Rolling onto my back, my arms flung out to either side of me, and I stared up at the sky, which I could no longer see. Overhead were thick branches and high-soaring trees.
What in the world?
The cold temperature of the snow began penetrating the hat I was wearing, so I sat up. Brushing the snow off my upper body I gazed down at myself, taking stock.
Remembering the tube, I glanced over toward the big tree, expecting to see the tube torn to shreds from the collision.
It wasn’t even there.
It must have bounced off the tree and kept going, stranding me here in the woods.
The woods!
Oh crap. What am I doing in the woods? I was supposed to be on the tubing path.
Geez. “When Romeo hears about this, I’m never going to live it down,” I muttered, struggling to stand in the deep snow. Here under the trees, it wasn’t packed like on the mountain.
“I knew I should have come along and babysat you,” I mocked in a deep voice.
“Ow!” I hissed the second I put weight on my right leg. Immediately, I leaned over to support my weight on a nearby tree and lifted the offending leg to look at.
Of course I couldn’t see anything. I had on snow pants and boots. I wasn’t about to pull off the boot to see how bad my ankle was hurt. Knowing myself, I’d probably fall down and end up rolling the rest of the way down the mountain the second I tried to pull off the boot.
Snorting at my own clumsiness, I gazed around, looking for the path. I’d just go back out into the clearing and walk the rest of the way down.
And I’d pay Liam back for the tube I lost... Heaven only knew where that thing went.
I could hear B laughing now.
I whimpered a bit as I walked forward. The pain in my ankle was hard to ignore. I did my best, favoring the injured leg, though it was hard to do when walking through snow that came up to my knees.
Thankfully, there were a lot of trees, and I used them as support as I went. Halfway to the path, I stopped for a break, leaning against the tree to catch my breath. Under my coat, I was beginning to feel hot. The exercise of walking through the heavy snow wasn’t easy.
“Guess I should hit the gym with Romeo more often,” I told myself, wrinkling my nose.
After a few minutes of rest, I pushed off the tree and started forward. “Must not be too much farther.” I assumed. “Probably just beyond those trees there,” I said, gazing at a cluster of trees not far ahead.
Shouldn’t I be able to hear the people sledding from this close?
An uneasy feeling worked its way up the back of my neck, but I continued on. This was hardly the time for that. Especially since everyone was just beyond these trees...
Limping past the cluster of trees, I stepped out onto what I thought was the mountain, expecting to see tubes gliding past and people smiling and laughing.
There was a little bit of a clearing... and it led right into more trees.
Making a distressed sound, I jogged forward a bit, stumbling onto my knees in the snow. My hands sank into the white stuff, and it made its way between my gloves and the sleeves of my coat.
“This was supposed to be the clearing,” I muttered, gazing around. “This is where my tube got knocked off the path.”
The sensitive skin on the inside of my wrists prickled with pain from the snow, but I ignored it while I looked around.
I turned to glance over my shoulder, back the way I’d been walking.
“Did I walk in the wrong direction?” I asked myself. “Was I supposed to go the other way?”
I turned back. “It was this way...”
Worry and panic slammed into me, making me doubt every single thought in my brain.
Calm down. You can’t be that far from the path. But it felt like I’d been walking forever already... and apparently in the wrong direction.
Groaning at my own stupidity, I fell back onto my butt. Brushing off the snow around my gloves and coat sleeves, I remembered my phone.
Gasping, I pulled off a glove with my teeth, dropping it into my lap. Grasping the phone, I place my finger on the sensor on the back so I could call Ivy and tell her I was in the woods.
The screen didn’t light up.
I tried again.
Still black. Instead of using the sensor, I hit the side button. That’s when I noticed the giant crack stretching across the screen. It went diagonal from top corner to bottom corner.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I grumped and hit the phone with my ungloved fingers. They stung from the cold and were already turning red, but I kept on hitting the broken screen.
How in the world did I manage to hurt my ankle, get lost in the woods, and break my phone?
Seriously, being this clumsy had to be some kind of skill.
I thought of all the pictures I had of the kids on my phone. My eyes instantly welled up with tears. Getting lost and hurt in the woods was one thing, but losing all the pictures of my babies was something else entirely.
The tear felt icy as it slid over my cheek, and it brought me back to reality. This was hardly the time to worry about this. I needed head back the way I’d come to get to the clearing.
Wiping my face, I tucked the broken phone into my coat and tugged the glove back over my hand. With a sigh, I stood and began limping back in the direction I’d come from.
By now, Ivy probably realized I’d gone off the path. She might have even seen it. The girls were probably all looking for me right now. With any luck, I could convince them all to not tell Romeo about this.
It seemed darker here under the trees. Though it was winter, they still blocked the sun, and a lot of them were large evergreens and pines that didn’t shed during the winter.
Long icicles hung off branches overhead, looking eerie yet beautiful at the same time. It felt as if I moved at a turtle’s pace, between the thick snow and my ankle, which I was pretty sure was swelling by the minute.
It was peaceful here, though, quiet and calm. The trees and snow created a buffer, silencing any kind of noise that could intrude. The sound of my breathing was labored, and though I felt like I was sweating, every breath I puffed out left a cloud of white in front of my face.
