Kat held up a book on database theory. Definitely not hers. How did that get in here? Now Joel’s books were multiplying too. “If you’re not seeing your family, what are you doing for Thanksgiving?”
“Everyone I know has something to do, so my holiday is going to consist of checking out the Thanksgiving episode of that new TV show everybody is watching with all those 20-somethings who drink coffee. They live in huge fancy apartments in New York City, even though they have crappy entry-level jobs. Have you seen it? It’s like this fantasy city life where you don’t have to pay outrageous rent and there aren’t any roaches. Plus, some of them have really good hair. I plan to enhance my viewing experience by dining on a fine Swanson TV dinner with turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, and the itty-bitty chocolate square that is supposed to be cake. But I may need to augment that pathetic little excuse for a dessert with a Twinkie. It’s important to keep up my strength for the job hunt.”
“True. It sounds quiet, anyway. Here, it is not quiet and it’s snowing like crazy—to the point that Joel’s sister and nephew can’t leave. It’s possible I may slowly go insane. I mean the kid is kind of cute, but too much time with him and I want to gobble down that entire pink package of pills I got from the gynecologist.”
“I think that would be bad for your lady parts. But I’m glad to hear you took action after the kitten scare.”
“Lady parts? Really? Since when did you start talking like you walked out of 1954? But yes, I don’t think this Kat is ready for a kitten right now. I don’t know how Cindy does it. Or Joel for that matter. He’s really sweet and patient with his nephew.”
“Well that’s good information to have anyway. Just in case.”
“Yeah. I know. But I think my already cautious nature has reached a new level of vigilance. And I have a calendar that I’m using to keep track, so I’m paying a little more attention.” Kat thumped a book down on the desk. She’d discovered pregnancy scares were extremely bad for her mental health. “I really wish you were here instead of Cindy. Joel is like a different person around her. And now, there’s something wrong with his leg. So I’m worried about that too. Nobody tells me anything.”
“Sorry, girlfriend. Although I know that my hot date with Mr. Swanson sounds like a lot of fun, it is a little lonely. I wish I could come up there too. But unless there’s a Miata-snowmobile conversion kit I don’t know about, you’re on your own for the winter.”
“I know. Uh-oh, I think I hear different yelling upstairs. I gotta go. Happy Thanksgiving. I’ll talk to you soon.” Kat hung up the phone. It was time to venture back into the fray.
Chapter 2
Into the Wilderness
Becca squinted at her windshield and wiped a tear of frustration from the corner of her eye. She’d already been on this road. Maybe twice. Where was Alpine Grove? How could she lose an entire town? She thought she’d turned the right way out of the driveway of the kennel, but all she’d seen were masses of trees for what seemed like forever. And snow, which was falling so fast she could barely see the road anymore.
After driving in circles for what seemed like hours, Becca hunched over the steering wheel as the car inched along through the snow. What should she do? Maybe if she kept going this way, she’d end up back in Alpine Grove. But she’d thought that before and had turned back. And then made the left on the other road with the mailboxes. Now, who could say? She wasn’t sure about anything. Whatever she did, it was going to happen slowly because the road was slippery. Except for that one ski trip with her ex-boyfriend Tony years ago, Becca had never driven in snow. And on that trip, in the end, she’d just stopped the car and made Tony drive the rest of the way home because she had been so stressed by the road conditions. That experience was nothing compared to this. If she didn’t find the town soon, she might never get out of here. By the time anyone found her, she’d be a Popsicle.
Becca pulled the car over next to a row of mailboxes and spread her maps out across the passenger seat again. It was getting late. Although the sun was completely obscured by the thick clouds, it was obvious that it was also sinking low in the sky. The only thing worse than getting lost in the snow was getting lost in the snow in the dark. Getting to the assessor’s office today wasn’t going to happen. She really was going to be stuck here over Thanksgiving. This trip just kept getting worse and worse. Pat had told her not to give up Joanne’s motel reservations for Thanksgiving weekend. Good thing. Even the rather nasty-looking motel would be a welcome sight at this point.
