by Jen Greyson
Packing for this trip, I planned on leaning on Jeremy and his entourage for resources. I didn’t have excess lying around the apartment, and okay, maybe leaving without my boots wasn’t the best oversight, but I had checked the forecast, and figured I could handle a few inches of snow. My weak attempt at layering wasn’t working to keep me warm at all, although maybe putting lace over my cute tank didn’t really count, but Jeremy and I had a plan, dammit! If I needed anything while we were here, someone from Camp Jeremy was supposed to grab it. I’d never relied on anyone like that before, but he’d promised to take care of everything while I finished finals. I wasn’t about to ever do it again, that was for darn sure.
Watching Teague’s dark head bent over the twisted mass of chains, I focused on wiggling my toes to keep them from freezing off.
I couldn’t believe how badly this was turning out, and it didn’t help at all that the cutest geek I’d met in a long time was draped across a cold concrete floor, covered in snow and sawdust extracting me from my first botched solo protest.
I sighed and itched my nose, making the manacle from the handcuff slip down and pinch my forearm.
“Dammit!” Teague cussed and sat up, ducking to avoid one of the metal spikes sticking out from the saw. He glanced up and glared at me before unclipping his phone, managing to still look sexy. “Carl?”
“Yeah.”
“I need help. I can’t even get her out of the first twist of chain.”
“Two minutes.”
Teague tossed the bolt cutters across the floor and they landed near my feet. I almost apologized, but consoled myself thinking about all the wood they weren’t able to cut while the saw stayed out of commission. Snow swirled over my toes, but I wasn’t ready to admit that the storm might be contributing. Another wind gust rattled through the mill, making me shudder and my teeth chatter.
“Did you just shiver?”
“No.”
His gaze slipped down to my feet. “Did you even bring anything other than sandals?” The incredulity in his voice echoed off the silent walls.
“Maybe.” Why do I care if he thinks I’m a fool and horrible at packing?
“Good grief.” He stood and shrugged out of his jacket, dropping it over my shoulders. It was still warm from his body and felt good. A sigh escaped my lips and he inhaled sharply.
“Dammit.” He adjusted his glasses and rubbed my arms brusquely. I bit my lip to keep from moaning, but his fingers on my body—even to warm me up—felt sinfully good. “You’re going to freeze to death.”
“I’m f–f–fine.” I clamped my lips shut, but they still quivered.
Carl materialized from the swirling white wall of snow at the end of the mill. He stomped his feet and shook his hair. “Whew. It’s a-comin’ down.”
He strode over and the two men stared at the chain, then Carl tipped his gaze up to me. “Fine mess ya’ got there, miss, a fine mess indeed.”
I looked away.
“What’d ya’ try already?” he asked.
“Everything.” Teague swept his hand over the pile of tools, a scowl darkening his face.
“Yep. Can see she’s got that chain twisted so tight ya’ can’t ‘neven get them cutters in.”
Teague shook his head. “I figured if I cut her loose, we could deal with the chain later.”
“Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. ’Bout right.” He looked at me. “Picked the best chain ya’ could.”
I shrugged.
Teague put his hands on his hips and glared at the chains. “We could call Steve, but I know he’ll be tied up already because of the snow.”
“I could meet him somewheres.”
“Who’s Steve?” I asked.
Carl scratched his ear, dislodging his hat. “Sheriff.”
Teague glanced at me over Carl’s stooped back. “He’ll at least have keys for your cuffs.”
“Oh.” How else did I think this was going to end? My eyes darted to my bag. Even though I could keep Steve out of this whole mess, I couldn’t just surrender. I couldn’t. Even though they were going to find a way to get me out of this, I had to make every minute count.
Carl straightened. “You want me to call him?”
“Yeah. I’ll keep working on this.” He waved his hands over me and the chains.
Carl stopped at the end of the mill and examined the wall. “These doors close?”
Teague didn’t look up. “Probably, but I haven’t tried this decade. Not sure we have time to find out.”
Carl shrugged and disappeared beyond the big opening, as if swallowed whole by a giant white whale.
I blew on my hands, then tucked them back under my arms and ducked deeper into Teague’s jacket. I shifted as much as I could with my feet still trapped.
Teague crab-walked under the saw and crouched beneath me. Snow covered his hair and soaked the shoulders of his shirt.
I should apologize.
He curled his fingers around my ankle, one barely warmer than the other, yet I shivered from the contact. Drops of icy water splattered across the tops of my feet as they ran off his hair and nose. I was starting to think maybe this hadn’t been the best idea after all. Rocking back on his heels, he tipped his face up. “So, Ms. Cassidy, since we have a minute, why don’t you tell me what you hoped to accomplish with your little stunt.”
I bit my lip, feeling bad now that I he was the one embroiled in my hasty plan. But I couldn’t help it if his family was part of a horrible industry. I’d already wished that we’d met under different circumstances, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it now. Karma really was a bitch. I focused on why I’d come, and what I knew about the horrors of logging before I’d met him and his super sexy body. “Jeremy and I were just going to stand outside and picket, but then when you got me on-site, this seemed like a better approach.”
“To what?”
