn't move his arm from around Jeweldean's shoulders.

"Break's over, boss." Cooper said, taking off his coat and hat.

"Already? Jeweldean here was just getting warm." Sonny teased. Jeweldean teasingly elbowed him as she felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

"You're cold, Jeweldean? I couldn't tell. Is that why you're sittin' next to the fire?" Austin teased her, looking at the way she was huddled over her coffee and stew, all wrapped up in a blanket.

"You're cold? Why? It's like ninety degrees outside." Cooper sarcastically teased, too.

"Oh, very funny y'all." Jeweldean said. Then, she turned to Sonny. "Did you tell them to tease me?" Sonny put his hands up in surrender, and stood, taking his coffee cup and empty soup bowl with him to the sink.

"It wasn't me. This is all their own doing." Sonny said and took a sip of his coffee while leaning against the kitchen counter.

Jeweldean nodded. "Okay." Then, looking to Austin and Cooper, she said, "There's stew and coffee on the fire. Please help yourselves. I would get it for y'all, but as y'all have figured out, I'm a little cold right now."

Austin and Cooper looked to Sonny, smiling. They walked over to the fire and got themselves a bowl of stew, along with a cup of coffee. Then, they sat down next to each other across from Jeweldean.

Sonny put his empty coffee cup in the sink, then walked over to Jeweldean. He placed his right hand on the back of her chair, and put his left hand on the table. "I have to get back out there. I'll be in for supper, though."

"Okay. Thanks for your help." Jeweldean said to Sonny.

Sonny looked to the ranch hands, then back to Jeweldean. "Oh you mean keepin' you warm?" Jeweldean blushed, but didn't answer. "You're mighty welcome." Sonny replied. He gave Jeweldean a kiss then walked to the door, and put his coat, hat, and gloves back on.

"Alright, I'm headin' out y'all." Then, looking to Jeweldean, Sonny said, "Love you, darlin'"

"Love you too, Sonny." No matter how many times that Sonny had said it since he got back, it still felt like the very first time he had said it all those years ago. They could never say it to each other enough then, nor now. 

Sonny looked at Cooper and Austin. "I'll be back in for supper, and also to make sure Jeweldean stays warm." Sonny winked at Jeweldean.

The hands chuckled at Sonny's teasing comment, but hushed up real quick when Jeweldean glared at them. Then, looking to Cooper and Austin, Sonny said, turning serious, "I expect you two to be back out in about twenty minutes. When you come back out, make sure to send Porter in."

"Yes, sir." Austin said.

"Will do." Cooper replied.

Sonny nodded and shut the door behind him. Once Sonny was outside, Cooper cleared his throat and said, "We are real sorry for teasin' you, ma'am."

"Yes, ma'am. We are sorry." Austin said.

Jeweldean smiled. "It's fine. Y'all just eat your stew, so that y'all can get back to work."

"Yes ma'am." Austin and Cooper said in unison. They didn't say another word until they finished their stew and coffee. Once their dishes were in the sink, Austin and Cooper put their hats, coats, and gloves back on.

Austin turned to Jeweldean, "Thank you for the stew and coffee. It was real good."

"Yes, thank you ma'am. And, sorry again." Cooper said.

"It's not a problem. Y'all be careful out there." Jeweldean replied.

Austin and Cooper tipped their hats, then walked outside.

Jeweldean stood up to place her dishes in the sink, and to wash the dirty ones. A few minutes later, Porter came inside. Jeweldean looked over her shoulder at Porter. Behind him, she could see that it had started snowing, again, making the bitter cold even more brutal. Seeing the white snowflakes on Porter's coat and hat confirmed that it was, in fact, snowing out.

But just to make sure Jeweldean knew, Porter said, "It's snowing something fierce out there."

"I saw. How long has it been snowing?" Jeweldean asked. She motioned for Porter to sit as she handed him a bowl of stew and a mug of coffee.

