Page 24 of Snowed In with Three Mountain Men

Before I can linger any more in that line of thinking, Callum grabs my hand and pulls me forward. “The shooting’s coming from over there, down by the river,” he mutters. “We need to get to shelter…”

“Back to the cabin?”

He shakes his head. “We can’t risk leading them there,” he replies. “We need to lure them somewhere else. There’s a hollowed-out tree not far from here, I’ve camped out in it a few times while I’ve been hunting. That should give us cover for now…”

I nod, my eyes wide. Right now, my life is in his hands, and I know it. Another bullet whistles through the air, exploding a branch just above me into a shower of splinters.

“Now!” he hisses. Tugging on my hand, he guides me through the forest and toward safety.

He keeps low, making sure we don’t give whoever is after us a clear line of fire—I don’t know a damn thing about avoiding gunshots, but if there’s one person who does, it’s Callum. I grip tight to his hand as he pulls me from tree to tree, counting out three shots before he makes a move to the next one.

“They’re loading every three shots,” he mutters under his breath. “We can use that. We have ten, maybe twelve seconds between every third shot to move, and they won’t see us.”

“You think they’re on their own?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “I have no idea, but there’s only one person shooting right now,” he replies. “There might be more people out in the forest, but it’s just one guy after us now…”

Suddenly, the third shot rings out, and he dives toward another tree. My whole body is numb, not just from the chill that’s still in the air, but the terror—and the knowledge that I’ve brought this down on his shoulders. He came out here to escape everything he’d been through before, and now, whether he likes it or not, he’s caught up in the midst of violence all over again…

I stick close by his side, and soon we’re just a few dozen yards from the hollowed-out tree—he points it out to me.

“There,” he murmurs. “You see the gap in the wood? There’s a bigger hollow inside there, we’ll both fit easily.”

“The opening doesn’t look big enough?—”

“We’ll have to go one at a time,” he replies urgently, glancing over his shoulder. “Wait till the third shot goes off, and then run.”

“But I?—”

“Run, Charli. I’m not letting anything happen to you, you hear me?”

There’s a ferocious protectiveness in his voice that catches me off guard for a moment—but, as he tightens his grip on my hand one more time and then releases it, I know he means it. I can’tfuck this up. It’s not just me I have to think of here, it’s both of us, and I’m not going to let him get hurt on my account.

Before I can stop myself, I plant a kiss on his cheek—and then, at last, the third shot rings out, and I take off toward the hollow.

I’m counting out the seconds inside my head—the boots slow me a little, big enough to throw my stride off.Ten, nine, eight…

I reach the edge of the hollow. I have to pry aside a few branches to widen it slightly, and there’s still some frost stuck to the wood, rendering it stiff and unyielding against my grip.

Seven, six, five…

Finally, I pull the branches back, and I force one leg inside—come on, come on—and then the other. The bark of the entrance scratches at my skin where the jacket has come away from my neck, but I ignore it.

Four, three, two…

Just as I hit my final second, I tumble into the hollow, finally concealed. I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding—and then peer back out to make sure Callum is okay.

His eyes are pinned on the hollow, making certain I’ve reached it in one piece. I count out the shots again, waiting for him to come after me, and thank God I don’t have to wait long for him to do it.

He manages to enter the hollow a lot more gracefully than me, throwing himself over the threshold and diving into the small space beside me. It’s big enough for both of us to sit up, maybe lie down if we have to stay here longer, but honestly, I wouldn’t care if it was nothing larger than a broom cupboard. We’re out of sight, and there’s no chance the shooter will come looking for us here.

Callum grabs a couple of branches from around us and pushes them over the small entrance to hide us even more. It’s doubtful he would have come searching for us here anyway, but it’s still a good idea, making sure we’re not going to be busted.

In silence, the two of us hold our breath as we wait to see if the danger has passed—and if we are truly safe here.

Though the only thing I can really focus on is the pressure of his shoulder against mine, and the familiar scent of his skin just a few inches from my own.

11

---