The heart that loves
is always young

proverb

Winter builds fierce winds off the mountains.
Tuco bundles his bedroll tight behind the saddle
and turns toward the cabin
where Arlu watches from the window.
He waves and then turns and places boot in stirrup
and pulls himself up into the saddle.

The horse is not happy
with the weather, with Tuco heading into the wind.
But Tuco got word that a hiker hadn't returned the night before
and he wanted... he needed to search.
Arlu is not happy that he has saddled up and left her to wait.

Tuco turns the horse toward the cabin
and he nods at Arlu as she presses her hand against the window.
Then Tuco turns the horse back into the wind and they begin.

Two hours later Tuco is in the canyon where the hiker was last seen.
There is fresh snow covering everything, this isn't going to be easy.
He heads down the trail into the canyon and notices a dark clearing
across the canyon floor. Then, as he moves closer, he suspects
this is where the hiker is... or was.

He scanned again for smoke and saw none.

A half hour later he comes to the clearing
and finds that the dark of the clearing is a pile of materials
stacked in its center. He dismounts and walks to the pile.
He pokes at it.
And hears a grunt.
He paws toward the sound,
pushing debris and loose clothes behind him.

Then the pile shifts and a mitten pokes out.
He gingerly reaches for it, finds the cold fingers within it.
He slowly works his way through the pile to the arm within it
and then moves quickly to clear debris and cloth from around
the shivering body of the hiker.

He wraps him in dry clothes and then begins to build a fire.
Slowly the man watches as Tuco builds a circle of fires around him.
And slowly he is warming up. The shivers stop.

Now Tuco gives him soup, just warm enough.
And pulls out more dry clothes for him to wear as they head out.

Tuco has the man in the saddle and he sits behind it
so he can hold the man up on the horse.
They head for the cabin.

Tuco sees the smoke rising before he sees the cabin.
But he knows where the path is.
He takes his time.
As he turns the corner of the trail 
and the cabin comes into view,
he sees Arlu leaping from the window.
He knows she will rush out the door
but he is surprised by the load of clothes she brings out.

He hadn't noticed how wet he and the man had become.
The dry clothes were what they both needed
without knowing it. But Arlu knew
and she was ready for his uncertain return.
Ready with everything he would need,
everything he could hope for.