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Overview
Sarah Lynn has become an accomplished pilot and flies her dad's twin engine Cessna all over whenever she can. She's almost finished with her pre-med schooling at Washington State University.
Zack and Sarah's ranch is booming. They have the reputation of having the best beef in the Northwest. Zack flies all over the country promoting his beef. His business is expanding and he has to start traveling farther and farther. With the realization that he needs a plane with greater range, he decides to buy a jet, which will give him the capability to travel even to Hawaii.
When Sarah Lynn graduates from WSU, Zack and Sarah give her the twin engine Cessna as a graduation present. After Sarah Lynn's graduation, Kelly, Sarah Lynn's roommate from college who still has one year to go, comes home with Sarah Lynn and spends a few weeks with her and her family. Sarah Lynn takes Kelly for a plane ride over the ranch and they have a harrowing experience.
"Sarah Lynn, did you know your right motor is smoking?” Kelly asked somewhat anxious.
Sarah Lynn looked out the window and saw the black smoke pouring out of the starboard engine. “We'd better head back and I'm going to have to feather that engine.”
Suddenly the starboard engine burst into flames. “Sarah Lynn, we're on fire!” Kelly screamed in shear horror. “We're going to crash!” and Kelly started to cry.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781452069494 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 09/30/2010 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 344 KB |
Read an Excerpt
The Grace of God
THE BIG SKY SERIES BOOK THREEBy Bob Morrow
AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2010 Bob MorrowAll right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4520-6948-7
Chapter One
"Dr. Collins. Dr. Sarah Collins. Please call 1-1-6-7."Sarah was just coming out of a patient's room when she heard her page. She walked across the hall to the nurse's station on two west, picked up the phone, dialed 1-1-6-7 and found out she was needed in ER stat. When she got there she found a very worried mom holding a little boy with a tourniquet on his right leg.
"What do we have here?" Sarah asked.
"A snake bite," the mother replied shakily, her eyes flooding with tears.
Sarah looked at the boy's leg and noticed the four fang bites. "Looks like a pit viper. Do you know what kind of snake it was?"
"It was a rattlesnake but I don't know what kind," the mother answered. "I killed the snake and it's in the car."
Sarah walked to the door of the room and called for a male attendant that was standing at the nurse's station. "Jake, Would you come here for a moment?"
"What do you need, Dr. Collins?" Jake asked.
"This little boy has been bitten by a rattlesnake and it's in their car at the ER entrance. I need you to go out and see what kind it is," and she had to chuckle at the terrified expression on Jake's face. His eyes got as big as saucers. "It's OK, Jake" she smiled. "It's dead. I want to know what kind it is and if you can't tell, bring it in and call the DNR for assistance."
"Yes ma'am," Jake said with great relief showing on his face. Then Sarah turned to the little boy and Asked, "What's your name, honey?"
"Jimmy," he answered trying hard not to cry.
"Well, Jimmy, you sure are a brave little boy. I know you're in a lot of pain," she said as she released the tourniquet. Turning to his mother she asked, "how long ago did this happen, Mrs. ...?"
"It's Joanna Parker, doctor and it happened just about twenty minutes ago. We were going for a walk in the mountains following the trail we always follow. Jimmy stepped on the snake and it bit him without warning. It was only the one snake so why are there four fang marks?"
"Pit vipers can have anywhere from one to four fangs," Sarah said. "He's been bleeding quite a bit and there is some swelling. How old is Jimmy, Mrs. Parker?"
He's almost seven."
"Jimmy, do you feel any numbness or tingling anywhere in your body?" Sarah asked as she checked his vitals.
Jimmy shook his head no.
"His vitals are normal right know so I know it's been less then thirty minutes since he was bitten."
"Oh doctor, is ... is .. he going to be alright?" his mother asked as the tears begin to over flow.
Just then Jake came back in. "It's a western diamondback, doctor."
"Are you sure, Jake?"
"Positive, doctor."
"OK, that's good. We have that anti-venom. Mrs. Parker, is Jimmy allergic to penicillin or any of its derivatives?"
"Not that I know of, doctor."
"I'm going to give him an injection of dicloxacillin to fight infection and I will also give him an injection of the anti-venom."
When this was done Sarah cleansed the wound and put a bandage on it.
"I'm going to keep Jimmy overnight as a precaution. You'll be able to stay with him if you want, but I would feel more comfortable having him here in case of complications. If he's fine tomorrow I will release him," Sarah said.
"I'd better go call my husband and let him know what's going on," Joanna said. And Jimmy was taken up to pediatrics.
By the time Sarah got back to the clinic, there were seven patients waiting. A sore throat, a bee sting, a black eye from a fall, three babies for their regular check ups and a twelve year old boy with poison ivy. By the time she was finished it was almost six o'clock. Carrie had already left. Tasha, their receptionist was still there as was Lyndsie Adams, Sarah's nurse practitioner, who was just getting ready to leave.
"Thanks for sticking around so long, girls. I really appreciate it," Sarah said.
"I couldn't leave you with all those patients, Doctor," Lyndsie answered.
"It's been a long day," Sarah offered. "I was really tied up at the hospital all day. You and Tasha can go and I'll see you tomorrow."
