Page 20 of Scotch & Shortbread

“Areyousureyoudon’t want to come back with us? Christmas is only a couple of days away. You know my family would love to see you,” Meg said as she zipped closed her hot pink travel case.

“I’d love to see them too, but another time. You know me, I've got it in my head that I want to stay in this little town over Christmas. Something about it just sings to my soul. I want to write and drink Christmas lattes all in this mountainy bliss.” Quinn grinned. “I’m used to the solitary life.”

“We know damn well there’s no convincing you to change your mind once it’s set.” Belle yanked Quinn into a hug. “We’re planning another girl’s weekend soon, though,” she said as if daring Quinn to argue.

“I can’t believe you want to stay here all alone over Christmas.” Megs came in for the group hug. Quinn’s chin rested on Belle’s smooth glossy black hair, as she mightily squeezed Quinn. Belle always hugged like she wasn’t going to see you ever again. For such a tiny woman, she hugged like a bear. Meg, being the tallest of the three, wrapped her arms around them both. They all stood embracing in the tiny entry of the inn room. Hugging with her friends always had a way of making Quinn feel more whole somehow. She didn’t know what she would do without them.

“At least have Hot Cop.” Meg patted Quinn on the back.

“Oh, stop,” Quinn chided with a snort. “I’m gonna miss you girls.”

“We should make birthday plans. It's the big three-o, this year.” Belle gave Quinn a sly grin before turning to the mirror as she smoothed her rumpled hair and checked her red lipstick.

"Ooh that's right," Meg quipped. "Gettin' up there, Quinn."

"Shut it, Megs, you're only a few months behind me.” Quinn smacked her butt and she jumped away with a laugh.

“Yeah, yeah, I'm getting up there too. Anyway," Meg sobered, "good luck with the writing and Merry Christmas.” She reached out to squeeze Quinn's hand.

Quinn nodded, grateful that her friends understood her so well. “Don’t be worried if I’m MIA over the holidays, I’m really gonna try to get in the zone with this. Make it finally happen, you know?”

From the looks on their faces, she knew they understood and supported her fully.

After the girls left, Quinn switched rooms to a smaller less expensive one. The new room felt very empty and quiet without her friends. Snow had been falling on and off all night and she watched from her window as a fairy-like flakes danced about. She considered grabbing her laptop and heading to a coffee shop, but the thought of possibly running into Mean Hot Cop turned her off the idea. Instead, she grabbed her backpack and readied it for a hike. Despite being a bit of a late start in the day for a hike, it felt like exactly what she wanted—what she craved right now. She needed to clear her head, and being out in nature, moving her body was the best way to do that.

Breathing in the fresh mountain air, Quinn let it feed her soul. She continued to hike up the trail, snow crunching beneath her boots. This was exactly what she needed to clear the cobwebs. The snow was falling in masses of fluffy flakes like some kind of Christmas wonderland. Despite thick snow making it tougher to trudge along the trail, Quinn felt alive pushing her limits. Her blood was pumping and her breathing was heavy, but she was in the zone. She felt invigorated. It wasn’t even a consideration to turn back. She was determined to reach the summit.

Seemingly out of nowhere, the wind whipped up. Not uncommon in the mountains, but it blew so hard that it made it almost impossible to keep moving. Quinn stopped to catch her breath and decide what to do. It didn’t look like she’d be summiting the mountain today after all. She tried to look around, but the wind had become so harsh and biting and the snow so thick that it was next to impossible to see. Disappointing as it was, it was time to head back down and call the hike. She suspected if the weather had stayed good, she’d likely hit the summit within the next forty minutes. It was frustrating, but she couldn’t keep going now in this, it would be stupid to push her luck.

She’d barely noticed that the white sky of the day had now turned to the blue-grey of dusk. She looked at her phone. 4:00 p.m. At this time of year this far north, the sun set early. Definitely time to head back down. The cold began to seep into her, which was not ideal as she was a good couple of hours away from the base. Trying not to think of the cold, she tried to move a little faster, but with the fresh thickening snow, it was slow going.