"Thank you." Porter said when Jeweldean placed his stew and coffee in front of him. "Uh, I'd say about, ten minutes or so. There is already about half an inch more on the ground." Porter bowed his head in prayer. Once Porter was finished with his prayer he unfolded his napkin, laying it on his lap, then said to Jeweldean, "If it keeps snowing like this, we might be snowed in by this time tomorrow."

Jeweldean poured herself another cup of coffee and asked, "How much more work do y'all have to do in preparation?"

Porter answered, "Well, Sonny was smart in movin' the cattle up to the front pastures when we did four months ago. All us hands thought that it was a little to early to be movin' them up here, but now we understand why, and we are glad that we moved them when we did. That bein' said, that saved us a bunch of time, so we don't have quite as much work to do. He also talked about us getting an early start in the morning so that we can have even more time to prepare for winter."

Jeweldean nodded. "That's good."

Porter nodded. When he finished his stew and coffee, he said, "Well, I best be headin' back out there. Thanks again, ma'am."

"No problem." Jeweldean replied.

"I'll be sendin' Carver and Tucker in."

"Thank you Porter."

Porter nodded and headed out the door.

By the time Carver and Tucker came inside, Jeweldean had a bowl of stew and a mug of coffee waiting for them on the table.

"Howdy, Jeweldean." Carver said once the two men came inside.

"Howdy, Carver."

"I assume that Sonny already introduced you to Tucker?" Carver asked, walking over to the table.

"Yes, he did. Thank you, Carver." Jeweldean replied, then said to Tucker who was still standing in the doorway, "You can come on in and have yourself a bowl of stew and some coffee."

Tucker looked around the house in astonishment. Jeweldean realized that this was his first time inside the house. He had insisted on eating by himself out in the barn because he "didn't want to be a nuisance" even though Sonny and Jeweldean assured him that he wouldn't and he was welcome to eat with them and the ranch hands in the house at any time.

Tucker nodded and took off his hat, coat, and gloves, and keeping them in his hand, he slowly made his way to the table. He was still looking around at the house.

Once Tucker was seated, he looked at his bowl of stew and coffee, then looked to Carver. When he saw that Carver had taken a bite of his stew, Tucker reckoned that it was okay for him to eat, too. He spooned up some stew and ate it. Then, looking to Jeweldean, he said, "This is really good. Did you make this?"

"Yes. I'm glad you enjoy it." Jeweldean replied.

Carver added, "Everything that Jeweldean makes is good. You will never eat a bad meal in this house."

"That's mighty nice of you to say, Carver." Jeweldean said.

Tucker nodded, keeping his head down as he ate his stew and drank his coffee. Jeweldean looked at Tucker, and judging by how fast he ate his stew and drank his coffee, Jeweldean reckoned he hadn't had a real meal in a long time. Jeweldean stood to refill Tucker's bowl and coffee. Carver was still working on his.

"Are you from around here, Tucker?" Jeweldean asked, trying to make conversation with Tucker. She had only heard Tucker talk once or twice, and therefore, hadn't truly realized his thick drawl. Pretty much everyone in Texas had a drawl, but Tucker's was different.

Tucker looked up and replied, "I've lived...around here for about two years. Before that, I lived with my pa."

"Do you still live with your pa?" Jeweldean asked.

Tucker set his spoon down. Jeweldean watched as his jaw clenched. "My pa died a couple years back." Tucker picked his spoon back up and began eating his stew again.

"I noticed your accent isn't like most Texans. Where did you live before you found Sonny?"

"I wasn't born in Texas, ma'am." Tucker said, not fully answering Jeweldean's question. He dropped his head and took a big spoonful of his stew. Jeweldean sensed that Tucker didn't like talking about his past, so Jeweldean dropped it, and turned to Carver and asked,

"How is everything coming along?"

"Good, for the most part, I reckon. None of us was expectin' it to snow today, so that and the cold set us back some. We are all hoping to get an early start tomorrow, though."

"That's what Porter said. I'm glad to hear that everything is goin' well. Is Sonny doing okay?"

