From afar, she heard her name, the twin calls of two men. Slowly, as the shock faded, a fit of laughter took its place. Jess rolled onto her back and laughed so hard tears ran from her eyes.
Derrick and Yrian reached her seconds later, Derrick pushing his palms down on his knees to catch his breath. All she could do was laugh and laugh.
“It’s not funny,” Derrick said. “You could have broken an arm or a leg or bumped your head and killed yourself.”
Jess clutched her tummy. “Sorry.” She swallowed another bout of giggles. “That was so much fun.”
Yrian regarded her, his lips lifting in one corner. He offered her a hand. “Come on.”
She grabbed his wrist and allowed him to pull her up. “I haven’t laughed this much in I don’t know how long.”
Yrian brushed the snow from her hair, chuckling. “Next time, warn me if you plan on pulling any flying reindeer moves.”
Jess was going to apologize to Derrick for giving him a fright, but he had turned his back on them and was already making his way down the invisible path.
* * * *
As if on cue, it started snowing when they arrived at the lumber station. Instead of hiking the rest of the way down, they hitched a ride on the back of a truck filled with tree stumps, which gained Jess a splinter in her bruised backside. They headed for the backpackers accommodation in the valley, but when they arrived at the building, it was closed for renovations.
“There’s a hotel not far from here,” Yrian said. “It’ll take us forty minutes on foot to get there.”
Derrick looked around. “We passed a farm a few miles back. There was a barn.”
“A barn?” Jess said in a shrill voice.
“We’ve spent most of our budget on the cable car tickets. But if you’re willing to dig into tomorrow’s allowance, by all means, let’s go for the hotel.”
“You’re right,” Jess said quickly. She pointed up the road. “It was this way, right?”
Yrian shook his head. “I’m going to the hotel.”
Derrick’s answer was to start walking back in the direction from which they had come.
“Wait up!” Jess scurried after him, blinking through the snowflakes.
One minute she was trudging through slush, and the next her feet flew from under her. With a shriek and a thwack, she landed on her back in the mushy snow.
“Ouch.” She flinched. This wasn’t good for her already battered body.
Derrick turned and pulled his brows together in that way that told her he was annoyed. It was only their first day, and he was already irritated. He made his way back to her, but Yrian reached her first.
“You alright?” Yrian took her arms and dragged her to her feet.
“Yeah.” No complaining. She looked down at her soaked dirty jeans.
“Jess, you’re a klutz.” Derrick wiped the flakes from his face. “Think we can make it to the barn without you falling again?”
“Sorry,” she mumbled, flushing a little.
“You stepped on ice.” Yrian patted her shoulder. “Come on. You look cold. Let’s get you to the barn.”
“Like three wise men,” she said under her breath, soft enough so Derrick wouldn’t hear.
“More like Mary and Joseph and one wise man,” Yrian corrected.
“Since you’re claiming to be the only wise one around here, lead the way.”
Secretively she was glad Yrian wasn’t abandoning them. Since he knew this country like the back of his hand, she felt safer having him around. Derrick sometimes took uncalculated risks. Yrian was the balance their team needed.
She noticed that Yrian slowed his pace as he fell in next to her. This time she studied the ground, making sure she wasn’t going to leave her name behind in the mud again. A stifled laugh made her look up. Yrian was obviously trying hard not to give sound to his guffaw.
Jess punched him on the arm. “What’s so funny?”
The suppressed cackle escaped. With a guilty glance in her direction, Yrian pursed his lips tightly, only for the chortle to burst through in a splatter a second later.
Despite herself, Jess giggled. “It’s not funny.”
He swallowed his laughter with much difficulty. “Not at all.” He ruffled her curls. “We’ll get you a hat tomorrow.”
* * * *
The barn wasn’t far from the road. Jess eyed the simple wooden structure warily. It wasn’t the dirtiness or the darkness that had her pausing. It was the noise coming from inside. Cows.
Derrick scanned their surroundings. “No one.” He lifted the handle and pushed the door open.
