Chapter 30: After Effects

The rising sun was already casting a pink glow across the eastern sky when Cole woke up the following morning. He stretched and groaned softly, feeling drained from the previous night’s ordeal. Rolling over, he peered off the right side of the bed. Jenny lay curled with her back against the side of his mattress. Even in sleep, her jaw seemed tense, and she tightly clutched the edge of the quilt to her chin.

If he was tired from last night’s tirade, she must be exhausted, he mused. Carefully, he slid out of bed, collected the clothes he needed for the day, and headed into the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, a cup of coffee in hand, he trudged to the barn through the early morning chill and set about his chores. As he did so, he considered the events of the night before.