At last, I made it to the place where I fell off the tube. All the marks I’d left in the snow were still there, untouched.
Leaning against the tree, I gazed off in the direction I should have gone, frowning when all I saw was trees.
Shouldn’t the path be visible even just a little?
How far into the woods did I get?
“Ivy!” I yelled, thinking maybe she would be close enough to hear. “Ivy! I’m over here!”
When no one yelled back, I tried again. “Bellamy! Sabrina!”
Snow fell off a nearby branch, clapping onto the ground under the tree. I jumped, alarmed, then laughed at my own ridiculousness.
“Ivy!” I yelled as loud as I could.
No one answered.
After a few more moments of rest, I pushed off the tree and started in the direction I should have gone in the first place.
The clearing would be just up ahead. I knew it.
Bellamy
“She’s not down there,” I said, coming back up to where Sabrina was standing.
She gestured to Ivy, who was a short distance away, and she came running over immediately. “You didn’t find her down there?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t see her. No one down there saw her either.”
“Something’s wrong,” Ivy declared, her usually bright face darkening. Her blue eyes turned up toward the sky, which wasn’t as bright as before. It was afternoon now, and in a short while, the sun would start to dip behind the mountain.
Pulling her face back down, she chewed on her lower lip. “Rimmel would never go off by herself. If she accidentally went farther down the hill than she meant, she would have come back immediately.”
“Try her cell,” Sabrina suggested, and I nodded.
Ivy pull
ed out her phone and hit the screen. Sabrina and I watched Ivy, hoping she’d smile when Rimmel answered.
After a minute, Ivy pulled the phone away from her ear. “It went straight to voicemail.” After another worried gaze around the mountain, she met my eyes. “Something’s wrong.”
I nodded. “Okay, well, she couldn’t have gotten far. Maybe she accidentally went off the path and into the woods.”
Ivy’s eyes widened. “Of course! She’s probably just over in the trees. I hope she’s not hurt.”
“Sometimes being in the trees over there is disorienting. Especially in the snow. Everything looks the same. It’s easy to get turned around.” Sabrina reasoned.
“I’m going to look,” Ivy declared and jogged off.
When she was out of earshot, Sabrina turned to me. “Should we be worried?”
“Not yet,” I answered. “You know people go off the path a lot. It’s probably fine.”
She nodded, and we both set off after Ivy.
The three of us searched in the trees for nearly thirty minutes, and every minute that stretched on that we saw no signs of Rimmel, the more anxious we all became. Especially Ivy.
“We should call Liam,” I said quietly, going to Sabrina’s side.
The worry I felt was reflected in her eyes when they met mine. “I think you’re right. Liam and Alex know this place better than anyone. They could find her easier than us.”
“Did you find her?” Ivy yelled from across the way, noting we had our heads together.
We both looked up and shook our heads. Ivy came over, her eyes wide.
“There’s no sign of her, and we have no idea if we are even looking in the right section of woods. She could have gone off farther up or down the mountain.”
Guilt ate at me. I shouldn’t have suggested the long run. After seeing the way all the guys debated about Rimmel even going out in the snow, I should have been more careful.
“Maybe she’s already back out in the clearing at the spot we’re supposed to meet. Maybe she found her way out while we were here searching.”
A hopeful look came over Ivy, and she nodded. The strands of the blond hair layered beneath her chin were all wet from the snow, and her lips were pale from cold, but she didn’t seem to even notice. “Let’s go!”
She rushed off, and we went after her.
“It’s this way!” I called when she started in the wrong direction.
Ivy backtracked, and the three of us went back out onto the tubing slope.
Rimmel wasn’t there.
Ivy began ringing her hands. “Oh my God. She’s been out there by herself for over an hour already. What if she’s lost? Or hurt!”
“I’m going to go get Liam and Alex. They know this mountain like the back of their hand. The more people we have out searching the better.”
Ivy made a choked sound. “Oh God, Romeo.” She moaned. “He’s going to lose his mind.” Her lower lip wobbled, and she sniffled. “Braeden is going to be livid.”
“Yeah...” My voice trailed away. “I kinda got the impression they’re just as hotheaded as Liam.”
“You have no idea,” Ivy mumbled.
“We can’t help that now. The most important thing is finding Rimmel before it gets dark,” Sabrina said.
I agreed. “C’mon, let’s go.”
Ivy gasped, offended. “I can’t leave!”
I blinked.
“There is no way I’m walking off this mountain without my sister. If she’s lost out here, there is no way I’m going to just walk away.”
“We’ll come right back with help.” I promised.
Ivy gazed back at the woods. “You both go. I’ll stay here and keep searching.”
“You can’t,” I said. “You might get lost, too.”
Ivy’s shoulders slumped, but then resolve entered her eyes. Inner strength shone out, and for the first time, I got the impression that Ivy Walker was way more than just a beautiful, friendly face. This girl had faced demons... and won.
“That’s my sister we’re talking about. My niece and nephews’ mother. I’m not leaving.”
“I’ll stay, too,” Sabrina offered. “I know the mountain well enough that we won’t get too far from the slope here.”