I stood straighter and ignored what that dimple in his chin did to the warm spot below my belly button. “To call attention to the destruction of logging.”
He laughed and stood, spinning around with his arms out. “Yep, lot of attention going on here.” There was an angry tone to his voice. He dropped his arms in a huff of frustration. “Attention I should be spending elsewhere.”
“I didn’t know about the storm.” His frustration was having the wrong effect on me. I wanted Senior to be dealing with all this hassle because he was the one who’d been destroying forests for years, not Junior. I liked Junior. I sucked on my bottom lip. I liked Junior far more than I should for an effective protest.
“Doesn’t seem like you knew about a lot of things. Like how to protest, and how to get yourself tied to a saw—”
“That I did pretty well.”
“Until you needed to get out.”
“I don’t.” I didn’t need him telling me what a moron I was. I was perfectly clear that this could have gone better, but I was managing to keep logs from getting cut and that was what mattered here. My comfort was secondary.
“You can’t stay like this.”
“If you cut me out, you’ll go back to logging and this will have been for nothing! At least if I can stay another couple of hours, someone will pick up the story.”
“No. They won’t.” His arms slapped his sides. “The only story coming out of here is how some idiot in a skirt tied herself to a saw in a blizzard and died.”
I swallowed and fought the tears of frustration. This wasn’t going well at all. They were closing the mill because of the storm, not because of anything I’d done, and I’d better come to terms with that because that meant they were going to start it back up the first chance they got and nothing I did would have made a difference. Rendering my entire trip useless because Jeremy hadn’t come and done the things he’d promised me. If I’d have handled this protest from the beginning it would have been a completely different story. I was so mad at myself for wasting my time and Teague’s time, and for blowing what could have been a huge opportunity, along with my entire bank account
.
Teague’s phone rang. This time he held it to his ear and glared while he listened. Clipping it back on his belt, he sighed. “I’m out of options. Sheriff is fifteen miles out, and Carl can’t get to him until the road is plowed.”
I glanced at my bag as a huge shiver shook me and clacked my teeth together. It was time to call it. I was going to have to live to fight another day. And possibly kick Jeremy right in the nuts.
Dammit.
“If I tell you how to get me out, will you promise to listen to my argument about logging?”
“Christmas, yes!”
“Grab my bag.”
Teague jogged over and plucked it off the floor and brushed the snow off.
“There’s a tiny pocket on the inside…”
He unzipped it and held up the tiny handcuff key. “Are you kidding me?”
“I didn’t want to have to use it.”
Teague’s face changed and he looked very much like his old man. With a glare, he leaned over and slipped the key in the handcuffs, popping them both open and freeing my feet.
I wobbled. Teague grabbed my hand as he straightened and yanked me against his chest. “Let’s go.” This time not a single good feeling of desire swept through me at the contact. Whipping around, he pulled me into the storm.
I glanced longingly at the saw, which compared to the set of Teague’s jaw, promised a much kinder bite.
Three
“Wait!” I tugged his arm. “You said you’d listen.”
He didn’t answer. Snowflakes the size of quarters pelted me from every angle in a relentless downpour. I felt like I was in a pillow fight with ten thousand tiny assailants. Night had fallen quickly, and I couldn’t see anything through the thick snow. Even Teague’s outline blurred around the edges.
He dragged me away from the mill through several inches of snow, and each step covered my sandals in the icy fluff.
“You lied to me.”
Teague unclipped his phone and yelled into it, “Carl. I have her. We’re leaving. The entire yard is empty.”
“Good. City hall just called. The shipment of heating fuel got detained in Anchorage. On top of that, they’ve doubled snow totals.”
I glanced around at the yard, noting for the first time it really was empty. All the bustle from earlier was now graveyard silent. My feet were invisible beneath at least a foot of snow. If they were doubling this to two feet, that would surely immobilize the entire town.
“Damn. Okay, keep me posted on both. Find out who’s running short and let’s make sure they’re taken care of. Any idea when they’re sending it?”
“No. Not until the storm blows over and we can plow the airstrip.”
“Ten-four.” Teague growled and cursed and stomped us across the yard. He stopped next to a huge gray truck with an enormous wedge of metal on the front that must be for moving snow. I tried to look up at him, but snowflakes covered my lashes and one flew right in my eye. He tugged the passenger side door open. “Get in.”
I tried to look around for the Prius. Where was he sending me? I didn’t want to get stuck with Carl or his secretary or someone else. Twisting my head to the right, I lifted his jacket over my head until I could see his face through the flakes. “You said you’d listen.”
“Get in.”
“No. Not until you tell me where you’re sending me and why you lied.”
“Do you see this?” He raised his palms and they instantly filled with snow. “I’m getting you out of here.”
I looked at the truck. “In this?”
“Of course in this. Either give me my jacket back, or get in.”
I couldn’t feel my feet anymore, and the flakes were soaking my skirt, but I knew this moment was my last chance to make a stand and use my last remaining inch of leverage. If I got in this truck, I was completely at his mercy and he could just stash me in a closet until the airport opened again. I’d successfully protested before and I had to salvage this one. “Teague—”
He sighed and his look of exasperation almost made me give in and pursue the topic inside the truck and out of the cold. “If I wanted to abandon you, I wouldn’t have wasted all that time cutting you loose. Please… Get… In.”