Both of them said their goodbyes and left. Sarah locked up, got in her Hummer and headed home.
Zack and Sarah Lynn had taken a commercial flight to Florida to pick up his Citation and fly it back to the Circle C. They were rapidly approaching Montana.
"This is an awesome plane, dad," Sarah Lynn said excitedly. "I would sure love to fly it."
"Well, honey, as soon as I get the hang of it we'll go up and I'll let you take the controls for a while. This is listed as a two pilot plane so when you're home and with me you can be my co-pilot."
"Oh thank you, dad. I can hardly wait! And we didn't even have to refuel all the way from Miami."
This plane has a range of over 2800 miles. We can fly all the way to Honolulu from San Francisco."
"When are you going to go to Hawaii?"
"I'm not sure honey, but it won't be for a while."
"How does this plane compare with an F-18?"
"No comparison, Sarah Lynn. An F-18 is much faster and much more maneuverable. It's going to take me a while to get the hang of this one. It will be much easier for you because you haven't flown a fighter jet."
"I sure wish I could. Could you take me up on you're next duty weekend?"
"That won't be until September and you'll be back in school."
"Darn!"
"I may be able to get you in on the flight simulator some time."
"That would be fantastic, dad," Sarah Lynn said.
They were already over the Circle C. Zack circled the ranch and brought her in for a smooth landing. "We'll set her down here for now but later I will have to take her in to the airport in Great Falls until we get the facilities here finished."
The runway was finished but the hanger hadn't been started and the new fuel tanks for the jet fuel hadn't arrived yet. Zack taxied up to the smaller hanger that housed the Golden Eagle, turned the plane around to head out again and shut the engines down.
As the whine of the jet engines died, Sarah came running out to greet her husband and daughter.
She threw her arms around Zack's neck and kissed him soundly. "I'm so glad your home, darling," and she released him long enough to embrace Sarah Lynn. "I'm so glad you're home, too, sweetheart."
"Hi mom. What an awesome airplane this is. I can hardly wait to fl y it," Sarah Lynn answered.
"How was your day, hon," Zack asked his beautiful wife.
"Busy. Very busy," she said as they started back toward the house. Zack and Sarah were holding hands and Sarah Lynn had her arm through her mother's arm. "I was at the hospital much longer then I had planned on due to an emergency. A little boy was brought in with a snake bite; a Western Diamondback. Then when I got back to the office I had seven patients waiting for me. I didn't get out of there until six o'clock. But Tasha and Lyndsie stayed with me, which was a great help. So, now that you have your jet, what are you going to do with the Golden Eagle?" Sarah asked looking up at Zack with a twinkle in her eye knowing exactly what he was going to do with it.
"I'll keep it around for a while for short runs, I guess and Sarah Lynn can fl y it." He wanted to give her a wink but Sarah Lynn was looking up at him with the same question on her mind.
Just then, Alex and Jenna came tearing out of the house to greet their daddy and big sister. After all the hugs and kisses were done they all went inside where Viola had dinner ready for them. Sarah and the kids had already eaten.
On the seventeenth of August, the twins celebrated their second birthday. Cody and Courtney were running all over the place now but they made the usual two-year old birthday cake mess. Both their faces were covered with chocolate frosting.
Shortly after the birthday party, Sarah Lynn went back to college to start her senior year. She had already been accepted at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine for the next year.
Alex started first grade in September and Sarah was in tears. Her first baby was growing up. Jenna started preschool also and that was a double whammy for Sarah.
Zack had to hire ten more ranch hands due to the increasing herd. The fall roundup brought more then 5,000 head down from the mountains. The herd was increasing at a rate of about 25% a year and they were shipping a thousand head every three months. The Circle C beef had a wide market including Alaska and Canada. Now Zack was planning a flight into Hawaii. He was glad he now had the jet. He could fly all the way to Hawaii after refueling in San Francisco.
The morning of October 25 was cloudy and dreary. The day started with a drizzling rain and continued for most of the day. Along about four in the afternoon, a cold front moved in bringing with it a powerful wind and the temperature plummeted. Suddenly the rain turned to snow. As Zack stood by the huge picture window in the front of the ranch house sipping a cup of hot coffee, he began to realize the urgency of the weather. This was going to be the first blizzard of the year and already the drifts were beginning to form around the out buildings. The ranch hands were hurrying toward the corrals, bent forward into the north wind and holding their hats on their heads. They had to get the horses into the barn. Zack hoped the storm would be short-lived. It took the ranch hands an hour to get all the horses in the barns other then their own mounts. By then it would soon be dark and they would not be able to see to gather up the cattle. Zack could barely see through the swirling snow especially with the waning light. Just then he saw the headlights of the Hummer coming toward the four-stall garage and through the roar of the howling wind, he heard the garage door opening. Sarah was home and he let out a sigh of relief. He went to the door to greet her.
"Hi sweetheart," He greeted. "I'm so glad you're home. How are the roads?" he asked as he folded her in his arms.