It took all of Jess’s self-control not to protest as the smell of manure hit her nostrils. Pinching them shut, she followed behind the men.
Derrick secured the door again and switched on his torchlight. “Great. There’s hay.”
They found a corner away from the hooves of the beasts and spread their sleeping bags out on the thin layer of fodder that covered the concrete. A fire would have been welcome. Jess’s teeth chattered. Her tummy rumbled, reminding her that her last meal had been lunch on the train. The cattle balked and milled at the disturbance in their domain.
“They won’t trample us?” Jess said, shooting a worried glance in their direction.
Derrick chortled. “They’re tame. They’ll get used to our smell in a second.” He rummaged through his bag, and took out chocolate bars and biltong, which he handed around. “Dinner.”
She took it gratefully. Yrian contributed dried fruit and bottles of water to the meal. After they had eaten, Derrick slipped into his sleeping bag and crossed his arms behind his head.
He let out a contented sigh. “Good night, everyone. Sleep tight, girl. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.”
Jess scoffed at his mocking tone. There were probably all kinds of insects flittering around in the straw. Yrian got to his feet and stretched. In the light of his torch Jess saw him remove his hiking boots before stripping his pants, T-shirt and jersey until he faced her in nothing but a pair of boxer shorts.
She finally managed to look away, but Yrian seemed oblivious of her unabashed gawking. In her defense, she had never seen a bigger set of muscles. From the corner of her eye, she saw him drape his pants over a nearby rail. She didn’t turn her head back again until he stopped in front of her with an outstretched arm.
“Give me your wet clothes. They’ll dry somewhat overnight.”
That was exactly her intention. To remove her freezing pants. But she wasn’t giving him a show.
“Turn around.”
He shook his head as if he found her amusing but folded his arms and did as she instructed. As fast as she could, she took off her boots and shed the wet jeans and socks. At least her heavy-duty snow jacket was watertight, so her jersey and thermal T-shirt were dry. She draped her wet garments next to his and scuttled into her sleeping bag next to Derrick, who was already snoring softly.
“Ready,” she said when she had zipped up her bag.
Yrian was scarcely in his sleeping bag, his flashlight still on, when Jess heard scurrying accompanied by a soft peep.
“Shh,” she said urgently.
“What’s up?” Yrian frowned.
“I heard something.” She listened for the sound, but the mystery was solved when a rat crossed the floor and ran over the bottom end of her bag.
“Eeek!” Jess pulled her knees up to her chin.
Her yelp woke Derrick. He shot up. “What’s going on?”
“A rat! There’s a rat.” She pointed at the tail disappearing from the circle of light that fell from Yrian’s torch.
“I was just drifting off,” Derrick complained. “There’ll be many. Don’t worry, girl. They won’t bite. Come here.” He opened his arms.
Jess moved her bag close to his, settling down in his embrace. Phew. She hadn’t complained. Feeling proud of herself, she relaxed a bit, knowing she was safe with Derrick. He wouldn’t let anything get her. Even if she was exhausted, she was certain
she wasn’t going to close an eye. Not with the cattle and the smell of cow dung and the noise of rats. A few seconds after she closed her eyes, she drifted into an exhausted sleep.
* * * *
Derrick nudged her awake. “Got to get going.” He sat up and pulled his shoes on before fetching her clothes from the rail.
Her underwear had dried on her body during the night, but the jeans and wool socks were stiff and cold from damp. She put them in a plastic bag and managed to dress in her dry clothes while Yrian wasn’t looking. He had already pushed the door open to let daylight in. The cows bawled restlessly, some getting to their feet.
She was fastening the button on her jeans when Derrick whistled through his teeth, his hand lifting her T-shirt. “Whoa, girl, quite a bruise you’ve got there.”
She turned and saw an angry blue mark spreading over her hip. “At least I haven’t broken anything.”
“Don’t jinx us by saying it out loud,” Derrick warned.
Suddenly seeming guilty, he took her backpack. “I’ll pack this for you. Go ahead, and brush your teeth.” They could see Yrian outside, pumping water into a trough, white foam around his mouth. “It’ll make you feel better.”
