T. McClure - An Allegheny Homecoming

Still...

Leaving the truck running, he stepped out into the darkness. “Hello?” The cold wind took the word and spun it into the sky.

CHAPTER FOUR

WITH THE FLASHLIGHT app on, he pointed his cell phone in the direction he had seen movement. The combination of the heavy snow and the high winds rendered the light practically useless. He tromped to the opposite side of the bank and saw her.

She was crouching by the left rear tire, removing snow with a large broken stick, so engrossed in her task she didn’t even notice his light. “Hey.”

Her head jerked up. At the same time her feet went out from under her and she slipped under the bumper. Josh lunged forward and pulled her out from under the still-running car. Exhaust swirled around them. They landed in a pile of snow.

They managed to stand. She was shivering violently, but not so much that she couldn’t bat at his hands as he attempted to brush snow off her shoulders. His gaze swept over her attire. Nice boots, but more suited for the runway than snowbanks. He grasped her elbow. Her boot must’ve caught on some obscured object because as she tried to gain her balance, she was impeded and fell forward. He swept her up into his arms.

“Whoa, there, mis...mister, I can walk.” Her teeth chattering, she could barely utter the words. She elbowed his chest.

“I’m sure you can. But I don’t particularly want to be out in this blizzard waiting while you take baby steps. Hang on.” He hiked up the bank double-time, causing her to throw her arms around his neck. Depositing her in his truck, he returned to shut off her car.

“My family’s cabin is not far from here. Do for now, okay?”

She looked like she was about to argue, but then she gave a quick nod. He couldn’t leave her out here to freeze, could he?

Bear Meadows was determined not to leave Josh alone.

* * *

WENDY COULDN’T FEEL her toes. The thin black leather and the even thinner socks weren’t doing a very good job of keeping her warm. But then again, she hadn’t worn them thinking she’d be wrestling her five-year-old car out of a snowdrift. But this nice, new truck threw out tons of heat. Wrapping her arms around herself, she hazarded a glance at the stranger settling into the driver’s seat and backing the truck onto the road. A fur-lined hood covered half his face and a dark beard the other, concealing his age. He could be twenty-five or forty-five.

Did she know him? Someone from the station? The shivering in her body seemed to be bouncing her brain around so much she couldn’t think straight.

Maybe she should buy a truck. But she wouldn’t need a truck in Burbank, right? Why was she thinking about Burbank? She didn’t want to be a producer, did she? The truck eased forward. “Do I...” She had to stop and think for a minute. She lifted a hand to her frozen cheeks. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back. “I’m... I’m... I’m so-o-o cold.”

His gaze didn’t waver from the white curtain before them as the truck navigated a small hill. A gloved hand reached out and wiped the condensation from the windshield. “We’ll be at the cabin in a few minutes.”

A spasm of alarm shot through her at the words from the bearded giant. The makeup assistant at the station had told her of a long ago incident not far from here. A man had come down from the mountains and kidnapped a girl. The FBI had actually been called in. Had the man been caught? She couldn’t remember. She edged closer to the door and wrapped her fingers around the handle. She was considering launching herself into the high drifts when he made a sharp turn and the lights revealed a cozy cabin with a swing on the front porch. Somehow the swing eased her fears a bit.

“I’ll go in and start a fire.” The man turned and fixed her with a stare.

In the darkness of the cab, she couldn’t tell the color of his eyes. Just a glint, a spark of life—

“I’ll leave the truck running for heat.”

Before she could answer, he opened the door, letting in a blast of wind and flurries. Just as quickly the door slammed, and she watched as his long legs ran through the deep snow and carried him up onto the porch. He fumbled around above the door and then disappeared into the cabin.

She eyed the ignition, where the fob hung from the key still inserted. Nothing personal to clue her in to the kind of man who had rescued her. No sports memorabilia, no cartoon figure. Just a black fob. She could drive away. She could drive home. The man’s footprints had almost already disappeared in the rapidly falling snow. Who was she kidding? She again leaned her head back and closed her eyes. If worse came to worst she’d have a heck of a story. Local Woman Captured by Mountain Man in Blizzard of the Century. No, that was too many words for a headline. Local Woman Disappears. There, short, concise, attention grabbing. She smiled, pleased, then the grin faded.

Interesting story, for sure...but only if she lived to tell about it.

* * *

SHE WAS ASLEEP. Looking through the window at the young woman huddled in the cab of his truck, Josh frowned. He had no way of knowing how long she had been outside working to free her car from the snow, and she certainly wasn’t dressed for the frigid temperatures. No hat. Straight dark hair curved perfectly under her chin. Bright red lipstick and heavy mascara, as if she had just come from an event. Or maybe a date. His main concern was hypothermia, followed by frostbite. She had been wearing thin driving gloves. That was one reason why he left her in the truck while he started a fire. But the heat had been too much for her.

Despite his less than friendly appearance and the fact he had brought her to a strange place, the woman had fallen asleep, her cheek pressed against the glass.

When he opened the door she fell into his arms. Which would have been fine, considering he planned to carry her through the deep snow, but she woke with the sudden movement and immediately began thrashing.

When a fist connected with his jaw, he stumbled backward. She might have made her escape then, except he had one arm half around her so as he fell he pulled her with him. For a second time, they both landed in the snow. “What the heck, lady?”

She pushed off him and blurted, “Who...who are you?”

“I—”

“And wh-wh-why did you bring me here?”

“Well—”

“I...I live across the creek, but now I’m...at this...” Finally taking a breath, she waved a hand at the cabin. “...place.”

“The road is impassable on the other side of the creek.” Josh propped himself on his elbows. “You’re safe here...and you can get warm. I think you might have hypothermia, and if we don’t get you inside, you’ll have frostbite for sure.”

Her gaze flicked between him, the truck and the cabin. Mumbling, she rested her forehead on her hand. The snow had already made her black jacket white.

He wasn’t sure, but Josh thought he heard something about going home. Lifting himself to his feet, he held out a hand. “Do you mind if we continue this conversation inside?”

She looked at his hand. “I can walk by myself.”

He withdrew. “Fine. You go on in, and I’ll shut off the truck.” He slammed the door and watched the petite woman lift one leg at a time from the deep snow. She teetered to one side, and he held his breath until she managed to right herself. She dragged herself onto the porch and then disappeared into the cabin.

Josh shut his eyes and lifted his face skyward. Snowflakes melted on his skin and gathered in his beard. He wished he hadn’t been the one to find the woman stuck in the drift. Maybe if he had kept going, one of the snowplow drivers would have found her. But by then, she could have frozen to death.

Josh didn’t want to be drawn into any small-town drama. He was still struggling with his parents and their issues. He didn’t feel like he had the full story yet about his mother’s weight loss, and why she and his father couldn’t work things out.