Carver nodded. "He's doin' okay. He seemed really tired today. To be honest, ever since he got back home here, he hasn't been actin' like himself."

Jeweldean nodded. "I've noticed some changes too. What have you noticed?" Jeweldean replied. Truth is, Sonny seemed happy to be home, but he also seemed distant, too. She knew that whatever happened when he was kidnapped changed him dramatically. Jeweldean knew her husband, and she knew that there were things that he was not telling her. Something had changed in Sonny.

"Well, today I noticed this more than yesterday, but Sonny kept lookin' over into the trees in the North. He seemed antsy as if somebody would come riding out of the trees pointing a rifle at him. He has also seemed...distant, if you know what I mean. He hasn't been actin' like himself."

"I agree." Jeweldean said. She took another sip of her coffee.

Carver added, "He asked where Clint was, too."

Jeweldean jerked her head up. "What did you tell him?" Jeweldean asked a little to harshly.

"I told him that Clint was in town." Carver took another swig of his coffee.

"What did he say?" Jeweldean almost dropped her coffee mug.

"He didn't." Carver leaned closer to Jeweldean. "I was surprised that you hadn't told him about what happened yet." Carver stated.

Jeweldean stood up and stirred the pot of stew, that was still boiling over the fire. Then taking Carver and Tucker's empty bowls and coffee mugs, she said to Carver, "I haven't had time yet, but I am fixin' to tell him soon."

"He deserves to know the truth, Jeweldean. Clint was like a brother to Sonny." Carver said, leaning back in his chair.

"I know, but what Clint did was not okay." Jeweldean said. 

"I know." Carver stood up and motioned for Tucker to follow him. Before Tucker and Carver walked back outside, Carver said, "I'll be prayin' for y'all, Jeweldean."

Jeweldean nodded. When Carver and Tucker walked outside, Sonny walked inside the house. Closing the door behind him, Sonny looked to Jeweldean and said, "Are you warm now?"

"Yes." Jeweldean said. Sonny must have noticed that Jeweldean had put the blanket back in the living room. "Tell him." A voice told Jeweldean. Was that voice God, again? Jeweldean pushed the thought out of her head when Sonny talked.

"Does that mean that I can't hug you now?" Sonny smiled, walking over to Jeweldean.

"You can still hug me," Jeweldean stood up and walked closer to Sonny. Movement behind Sonny made Jeweldean look past him. "But, I think that somebody else wants you to hug them."

Sonny followed Jeweldean's gaze and turned around. He saw Cody and Suzanne standing in the doorway between Cody's room and the kitchen. Suzanne was sucking her thumb with one hand and holding Cody's hand with another. Sonny bent down and said to Suzanne, "Come here, Suzanne. Come on over to your pa."

Suzanne took the thumb that she was sucking out of her mouth, smiled and said, "Dada."

Sonny looked behind him at Jeweldean, and smiled, then turned back to Suzanne and said, "Are you goin' to walk over here to your dada?"

Suzanne let go of Cody's hand, and teetered over to Sonny. Once Suzanne was in Sonny's arms, he lifted her up and spun her around the room, lifting her high over his head. Then, placing a laughing Suzanne on his hip, Sonny looked to Cody.

"Hey, little man. How are you doin'?"

"It was cold in my room." Cody said and walked into the kitchen. He looked out the window and his face lit up. "It's snowing? Ma, Pa, can I go play in the snow?"

Sonny said, "Come eat some stew first, then we can go outside and play in the snow, okay?"

Cody ran to the table and sat down. Jeweldean brought him over a bowl of stew and a glass of water.

"You want to play in the snow? I thought that you were cold in your room. It's even colder outside." Jeweldean said.

"Pa," Cody looked up to Sonny, "Are you cold?"

Sonny furrowed his brow. He looked at Jeweldean, then back to Cody. "No, I'm not cold."

