Derrick took up his vigil.
* * * *
The sun was shining on the snow. In the crisp, cold air it sparkled like a million tiny diamonds. Lexie bounded in and out of the woods as Cooper walked along the long winding two track to the main road and his mailbox. Derrick followed behind him.
How many times had the men walked this very path hand in hand? In every season: spring when the new buds were on the trees and the trillium bloomed between the heavy trunks; summer when the sun, high in the northern sky, was filtered through the dark green canopy of leaves; fall when those same leaves were ablaze with color and the nip was in the air; and winter days, just like this one, when the air was cold enough that moisture in it condensed, froze and sparkled in the sunshine. How quickly the time had gone. Had he known what lay ahead he’d have cherished every moment, taken time to experience each day to the fullest. He sighed.