Sarah melted in his strong arms and tingled at his musky order. "Hi, darling. I'm glad I'm home too," and she kissed him long and hard. "The roads are pretty scary. They're starting to close down out here in the country. I don't know whether I'll be able to make it in to the clinic in the morning or not. I had it in four-wheel drive all the way home."
Just then all four kids came running in to greet their mother.
"Mommy, mommy, you're home," and they rushed into her arms. Sarah just sat down on the floor and gathered her precious children in her arms. This was her second favorite time of the day. Her very favorite time of the day was being in her husband's loving arms. Zack sat down on the floor with her and Alex and Jenna flew into his arms. The wrestling match began. The children were squealing with delight as their daddy played with them. Sarah just held the twins and watched her older children as tears of love filled her eyes.
"Daddy, mommy," Alex said excitedly. "Do you see the snow?"
"Yes," Jenna chimed in. "Can we go out and play in the snow?'
"Zack laughed at their excitement. "Not tonight, kids. It's almost dark and the storm is raging out there. You'll have to wait 'til tomorrow and if the storm lets up we'll all go out and play in the snow."
That seemed to satisfy the kids for now and Alex ran to the playroom with Jenna chasing him with the twins following behind. Zack got up off the floor and offered his hand to Sarah, helping her up and she was instantly in his arms once again.
"Oh Zack, darling. I'm so happy. We are so blessed with our wonderful children."
Zack kissed her tenderly then looking deep into her beautiful blue eyes said, "We sure are, sweetheart. And I am so blessed by God with the beautiful wife He gave me. Thank you Lord and thank you wonderful wife of mine for giving me our precious children."
"They're a gift from God, darling," and they kissed again.
"All right, break it up you two. Dinner's ready," It was Viola, their cook and housekeeper. David came out of his office saying, "That sure sounds good. I'm famished."
Sarah and Zack went to get the kids washed up and they all went into the dining room together to enjoy the wonderful meal that Viola had prepared.
Morning came and the storm was still raging. Zack got up and looked out the bedroom window but couldn't see anything but snow. He got dressed, went downstairs and turned on the weather channel. The news wasn't good. The wind was still coming out of the North at over forty miles an hour with gusts up to sixty-five miles per hour. He looked out the front window and was shocked to see a drift covering half the window. He could barely see through the swirling snow that the bunkhouse lights were on and all the mercury lights were still on as it was still dark. He turned when he heard movement behind him.
"How's it look out there, darling," Sarah asked.
"Well, honey, I don't think you'll be going to work today. We can't even get out of the front door. This is a category 5 blizzard and one of the worst blizzards I've seen in years. It's fifteen below, the wind chill is near fifty below and it's still October. I have a feeling it's going to be a very long winter. They've already closed the schools for today at least."
Zack called the bunkhouse and Monty answered the phone. "Is everybody up out there, Monty?"
"Yep. In fact Archie has breakfast ready. He knew in this storm we were going to have to get out at first light," Monty responded.
"Bless his heart. But we can't even get out of the house. I need you to send a couple of the boys up here with shovels and get the snowdrift away from the door so we can get out. I need to get out there and help you check on the cattle."
"We'll be right there, boss."
Just then they lost power. "Oh oh," Zack said. "Better get the generators started first, Monty."
"I'm on it, boss."
Zack felt his way to the den, found a flashlight and headed for the garage where the generator for the house was. Soon he had it running and the house was with lights again. This is the first time they had lost power since they had been married.
"I'm sure glad we have a generator," Sarah remarked. "It must really be bad out there to have knocked out the power."
Shortly thereafter, they heard the men shoveling the front porch. Zack looked out the window and there were a dozen of them with shovels and they were removing the snow from the whole porch. Zack put on his heavy winter clothes and boots and made ready to go out into the storm.
The wind was blowing so hard and the snow was swirling making it almost impossible for Zack to see his hand in front of his face. Visibility was almost zero. There was already three feet of snow on the ground and some of the drifts were five feet high.
"Can you see the barns?" Sarah asked.
"I can't even see the end of the porch," Zack replied.
Zack started towards the bunkhouse but soon had to turn back and return to the house before he became disorientated and got lost. He stepped through the door but it took both he and Sarah together to force the door shut against the wind. Zack stomped his feet and shook the snow off him saying: "We can't do anything out there until the storm lets up a bit. I'm afraid if this storm doesn't let up soon were going to loose some of the cattle. They have nowhere to go for shelter from the storm. It's starting to get light but the visibility is still zero."
"Boy, I'm sure glad my apartment has a door coming directly into the house." It was Viola, their cook and housekeeper. "I would sure hate to have to go out into this storm to get to the house. How does pancakes and sausage sound for breakfast?"
"It sounds wonderful, Viola," Zack answered.
"I already have the coffee on. Breakfast will be ready in about twenty minutes," and she returned to the kitchen.
The smell of pancakes infiltrated the whole house and brought life. David came out of his room and went right to the kitchen. "That sure smells good, Viola. It woke me right up. I'll have a cup of coffee while I'm waiting for those scrumpdelishous pancakes to be ready for consumption."
Just then the kids came running down the big spiral staircase and into the kitchen.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Grace of God by Bob Morrow Copyright © 2010 by Bob Morrow. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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