He was also pleased with how his mindset had progressed. He was no longer angry at his wife, or even at Charlie. Instead, he felt an overwhelming need to prove he was capable of completing this mission to reunite his family. Sarah didn’t do anything wrong, he reiterated. She’s a headstrong, passionate woman who enjoyed her time with a handsome stranger. There’s nothing wrong with that. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t given his approval to the whole thing. He just wished she’d come in to say goodnight to him, or even better yet, had fallen asleep curled up in his arms instead of Charlie’s.
Charlie probably isn’t the asshole I’m making him out to be either, James conceded. Sarah is a pretty remarkable woman, and it’s no surprise he is taken with her. He breathed in deeply, thankful the brisk air had cleared his mind. I think I was just going stir crazy cooped up in that cabin, he decided. I mean, they invented the phrase “cabin fever” for a reason, right?
Now that the sun was slipping toward the horizon, the entire canyon was enraptured in the golden rays spreading from its gradual descent. The sky had deepened from the impossible blue of the morning and early afternoon to the denim color of late afternoon, and would be purple in another hour. James felt positive he was getting close to the next cabin, which was hopefully still occupied. The only one he’d passed so far on his trek was vacant; he came upon it not long after his near-tangle with the elk and mountain lion.
Though he was committed to keep trudging along, he was also getting hungry. He checked his reception again, and found he still didn’t have a phone signal. Though disappointed, he reached further into his backpack to retrieve a couple of the granola bars that Charlie and Zora and brought with them to the cabin. He knew there was still pasta and some cans of soup left for everyone else to eat, so he didn’t feel bad about taking a few items.
There was a steep climb down, the rocks glistening with ice as James gingerly placed his foot and hoped it would hold while he grabbed onto a tree branch for support. He felt himself begin to slip, but was able to stay upright thanks to his death grip on the snow-heavy branch. He felt his heart skip a beat as he breathed deeply and tried to stabilize himself before proceeding down the side of the mountain. He figured he should have crossed over, possibly going back up the mountain a bit to look for the actual road, but it was so daunting and demoralizing to go backwards. He only wanted to go forward. Forward was the key to getting a phone signal. Forward was the key to getting help.
He thought about Sarah back in the cabin and hoped Charlie and Zora weren’t giving her any trouble. I should have probably stayed there with her, he thought. But then who knows if we would have ever gotten my truck out? It might have been impossible to start, even if they did manage to dig it out of the deep snowbank that imprisoned it.
He took another step down, more confidently this time, scoffing at himself for being so overly cautious. There’s no time to spare, no time for second guessing, he reminded himself. I need to get this phone working before it’s dark, or I’m going to freeze to death out here tonight. There has to be a signal beneath this ridge of trees. There has to be.
Sarah was beyond pissed. Not only had James left her with Charlie when he knew there was something going on, but he was gone too, and there was still no signal on her phone. She felt the beginnings of a panic attack about to overtake her. She’d only suffered a few of those in her lifetime, but the ones she survived taught her to do everything in her power to avoid experiencing another one.
Her heart felt like it was about to burst, it was beating so fast as she tried to take deep breaths instead of fast, shallow ones. Her temples began to pulsate with a dull, throbbing pain, punctuated by sporadic bursts of a sharp, stabbing sensation. She grabbed the ibuprofen she had originally offered to Zora – who was still asleep, incidentally – and shoved a handful down her throat. She wanted so badly to wash them down with a glass of wine, but she knew that was not advisable.
She knew what she must do. She knew what would make her feel better – the only thing that would make her feel better. She could not handle inaction or waiting. Patience has never been my strong suit – that’s why it was nearly impossible for me to wait for James to get with the program in our relationship. She shook her head at that sudden realization, and how much she had hated the ball being in his court. It always felt better to do something rather than nothing.
“Where are you going?” Charlie asked from his spot in front of the fire. After their earlier confrontation, he had grabbed a book off the bookcase by the mantel and settled in for an afternoon read. He had his glass of wine and his glasses pushed down on his nose. He didn’t appear rattled, either – it was as if they had never raised their voices earlier.
“I’m going out,” she answered brusquely as she pulled on her boots and cold-weather gear. She was grateful she had packed for the elements since part of their itinerary was hiking in the canyons around their cabin, the very canyon James was now attempting to traverse while packed with snow and ice.
“Are you bloody mad?” he asked, lifting his eyes up over his glasses. “Sarah, it’s subzero temperatures out there. Don’t be a martyr, please? It’s bad enough your husband is out there like an imbecile.”
She didn’t bother replying, and instead made a great show of wrapping her long scarf around her face so it covered her mouth. With just her dark eyes peeping out over the top, she shot him her best “fuck off” look.
Her first step out the front cabin door was met with an icy slap in her face. The wind kicked up and hurled a frigid gust right toward her, almost pushing her back inside the cozy confines. She was undeterred, though, and headed straight for the little shed where she knew James and Charlie left the shovels they had collected, including the one they’d retrieved from the cabin where Charlie had been staying.
