Page 7 of Snow One Like You

“It’s been a year?” I queried, disappointed that he’d kept this from me. Jake, Raven, and I had never kept secrets from each other. Now he was keeping all kinds of shit to himself. “Why—” I stopped suddenly when the rest of his answers sank in. “Wait, did you say NOT YET??” I practically screeched.

“Merry Christmas, baby sister,” Jake crowed in a jovial tone before hanging up.

My mouth hung open, and I pulled the phone away from my ear to stare at it confoundedly.

“Did I mention that my family is as mad as a hatter?” I asked no one in particular.

“Did he answer your questions?” Wendy probed.

“Not really.” I set my phone on the table in the dining area and padded over to curl up on the couch. “Just that it happened last Christmas Eve.” I narrowed my eyes on my friend. “You knew about this?”

She held her hands up in defense. “I only knew that she hooked up with some guy. I didn’t know about the marriage. His friend Zander and I hung out until late that night, and he mentioned Jake being a pro snowboarder, but I didn’t put two and two together.”

“This is the first I’m hearing about any of this,” Ardith grumped, probably as annoyed as I was at being left in the dark.

“Same,” chimed Candice, Shelly, and Siân.

Ardith and I grew up together in Winter Falls, and we met Candice and Siân during our first year of college. After hitting it off with Shelly in my doctoral program, I’d introduced her to the other girls, and we’d become really close. Then a couple of years ago, Candice, Siân, and I were filling in as temporary medics at a figure skating competition, and that was where we met Hannah and Wendy. In a humorous twist, it turned out that they’d grown up only a couple of hours from me in the small town of Cranbury Cove.

The seven of us had been close friends ever since. It wasn’t like we told each other every single secret…but getting married seemed like something you would share with your best friends.

“Maybe we should—” My phone ringing interrupted my thought. Assuming it was Hannah, I jumped up and bounded over to the table, snatching up my cell. But my brother-in-law’s face filled the screen.

“Hey, Caleb. What’s up?”

“Cammie, I am so sorry to do this to you, but I need a favor.” He sounded genuinely distressed, and my mouth curled down into a worried frown.

“Of course. How can I help?”

“I hate to ask…especially with the weather. But you’re the only one qualified to give medical care and are an expert at driving a snowmobile. And you, Jake, and Raven know this place better than anyone else. It’s just…I feel like the worst brother in the world for asking you to go out in this storm.”

“Back up. Someone needs medical attention?”

“Yes. But…never mind. I’ll ask?—”

I snapped my fingers over the phone speaker to get his attention. “Caleb! I have to go, and you know it. Besides, I can navigate this land with my eyes closed.” Which was a damn good thing since it was most likely going to be very close to that.

He sighed. “Yeah. My friend Soren was trying to sand the paths like a fucking idiot. I told him it was useless and he should keep his ass inside. Anyway, he slipped and fell while we were on the phone. He hit his head. He swears he’s fine, but it sounded worse to me than he’s letting on. I’m worried about a concussion.”

“You’re right to be worried, especially if he’s alone in this storm. What cabin is he in? I’ll go check on him now.”

“That’s the thing,” Caleb sighed. “He’s the architect and project manager for the new Olympic training facility. He’s living out where we’re building the new cabins for the athletes. It’s the only completed one, so he’s alone. I was hoping you could make a quick trip to check on him and get back before the storm is so bad we have to pull all the employees who are out trying to keep the paths clear.”

“It’s no problem, Caleb,” I assured him. “I can make it out there in half an hour on one of the new snowmobiles.”

“Just make sure you don’t stay more than half an hour before you head back to your cabin,” he instructed. “It’s predicting that in about two hours, the conditions will be complete whiteout, and the winds are going to hit a record high.”

“I’ll leave now.”

“Thanks, Cammie. Keep us updated on when you get there, when you leave, and when you’re back.”

“Will do.”

We hung up, and I raced into my bedroom to put on my warmest thermals and sweats. I explained the situation to the girls as I hurried to the coat tree by the front door and donned my parka. Once I’d pulled on my snow boots and bundled in a hat, gloves, scarf, and snow goggles, I waved goodbye and opened the door. The wind nearly knocked me off my feet, but I gritted my teeth and pushed through the gusts. It was almost impossible to see the path to the shed where we parked all the vehicles. The snow was falling so fast and heavy that the salt didn’t have a chance to melt it.

Still, I could see far enough ahead of me to spot the light over the garage door. The roads and snowmobile paths throughout the resort land had reflective roadside markers, snow stakes, chevron markers, and rumble strips to cue drivers about the edge and keep them on the right road or path.

Guests and employees were forbidden from off-roading, but like I’d told Caleb, I knew every inch of this place. That didn’t mean I was going to be stupid, but there were shortcuts to the area where this Soren guy was staying that would save me valuable minutes.

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