Chapter Seventeen – Doreen
The scent of cinnamon and hot chocolate greeted Doreen as she stepped into Daniel’s home. Laughter echoed from the living room, where Jake’s voice rose above the others, filled with excitement.
It brought her need for a home of her own, a family of her own, into sharp focus. For a moment, she stood completely still, absorbing the warmth of Daniel’s bustling home and wondering—achingly—what it would feel like to have a place where laughter and chaos belonged to her too.
“And then Bash found all the hidden treats! Even the one Teddy put inside the couch cushion!” Jake’s hands gestured wildly as he recounted their adventures to Maisie, who giggled in response.
Daniel appeared from the kitchen, dish towel slung over his shoulder, his smile warm and welcoming. “They’ve been like this all morning,” he said, nodding toward the children. “I don’t think Jake slept more than four hours, but he’s been having the time of his life.”
There was something reassuring about Daniel’s calm, the way he moved through his home like someone who’d weathered storms far greater than noisy children and still found joy in the small things.
“I hope they weren’t too much trouble,” Doreen said. Wishing she could find the words to thank Daniel. His offer for Jake and Bash to sleep over had been…life-changing.
But she suspected James would tell him and the others soon enough.
“Are you kidding? He’s welcome anytime. The kids adore him, and Bash has been the perfect guest.” She loved Daniel’s easy hospitality. “Coffee before you head out? The storm’s picking up.”
Doreen glanced toward the window where fat snowflakes had begun falling in earnest, the wind visibly stronger than when she’d arrived. “I should probably get them home before it gets worse, but thank you.”
Jake spotted her then, his face lighting up as he bounded across the room. “Aunt D! Did you know Teddy has a whole collection of dinosaurs? And Maisie showed me how to make paper snowflakes, and Daniel made pancakes shaped like bears!”
His cheeks were flushed pink with excitement, and despite the dark circles under his eyes, he radiated joy.
Bash appeared at Jake’s heels, his tail wagging with such force she half-expected him to lift off the floor entirely, all golden joy and unfiltered devotion. She kneeled to ruffle his golden fur, laughing when he tried to lick her face.
“Easy, buddy,” she murmured, warmth spreading through her. “I missed you, too.”
“Can we stay a bit longer?” Jake asked hopefully.
“No, we need to get going,” she said, offering Jake his coat. “The weather’s turning.”
“Turning into what?” Jake asked as he slipped his arms into his coat and zipped it up.
“A hippopotamus!” Maisie said, and she and Jake collapsed into giggles.
Daniel chuckled and shook his head. “They have the same sense of humor.”
“It’s good to see Jake so happy,” Doreen confided in Daniel. “He’s been worried about his dad.”
“He can come over again anytime,” Daniel offered. “Maisie and Teddy can’t wait to see Bash and Jake at the dog show. Jake has been showing off Bash’s talents.”
“That would be great,” Doreen said, then glanced at the weather outside the window. “Come on, we need to go, Jake. Put Bash on his leash.”
“Okay.” Jake clipped the leash onto Bash’s collar. “Bye, Maisie.”
“Bye.” Maisie kneeled down and hugged Bash. “Bye, Bash.”
“Teddy, Jake, and Bash are going now,” Daniel called up the stairs as he walked Doreen to the front door.
“Bye!” Teddy called, peering down the stairs.
“Bye, Teddy!” Jake called back.
“Thanks, Daniel,” Doreen said as she opened the front door.
“Take care out there,” Daniel said as he saw the snow. “Go straight back to the cabins before it gets worse.”
“Will do.” Outside, the wind hit Doreen’s face with surprising force, carrying snowflakes that stung her cheeks. She ushered Jake and Bash toward the car, the snow instantly covering their tracks.
“It’s just a short drive back to the cabins. And the car is built for these conditions,” she reassured Jake as she buckled him in, Bash settling beside him on the back seat. “We’ll be home before you know it.”
As they pulled away from Daniel’s house, Doreen felt an unexpected prickle of unease along her spine. The snow was falling faster now, thick curtains of white that seemed to swallow the world around them.
But they were driving straight back to the cabins.
Just before she collected Jake, she got a text to say the contracts for Sorcha’s book deal had finally come through.
She’d quickly dropped Sorcha a message to arrange for her to sign them.
Doreen had hoped to get them sent back to the publisher today, or tomorrow at the latest.
As they drove through town, the conditions didn’t seem too bad, and as she hit the back roads, the snow seemed to ease.
