Chapter 10 #2
“It’s for you this time.” He chuckled.
My cheeks heated, but put my hand in his. He pulled me to my feet and right into his chest. I was so close to him my other hand rested on his stomach. I was at eye level with his throat, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. The chorus of Frosty drifted over to me, clearing me from Adam’s spell.
Shoot! Stupid daydream rule! I dropped my hand and stepped away.
“Okay,” Adam cleared his throat. “So now, um, push against the trunk.” He pointed partway up the trunk. “Right here, then step back.”
“Can I help?” Danny sat up in the snow.
Adam gestured him closer. “Sure, just be careful.”
Together with Danny, we pushed, and the tree cracked and fell into the snow.
“Yes! We did it!” I jumped up and down with Danny cheering. “I can’t believe I used a saw and cut down a tree.” I spun in a circle. My face burned, but I couldn’t stop smiling. “I can’t wait to tell Rose and Marissa.”
Adam wrapped the tree in a tarp and tied a rope around it. He glanced up at me, his eyes bright and proud. Warmth spread through my chest.
The sun had moved a lot since we started and was now almost behind the mountain.
I checked my watch. We had been looking for trees for almost three hours, and we had only one tree to show for it.
We started down the hill to the four wheeler, Adam pulled the tarped tree, and Danny walked next to me. Danny reached over and grabbed my hand.
I tapped down my excitement that he initiated physical contact with me. I wanted to squeal and wrap this little guy up in a great big hug. I didn’t because I knew it would make him uncomfortable. This day was so magical. I wanted to freeze time and live in this moment forever.
“Did you know that there might be a manhole cover in space?” Danny kicked at the snow, sending a spray of it into the air.
If it wasn’t video games Danny was talking about, or snowmen, it was space. “I didn’t.”
“They were testing some weapon thingy underground, and the cover blew off so high they thought it went to space.” He let go of my hand and jumped up on a fallen log and walked along it.
“Seriously?” I turned to Adam.
He shrugged. “It’s a sound theory. It was during nuclear testing and was on a space video we saw before bed last week.”
“Well, if I ever go to space, I hope it’s not on a manhole cover,” I teased.
Danny looked up at me, eyebrows pinched down in concern. “Ms. Faith, if you were on a manhole cover when you left the atmosphere, you would die.”
I forgot, Danny didn’t always understand joking. “True. Good thing I don’t plan on going to space then.”
Danny relaxed and nodded. “I might one day, but if it’s too dangerous, I might be a cashier instead and get to use all the money.”
I chuckled. “Both are great options.”
This boy was going to break my heart when he moved on to third grade. Danny grabbed my hand again and pulled me forward as we continued down the hill. I glanced back at Adam. He had stopped walking and was watching Danny and me. He looked stunned but then refocused on pulling the tree.
We made it back to the four wheeler and Adam dropped the tree and then started up the hill to the right.
“Let’s do this one.” Danny pointed at a tree that was close to the four wheeler, even though I could see it was too tall.
We had only gotten one tree, and I felt like I had walked around Disney World twice and then some. I was glad at least Danny was tired too. My calves were on fire, and my arms burned. Adam, however, showed no signs of weakness.
“Danny, it’s too tall and is missing all its branches on the left side at the bottom.” Adam eyed the tree uncomfortably.
“Let’s just cut the top part then.” Danny plopped back in the snow.
“Are you sure you aren’t just tired of walking?” Adam raised his brows.
“Dad, we have been walking my whole life.” He laid back in the snow.
I chuckled. “Hear hear.” I sat down next to Danny. “Not everyone works out ten hours a day, you know. Some of us mere mortals need rest.”
Adam rolled his eyes. “You know I’m like twice your age, right?”
I scoffed. “Gross! No, you’re not!”
His eyebrows raised. “How old do you think I am?”
I wasn’t sure if it was his way of checking to see if I knew he was older than me. I searched Rose’s brother’s yearbooks after she let it slip that they were in the same class, so I had a pretty good guess.
I shrugged. “Early thirties?”
He tipped his jaw up and nodded. “Thirty-three.”
“And how old do you think I am?” I challenged back.
He pinched his lips and squinted. “Early twenties?”
