Page 36 of His One True Wish

“Not unless you’ve got a snowblower and a generator in those boxes you brought from Denver.” He nodded at the pile of boxes.

“No,” I said with mock seriousness. “I am afraid my high school yearbook can’t help us either, unless you want to see a picture of my cheating ex-boyfriend.”

“No, thank you, but I appreciate the offer.”

“Oh, I know!” I said. “We could sell my storybook doll collection. It may be worth enough to buy a snow shovel, though it would pain me to sell Alice in Wonderland.”

“You collect creepy dolls?” Axl said, his face in a grimace.

“I was ten, and yes, totally creepy dolls. I couldn’t throw them away, which is why they are here.”

“I’m not going to judge. Just don’t put any on the bed while you are here. They’ll give me nightmares.”

“I think you justdidjudge,” I said, smiling, “and thank you for the amazing idea. I suppose waking up in bed beside Little Red Riding Hood, Alice, or Sleeping Beauty might be payback for greeting me nude.”

“It might,” he said. “I think creepy dolls are way scarier than me naked. I mean, come on.”

“I am the one who was subjected to your nakedness.” I laughed.

“Oh, you liked it. Come on.”

We were having fun, but I also felt like we were playing make-believe. Axl and I were pretending to be friends. We were two people stuck in a cabin, playing Scrabble, sorting out lanterns and flashlights in a dusty old barn. The fact that we were now joking about our naked introduction felt both surprising and totally natural.

“You doing okay?” Axl asked

I realized my smile had fallen. “I’m good. Let’s get back inside so I can finish kicking your ass.”

“You talk a big talk.”

“Thank you for noticing.”

Axl held open the door, and I followed him outside. Once we left the barn, he pushed the door closed again with a big shove and a bang. Suddenly, there was a rumble and a roar from above. I looked up, confused by the noise. A wall of white crashed onto me. I fell to the ground, my lungs aching. I could barely take a breath. I blinked, feeling the grit of snow against my skin. I saw white all around me, only white, and I wasn’t sure which way was up or down.

I panicked, and half-buried in the snow, tried to move, but I was topsy-turvy and stuck. I heard muffled shouting and tried to rotate toward the noise. I squirmed and wiggled, trying to make a pocket around my body and figure out which direction was up. My head felt tingly, making me guess I was upside down.

Panic rising, I wiggled when I felt a hand on my leg. I squirmed as the tugging on my leg became more urgent. Then I felt my body wiggling and heard crunching. Axl was trying to dig me out. I felt dizzy. I couldn’t move and get myself right-side up.

I tried to take a deep breath, but there was no air to fill my lungs, then I felt Axl’s hands pulling me upward by both legs.

“Jesus, Billie!” he shouted.

Tumbling backward, Axl yanked me out of the snow. I stood, coughing and choking. My legs buckled as my vision dissolved into a head-rush of stars. Axl caught me before I hit the ground.

“Let’s get you inside. Come on,” he said. His arm around me, I tried to step with him, but my legs wobbled.

“Okay, girl. Up you go.” He scooped me up in his arms. He walked toward the house holding me as if he were walking me across the threshold.

“I’m fine,” I gasped.

“Put your arms around my neck,” he growled. “You are not fine. Quit talking.”

I complied. He was so strong, his chest firm against my body. He was a tall, muscular, machine-of-a-man, and I was lucky he was there to save me.

With every step, his feet pumped the ground, making sure it was solid. He carried me across the yard at lightning speed. I imagined pure adrenaline fueled him. He moved like a man on a mission.

“That was stupid.” His teeth gritted as he carried me up the stairs. “You need to get warm. Now.”

He opened the door to the kitchen, slammed it shut behind us, and carried me into the great room. He stood me in front of the fire, keeping an arm around my lower back to hold me steady. I shivered and shook. My fingers nearly frozen, they screamed and throbbed.

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