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The ht When the shortest period of daylight becaest period of darkness

The winter solstice

“The winter solstice,” Jesse said, and leaped to his feet

Today was Deceht Who knehat you called that precise instant that ht hours and the longest time of darkness? All that , and yes, all this old stuff was rubbish…

Except, maybe it wasn’t

Maybe it was real Hell, of course it was real How else could Sienna have coh tiive a damn why…

He only knew that it had happened

Could that honor someho fall to him?

What could he lose by trying?

“Nothing,” he said into the silence of the roo, when he had already lost the only woman he would ever love

He looked at his watch It was already going on eleven It sounded like a bad joke, but he was running out of time

What did a rabbed his wallet, ran for the door, stopped, went back and scooped up the envelope confir his ownership of Microsoft stock that had co into the pocket of the denirabbed from a hook in the mudroom He headed for the barn The Silverado would be faster but instinct told hiht choice for ould surely be the most important ride of his life

He didn’t bother saddling Cloud, simply slipped on the stallion’s bridle, then jumped on his back and leaned over the proud, arched neck

“Go, boy,” he whispered The horse seeency Cloud tore over the land, across a thin layer of icy snow, the frigid wind blowing in Jesse’s face

But he’d ht, but even Cloud’s great speed had not been enough By the time they reached the canyon, the demarcation between autumn and winter was less than two minutes away

Jesse slid fro high above him He looked up at it; the darkness was so deep he couldn’t see the ledge He couldn’t see anything, not the stones, not the handholds he’d need

“Sienna,” he said, his voice rising into the silence of the night like a prayer “Sienna, I love you, sweetheart! Sienna!”

All at once, thunder roared eerily overhead Echoed over the reen as an eh the black winter sky

Jesse flung back his head, threw up his arms