I stared at him, then crawled up in the tall truck. My foot slipped on the snowy step, and Teague heaved me in with a hand on my soaked behind. He slammed the door and I stomped my feet against the floorboard until the ache made me give up and brush the snow covering my clothes. Most of the flakes melted into the fabric, pressing it against my skin and setting off a bone-chilling shiver. I would have thought all the insulation from my extra chub would have kept me warmer, but so far that was proving to be a giant lie.
A gust of snow barreled in the cab with Teague, covering me again. He cranked the engine and twisted the knobs for the windshield wipers and heater, then sank back into the seat. He lifted a wet finger and pointed toward the dash. “That switch is your seat heater.”
I fumbled with the lever, willing my fingers to work. Teague caught my fingers in his own icy hand, held them, then gave them back with a short thrust. He flipped both switches, and a surge of heat emanated from the seat, bathing my wet bottom in warmth. I sighed.
I should be battering Teague with my speech on logging, but my brain was too focused on the heat radiating through my body. As soon as I stopped shaking, I’d let him have it.
Teague pulled his glasses off and wiped them against the damp tail of his shirt, smearing the snow.
“Here.” I leaned over and took the glasses. Unraveling my scarf, I found a dry corner and cleaned the lenses, then handed them over.
We sat in silence while the cab heated up and snow battered the windows.
“So now what?” I asked, half-afraid of the answer.
“Now we go home.”
“I thought you said there weren’t any planes.”
“Nope.”
The situation hung in the cab between us, waiting for me to grasp his meaning. I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
“Is there a hotel?”
He smirked. “Nope.”
No plane, no hotel. My gaze jerked nervously to the white expanse of nothing, and I tried to remember what I’d seen in town before Teague had picked me up. Jeremy’s weak intel hadn’t included anything about the town, but I could bet my last granola bar that there wasn’t a youth hostel within a million miles. I tamped down the uneasy feeling building in my stomach. This was getting worse by the minute. “I need to get home,” I whispered to the droplets condensing on my window.
“Oh trust me, you’re on the first plane out of here.” He sounded really mad at me.
I didn’t want to hear the answer, but asked anyway. “When will that be?”
Teague glanced out the window. “We’ll guess again once it stops, but right now, I’d say next Wednesday is a safe bet.”
“Next Wednesday!” Goodbye return ticket. It was easy for Jeremy to let money go to waste, but I didn’t have it to spare. Mom and dad were already going to kick my patoot when they figured out what I’d done with next semester’s book money.
Teague slipped the truck in reverse and turned the wheel. “Welcome to Bear Ridge, sweetheart.”
I sank deeper into the seat and watched the snow pile on the window.
Bathed in nearly a foot of white powder, the yard looked pristine. White castles of logs rose from the far edge, flanked by precision-cut and stacked planks on the western edge. Two hundred yards of untouched road stretched across front of the office and administration buildings, their dark windows watching the swirling war of snowy soldiers. What should have been a wondrous setting filled me with dread and sorrow. My emotions were so depleted from today’s roller coaster that I decided to leave the argument for another day.
Apparently I was going to have several coming up.
Hopefully Teague would stick close to whatever prison he was going to stash me in so I could plead my arguments.
At the main gate, Teague coasted to a stop a
nd looked left and right.
“Something wrong?”
“I’m wrestling with the idea of leaving the gate unlocked. I’ve never done that before—never even considered it.”
I wasn’t sure why he was telling me that, maybe because I’d circumvented his security today and he wanted to know it wouldn’t happen again.
“This storm came in swiftly. I’m worried that there are unprepared folks.”
“Does that have anything to do with the heating fuel that got delayed?”
“Yeah. That’s what most people heat their houses with. If I leave the yard open, they’ll have the option to burn wood until the oil gets here.”
I didn’t want to know that these log carcasses might be helping someone out. Before I could come up with a witty retort, Teague got out and drew the rolling gate closed. I couldn’t really see what he was doing, but as he looped the chain through the gate, the padlock was obviously unhooked.
By the time he climbed back into the cab, he was soaked and shivering again. I hurriedly took his jacket off and handed it over. He quickly covered his shock and yanked it on, but didn’t say anything as he pulled away from the compound, and I was glad. I was a hot mess of emotions.
Main Street shone like a ghost town, pearlized and glowing beneath the sporadic streetlamps. He crawled along the route, and I couldn’t help but glance left and right with him as he searched for strays who hadn’t made it home yet. Every time he slowed at an intersection, the truck lurched and skidded sideways, making my stomach do somersaults. I held the door handle and seat with a death grip, but Teague didn’t seem to notice all the sliding about or be bothered by it in the least. He handled the giant beast of a truck like he’d been doing it his whole life, and I couldn’t believe how well the Prius had fit him, too.
I tried not to look at him, but failed miserably. His hands worked the wheel and shifter thing, and even with the bulky jacket on, his broad shoulders begged to be noticed… and touched.
In my head I shook my fist at the fated way we’d met.
