Free Blizzard: Colorado, 1886 by Kathleen Duey and Karen A. Bale

yelling at him from the porch appeared. He recalled the mountain lion, too, and running away without his bag.
    Hadyn clenched his teeth. How had he gotten here, and where had the person who’d helped him gone? He sat up straighter. His boots were set sideby side near the rock wall, his gloves draped across them. Then he saw a knapsack lying a few feet away.
    The wind was dropping, but now it was snowing harder. In the hush left behind by the slackening wind, Hadyn thought he heard someone coming. He struggled to his feet. The bedroll made him lurch to one side, but he managed to catch his balance before he fell against the rock. The footsteps were coming closer. Hadyn kicked free from the blankets, then turned to grab his boots. Maggie had told him about all the crazy miners who still lived up in the mountains. All he wanted was to get home. If some old man living in a shack would get him back to Lyons, he was sure his father would be willing to pay a reward.
    Hadyn was trembling as he pulled on his boots. His fingers were numb, clumsy. The footsteps were getting closer. He reached down for his gloves.
    Straightening up, Hadyn stood unsteadily. His scarf had come undone and he pulled it off, then rewrapped it around his neck, never taking his eyes off the curving rock ledge. He heard the dry rattle of stone against stone.

Chapter Ten
    The wind was easing up, but it was snowing a little harder as Maggie made her way up the mountainside. There wasn’t much daylight left. She wasn’t sure how she was going to get Hadyn down to the krummholz tree, but she had to think of something. By leaving the firewood down below, she had eliminated any other choice.
    The main thing was to hurry: Maggie knew that she had to get a fire started, and soon. She had to get Hadyn warmed up—and herself. As cold as it was now, it would get far colder by morning. And there was every chance that the wind would come back up.
    She ran a few steps, then tripped, flailing wildly with her arms to catch her balance. She forced herselfto slow back to a walk. She was already exhausted. It would be stupid to fall now. If she got hurt, neither she nor Hadyn would ever get home.
    The fissure seemed longer than it had before. Maggie was glad she had built the cairns to guide herself through the maze of rock ledges. Walking heavily, sometimes sliding on the loose rock, Maggie finally came around the last curve.
    The bedroll was twisted in a heap. For a few terrifying seconds, Maggie thought the cat had found them. But then she noticed that Hadyn’s boots were gone.
    â€œHadyn!” Maggie’s cry rang on the rocks.
    She was about to yell again when she saw him step into sight. He smiled weakly. He looked so awful she felt sorry for him—but she was still angry.
    â€œMaggie.” He came toward her.
    She could see the fear in his eyes, and her anger faded. “I found a good place where we can build a fire and spend the night.” She pulled the canteen out of her knapsack and handed it to him. “Can you walk?”
    Hadyn took a long drink of the sweet coffee. Then he nodded. “I think so. How did you find me?I thought I was going to die out here.” He sipped at the coffee.
    Maggie shook her head. “You left a trail that a two-year-old could have followed.”
    â€œI saw some cows—”
    â€œAnd a mountain lion,” Maggie interrupted. She watched astonishment cross his face. “Mountain lions leave tracks too, Hadyn.”
    Hadyn shivered. “It came after me, Maggie. It could still be close.”
    â€œI expect he’s still finishing supper,” Maggie said, shaking out the bedroll. She rolled it up and handed it to Hadyn. Then she grabbed her knapsack and shrugged the straps over her shoulders. “Let’s go.”
    Hadyn hesitated. “It’s almost dark, Maggie. We should stay here.”
    She shook her head, too tired to argue. “No, Hadyn, we shouldn’t. If the