Cody looked back to Jeweldean. "Then I'm not cold, either." Cody took another bite of his soup and drank all his water in one gulp, then stood up from the table and ran to the door to put on his coat.

"Cody, come back to the table and finish your stew." Jeweldean said.

"But, ma, I want to play in the snow." Cody pleaded.

"Listen to your ma, Cody. You're not goin' anywhere until you finish your food that your ma worked hard to make for us. Now, sit and finish eating it." Sonny said. Jeweldean tried to hide a smile as Cody stomped over to the table and ate his stew. She was also smiling because she hadn't heard Sonny's 'authoritative, pa' voice in a while. She dared to cast a quick glance towards Sonny. He was watching Cody to make sure that he did finish eating his stew. Jeweldean thought that Sonny looked really cute because he was holding Suzanne on his hip while being authoritative to Cody.

Cody finished all of his stew and looked up at Sonny. "May I please be excused to go play in the snow? I ate all of my stew."

"Take your dishes to the sink first, then you can go play." Sonny replied.

"Thank you, pa." Cody obliged, ran over and hugged Sonny, then ran back over to the coat rack to put on his coat and such.

"Make sure you bundle up well, Cody. It's cold out there." Jeweldean said, walking over to Cody. Once he was all bundled up Jeweldean sent him outside. "Make sure to stay where we can see you, please." Jeweldean said to Cody.

"Okay, ma. Pa, are you going to come play with me?" Cody asked.

"I'll be out in a bit." Sonny replied.

"Are you goin' to come outside?" Sonny asked Jeweldean. He was still holding Suzanne, but set her down when she began to get fussy.

"I could. But, I might get cold again." Jeweldean said. She sidled up to Sonny and smiled.

"I'll make sure you stay warm." Sonny replied, smiling. He wrapped his arms around Jeweldean in a hug.

"Yes, I reckon I will come outside with y'all, then, but not for long because I don't feel comfortable with Sadie staying in here by herself for very long." Jeweldean said, pulling away from Sonny.

"I can move her crib down here so she could be closer to the fireplace." Sonny said.

"I reckon that would be okay. I still can't stay out to long, though."

"Okay. That's fine. I will go grab Sadie's crib for you."

"I'll follow you upstairs." Jeweldean replied and walked behind Sonny as he went up the stairs. Jeweldean was surprised to see that Sadie was still sleeping when she picked her up out of her crib and carried her downstairs. Sonny set the crib close enough to the fire that Sadie wouldn't get cold, but far enough away that she wouldn't get too warm.

Jeweldean set Sadie back down in the crib and then walked over to the hook by the front door where she kept her coat. She put on her coat, hat, and gloves, then turned to Suzanne and bundled her up like a marshmallow. Sonny bundled up too, then they made their way outside.
"Can we build a snowman?" Cody's voice greeted Sonny and Jeweldean the second that they walked outside.

Jeweldean smiled when she saw that Cody had already started to build a snowman.

"Sure." Sonny said. He walked over to the small ball of hard packed snow that Cody had started to roll, and Sonny rolled it, adding more and more snow to it. After a few minutes, the bottom of the snowman was completed, so Sonny and Cody started on the middle. Jeweldean sat down on the porch swing and watched her two boys playing together in the snow. Sonny lifted the middle section of the snowman onto the bottom once it was completed. Cody had already rolled and packed the head, so Sonny carefully placed it on top of the middle section.

Cody and Sonny stood back to admire their masterpiece. Sonny said, "It needs a nose, eyes, and a scarf, don't you think?"

Cody nodded. "It needs arms, too."

"I will go inside and find an old scarf and a nose, and you find some sticks for the arms, okay?"

"Okay, pa." Cody turned and began looking hard for two sticks to turn into arms for the snowman. Sonny walked inside and came back outside a few moments later with an old scarf and a potato to use as the nose.

Once Sonny stepped onto the porch, a cold, large snowball hit him square on the chest. He looked down the steps to see a guilty Cody.