Becca leaned over the seat, studying the maps in an effort to figure out where she was. On the standardized tests she’d taken when she was a kid, she got great marks in vocabulary and math and alarmingly bad numbers for map-reading skills. It was the thing she was most worried about as far as going into appraisal work. Pat seemed to shrug it off as a non-issue, but Becca knew how frequently she got lost a lot better than he did. A poor sense of direction couldn’t be fixed with a better organizational system or to-do list.
“Okay Becca, focus,” she said out loud, in an effort to bolster her confidence. It didn’t work. The only sound was the flap, flap noise of the windshield wipers going back and forth. And now she was talking to herself like an idiot. What she really needed was a “you are here” arrow on the map. Sadly, it was sorely lacking. There were no landmarks. Trees didn’t count. What was the last road sign she’d seen? Misty something or other?
She jabbed her finger at the map. “Misty Meadow Lane! I saw that road.” If she turned around and went back, she could make a left there, then go back past the kennel and get back to town from there. How had she gotten so far north? What a disaster. Once she got back to the H12 motel, she was going to take an incredibly long hot shower. Maybe there was a nice place to eat somewhere too. Her stomach growled in agreement.
At least it was a plan. And any plan was better than no plan. Becca pulled away from the mailboxes and made possibly the slowest three-point turn on record through the snow. The tires spun briefly and then gripped again, lurching the car forward. The jolt of terror in Becca’s chest was almost as alarming as what the car was doing. She was not good at this winter driving thing at all. If she didn’t have a nervous breakdown or freeze to death first, she was going to treat herself to something fabulous like a shoe-shopping spree. But the first item on the to-do list was to get out of here and get back home.
Tony used to tease her about being a fast-talking city girl who had never even seen a wilderness area. Of course, he wasn’t exactly Mr. Mountain Man either. Sitting in a hot tub in a ski chalet in Vail didn’t count as camping or as even a remotely outdoorsy activity. When it came to skiing, Becca had been more of a fan of the après-ski aspect of the experience. The ski outfit she’d bought for the trip to Vail was cute, but the actual skiing part of the trip was mostly just cold and humiliating. She had spent most of her skiing time on the bunny slope, sliding around on her backside. It was way more fun to just stand around and look cool next to the huge stone fireplace in the lodge.
She smiled at the memory of being with Tony in Vail. What a fantastic trip that had been. A lot better than being here, that was for sure. In that situation, the snow had been charming and picturesque. Here, it was a slippery, treacherous, road hazard.
But snow certainly wasn’t the worst hurdle she’d ever overcome. So she’d deal with the weather just like everything else. In retrospect, the Vail trip had been one of the last good experiences with Tony. After everything that had happened, Tony had lost interest in her and suggested that she see a psychiatrist—“a really good shrink,” as he had so eloquently phrased it. It wasn’t like she hadn’t tried to pull herself together. Counseling, self-defense classes, self-help books—she’d tried them all and worked hard on getting her life back. But when Tony called her a “head case,” that had been just plain mean. Becca had lost a lot of respect for him then. The final breakup had been horrible, but she still missed his easy sense of humor. When was the last time she’d even laughed? Was she d
oomed to turn into some bitter, man-hating crone?
Something leaped onto the road on the passenger side of the car and Becca yanked the steering wheel to the left. Out of the corner of her eye, she realized a small deer or moose was running alongside her car. A moose! Well, there’s some real wilderness for ya, Tony! The car fishtailed slightly, but because she was going so slowly, she managed to get the vehicle back under control.
The animal jumped back off the road and into the trees. Good thing there were no other cars and she hadn’t hit the thing. It must have been a baby. The poor little guy was probably lost too! Becca straightened her shoulders and leaned forward. Time to stop thinking about the past and focus on the road. Concentrate!
A green road sign appeared out of the foggy whiteness. Misty Meadow Lane! At last, she’d found it. Maybe she was finally, finally going to get back to town. Becca gripped her hands more tightly on the steering wheel. Just a little bit farther. No problem.
