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Back Come Again No More Save as PDF
Chapters (55)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover
  3. Title Page
  4. Contents
  5. PART I 
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. 9.
  15. 10.
  16. 11.
  17. 12.
  18. PART II 
  19. 13.
  20. 14.
  21. 15.
  22. 16.
  23. 17.
  24. 18.
  25. 19.
  26. 20.
  27. 21.
  28. 22.
  29. 23.
  30. 24.
  31. 25.
  32. 26.
  33. 27.
  34. 28.
  35. 29.
  36. 30.
  37. PART III 
  38. 31.
  39. 32.
  40. 33.
  41. 34.
  42. 35.
  43. 36.
  44. 37.
  45. 38.
  46. 39.
  47. PART IV 
  48. 40.
  49. 41.
  50. 42.
  51. 43.
  52. 44.
  53. 45.
  54. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  55. Touchstone Reading Group Guide

“Not up this high, it aint summer. Up here you can get a blizzard most any time of year, except maybe the month of July.”

They started down the long, steep, winding grade to Moran Junction. They didn’t make it half a mile before the first snowflakes started to fall. Another half mile and it was snowing hard. The road was slick and their vision down to no more than a couple of hundred feet, although Emaline had a good view of the sheer drop off the side of the road. In some places it looked as though the car would plunge a thousand feet or more if it went over the edge.

Jake used the transmission to slow them down as much as he could, holding the Dodge in second gear, trying not to overheat the brakes. It was tricky, delicate work. What they needed was a turnout where they could pull over until the storm passed, but there was nothing but narrow, winding road, pine and fir trees already white, their branches drooping with the heavy snow. Jake had tire chains in the trailer, but he didn’t dare stop to put them on. It would be far too easy for one of those big trucks to pile into them and send them flying over the edge. There was nothing to do but keep going.

Emaline breathed a silent prayer. Jake knew every trick there was for getting a vehicle down a steep grade in a snowstorm, but when you couldn’t see where you were going, nothing helped. She did all she could, leaning forward to peer into the driving snow, looking desperately for a place where they could turn off. There was nothing, just one switchback followed by another, and through it all she could feel the heavy trailer behind them pushing, pushing. It felt almost as if the thing was trying to heave them off the road.

It was twenty-five miles from the summit of Togwotee Pass down to Moran Junction, and every foot of it was so tense that she dug her fingernails into her palms until they bled. Twice the Dodge lurched so close to the edge that it seemed they were about to go over. Both times, Jake was able to bring it back onto the road. They eased along through curve after curve, down switchbacks so tight that at times she could almost reach out and touch the trailer in the middle of a turn. With each twist in the road they strained to peer into the driving snow, longing for flat ground, a bit of straight road, even a spot where they could pull over.