Page 4 of Frozen Play

He twitched his shoulders, wincing. “Think so.” He stared out the windshield, where the wipers were doing their best to fight the accumulation of snow. We’d spun around and were now facing the road, with the downed utility pole and power lines in front of us.

I twisted my head to look behind us. Phin’s SUV was stretched across the driveway, but upright and hopefully without any further damage. “I don’t think your car hit anything.”

“Fuck the car. As long as we’re good.”

Were we? I looked out the windshield again. The power wires stretched across the road. “I can’t leave. Those lines could be live.”

He frowned. “How long till the utility company can fix that up?”

No one would be driving on this cottage road in weather like this. No one but the idiot beside me. “It’ll be a while,” I told the idiot. “There are probably lots of lines going down tonight, and this one isn’t a priority. No one comes out here this time of year.”

“Yeah. That’s why I’m here.”

I didn’t ask. Not my business why the spoiled hockey player wanted to spend Christmas alone in this mansion he called a cottage.

“Well, at least you’re where you want to be.” My voice was a little snarky. Once again, the Collinses had the win and the Duvalls lost.

“Guess we walk the rest of the way, eh?”

We?It took me a full minute, way too long, to realize that itwaswe. The truck wasn’t going anywhere until the lines were moved. I couldn’t stay in the cab for who knew how long in a snowstorm. The closest shelter was his cottage. There was the third disaster I’d been expecting.

I sighed. “Guess so.”

I picked up my phone, but there were no bars. Right, I remembered that from when this was our property. I grabbed the microphone for the radio and called Oscar.

“Skye here.”

“What’s up, little sis?”

I rolled my eyes. “Truck two is disabled. I’m on Roper’s Road, heading for shelter.”

“Shit, you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. But the weather is crazy so I’m going to wait it out. I’ll radio you again in the morning. There are power lines down, so can you contact the hydro company?”

“Of course. Where will you—shit, I gotta go. We’ll come get you as soon as the roads are passable.”

I returned the mic to its home. I knew he’d let Riley know what had happened.

“That was Oscar?”

“Yeah, he’s out on another call. Semi lost control on Highway 35.”

“I didn’t mean to make things worse. But the snow wasn’t supposed to be this bad.”

I turned the truck off. “We’d better get going.” I shoved on my door but it wouldn’t open. Impact with the pole must have done some damage, which would mean an expensive insurance claim.Damn it.Phin got his unharmed door open and almost fell on his ass as he stepped down and out, grabbing the door to keep upright.

I held my laugh inside. He might be a spoiled ass but we were Blaze fans, so I didn’t want him hurt. Much.

He stepped onto what was the drive, now almost level with the snow on the lawn. The cottage was a couple hundred meters away, barely visible when the wind gusted an opening in the snowfall. I climbed across the front seat to get out the passengerdoor. I was more secure on the ice since I was wearing footwear designed for these conditions, not showy city shoes.

Damn it, I had to stop sounding like some kind of redneck with a chip on my shoulder.

“You want to get your stuff from your car?” We had to pass it to get to the building. I hoped he’d brought food. Not sure what this showplace stocked, but we were stuck here till tomorrow at the earliest.

“I’ve got a duffel, a couple of grocery bags, and a cooler. Oh, and water, since the cottage has been shut down for the winter.”

Better than melted snow, which was the only other option.

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