Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run novel Chapter 472

He crouched down for a closer look, and yeah, no doubt about it—it was his dad Johnny's handwriting. Ryan always had a special spot in the Bradford family. His dad had taught him to write from a young age, so he recognized the script immediately.

Brushing away some snow next to the wooden plaque, he turned to the old alternative medicine expert behind him. “Hey, Grandpa, this isn’t one of your relatives, right? Is it mine? How come Dad never mentioned we had family buried here?”

The old man hesitated, then quickly shifted gears. “Ryan, let’s get moving. More snow’s on the way, and climbing back up the mountain’s gonna be rough.”

Ryan was still curious and wanted to check out the smaller writing, but the old man grabbed his backpack and pulled him up. “Come on, leave it be. If your dad didn’t bring it up, it probably wasn’t significant. Let's go.”

A bit skeptical, Ryan got to his feet and followed. The snowfall kept getting heavier, and it took them nearly an hour to gather the herbs.

On the way back, Ryan sniffled, “Grandpa, can you tell me more about my dad? All I know is he started with a roadside stand. Did he do anything else back home?”

The old man cleared the path as he reminisced, “Johnny was a good guy, well-loved around here. He built all these roads. When Clara was really sick, he made it his mission to construct roads, hoping to earn some good karma.”

Ryan suddenly recalled how sick Clara was as a kid. He hardly saw her; she was always either in treatment or traveling for it. Thank goodness she got better.

Back at the old man’s cabin, he got busy with the herbs, working well into the afternoon. By evening, Ryan was about to head out with the herbs, since his place wasn’t too far.

But the old man insisted he stay. “The snow's piling up tonight. Better stay here and leave in the morning. If your car gets stuck, you’ll be on your own.”