At the whisper of warm breath on her cheek, Cheryl opened her eyes. A tired, kind face hovered above hers. “You can have that bath you wanted after all. There’s still a tank of warm water left. It’s not hot, but some of those scrapes of yours could use a good soak.” “Scrapes?” “Believe me, you’re covered.” “How long have I been asleep?” “Only half an hour. I should have let you rest, but I was doing a few dishes and found that the water’s still warm, so I’m running a bath for you. It might be your last chance for a while. Once you’re cleaned up, you can rest while I go and see to the animals. The weather’s really getting worse now.” He wasn’t kidding. Despite the tape Noah had applied to the windows to prevent them from breaking, they were rattling like the windows of an old school bus bumping along a dirt road. The wind screamed relentlessly as it circled the house and skimmed over the roof, and Cheryl felt a knot of fear in her stomach. The panic she had felt on awakening after the accident started to rev even higher now.