"Oh, it's on now, little man." Sonny said. He dropped the scarf and potato onto the porch floor and ran down the steps. On his way down, he grabbed snow and prepared a snowball to throw at Cody.

A few seconds later, Sonny and Cody were in an all out snowball fight. Jeweldean smiled as she watched them laughing and throwing snowballs at each other. Cody would try to run and hide from Sonny, but Sonny was always too quick for Cody, plastering Cody with cold wet snow. Cody would then take revenge while Sonny was preparing his next snowball, this time, Sonny being hit by cold, packed snow.

Jeweldean looked down at Suzanne in her arms. "What are those silly boys doin' down there, huh?"

Suzanne pointed and said, "Dada." 

Jeweldean smiled at the little toddler. Suddenly, she was plastered by a cold, wet ball of snow that hit her on her shoulder. Thankfully, it missed Suzanne.

Jeweldean looked down into the yard to see a very guilty looking Sonny smiling back at her. She shouted down to him, "You're lucky it didn't hit Suzanne, mister."

Sonny shrugged and said, "I've got good aim."

Jeweldean stood up, with Suzanne still on her hip, grabbed snow from the railing on the porch, formed it into a ball, then threw it down at Sonny. It hit him square in the face.

"Looks like I got good aim too." Jeweldean teasingly sneered at Sonny.

"Oh, it's on now, Mrs. MacArthur." Sonny said, throwing another snowball her way. Jeweldean ducked, and the snowball hit the wall of the house behind her.

Jeweldean walked down the steps of the porch to set Suzanne on the ground. She then grabbed Suzanne's hand to make sure that she didn't fall. Reaching down into the snow, Jeweldean prepared another snowball and threw it softly at Cody, then she threw one at Sonny, harder.

Several minutes later, after being cold to the bone, Jeweldean, Sonny, Cody, and Suzanne all made their way back inside to sit next to the fire. As always, Sonny was not cold, but Jeweldean was, so she snuggled up next to Sonny on the couch as Cody played peek-a-boo with Suzanne. Sadie slept soundly in the crib next to the couch.

Jeweldean turned and smiled at Sonny. "I think that the kids will sleep well tonight."

Sonny smiled back. "I agree. We sure wore them out." Sonny yawned. "I reckon playin' outside wore me out too."

Jeweldean then realized just how tired she was too. "Same here."

An hour later all three of Jeweldean's children were sleeping soundly. She smiled when she made her way upstairs and saw Sonny already sleeping, too.

After she slipped into her nightgown, Jeweldean crawled into bed. She placed a kiss on Sonny's forehead, and once her head hit the pillow, she was out like a candle.

Sonny tossed and turned, moaning and groaning in his sleep. Occasionally, he would say something, but Jeweldean could never quite make out what he was saying. She knew that he was having another nightmare. Sighing, she rolled over and tried to fall back asleep after trying with no success to calm Sonny down.

The morning sun shone brightly through the bedroom window. A hungry, crying Sadie woke up Jeweldean. Groggily, Jeweldean rolled over and picked up Sadie to feed her. Then she held Sadie against her shoulder to burp her. Sadie then decided to spit up on Jeweldean's bare shoulder. Jeweldean stood up out of bed, while still burping Sadie, and walked to her dresser to get a rag to wipe the spit up off of her shoulder. It was when Jeweldean turned around to place Sadie back in her crib, that she noticed Sonny was not in bed.

After carefully placing Sadie back in her crib, Jeweldean walked to the window and looked out to see the ranch hands hard at work in the snow. Jeweldean saw the snowman that Cody and Sonny had built. It had snowed so much more last night that half of the bottom part of the snowman was covered with fresh, white snow.

Jeweldean saw several ranch hands working hard shoveling paths to the barn, house, and pasture gates. Snow continued to fall from the sky. Looking up, Jeweldean saw that the gray sky held promise of even more snow, but in one spot the bright sun shone through, only to be covered by snow clouds just a minute later.

