Chapter 2 Frankincense
FRANKINCENSE
Squinting, I glare out the window at the driving snow. This place is ridiculous. I can’t believe that after a lifetime in Boulder, my mother moved to some little piddling place called Valentine. In the middle of nowhere.
Glaring at my phone again, I struggle to keep my car on what passes for a road around here and watch the frozen screen and the spinning wheel that means that I’m not connected to anything out here. No signs of life for miles and spotty cell service at best.
“Ugh! What the heck was she thinking? This place is the worst.”
Which makes what I’m thinking of doing even more ridiculous.
My mother isn’t getting any younger. Helena Monroe might be a tough woman but she’s sixty-five years old and all alone. I can’t have her out here by herself. What if something happens to her and I’m not around?
What if nobody’s around?
Shivering, I force myself to get under control. Helena’s healthy and spry. She’s a conniving woman in some ways. Every time I turn around she’s trying to fix me up with one woman after another.
I’ve told her I’m not interested. Especially not in some woman from the backwoods or whatever Valentine, Colorado is.
But she’s stubborn as a mule and won’t listen. If only she wasn’t getting up there. I’d feel so much better if I could take her into moving into Boulder with me.
But I’ve been trying and no matter what argument I use, she just shakes her head and denies that she needs help.
Tells me that she’s good.
Snorting, I reach out a hand to shake my phone. Rolling my eyes, I let go.
That’s not gonna do squat. I’m an idiot.
Bringing my eyes back up to the road, I scream and jerk the wheel hard, my huge black SUV hitting the edge of the road and bumping right off of it into a snowdrift. My head slams into the side window and I groan, leaning against the cool glass.
Taking a deep breath, I lift my head and it throbs painfully. Touching it, my fingers come away damp and I frown when I see blood.
I can feel a little trail of it trickling down my temple and I growl, pulling out a clean pocket square from my breast pocket and press it against my forehead.
Hissing through my teeth as waves of pain wash over me, I glare out at the world of white in front of me.
Turning my head, I jerk and smack my head again, cursing under my breath.
“What is that thing?”
“Baaa!” The little goat bleats at me and smacks its head into the driver’s side door. Like it’s trying to hit me.
Like the evil thing is trying to take me down.
I roll my eyes.
I really hate this place.
Half an hour later, that hate smolders into a wildfire of hate. White surrounds me and I shiver, my whole body freezing.
The lightweight navy pea coat that I wear is not warm enough for the air around here. The sun has already sunk below the horizon and it’s so cold that even in the absolute dark I can see the icy puffs of my breath on the frigid air.
I’m so cold that for a moment I think that the lights ahead of me are a mirage, a desperate wish that isn’t really coming true.
But as I shamble closer on my frozen feet, skidding in my dress shoes on the crunchy white stuff, the lights get closer, warmer.
My heart hammers and I fight to move faster. The warmth of those retro-style candles in the window has my body almost salivating at the thought of actual heat. Maybe even food.
I’m almost there when a dark shape gallops out of the dark and slams into me, knocking me off my feet with a frustrated yell.
“Baaa!” The menace that forced me off the road stands over me, the awful smell of its breath in my face almost knocking me out.
“Jeez!” I mutter, waving my frozen fingers in front of my face. “Gimme a break. You already killed my car. You don’t need to follow me to finish me off too!”
A light flicks on over the wide porch and a soft voice calls. “I don’t know who you are but I’ve got a shotgun and I know how to use it. So just move along.”
My eyes widen when I see a soft halo of pale blond hair glistening in the light, falling around a woman’s shoulders. She steps into the light and she’s an angel. A dream.
Or a nightmare. The shotgun in her hands is aimed right at me. Her slim shoulders are squared off and her little jaw is firm.
I hold my hand up. “Wait, wait. I had an accident about a mile up the road. This…”.
I wave one hand at the menace that’s now trying to chew on my new coat.
I swat at it angrily and that shotgun follows the movement and her jaw flexes like she’s gritting her teeth.
“This animal was in the middle of the road and I wrecked my car trying to avoid it.”
Her hands shake and she searches my eyes with pale orbs that I can’t tell what color they are but they glisten in the dim light.
“How do I know you aren’t just trying to get in here to steal something from me?” Her shoulders square off again. “I ain’t got much to steal if that’s your plan. And if Valentine drove you off the road, I’m real sorry, but that’s not my problem. I don’t know you from Adam.”
My head swims at her words but the biggest confusion is how the heck did the city force me off the road! What the devil does she mean?
The menace bleats at me and it’s like my frozen brain finally thaws. I point at the animal that seems to be chewing up a piece of my coat that it managed to rip off. “Are you telling me that that that…animal is named Valentine?”
She smirks and blushes slightly as she moves closer and grasps the collar, smiling even bigger when the crazy animal bumps her hand lightly. “Yeah. Val for short.”
My eyes widen and I snort. “Val? Really?”
Her frosty eyes turn towards me and now that I’m closer, I can see the sheen of pale blue in her eyes. “Yeah. You got a problem with that?”
Val bleats at me and I swear it’s smiling wickedly as the last piece of my ripped fabric disappears into its mouth.
“That thing is evil,” I mutter breathlessly as I struggle up out of the snow. My hands are frozen and I can barely move them.
“She’s not evil. It’s not her fault you wrecked. She was just lost.”
“And she found herself in the road?” I know I’m being a jerk. Know I could be a lot nicer to her. Especially since I need help.
A touch of honey goes further than a pinch of salt as my mama always says.
“Do you have a phone? I couldn’t get a cell signal where the accident is and I need to let my mom know that something happened so she doesn’t worry.”
“Who’s your Mom?” She asks, watching as I dust myself off and eye the goat carefully.
“Ummm. Helena Monroe. She lives in Valentine so I’m assuming I’m actually near the town.”
She sucks in a deep breath and her cheeks go white.
“Oh dear.” Her whispered words hit me as she holds out a hand. “I’m so sorry. I’m Mistletoe Samuels. If Helena is your mom than she’s best friends with my mom. I’m so sorry about this whole thing.”
She drops the gun down, pointing it at the ground. Her timid smile makes me suck in my breath.
“Let’s get you inside and I’ll call the Sheriff and a tow truck about your car. Then we can call to talk to Helena. I’m so sorry.”
She turns to the porch and as soon as her back is turned the menace bleats and reaches a furry head out to nibble at the collar of my coat. I swat at the beast and growl under my breath.
Then I follow the surly angel up the steps to the house, wondering who the heck her mom is and how she became best friends with my mom.
But I’ll worry about that later. For right now, as soon as I step inside, I draw in a deep, warm breath and rub my hands together, waiting for the tingles to hit my frozen skin.
I will never take heat for granted, ever again.