Though the shed was dark and creepy, she had grabbed a flashlight from the cabinet near the front door of the cabin before she stepped out. She noticed there was a small toolbox in there along with a first-aid kit. Lord knows I might need those things before today is over, she thought as she shone the beam of the flashlight over the dark recesses of the shed. The light fell on a white bag with black writing on it, which was underneath a workbench covered in old, rusty tools; dirty, crusty flowerpots; and stacks of old, yellowed newspapers. As she grew closer, she was able to read the bag. It was salt.
She felt a surge of adrenalize course through her veins at her discovery. She also felt a bit of disappointment that the two men hadn’t noticed it when they were looking for another shovel, but then again, she had never been too impressed with any man’s ability to locate anything. She grabbed the heavy bag with her gloved fingers, and found it was so heavy, it slipped right through them, landing with a thud on the frozen dirt floor. She sighed and picked it up again, pleased to discover the bag was full.
Noticing the sun was starting to sink toward the horizon, she panicked a bit. She was running out of daylight. They had just passed the winter solstice, which meant it was one of the shortest days of the year. Her heart also sank at the realization that in another hour, she and James would be missing their ETA to be home and reunited with their family.
She took a deep breath and dragged the heavy bag of salt out of the shed and to the side of James’s truck, which was still completely swallowed by a huge mound of snow. Tossing the salt around the truck, especially under its tires and in the driveway leading away from the mountain, she began to imagine James scolding her for messing up his paint job if any of that salt were to come into contact with it. Oh, well, she decided, spreading the salt over the snow covering the body of the truck. Surely he’ll just be grateful to have his truck back.
While she was waiting for the salt to do its job on the truck, she used some more to make a trail to the cabin where she thought the stone path was. Then she grabbed her shovel and began to dig out around the truck tires. If I can just get inside and get it started, the heat will help melt the snow away too, she thought, patting the keys, which were
tucked safely inside her coat pocket. She cleared away a layer of ice that had turned to slush under the magic salt near the driver side door and then sprinkled more salt on the layer of ice underneath. If anyone ever wondered what a truck would look like embedded in a block of ice, this is basically it, she mused as she continued her work.
She was so determined to unearth the truck and so angry at the things Charlie had said, she barely felt the biting wind whipping around her. Her hot breath was trapped in the scarf and warmed her cheeks every time she exhaled. Her nose stung from the wind, so she tried to keep her head down, but she was fairly certain all the mucus inside her nose had frozen into tiny crystals of snot.
Every few minutes, she glanced over at the front door of the cabin. It had not escaped her notice that neither Charlie nor Zora had come out to help, or even to check on her, for that matter. She couldn’t believe how right James had been about them. Above all, she was angry with herself because she thought she was a superior judge of character. Maybe I just wanted them to be cool so badly that I ignored all the signs they weren’t, she thought, shaking her head.
Not long after that, she heard the front door crack open, and both Charlie and Zora appeared, dressed in all the gear they had been wearing when they arrived at the cabin the day before. “It’s about time,” she seethed under her breath, and for a split second she considered telling them to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. But then she realized she had a baby girl, two other children, and anxious grandparents counting on her to get home, and she needed all the help she could get.
“Oh, is that salt?” Zora asked. “Where did that come from?”
“It was in the shed!” Sarah exclaimed, looking to Charlie to gauge his reaction.
“Guess we missed that yesterday,” he admitted. “Sorry, we didn’t have a flashlight and couldn’t see a bloody thing in there!”
“Looks like you’re making good progress on it,” Zora observed, grabbing the smaller shovel that James had started with the day before. “Oh, wow, this shovel does suck!” She tried chipping away at some of the ice on the hood.
“If we can get inside the cab, there are some ice scrapers,” Sarah noted. She had nearly de-iced the driver side door.
The moment she was able to slide the key into the lock felt like sweet victory. She wiggled the door, chipping away at the ice between it and the frame, but it wouldn’t budge. Charlie gently nudged her aside and gave a hard tug, opening the door and almost sending himself flying backwards into a mound of snow. Sarah wanted to laugh, but she was too anxious to see if the engine started.
She slid onto the freezing leather seat and carefully placed the key in the ignition, praying the engine would turn over. She held her breath as she cranked the key, and when the engine roared to life, she felt tears stinging the corners of her eyes. She’d done it. She’d gotten the truck started. The hum of that engine was the sweetest sound she’d heard in a long time, and she reveled in the glorious rumbling of it while she hunted for the ice scrapers.
When she emerged from the cab with the scrapers, Zora and Charlie cheered. She couldn’t help but do a little victory dance as they cleared away the rest of the snow and ice. She glanced up and saw the deep, fiery orange bands of light glowing through the thick stand of trees that stood on the west side of the mountain like a veritable fortress, their tall figures casting purple shadows onto the vast white blanket of snow. She knew they had just enough time to get down the mountain and find James before the sun slipped away for the night.
The sun was sinking further into the deep crevices of the sister mountain to the west. James had managed to clear the icy ridge and had to trek through another thick grove of pines and aspens to descend to where he believed another cabin to be. Once he got through this forest, he knew the road was just beyond, and he was hopeful it had been cleared from that point down. It was the spot where the mountain became more densely populated, and he was sure there had to be a cell tower nearby.