Amidst all of the ranch hands, Jeweldean still hadn't spotted Sonny. Worry rang through her as she remembered the last time Sonny was no where to be seen. Despite her body calling her back to bed, Jeweldean changed into her flannel dress, gave Sadie another blanket, then made her way downstairs. The kitchen was empty, but the fire still burned strong in the fireplace. Jeweldean walked down the hall to Cody and Suzanne's room, to find that room empty as well.

Walking back into the kitchen, Jeweldean threw on her hat, coat, and gloves, then opened up the door and walked outside. Bitting cold wind and snow greeted Jeweldean. She shivered and pulled her scarf up over her nose, leaving only her eyes to the cold and snow.

Walking on the newly shoveled path, Jeweldean made her way to the barn. Thankfully, the sturdy, well kept barn was warmer than it was outside. Inside, she found Austin feeding the animals. Pulling her scarf off of her mouth, Jeweldean asked Austin, "Have you seen Sonny this morning?"

Austin looked up from the grain bucket he was using to feed the horses and said to Jeweldean, "Carver said he saw Sonny ride off early this morn'. He rode towards that grove of trees yonder." Austin nodded to his right, Jeweldean's left.

Jeweldean had a hankering she knew where Sonny had rode off to. Walking to Ginger's stall, Jeweldean thanked Austin. She grabbed Ginger's tack and an extra saddle blanket. Acorn whinnied her protest in the next stall over. Jeweldean walked over to Acorn's stall and smiled at her jealous mare.

"I rode you just the other day. You and I both know that Ginger is younger and can handle this cold and snow better than you can." Jeweldean said and stroked Acorn's nose. Acorn nickered and backed away from Jeweldean. "Oh, come on, you silly girl. I haven't ridden Ginger in a while. I ride you all the time. Don't be jealous, Acorn." Acorn threw her head up and down. "Okay, how about tomorrow, if it stops snowing, you and I will go galloping through the pasture?" Acorn lowered her head to munch on her hay. "And, if you're a good girl, I might give you a treat. Say, a carrot, perhaps? Or extra grain?" Acorn curled her lips up and threw her head up and down. Jeweldean smiled. "You be good. I'll be back later, okay?" Acorn, seeming content with Jeweldean's promise to ride tomorrow, happily munched on her hay in the stall.

Jeweldean grabbed Ginger's reins and led her outside. Once Jeweldean slipped her foot into the stirrup and swung up, she thought about her two horses: Ginger and Acorn. One of Jeweldean's first horses as a kid was Acorn. Acorn's mom was a gray horse named Buttercup. Buttercup died shortly after Acorn was born. Buttercup was Jeweldean's dad's horse. When Buttercup had Acorn, she was a very old mare, and it didn't help that Acorn was born on the coldest day of the winter. After Buttercup passed, Jeweldean's parents told her that without her mom and her mom's milk, Acorn would probably pass too. Miraculously, Jeweldean's mom's horse acted as a mother to Acorn, treating Acorn like her own filly. Acorn survived the cold, brutal winter, and Jeweldean has had her ever since.

Once Sonny and Jeweldean got married, Jeweldean's parents gave Ginger to Jeweldean and Sonny as a wedding gift. Sonny already had two horses by that time, so he let Jeweldean have Ginger. Ginger is much younger than Acorn, and can withstand the cold winter days much better than Acorn ever could.

Jeweldean squeezed her legs against Ginger's side and clucked to her. Ginger began walking in the direction Jeweldean lead her. She headed to her and Sonny's spot- the overlook.

Several minutes later, Ginger and Jeweldean arrived at the lookout and, sure enough, Sonny was sitting on the bench.

Sonny had a Bible in his hands and his hands were folded over the Bible. His head was placed on his folded hands. When he heard Jeweldean walk up, Sonny dropped his hands and looked at her.

Jeweldean slowly walked up beside Sonny, placing one hand on his shoulder. "Is it okay that I'm here?" Jeweldean asked. When Sonny nodded his head, Jeweldean sat down next to him on the bench. She dropped her hand from his shoulder and slipped it under his arm, then leaned her head against his shoulder.

