Snow Bound

by Blake Crouch

turned ruddy in the sunset and the fading light brought out lighter strands in her otherwise-midnight-dark hair. “He allegedly—” “What’s that

of selling drugs.” “Like what I take?” “No, your drugs are good. They help you. He was selling, allegedly selling, bad drugs to people.” “Why are they bad?” “Because they make you lose control.” “Why do

sighed but didn’t argue. She never tried to get out of it. He stood up, cradling his daughter, and walked over to the redwood railing. They stared into the wilderness that bordered Oasis

houses on No-Water Lane had the Sonoran Desert for a backyard. “Look,” he said. “See them?” A half mile away, specks filed out of an arroyo and trotted across the desert toward a shadeless forest of giant saguaro cacti that looked

Devlin had gotten into bed, he read to her from A Wrinkle in Time. They’d been working their way through the penultimate chapter, “Aunt Beast,” but Devlin was exhausted and drifted off before Will had finished the second page. He closed the book, set it on the carpet, and turned out the light. Cool desert air flowed