The forest was dark, with narrow bands of orange light cast from the setting sun. He knew it would be brighter on the other side of the trees, but for the moment, he felt as though he were walking through a black tunnel. He began praying there was a light at the end of it. Both literal light and figurative light in the form of cell service, he thought as he kept putting one boot in front of the other.
He couldn’t believe how tired is body was. He didn’t even feel cold; it was more that his muscles were on the verge of refusing to work. With each step, his body sent a signal of protest to his brain, and after the next step, he sent back the message that he had no choice but to press onward.
Just as the sun became a red streak hugging the craggy face of the mountains to the west, James cleared the forest. When he looked down the hillside, he saw the cabin he remembered, only it wasn’t a cabin: it was a lodge. Even better! he thought, realizing he was smiling for the first time all day. This adventure is almost over, thank fuck!
He marched toward the lodge, walking right down the main road, which had indeed been cleared. For the first time since he’d set out in the morning, he felt completely relaxed, knowing he was just moments away from heat and phone service. Even if my cell phone doesn’t work, they’re sure to have a landline, he reflected happily as he trudged along.
Not wanting to wait any longer to check for a signal, he reached deep inside the pocket of his parka to retrieve his phone. He brought it out into the light, staring at it in disbelief. There, in the top right corner was the symbol for cell service. It was faint, only one bar, but it was on. He was so excited, his body suddenly filled with a rush of adrenaline, soothing his aching muscles and giving him the much-needed energy to complete his mission.
He swiped his finger across the screen to unlock it, and the phone went flying out of his hand. As soon as he felt it begin to fall, his heart seized up with panic. He leaned over the side of the road to catch it before it tumbled down the rocky side of the cliff, which was dotted with mounds of ice and snow. Instead of catching the phone, his foot caught in a small rut in the gravel roadway, no doubt caused by the elements. He went tumbling into a thick, thorny brush, bare of leaves, growing out of the cliff. His last thought was, where the fuck did my phone go? before everything went dark.
Ten: A Tiny Golden Chance
By the time Sarah packed up all of their things from the cabin so they wouldn’t need to come back up to retrieve them, Charlie and Zora had the truck defrosted and ready to go. Despite their earlier confrontation, Sarah was grateful for Charlie’s help, as she realized she would never have been able to unearth the truck by herself before dark. He didn’t mention a word of it, and Sarah had the impression that Zora was completely clueless as to what had transpired earlier.
Once they were settled in the truck, the sun had finished slipping below the mountain range to the west, leaving a dusky heather stroke of color accented by a few puffy rose-pink clouds. But soon, even those faded as Charlie, who insisted on driving, steered out of the driveway and onto where they imagined the road to be.
With the high beams on, all they could see was a thick white blanket of snow where the land was flat and pure blackness where it wasn’t. Fortunately James’s truck sat up high, and they seemed to be slowly plowing their way down, little by little. No one dared speak a word, not wanting to rattle Charlie’s concentration. Sarah hadn’t found herself in such a harrowing situation for – well, maybe not ever. She’d been in a bad accident a few years back, but she only had a moment to panic before she was plunged into darkness, waking up in the hospital after a former students’ car plowed right into her. She didn’t have time to dwell on her impending doom. At this moment, all she had was time, and it seemed to be moving at roughly the rate of a glacier.
Once they had descended a mile or two, Sarah noticed her phone had sprung to live with incoming texts and voicemails. “Oh my god, I have service!” she squealed, breaking the silence that had filled the truck cab.
“Anything from James?”
Zora questioned, her eyes never leaving the road as she grasped her husband’s knee with her hand.
Sarah scrolled through the messages and shook her head. “Mostly texts from my son, Owen, asking when we’ll be back. Charlie, will it bother you if I try to call James?”
“Go for it,” he responded, his eyes still glued to the road, or what was visible of it. All the sudden the truck came to a jerking halt.
“What’s wrong?” Sarah gasped, as she’d just looked down at her phone for one moment to dial James’s number.
“I just about drove off the bloody side of the mountain!” Charlie shouted with his hands clenching the steering wheel in a death grip. “I can’t see anything!”
He put the truck in park while he gathered his composure. “We shouldn’t be doing this, Sarah. It’s too dark. We needed to have left before sunset to make this work. We’re on a fucking death mission!”
“Just a minute. Just back up and stay right there in the middle of the road for a second,” Sarah instructed. “Let me try to call him and see where he is. Maybe he is on his way back up.”
Charlie didn’t answer, he just moved one hand from the steering wheel to his wife’s lap, where he squeezed her hand into his. They both stared at each other as if neither were brave enough to speak.
“Okay, it’s ringing,” Sarah said, holding the phone to her ear. “That means he has service.” She waited. One ring. Two rings. Three rings. It got to six rings before his voicemail kicked on. She tried to blink away the tears that formed when she heard his recorded voice begin, “This is Lieutenant James McAllister. Leave a message, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” He sounded serious and efficient, as he always did when it came to work.
Christmas in the Mountains (Mountains Series Book 4) Page 9
