Christmas in the Air by Irene Brand Page B

fogged in. Kind of a strange weather phenomenon, I think.”
    Quinn had awakened Sean when he’d gotten up. “What’s wrong?” Sean asked.
    Quinn explained quietly.
    â€œWhat are you going to do?” Sean said, yawning and standing up.
    â€œI’m going to find him. It’s dangerous for anyone to be out in this weather for very long.”
    â€œI’ll go with you,” Sean said. “I’ve had all of this church pew I can stand.”
    â€œIt would be safer if two of us go,” Quinn said.
    â€œQuinn,” Allen protested, “I’ll go with Sean. I see you’re still favoring that leg.”
    â€œIt needs to be limbered up,” Quinn said. He put on the heavy coat he’d shed before trying to sleep and limped toward the door. After taking a quick glance outside, he said, “Apparently there’s a warm front moving in from the south. A man could easily get disoriented in this thick fog. Only two of us should go out at a time. Sean and I can go first. We’ll look around in the back first.”
    â€œI can do that myself,” Sean said, as he shrugged into his fleece-lined coat, zipped it up to cover the lower half of his face and tied the hood securely.
    â€œWe should stay together, because we can easily get separated in this fog,” Quinn said. “I’ll go with you.”
    â€œYou’d better take a light,” Allen said. “And here’s a piece of rope that we had left from fixing the bell yesterday. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to tie it around your waists. That fog is so thick, you won’t be able to see one hand in front of the other.”
    Believing it was sound advice, Quinn secured the rope around his waist, and handed the other end to Sean. Six feet of rope separated them, allowing them freedom of movement.
    They covered the back area where the woodshed and johnny houses were, but they didn’t see any sign of Les.
    â€œI don’t believe he’s been out here,” Sean said. “The wind has covered our tracks from last night, and there aren’t any new tracks in the snow.”
    â€œI agree,” Quinn said. “So that means he went out the front door. Fortunately, it’s not as cold as it was at midnight, but the temperature is still below freezing. We must find him as soon as possible.”
    When they went back inside, everyone was up. Marie still sat in the pew she’d shared with her husband, her eyes befuddled with sleep.
    â€œNo sign that he’s been in the backyard,” Quinn reported. “We’ll go out front and see what we can find.”
    â€œI’ll help look, too,” Eric volunteered.
    Quinn shook his head. “No, only two of us at a time. I can’t believe an old-timer like Les would slip away like this. He can’t have gone far, but let’s do this in shifts. When Sean and I get tired, we’ll come back, and you and Allen can go. It might be a good idea for you to ring the church bell every fifteen minutes—that way we can keep our bearings.”
    Livia walked to the door with them. When she saw the thick fog, she laid her hand on Quinn’s shoulder. “Be careful,” she said.
    He covered her hand with his gloved fingers. “We’ll be all right. I just hope that Les is.”
    All of them had grown fond of Les, and when the door closed behind Quinn and Sean, Eric said, “Let’s pray for the safety of all three of them. And then build up the fire so they’ll be more comfortable when they bring him back.”
    He took hold of Marie’s and Roxanne’s hands. Livia joined hands with Marie and reached for Allen’s hand. With only a slight hesitation, he joined their prayer circle.
    â€œWhy don’t you lead us in prayer, Livia?” Eric said.
    â€œGod,” Livia prayed, “Your Word teaches that even a sparrow can’t fall to the ground unless You are awareof it. We believe You