Armed with her toothbrush and toothpaste, Jess walked to the well. Yrian started pumping water for her. She cupped her hand and washed her face with the icy water before brushing her teeth. When she had rinsed her mouth and toothbrush, she wiped her mouth on her sleeve.
Yrian leaned on the wooden trough. “What’s this test between the two of you?”
“Derrick wants to see if I can make it to Lapland without complaining or going over our budget.”
He smiled, but a frown tugged at his brow. “Why?”
Derrick exited with their backpacks. “To see if I’ll marry her.”
When he put it like that, it sounded a bit cold. Jess was about to explain, but loud yelling from the edge of the forest made the three of them turn in unison. A man dressed in dungarees came running toward them, waving his arms. The screaming was angry, and in one hand, he carried a shotgun.
“Bummer,” Derrick said. “Run!” He threw Jess’s backpack at her, almost knocking her down.
Miraculously, she managed to pull on the heavy pack halfway in the run. Yrian adjusted the other strap over her shoulder, and each man grabbed a hand and hauled her along until they reached the road. The upset farmer stopped at the barn, not chasing them any longer, but his furious words still caught up with them.
Derrick and Yrian barked with laughter. Jess grabbed their sleeves. “Come on, guys. I don’t feel like getting shot today.”
They were still snorting with laughs by the time they reached the train station. Never before had a cup of instant coffee and oatmeal biscuits tasted so good. They ate on the train in the diner wagon and got off three and a half hours later in Berne.
Yrian checked his watch. “We have an hour before our train leaves. Come.” He headed down a road lined with shops advertising snow equipment.
“Where are we going?” Derrick said.
“To get your woman some gear.”
He pushed the door of a store open and ushered them inside. Yrian greeted the owner, walked straight to a shelf, and took down fuchsia snow pants and a pink beanie.
“Here.” He handed them to Jess.
She looked at the colors. “Do they have black?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “You mean these aren’t your shades?”
“Why would you say that?”
Yrian’s eyes traveled from the pink bandana around her neck to her pink socks and Hi-Tecs with the dark pink inlay and pink shoelaces.
“He’s got you.” Derrick laughed. “Give it up, girl.”
Derrick hated pink. She didn’t want to stand out like a sore thumb for the rest of the trip.
“Get a move on,” Yrian said. “We’ve got a train to catch.”
Jess took the garments to the till. Her palm slid over the fabric of the pants. It was a really pretty color. A pair of sunglasses that dropped on her bundle made her look up quickly.
“Take those, too,” Yrian said.
“I packed a pair.”
“Those have yellow lenses. It’ll help to see the snow bumps, so you don’t fall over them.”
She narrowed her eyes at the jab, but she saw only real concern in Yrian’s gaze before he strode away.
* * * *
The train trip from Berne to the Island of Fehmarn off the coast of Germany took ten hours during which they covered six hundred and fifty miles. Another one thousand three hundred lay ahead of them before they would reach Kiruna in the north of Sweden. In Fehmarn they boarded a ferry, and once on Swedish shore, they boarded another train to Stockholm.
They had just enough money left for a decent meal and board at a backpackers lodge. After washing and drying Jess’s clothes at the Laundromat, they dropped their backpacks in the dorm they’d share with thirty people for the night, took their money and passports and headed into town for dinner.
“Gosh,” Jess looked around in awe, “Stockholm is so beautiful.”
She imagined the green copper of the towers, now hidden by caps of white snow. There were needle-high ones, round domes like upside-down basins and metal cones.
“Wow.” Jess stopped. Flakes floated down gently, covering the trees, the ground and even the people. She stuck out her tongue and tried to catch a few.
“What are you doing?” Derrick said. “It’s freezing. Let’s move on.”
Jess slowly turned in a circle, her arms stretched out and her palms turned to the sky. “Oh, Derrick. This is amazing.”
Yrian laughed softly. “It really is your first time.”
