Page 66 of His One True Wish

Mason revved his engine and drove up beside us. “Get on the back, Billie. It’s safer.”

“Fine,” I said, climbing on the back. Axl sat in front of me. I clipped on my belt and put my feet on the stands and slid my arms around his waist. I looked at the cabin and saw Cam’s black-and-white face looking out the back window. She must have gone up on all fours against the kitchen door.

“Hold on tight,” Axl said, glancing back at me.

I tightened my grip and he hit the gas, snow blowing behind us as we headed away from the cabin and into the woods.

CHAPTER 19

BILLIE

Mason drove at a fast but controlled clip down the drive to Pine Joy Lane and out onto the road. Axl kept up without tailgating. I wanted to remind myself to joke that he was a better snowmobile than car driver, but wasn’t sure he’d appreciate my humor. The main road into town was heavy with snow, and it was clear that no plows or cars had carved a path up any of the hills around town.

Smoke River had snowplows, but we were usually last on the list for clearing behind other mountain towns that boasted more tourism, like the slopes of Echo Mountain. The snowmobile whined and bumped over the road. I held on tight to Axl, leaning against the warmth of his back. The world outside went by in a blur, but I felt warm in my long coat and protected from the wind by his body. I don’t know why I fought him about driving. I just wanted him to know that I was capable and I could do it on my own, even though the benefit of being on the second seat of this sled was clear.

“You good?” Axl shouted, his voice muffled by his helmet.

I held my gloved hand in the air and gave him a thumbs-up. He nodded, acknowledging my signal.

The road dipped down toward the four-way stop where I’dconsidered stopping at the Buzz On In Bakery Cafe instead of the cabin. That moment in the snow felt as if it had taken place weeks ago, but I knew it was not even forty-eight hours.

“Hold on,” Axl said, and I gripped him tighter as he followed Mason and Ethan through the stop and toward the airfield and away from town.

I wondered what would have happened if I had gone to see Mason first. He might have stopped me from going to the cabin at all, offered to store stuff at the hangar. My heart clenched for a moment as I imagined a scenario where I never got to the cabin. I wasn’t here to visit or truly spend time. My goal was simple: Drop off Mom’s stuff and get out. The idea that I might have slipped in and out of Smoke River without meeting Axl stirred up a feeling of loss deep inside me.

All of a sudden, the snowmobile jerked, and I felt my body rise and smack down on the side.

“Sorry!” Axl shouted. “We have some uneven ground out here.”

“I’m okay!” I called back.

I looked ahead to see Mason and Ethan pointing away from the main road. Axl nodded, so I assumed they were going to get off the road and take one of the walking paths along the river. I looked up and saw a headlight far in the distance. Someone was on the road, which was a good sign, but also an indicator that we should probably not be sharing a path with cars.

We turned away from the road and on a path not far from town that wound along the river. The path was flat here, and we didn’t have to deal with any of the steepness that we had behind the cabin. Holding onto Axl, I wished I could take off my helmet and hear the roar of the water. The snowmobiles buzzed and filled the snowy silence.

We passed the small public restroom and playground where I’d spent hours in the summer playing with local kids. I sat up higher in my seat as we passed an area with trees cleared. That didn’t look right. There was a white-and-blue sign with some sort of a public notice posted. We drove by too fast for me to read.

I wondered if this was the new development Gran had worried somuch about. I needed to ask Mason. He was sure to know. I had imagined some sort of an old-school housing development with tract homes, the way Gran described it. This didn’t look huge. In fact, it looked like a lovely place to build.

The road flattened out again as we drove past the other side of Four Clover Farms. I could see a light on inside the house and was glad that power in Smoke River seemed to be back on track. Things would get back to normal soon, which meant I could call Mom, get the truck moving, and go home.

Why did that idea make me feel all nervy inside?

In the distance, I saw the light from the single control tower at the airfield. It wasn’t really a tower, just a second story on the terminal, which was also just a big room with a bathroom, benches, and a latte cart.

When flights were coming in and leaving, the airport staff would go up to the second floor and greenlight planes to land from the north or the south. There was only one runway with parking on the south side for planes. I’d never seen more than three or four planes parked at a time, so I was shocked to see there were six planes parked and waiting. They were all tied down. No one was going anywhere, that was for sure.

Right next to the terminal was the Buzz On In Bakery Cafe. Mason turned before we passed the waiting airplanes, pulling up right in front of an empty bike rack. Axl drove our sled right up beside him and turned off the engine.

My legs felt shaky after the ride and constant vibration. Mason and Ethan went inside the bakery. Axl held the door for me as we went inside.

The Buzz On In Bakery Cafe was once a diner. Booths with maroon vinyl seats surrounded the windows, and in the center of the room were a series of tables. The kitchen café was in the back with a big walk-up counter where Mason showcased his donuts, pies, and cinnamon rolls.

I blinked as I took off my helmet. The warmth of the restaurantfelt great against my skin, and I inhaled the scent of gooey cinnamon rolls.

“Amazing.” I sighed, putting down my helmet. Axl and I stood behind Mason and Ethan, who pulled off coats and kicked snow off boots.

Music played in the restaurant, and with a quick glance around, I saw people huddled in the booths playing cards, drinking hot cocoa, and eating plates of cookies. I laughed, thinking that being stuck in the snow with Mason’s baking was not a rough life.

---