Chapter 4 - The Storm Approaches
Nature seemed to reflect the turmoil within the Boon household. A massive thunderstorm began to brew over the mountains, the sky turning a bruised purple. The cattle were restless, lowing in the barn, and the air grew heavy with ozone.
"We need to secure the west fence," Caleb said, grabbing his coat. "It’s going to be a bad one."
"I’ll help," Eliza said, grabbing her lantern.
They worked for hours in the driving rain, mud caking their boots and wind threatening to tear the tools from their hands. Toby, seeing his father struggling with a fallen post, begrudgingly joined in. For a few minutes, they were a unit again, driven by the urgency of survival.
But the storm was unforgiving. A bolt of lightning struck a nearby pine, the sound cracking like a cannon. A startled horse bolted, knocking Toby toward a ravine.
"Toby!" Caleb screamed.
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Without thinking, Eliza threw herself forward, grabbing the back of the boy’s jacket just as he lost his footing. She dug her heels into the slick mud, her shoulder burning with the strain, as Caleb scrambled to pull them both to safety.
They huddled on the wet grass, breathing hard, the boy shaking against his father’s chest. For the first time, Toby looked at Eliza—not with anger, but with a shock that mirrored her own.