“Twenty-five.” I shook my head. “‘Twice your age.’ Pish!” I rolled my eyes.
Adam chuckled but looked relaxed as he nodded.
Danny sat up in the snow. “I’m seven, but I turn eight after Christmas.”
Adam and I made eye contact and we both bit back smiles.
“That’s awesome, Danny,” I added. He plopped back down in the snow.
“Okay. I think I might need to stop expecting so much perfection out of Mother Nature.” Adam looked back to the tree Danny suggested. “Let’s get it!”
Danny jumped up and ran to Adam’s side so he could help with the saw.
It was not a fast process, and the sun dipped behind the mountains, taking any lingering hints of warmth with it.
My toes were numb, and I finally understood why Rudolph’s nose was permanently red.
Once Danny was tired of sawing, Adam offered the saw to me, and I took it.
Who knew when I would get to do this again, so I ignored the burning in my arms and sawed down another tree. This was so awesome.
We wrapped it in the tarp and tied the rope around it.
“How about we find mine back by the truck? I think I saw some good ones right at the start.” I pointed in Danny’s direction.
He was lying in the snow pretending to sleep.
Adam looked chagrined. “Sorry, I sometimes get carried away.” He made his way over to Danny. “All right, Champ, let’s get back to the truck.” He pulled him up onto his feet.
I thought I was cold before I got on the four wheeler; it didn’t even compare. We started off slow, but Danny and I both decided we wanted to go fast. Him because he decided he liked it, me because I was cold and wanted to get back to a warm bath.
The wind whipped around us, and the snow hit my face like pins of ice. I was totally numb in my toes. Adam loaded the four wheeler and trees before we lost more light.
I pointed up the hill to the left. “How about that tree?” It was at the top of the little hill, it bent to the right and had more branches on the left side. Either my standards were far less than Adam’s or the cold was speaking louder. “I think it looks perfect.”
Adam didn’t argue the tree’s virtues or lack thereof. “You sure?” He grimaced.
“Yep.” I smiled.
Adam nodded, and we started up the hill hopefully for the last time.
“Can I carry the saw?” Danny reached for the handle.
“Sure. Just keep the safety guard on.”
We continued up the steep slope, and I slipped on a patch of ice and braced my hands in front of me to catch myself. I noticed Adam smiling in my direction. “What?” I stepped nearer to him, just for his warmth. I lied to myself.
He reached up and touched my hair. “Your hair is frozen straight out.” He smirked.
I gasped, hurried a glove off, and felt my hair; it wasn’t the sexy windblown look; it felt like a crazy cat lady, or electroshock therapy hair. “Yikes!” I squeaked. I’d lost my hair tie on the trail somewhere, so I tried to tame my hair back into my hood.
Adam chuckled. “I like it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, it’s entirely your fault. With your crazy driving, my hair didn’t stand a chance.”
Adam reached over and pulled my hand away from my hair. “You should leave it.”
Adam stopped walking and looked down at my ungloved hand in his, but he didn’t drop it.
The air got caught in my lungs, and everything went quiet.
I searched his brown eyes, and neither of us stepped away.
The entire mountain seemed to hold its breath, waiting, wondering what was happening between us.
Suddenly the mountains were far less quiet. Something cracked, and a large rumbling crash filled the air. A large tree trunk segment tumbled down the hill toward us.
Danny held the saw as he walked along a log, right in the falling tree’s path. He was completely oblivious of the danger.
Adam and I both started running.
“Danny!” we both hollered.
Danny stopped and turned toward us. Adam was faster and got to Danny to pull him into his chest as my momentum carried me into Adam and we made a Danny sandwich.
The snow broke our fall, all of us on our side next to the log, and Adam’s instinct brought him rolling on top of us both.
He grimaced and braced as the trunk met the log Danny had been walking on moments before and rocked the earth around us.
Adam cursed as a jutting branch scraped along his back before the trunk flew onward then slammed to a stop in a group of trees. Everything went quiet.
If I wasn’t lying on the ground, I would have wondered if I imagined the whole thing.
Then I heard crying. Who was crying? I searched Adam’s now wide eyes. If it wasn’t him, that left…
“Danny, are you okay?”