As Becca turned onto Misty Meadow Lane, the dull ache in her shoulders from clenching the steering wheel transitioned into a sharp muscle twinge. She stretched out her fingers on each hand, one after the other. Relax. By the time she got to the motel, she’d probably burst into tears. Breathe deeply. It was all going to be okay. Becca had been through far worse than a stupid little snow storm. Time to put on her big girl panties and deal with it. It couldn’t be much farther. Maybe some music would help. She glanced down at the radio and turned the knob.
When she looked back at the road, she gasped. A huge brown vehicle seemed to fill the entire windshield in front of her. Where had that come from? Becca turned the steering wheel sharply, which sent her car into a slide. Shrieking, she slammed her foot on the brake and a huge plume of snow sprayed up from the back wheels as the car skidded. When she opened her eyes again, the brown vehicle was gone. The only thing visible through the windshield was a lot of white. Becca turned her head to look around. What had just happened? The car was at a sharp angle and had apparently gone nose-down into a ditch. She moved to try to open the driver’s side door, but it was wedged closed. The passenger side might be a better exit route.
Becca jerked her head back to the left at a loud knock on her window. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest. A scruffy-looking hooded man waved his gloved hand at her. Becca covered her mouth with her hand, trying not to scream. No! Not again.
He pointed to the other side of the car. Biting her lip, Becca realized she was shivering and crying. She grabbed her coat and moved across to the passenger seat while trying to pull her skirt down. The man had waded down into the ditch and was yanking at the passenger door. He smacked his gloved hand on the window and yelled, “Unlock it!”
Becca did as he suggested and the door opened with a whoosh. Snow swirled around and into the car. She wrapped the coat around herself and blinked the snow out of her eyes as she struggled to get out of the car.
He pushed the hood of his coat back and said, “Are you okay?” Taking her hand, he helped her out. “You look okay. That’s a relief.”
Becca looked into his eyes, which were a startling shade of blue. They reminded her of the color of Lake Tahoe and another fun vacation. The guy’s dark brown hair was long enough that it was falling into his eyes and curling around his collar. And the scruffy factor wasn’t actually razor stubble as she had assumed, but an extremely short beard.
Becca snuffled and her teeth began to chatter as her pumps sank into the snow. The frigid sensation hit her legs in an icy blast of cold pain. She turned back around to the car and reached to grab a tissue out of the glove compartment, so she could wipe her nose. She probably looked frightening from all the crying.
The man pulled her forward and said, “Come on. Let’s get out of the ditch.” As they moved around the front of the car, a sharp cracking noise rattled through the muffled silence of the snowfall. Cringing, Becca crouched involuntarily. “What was that?”
“A tree broke. This is some heavy snow.”
With the man’s help, Becca stumbled up the hill onto the road. Her teeth were chattering so hard they were starting to ache. Kat was right—these were not the right shoes for winter. Her toes were going to freeze off. The man pulled her up the last bit of the incline and turned to face her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Becca put her shoulders back, stood up straight, and attempted to look like a professional again. “Yes, I’m fine. Where did you come from?”
He indicated a brown truck with its hood facing down into the ditch on the other side of the road. “Over there. You ran me off the road. It was either hit you or bail out into the ditch.”
Becca crossed her arms across her chest and stamped her feet, trying to get circulation back into her toes. “I did not! You ran me off the road!”
“I don’t think so. Look which way your car is facing. I watched you spin out. It was an impressive performance. Mostly, I was just trying to get out of the way.”
Becca turned back to look at her car in the ditch. Maybe he was right. But still. “It’s not my fault. You were hogging the whole road!”
“Listen, it doesn’t matter. We need to get out of this weather. I can see you shivering, and you’re not dressed for this snow. There’s a driveway right up there. Let’s go see if they can call us a tow truck or something.”
“You can’t just go barge in on someone like that without calling!”
