Page 39 of Snowed in With My Small Town Billionaire

“Did you hear that?” Sawyer asked.

Darren and Lucas nodded.

Darren cocked his head. “It sounds like someone’s calling for help.”

The three men walked as quickly as they could toward the sound. Sawyer’s heart raced as he tried to pinpoint where the voice was coming from.

Another call came and it was louder and clearer than before. Sawyer was glad that he had snowshoes because he could seehow deep the snow was against the trees. There was no way they could have made it.

They crested a small hill and saw four people huddled together. Their faces were pale and the exhaustion was evident. The group looked like they had taken a trip through hell with the hounds hot on their tails.

“What in the world are you guys doing out here?” Daniel asked.

“We were camping. We barely escaped the first avalanche. The second one came straight toward us. It didn’t quite get to us, but we decided to call it quits and got lost,” a tall man said.

He was supporting a woman who looked so weak that Sawyer wasn’t sure she could walk back to the lodge.

Sawyer looked at the woman, whose lips were blue. She was shivering uncontrollably.

Sawyer supported her while they slowly made their way back to the lodge. Once inside, the foursome dropped their packs in the foyer. Gwen, Maddie, Emilia, and Samantha rushed over to help them pull off their outerwear and then led them into the parlor.

Sawyer and Oliver immediately got to work. All four of them were suffering from hypothermia, although the smaller of the two women was the worst off. One of the men had a mild case of frostbite on his fingers and nose. The other had a deep gash on his arm. Sawyer treated it and bandaged it.

Oliver said, “We don’t have any more bedrooms, but we can make room in the conference room. We’re also out of cots, so you’ll have to sleep on the floor.

One of the women, who introduced herself as Elaine, said, “That’s fine. We were sleeping on the ground in our tents. Wehave our sleeping bags, which are designed to keep people warm even in below zero-degree weather.”

“What in the world possessed you guys to be out camping on the side of a mountain in the middle of winter anyway?” Daniel asked.

“Jeff is putting together a book of the different seasons of Montagne Maudite. He takes pictures of the wildlife and the scenery. George, Jen, and I decided that we would keep him company. He was almost done when the first avalanche hit, so we decided to stay put. Never, in a million years did we think that there would be a second one,” Elaine said.

“Did you get what you came for?” Oliver asked.

“Yes. We actually would have headed back today, anyway,” Jeff said. “I guess the mountain really is cursed.”

Jen rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Or we just happened to be on the mountain when the first avalanche in decades hit. Maybe you’re the one who’s cursed.”

“Not too cursed. You guys found us and saved us,” Elaine said. “I hate to be a bother, but can you show me where we’re sleeping. I’m so tired.”

“That makes two of us,” Jen said.

Once they were settled, Oliver sighed heavily and rubbed his face.

“Once wrong?” Sawyer asked.

“The Good Lord knows that I don’t mind helping those folks, but that puts a bit of a strain on the supplies. We were already starting to run low,” he said.

“I’ve seen elk and moose. Lucas and I know how to dress the animal,” Sawyer said. “That would provide enough meat for a while.”

“Hopefully, it won’t come to that,” Oliver said. “There’s a hunter’s lodge a couple miles away. There would be some resources there. I don’t know how much, but every little bit helps. However, if it comes to that, we have a couple of rifles you guys can use.”

“Sounds good. Lucas and I have both been shooting since we could walk. Just let me know.”

Oliver nodded and headed outside.

Sawyer looked around. Everyone sat in the parlor and dining room talking quietly. Sawyer knew that people were scared. They would know that resources were limited and that the second avalanche and all the snow they’d been getting would make the situation worse.

Something had to give soon. Horror movies were made about people who were cooped up in a small space for a long period of time. He didn’t think anyone would suddenly turn into a slasher, but the situation could become very tense

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