After a few minutes of silence, Jeweldean grabbed Sonny's hand and rubbed her gloved finger over his gloved hand. "Is there anything you want to talk about?" Jeweldean asked Sonny, who was staring straight forward.

Sonny sighed, and still looking straight ahead said, "I have been thinking long and hard about this and I have been praying too. And, Jeweldean, you didn't sign up for this when you married me. The kids need a father who can be with them, and I don't mean only physically, but mentally too, and Jeweldean, you need a husband who won't keep you awake all night, every night. You need a husband who can love you fully and one who isn't so concerned about his life and his future." Sonny paused.

Jeweldean raised her head to look at Sonny. Still holding his hand, Jeweldean asked, "What are you sayin' Sonny?"

Sonny looked at their interlaced fingers and said, "I'm letting you go, Jeweldean. You need to find a husband who is good for you and who can love you and who isn't so depressed and concerned about his and his family's future all the time. If you and the kids leave me, I understand." Sonny looked back out straight off of the overlook. "I will always love you Jeweldean, but I want what is best for you and if that includes you not being married to me and divorcing me, then so be it. I can't let you carry on like this. I can't carry on like this. I love you too much to see you get hurt." Sonny spared a glance at Jeweldean just in time to see a tear run down her cheek. She reached up, trying to wipe it away so Sonny wouldn't see it, but Sonny reached his hand up before she could and, with his thumb, brushed away the tear. He placed his hand behind her neck and pulled her head close to kiss her forehead.

Sonny whispered into Jeweldean's hair, "I'm so sorry, darlin'."

Jeweldean wiped another tear off her cheek, then looked up at Sonny. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Jeweldean said, "We are going to make this work, Sonny. You are a great father to our young'uns, and you are the perfect husband for me." Sonny pulled his hand free from Jeweldean's and shook his head. "Yes you are, Sonny."

"No I'm not, Jeweldean!" Sonny shouted. Jeweldean jumped slightly at his unexpected shout. Then, as if realizing how loud he unintentionally made that sound, Sonny lowered his voice to just above a whisper. "No I'm not, Jeweldean." Sonny hung his head.

Jeweldean knew that Sonny was fighting a battle inside himself that she could not help him with. She repeated what she said earlier. "We are going to make this work, Sonny. I want to help you, I do, and I love you. I know you don't believe me right now, but, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You are the perfect father for Cody, and Suzanne, and Sadie and you love them unconditionally. There is no other man on this planet who would do a better job of that. There is no other man that I would ever- ever want to father our children. You are the only one. Sonny, I need you to know that I am willing to do whatever it takes to help you over come this."

Sonny looked back at Jeweldean. "I woke you up again last night. I know I did, so don't deny it. You are tired; I can see it in your eyes. You haven't been able to sleep since I have been home." Sonny's hand went to Jeweldean's cheek, where another tear ran down.

Jeweldean placed her hand over Sonny's and said, "I'm fine, Sonny. Don't you worry about me." Jeweldean scooted a little closer to Sonny. "I'm worried about you."

Sonny dropped his hand from Jeweldean's cheek and Jeweldean did the same. Sonny then grabbed Jeweldean's hand with both of his. Looking back up at Jeweldean, Sonny sighed and said, "Like you said, we'll work it out."

Jeweldean forced a smile through her tears and hugged Sonny. Sonny pulled her back to lift her chin and give her a kiss. "Thank you, Jewel. I'm sorry for putting you through this."

Jeweldean kissed Sonny and said, "It's fine, Sonny. I just need you to feel better."

Sonny nodded, pulling Jeweldean close into a hug again. Jeweldean rested her head on Sonny's strong, warm chest. Cold snow drifted around them and even with Sonny's warm, strong arms around her, Jeweldean felt cold, but her coldness wasn't from the snow. No, this coldness came deep inside of her as she mourned for Sonny.