“Would you prefer to die of hypothermia? It’s almost dark, which isn’t going to make it any warmer out here.”
Becca’s shoulders slumped. Suddenly, she was completely exhausted. All she wanted was to just go home. “I could just sit here in the snow and wait here for a while until someone comes by.”
He gripped her arm and looked into her eyes. “No. Do not sit down! Let me go get my dog out of the truck. You stay here. And I mean it, don’t sit down. Stay right there.”
Becca stood and shivered while he walked across the road to the truck and opened the door. A huge black and brown dog leaped out joyfully, whirling about amid the snowflakes. Becca knees were cold and wobbly. She slowly started to sink down toward the snow, which looked really soft and inviting. Just for a minute.
The man ran back across the road to her, reached out, and grabbed Becca around her shoulders before she hit the ground. “Don’t you do that. Keep moving. You’re coming with me.” He pointed down the road. “See that driveway? We’re going right down there.”
“I’m so tired. You go. I’ll just stay here and wait. I don’t even know who you are. What’s your name?”
Without releasing his grip on her shoulders, he started walking her down the road. “I’m Jack Sheridan. That’s my dog Frank. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Rebecca Mackenzie.” She tripped on something in the snow. Maybe her feet. “I’m not normally this klutzy.”
“It’s okay. I get the impression you don’t do much walking in the snow.”
“I think I need different shoes.”
“I’m sure of it.” Jack stopped and pulled off the plaid wool scarf he had around his neck. “Here. Wrap this around your head and neck to keep the snow off.”
Becca fumbled with the scarf and dropped it in the snow. “Can’t we just sit down for a minute?”
“No. Here, let me do it.” He swept the snow off her hair, shook the snow off the scarf, and wrapped it around her head.
“Thank you. I hope these people have a bathroom.” She really needed to pee. It felt like a lifetime since she’d seen civilization and experienced the joys of indoor plumbing.
“Put your hands under your armpits to keep them warm. And follow the path Frank’s making in the snow. It will be easier.”
“He seems so happy. Don’t dogs get cold?”
“Frank’s a Bernese Mountain Dog. They’re bred for this sort of weather. He loves winter.”
“That’s because he doesn’t have to drive.”
Jack brushed snow off her shoulders. “That’s true.”
“My dog Mona woul
d be so scared now. I’m glad she’s not here.”
“Me too. Keep walking.”
Mona was not scared. In fact, she seemed downright happy. Kat smiled at the dog, who had heartily enjoyed her dinner, along with the rest of the pack. Mona now was now enjoying a post-meal nap under the table next to her new doggie best friend, Chelsey.
Satisfied that all was well in the canine realm, Kat opened the gate and walked back up the stairs. The cats were another story. After Cindy and Johnny arrived, they’d all disappeared to their various feline hidey-holes to pout, but apparently they came out long enough to eat, because their cat food had been consumed. After the loud, obnoxious house guests finally left, the feline residents would undoubtedly reappear.
Back upstairs, Cindy and Joel were arguing. Again. Still. They had an infinite ability to snipe at each other, which was exhausting to be around. Kat wanted to crawl into bed and pull the covers over her head so she couldn’t hear them anymore.
It was hard to believe Joel was the same rational human being she lived with and loved so much. Something about his sister really brought out the worst in him. After commenting about other aspects of Joel’s lifestyle, it seemed Cindy had circled back to the topic of his broken leg. Kat was still not clear about when or how his leg had been broken, but according to Cindy, it had been some type of serious injury. One that Joel obviously really didn’t want to talk about.
Joel said quietly, “Would you please, please just leave me alone?”
Kat walked into the kitchen. She knew that tone. When Joel got seriously angry or upset, his voice got eerily quiet. Cindy had to know this too. Maybe. She couldn’t be that clueless, could she? Picking up a knife, Kat said overly brightly, “Dogs are all fed. So, what should I chop next?”
Joel turned to her. “The bread is toasted. Could you cut that up into cubes?”
Snow Furries (An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy Book 4) Page 3