Page 26 of Dead Man's Hand

He shook his head almost ruefully. “That’s what worries me.”

A Christmas song came on the radio. He reached over and turned it off.

“What do you have against Christmas?” she asked, feeling a need to fill the silence, but also wanting to know more about this man. All the hours she’d spent with him and yet she knew little of his early life at Charley Diamond’s ranch.

“Nothing against Christmas. Just never was something we celebrated at the ranch. Charley said it was a scam.” DJ laughed. “He said a lot of things were a scam. He should know.”

She laughed. “See, we have even more in common. My godfather didn’t celebrate holidays either. Said they were businessmen’s trick to play on people’s emotions so they felt guilty if they didn’t spend more money than they had. I never cared about the present part of Christmas.”

For a moment, she watched snow flying around them in a dizzying blur. “But I did love the lights and the decorations. I always felt that there was something special about the season beyond all the commercialism. We were far from a religious family, but there was something spiritual that I felt at Christmas.” She fell silent before adding with a laugh, “I always wanted a real Christmas tree. Did you have a Christmas tree at the ranch?”

“No.”

Sadie felt him turn toward her for a second before going back to his driving.

After a few minutes, she realized she wasn’t getting any more out of him. They drove through the whiteout with only the clack of the wipers and the hum of the heater. She kept losing sight of the road ahead. She felt as if they were driving into a wall of white with no idea of what was on the other side. The snow had a claustrophobic quality, no longer as beautiful as she’d first thought. It now felt dangerous.

The weather report on the radio continued to get worse. Many of the highways were closed due to a lack of visibility. The snow kept getting deeper on the highway. She realized that she couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen a car go by, let alone a snowplow.

Through a break in the whirling snow, she saw a sign. DJ slowed and turned onto a narrower road. This one led up higher into the mountains. The snow quickly got deeper. The SUV broke through the drifts that the wind had sculpted, sending a shower of white flakes up over the windshield.

Sadie was relieved that DJ seemed to know how to maneuver in the deep snow filling the narrow road. That wasn’t what had her worried, though. It was why he was driving in a blizzard when roads were closing, drivers were told to stay home, plows couldn’t keep up. This part of the state was closing down and yet DJ kept going as if racing toward his destiny.

She’d seen determination in him many times before, but not like this. She could only hope that Keira had been telling the truth. She and her husband might already be on their way to Alaska. What would DJ do if he missed them? Would that be enough proof that Keira hadn’t betrayed him?

The road wound up the mountain. The wind was reduced with the thick pines on each side of the road so the snow wasn’t as drifted. They kept climbing. Sadie remembered being in awe of the winter wonderland DJ had brought her to. Now it had a lethal quality that unnerved her. It was bad enough that they were probably driving into a trap—and that’s if they survived the blizzard and the drive up this mountain.

You trust me, don’t you?DJ had asked.

I trust you with my life.

“It should be right up here,” DJ said as they topped a small hill and he turned up an even more narrow road. He started up it. They hadn’t gone far when she heard a spinning sound as the tires fought to find traction—and failed.

The SUV came to a stop. DJ tried to get it going again, but the whine of the tires told her that they weren’t going any farther. DJ backed up and made a run at the hill. The same thing happened: tires spun, no traction. Only this time, the pickup slid off the road, and the driver’s side dropped into what appeared to be a narrow ditch—not that she could tell with the snow so deep.

“Stay here.” He jumped out, leaving the engine running, the heater cranked. He was out of the SUV, cold rushing in as he exited, then he disappeared into the storm. Sadie hugged herself and waited, not sure where he had gone. To see how stuck they were? But when he didn’t return, she began to worry. What if something happened and he didn’t come back? The thought raced past, kicking up her pulse and making her stomach churn. She was completely out of her element. How long could she survive out here? She quickly shoved the thought away. DJ would come back. If he could.

She checked to see how much gas they had. Less than half a tank. She reached over and turned the key. The engine stopped and so did the heater. An eerie, deafening quiet filled the vehicle. She felt the cold surround the SUV and begin making its way in. Moments ago, it had been almost too warm. She shivered, realizing she wouldn’t survive long if DJ didn’t make it back.

The air inside the truck was getting colder by the second. How long had she been sitting here? How long had DJ been gone?

She tried to see outside. The wind would occasionally part the falling snow enough that she could see pine trees. Had they reached the cabin where he was to meet Keira? Surely he wouldn’t have gone in to face Keira alone knowing he could be walking into a trap! She should have jumped out and gone with him, but he hadn’t given her a chance.

But even as she thought it, she knew that was exactly what he would do to protect her. She buttoned up her coat and reached for her scarf before she remembered that she’d used it to put over DJ’s wound and he’d lost it somewhere. She must not have tied it tight enough.

She dressed as warmly as she could manage; still, she hesitated. Should she go after him? She wasn’t even sure which way he’d gone or if this was the road to the cabin. Leaving the pickup seemed like a bad idea since the alternative was to go out into the snow and cold. Snow had accumulated on the windshield. Soon she wouldn’t be able to see out.

She reached for the door handle and stopped. Through a break in the falling snow, she caught movement. She held her breath, unsure what was up here in these woods. Animal? Or human?

Her heart bumped hard against her ribs as DJ appeared out of the storm. Relief made her weak for a moment as he opened the door and climbed in.

For a startled moment, she didn’t recognize him with his hair and coat covered with snow. Flakes clung to his long dark lashes. “Are we—Is this—”

He must have seen her relief and her fear. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to leave you alone for so long. Charley’s cabin is on up the road about halfway up the mountain.”

“Keira?”

He shook his head. “But someone’s been here. There is food and firewood. I found a branding iron with the Diamond Deluxe, a diamond shape with a D inside. I hurried up and built a fire so it would be warmer for you once we climb up the mountainside. It’s a pretty good hike up.”

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