However, when she reached the road leading up to the cabins, the snow returned with a vengeance.
The windshield wipers fought valiantly against the onslaught, but visibility deteriorated with every passing minute.
Doreen leaned forward, hands tight on the steering wheel, straining to make out the road ahead.
The snow seemed to have swallowed any landmarks in a blanket of white.
“And then Maisie showed me how to make hot chocolate with real chocolate, not the powder kind,” Jake chattered from the back seat, seemingly oblivious to the worsening conditions.
“She says it tastes better that way, and she’s right!
Oh, and Teddy has this game where you build a tower and then try to pull out blocks without making it fall. ..”
Doreen made appropriate sounds of interest, but her attention remained fixed on the increasingly treacherous drive. The road narrowed as they entered a section of forest, tall pines creating a tunnel that would normally feel cozy but now seemed ominous as branches sagged under the weight of snow.
When she reached a fork in the road, Doreen hesitated. She could not see the sign that marked the route to the cabins, and her mind seemed to have gone blank as to which way to turn. She shook her head. Everything looked different, transformed by the snow into an unfamiliar landscape.
She squinted through the windshield, trying to make out any distinguishing features. The left path seemed wider, more traveled. Wasn’t that the way to the cabins? Or was it the logging trail James had mentioned during one of their walks?
She replayed James’s casual explanation in her head, the old logging road peels off just before the cabins. But the memory refused to sharpen.
She didn’t want to get lost in these conditions. So, she reached into her pocket for her phone.
It wasn’t there.
What! It was always there. She checked her other pocket. Empty.
Maybe in her purse, but she already knew it wasn’t in there. Damn it! Her phone must have fallen out of her pocket when she reached across and kissed James goodbye.
Well, they could not just sit here. The snow was coming down so heavily that her SUV would soon be stuck.
She had to choose. Doing nothing wasn’t safer.
“Is it getting worse?” Jake asked, finally noticing the thickening snowfall.
“Just a bit,” Doreen said, keeping her voice light as she put the car in drive and inched forward. “Nothing to worry about.”
But minutes later, when the narrow road curved sharply and began to climb upward, doubt crept in. This didn’t seem right. The road to the cabins was relatively flat. Had she taken the wrong turn?
From the back seat, Bash suddenly sat up straight, ears perked forward. A low whine escaped him, his body tensing.
“What’s wrong, Bash?” Jake asked, patting the dog’s head.
Before Doreen could answer, the car hit a patch of black ice hidden beneath the snow. The wheel jerked violently in her hands as they skidded sideways. Doreen’s stomach lurched as the world spun in a blur of white. She fought for control, but the SUV slid inexorably toward the edge of the road.
The impact when they hit the snowbank was softer than expected, more of a cushioned thump than a crash. For a moment, they sat in stunned silence.
“Are you okay?” Doreen twisted in her seat to check on Jake, sick with worry.
Jake nodded, eyes wide. “Bash protected me,” he said, arms wrapped around the golden retriever who had indeed pressed himself against the boy during the skid.
For a heartbeat, Doreen imagined her sister’s reaction if anything had happened to Jake, and the thought alone sharpened her focus like a slap. They were okay. They had to stay okay.
Doreen took a deep breath, then pressed gently on the gas pedal. The wheels spun uselessly, gaining no traction in the deep snow. She tried again, shifting to reverse, but the car remained firmly stuck.
That’s when the realization hit her with cold clarity: they had taken the wrong road.
This wasn’t the path to the cabins at all.
This was the old logging trail, unused except by occasional hikers and—according to James—forest rangers.
If people came looking for them, they wouldn’t search here first.
“Are we stuck?” Jake asked, his voice small.
Doreen swallowed the fear rising in her throat. “Just for a little bit,” she said, forcing confidence into her voice. “But we’re okay. We’re safe.”
For now.
The conditions would only worsen. Maybe if she got out and checked the car over, she might see a way of becoming unstuck.
“I’m going to take a look,” she told Jake as she reached for the door handle.
The cold slapped Doreen’s face when she opened the car door, far more brutal than she’d expected. The wind had picked up again, driving snow sideways in stinging sheets. She pulled her scarf tighter around her neck, trying to shield any exposed skin.
“Stay in the car with Bash,” she told Jake, but before she could fully step out, Bash lunged forward past her, leaping into the snow.
“Bash, no!” Jake called, but the dog ignored him.