Quinn carefully made her way back down the mountain trail. She had been grateful for the new hiking boots she’d bought as they gripped the snow so well, but now her feet were starting to get cold.

It felt like she’d barely made any progress as the harsh wind and snow forced her to look down most of the way. Her toes were feeling numb, and it was getting dark quickly. All the while, the temperature seemed to be plummeting.

“Shit,” she whispered. She stopped again and looked around her not feeling sure of exactly which direction to head in. The trail that she’d been on was whitewashed with snow, she questioned if she was even on a trail at all anymore.

Quinn carefully pulled out her phone from the zip pocket in her coat. She had to lean close to a tree to shelter from the thrashing wind. Pulling off her glove, with shaking fingers she typedthe Calen Mountain Inninto a maps app. No service. Panic crept to the edge of her mind, and she tried to take some calming breaths. Her fingers were freezing from being exposed, so she quickly shoved her phone back into her pocket and pulled her glove back on. It was impossible to see anything as she tried to look around and get her bearings. The wind and snow bit at her face, and she automatically tucked her chin down into her coat to try and protect herself.

At this point, she was freezing, and it had become clear she was stuck on a mountain in a full-on blizzard. This was not good. A little wave of terror snaked through her. Despite the loud whipping of the wind and snow, she could hear her own breathing rapid and shallow. Her heart seemed to pound in her ears.

“It’s going to be okay,” she whispered needing to reassure herself. She tried again to look around her to get her bearings. If only she could make out the trail, maybe she could make it down, but every direction was just a white snowy blizzard. Trying to move in any direction could be lethal. If she tried she could literally fall off the side of a mountain. She couldn’t tell what direction anything was in.

What to do? What to do? Panic was a heartbeat away, but Quinn fought to keep it at bay. She needed to find some kind of shelter from the wind. Maybe she could wait out the worst of the storm. Her heart was racing, but she did her best to try to stay calm. She concentrated on taking slow deep breaths, but the frigid air didn’t help her swirling thoughts.It will be okay, she told herself again.

Quinn could just barely make out a nearby dark patch through the blowing snow. Trees. She carefully dug through the snow and got herself under the canopy of the nearby pine boughs. It gave her a bit of shelter from the roaring wind, but she was wet with sweat from the exertion of the hike and now she felt bitterly cold. Pulling out her phone again, she prayed for service. Nothing. She could’ve cried. This was about survival now. The surreal realization struck her, and she forced herself to wiggle her numb toes in her boots trying to keep them from totally icing up. Then she breathed into her cold hands, the warmth of breath painfully fleeting. She huddled into a tight ball. As much as she tried to be calm knowing that panic wouldn’t help, she felt scared. With every passing minute, her fear grew. Her mind raced, trying to think what she could do and feeling regret that she hadn’t turned back sooner. What had she been thinking?

It felt like she sat huddled for ages. Time seemed to stand still, and all the while her anxiety grew exponentially. Her efforts to stay calm were futile. The cold wind was savage despite the shelter of the tree boughs. Tears stung her eyes as she hunched up shivering, praying for a miracle.

A distinct sniffing sound snapped her out of her anxious-ridden reverie. Darkness had settled in, and all the while, the snow and wind were relentless. Her ears strained towards the sniffing. Quinn sat stone still except for her heart which pounded like a beating drum in her chest. A Bear. She didn’t think things could get worse, but apparently they could. This was the Canadian Rockies. Bears were a very real threat.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she silently breathed. With frozen hands that didn’t seem to want to work, she desperately dug through her bag to find her bear spray. She felt its cool smooth cylinder in her bag, and a brief relief washed over her. She quickly grabbed it and held it ready.

Her heart was pounding furiously in her ears. Her body shook with cold and adrenaline. Why hadn’t she just stayed at the inn and worked on her book? What she wouldn’t give to be back at the warm cozy inn now. Regret stabbed cruelly at her.

The sniffing became more intense. She’d never been so terrified in all her life, and she tried in vain to steady her frayed nerves. Something snapped inside her and fear suddenly rolled into anger.Not today Bear, she thought, ready for battle.

14

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