“I’ll climb down and lead them. That should help.” Robert slid to the ground, keeping a tight hold on his reins as he grabbed for Helen’s reins, too. He fell into the snow up to his knees. The road to Mr. Blaylock’s ranch was taking them straight into the wind, and their two horses were rebelling. No matter how vehemently Robert coaxed, they refused to go forward, and he couldn’t blame them. He had now spent several grueling winters in the Dakotas, and while he’d experienced plenty of bad weather, he couldn’t remember any other blizzard that was quite so fierce. The loose snow pelted them like hailstones, like bullets from a gun, which was why the horses were balking. They didn’t like the sensation anymore than their human riders. The two animals were plow horses, the biggest and brawniest in Albert’s small herd, so they had the strength and stamina to wade through the drifts. Helen and the twins were mounted on one, Robert and Carl on the other. With Robert having climbed down, Carl was alone.