“It’s magic,” she said. “Come on, Derrick. Try it.”
“It’s childish.” Derrick looked around. “People are staring.”
Jess closed her eyes and turned faster. “I don’t care. We’re in Sweden. In the snow!”
In her imagination, she heard music, beautiful chimes like the drift of the powder sifting from the sky. All she wanted was to dance to it.
Thump. Her enchantment was abruptly broken by a soft blow to her head. Opening her eyes, she saw Yrian standing in the middle of the walkway with a snowball in one hand.
She glared at him. “You didn’t just–”
Flop. The second one hit her on the shoulder. This was war. She kept her eye on the enemy, measuring his relaxed stance, his thumbs now hooked into the waistband of his pants.
Before he had time to predict her move, she scooped up a handful of snow and threw it at him. Yrian was a step ahead of her. He knew exactly what she had planned because he ducked to the side, effortlessly escaping the assault.
Derrick was already at the end of the lane, waiting for the light to change to cross the road. She made as if to catch up. When Yrian followed her example with a huge grin, his back turned to her; she bent down and rolled a mean, hard ball. Excitement coursing through her, she ran up to him softly. When her target was at close range, she projected her cannonball and hit a bull’s eye between his shoulder blades.
Yrian stopped. He turned slowly, disbelief lacing his eyes. His lips twisted into an expression that spelled only one thing. Trouble.
She sprinted as fast as she could, trying to dodge past him. “Derrick, help!”
Before she cleared a safe path, Yrian grabbed her around the waist and tackled her to the ground. She kicked and yelled, laughter piercing her screams. He held her down with one hand, gathering a ball of snow with the other.
“You wouldn’t dare,” she said, following his hand with her eyes as it lifted. “That’s not fair.”
Yrian laughed. “Oh, yes? You started this.”
“You did!”
“You played dirty first.”
Derrick’s form appeared behind Yrian. He grabbed the guide’s bulky arm. “Hey, buddy, let her go.”
There was a moment of tenseness. The playfulness evaporated, and the snow falling around her suddenly felt thick.
Jess stopped her struggling, and Yrian paused his attack. His arm went slack. He released Jess, allowing Derrick to help her up. Then he smacked Derrick between the eyes with a handful of snow.
Derrick stood there like a melting snowman, slosh dripping from his nose and chin. Jess stifled a laugh. Derrick gathered the snow from his hair and threw it to the ground. He shook his fingers while his eyes threw daggers at Yrian.
“I think we’re a bit old for this kind of play.”
Without another word, he stomped off. Yrian shrugged and made big eyes, pointing with his thumb at Derrick.
“He’s always been serious,” Jess said.
“Okay.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
The restaurant was warm and lit with candles. A fire blazed in the hearth. They could see it from the open arch connecting the dining room and the kitchen.
“This is one of my favorite spots,” Yrian said as they took one of the five tables.
Derrick looked around. “Can we get a menu? I’m starving.”
“There aren’t any. It’s a fondue restaurant.”
Jess squealed. “I love fondue.”
“The cheese one is great.”
“I’m allergic to dairy,” Derrick said, disgruntled.
“Oh.” Yrian didn’t offer to go somewhere else as Jess expected him to. “You can have the meat.” He turned to Jess. “What would you like to drink?”
“Wine?” She looked at Derrick. “Red?”
“I’m having a beer. But you can have a bottle if you don’t mind using tomorrow’s budget.”
Jess opened her mouth, but Yrian said, “My treat,” eliciting a killer look from Derrick.
Too hungry to object, Jess smiled at him in gratitude. She couldn’t have a cheese fondue without a glass of red wine.
When the bottle Yrian ordered came, Jess studied the dusty label. It was from a vineyard she didn’t recognize. French maybe.
Derrick and Yrian cracked open their beers and made a toast on the week of adventure that lay ahead. After their second beer, the earlier animosity was gone. A waitress placed a cheese fondue between Yrian and Jess, and a pot of oil with pieces of meat in front of Derrick.
Frozen: A Winter Romance Anthology Page 2