I frowned. I didn’t like this.
Sabrina grabbed my wrist and smiled. “It will be okay. Just go. I have my phone, and so does Ivy. Just come back with help.”
Reluctant, I nodded. “Don’t go too far into the woods.”
Sabrina nodded.
“I’m searching farther up,” Ivy said, starting up the hill. “I should have paid better attention to her while she was going down the mountain.” She scolded herself, anxiety and fear in her voice.
My stomach cramped, and Sabrina patted me on the arm. She smiled at me before heading off after Ivy, and without delay, I ran toward the ski slopes.
Luckily, six large athletic men were not easily missed on the slopes. Actually, they’d drawn a crowd. Well, that and Liam was still the best snowboarder to ever grace this mountain. The second he crested over the hill above, executing a full turn in the air before landing back on the ground, I knew I’d found them.
Rushing over, I planted my feet in the snow and waved both arms, hoping to catch his attention. After a moment, his board turned toward me, and he gestured toward Alex who was nearby on a pair of skis.
Snow flew up in a tidal wave when Liam came to a stop, his grin taking up the entire lower half of his face.
“Bells, did you miss me?” he asked, pushing the snow goggles onto his head.
“Liam,” I said, partially out of breath.
His face changed immediately, and Alex stiffened as well.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded.
Alex’s icy eyes swept the area behind me. “Where’s Brina?”
“She’s okay.” I assured him immediately. I wished I was able to do the same for our visiting friends.
“What about Rimmel and Ivy?” Liam demanded. He was already pulling his feet off the board like he knew he was going to be in a hurry.
“We think Rimmel got lost in the woods. Her tube must’ve gone off the path... We can’t find her.”
Liam let out a low curse and spun, finding the four guys who had their own little fan club standing watch. He whistled and gestured for them.
Instantly, four men broke away from the crowd and skied adeptly over to where we waited.
Romeo stopped first, followed by Drew, Braeden, and then Trent. The second the metallic blue goggles were off Romeo’s eyes, they narrowed. “Where’s everyone else?”
It was as if Romeo’s instant intensity jumpstarted everyone else’s. Braeden shouldered forward to stand at Romeo’s side, and then the other two guys moved up until the four of them created a solid, towering wall of strength.
“They’re over on the tubing hill,” I said, my voice shaky.
Liam stepped in front of me, blocking me from sight and the intensity of Romeo’s family. I wanted to roll my eyes and push him out of the way because I wasn’t scared of these guys... but suddenly, I did feel afraid.
My God, Rimmel is lost in the woods.
We couldn’t find her, and now I was going to have to tell her family...
“Just remember to remain calm.” Liam began.
Romeo laughed a hollow sound. “If you gotta start off with that, you better just spit it out.”
“Rimmel’s tube went off into the woods, and the girls are having a hard time finding her.”
“What!” all of the guys yelled at once.
I peeked around Liam to see them all tense and shocked.
“Did you just say my wife is lost on this mountain?” Romeo said, his voice eerily calm and low.
Braeden laid a hand on his shoulder, and on either side of them, Trent and Drew seemed to close ranks.
Not wanting to incite a panic, I leapt around Liam. “It happens sometimes. People get turned around in the trees because there’s no way to tell which way th
e clearing is. I’m sure we’ll find her. We just thought...” I paused, glancing at Liam. “You two know the woods really well.”
“How long you been looking for her?” Braeden asked, his voice harsh.
“Not long.” I began.
“How long?” Romeo yelled.
“Watch it,” Liam grumbled.
I put a hand on his chest. There was no time for this. Of course Romeo was upset.
“We searched for thirty minutes. Before that, we waited around a while before we realized she wasn’t going to be meeting us where we said...”
“So what, an hour?” Drew surmised.
I nodded.
Romeo left the snowboard where it lay and went running off toward the tubing hill. Braeden and the rest of his brothers were right behind him.
Almost immediately, Trent stopped and turned back to me. “Don’t take offense. Romeo didn’t mean to yell at you. He’s just irrational when it comes to Rimmel. We know this was just an accident.”
I nodded. “I know.” I glanced at Liam and Alex. “I have some experience with men like that.”
Trent didn’t smile. Instead, he went running after the rest of his family.
I glanced at Liam.
“I’m going to get the helo in the air while there’s still light.”
Alex nodded. “I’ll go on the ground since I know the area.”
“I’ll keep looking.” I started forward.
Liam grabbed my wrist. “No, you’re coming with me.”
I spun back. “What? I should help look!”
“Your lips are nearly blue, and I can feel you shaking under your coat. You’ve already been searching, and you’re exhausted. You’re coming with me.”
“Liam—”
“Bells,” he growled. “Don’t argue with me.”
I relented because we didn’t have time for this. I wouldn’t win. I could tell by the look on his face. Just knowing Romeo’s wife was currently missing was way more than enough for him to hold on to me even tighter than usual.
“Where’s Brina?”
“She stayed with Ivy because she refused to leave Rimmel.” The first rush of emotion rose in my voice. Seeing all the men so concerned was making my calm fade.
Alex nodded and skied off in the direction everyone else went.
#Vacay Page 5
