Chapter 12 #2
Nothing was visible through the blowing snow.
She crossed the wide front porch and caught sight of Max with Winzig and Braun, bundled up by the snowmobiles. The snow sank up to her ankles from the drift already forming on the porch. From what she could tell, between three or four inches of fresh snow had fallen in the time she’d been resting.
Exactly how long had she been asleep? She glanced down at her watch to find that it was only 1:30 p.m. With the hike down not taking quite as long as the hike up, they still had plenty of time to return to the trailhead before darkness settled.
They would be back to the ranch in time for dinner, where she planned to prove to Tyler that he’d been wrong about mistrusting her to go on the hike with Max.
But a sinking feeling inside told her that, regardless of the early afternoon hour, time wouldn’t be their enemy today. No, the weather would be.
The storm had arrived sooner than the weather app had predicted, and it was a doozy of a storm, with gusty winds, heavy snowfall, and whiteout conditions.
Did they dare try to leave now and make it down before more snow accumulated? Or were the conditions already too dangerous?
With the soles of her feet stinging from the cold and her body starting to shake, she knew she needed to go back inside and get on her gear before venturing out. The issue was that she didn’t want anyone leaving without her. They weren’t experienced in the mountains like she was.
“Max!” she called.
The wind whipped her voice away.
“Max!” she shouted louder.
Somehow he seemed to hear her—or perhaps he sensed her presence—because he glanced her way. At the sight of her on the porch, he said something curt to Winzig and Braun, and then he started toward her, struggling against the wind and the snow to keep from slipping and falling.
As he started up the steps and took in her condition, a scowl creased his forehead.
He hurried his pace as much as he was able.
When he reached her, he scooped her up into his arms. Snow covered his coat and ski pants, and it crusted his eyebrows and the strands of his hair hanging out from his winter hat.
Cold radiated from him, but he was solid and his presence reassuring.
“What are you doing?” she asked as he secured her against his chest.
“You should not be out here like this.” He began tromping toward the door.
“I don’t need you to carry me.”
“I know.” He kicked the door open with his boot and crossed to the couch she’d just abandoned. Winzig and Braun were close on his heels and shut the cabin door against the flurry of snow and cold.
Max lowered her to the cushions. “We were thinking that maybe we could double up on the snowmobiles and try to make it down. What do you think?”
She appreciated that he was asking for her advice and wasn’t assuming he knew better than she did.
“Unfortunately, with the whiteout conditions, I don’t think it’s safe for any of us to go right now.
” Her teeth were chattering as she spoke, and she wrapped her arms around herself to ward off a shudder.
He grabbed the blanket and draped it around her. “What about the parts of the trail that pass through the woodland? We would have less wind and snow there, would we not?”
“It’d still be difficult to navigate. And with the wind blowing so hard, we’d have to go slow and worry about falling limbs and the chance of hitting them.”
He nodded gravely, his face ruddy from the cold and the snowflakes and ice. “Then what do you suggest we do?”
As far as she could tell, they had only one choice. “We wait out the worst of the storm and leave when the wind and snow die down.”
“From your experience, how long do you expect the storm will last?”
Both Winzig and Braun were watching her expectantly, as if she had the power to wave a magic wand and make the storm disappear.
She hated to disappoint them, but there wasn’t anything she could do. “It will probably last a few more hours at least.”
Braun began to unwind a bright red-and-white knitted scarf—one of his own creations. “So we relax for a few hours and leave later in the afternoon?”
“My guess is that by the time it blows over, it’ll be too late in the day to start out. I don’t want to try the trek down the mountain in the dark.”
“But the snowmobiles have headlights.”
“Even so, the trail will be snow-covered, and I’d hate for us to make a wrong turn.” One wrong turn could be deadly. They could go over a cliff, fall into a ravine, hit a boulder, lose their way, and any number of other things.
The crease in Max’s brow hadn’t gone away. “Then you suggest we stay overnight?”
“We’ll be just fine here for the night. The place is warm, and we have food and water.
” When she’d opened the cupboard earlier, she’d found canned food, canned coffee grounds, some packages of dried meals, and plenty of matches and lighters.
They could melt snow for water and had plenty of wood for fuel. What more did they need?
Braun draped his scarf on a hook near the door, then began to shed his coat. “If we stay, we’ll miss our flight tomorrow.”
Max straightened and peered out the window that was now frosting over on the inside. “Our flight is the least of my concerns.”
“Your father will not be happy,” Braun said.
“He is already unhappy.”
Emberly wanted to ask Max why his father was unhappy. Because he’d stayed at the ranch longer than originally planned? “If we leave at sunrise tomorrow, we should be back well before noon. There may still be time to catch your flight in Denver.”
“We shall not worry about it.” Max’s tone held a finality that told her he intended to make the most of the delay. He tucked the blanket around her more securely and then gently touched her chin. “I am able to spend extra time with you. I cannot complain about that in the least.”
His caress sent a shaft of warmth through her. “All the more chance to beat you and Winzig in Rummy.”
Winzig had been a good sport about playing cards with them over the past week, and now he offered her a smile as he took off his coat.
“Victory will not be yours quite so readily this time.” Max’s shoulders seemed to relax, and the furrow faded from his brow. “I have improved and have become a staunch competitor.”
“We’ll see about that.” A part of her was actually glad they were snowed in together. She’d been given a little more time with him, and she intended to enjoy every moment.