Page 1 of Christmas with Hope

Chapter One

My eyes scanned the side of the road, looking for the sign at the end of the driveway I was looking for. My GPS had given up on me twenty miles back. Luckily, I had done an old-school thing and printed out the directions before I left the house. However, the heavy snowfall and narrow backroad made the directions almost pointless.

“Stefanie Dawson,” I growled, staring at the snowfall.

My older sister, Stefanie Dawson, had asked me to spend the holidays with her, her husband, and my newborn niece, at their holiday cabin. I had protested for days. I didn’t want to intrude on their family holiday. It seemed weird. However, in the end, just like when we were younger, I gave in to her and accepted her invitation.

Now, I was on a backroad in the middle of Timbuktu with no cell service, heavy snow, and no sign of civilization.

Something ahead, on the side of the road, reflected off my headlights. I slowed down until I was a few feet from the familiar object.

“Thank goodness.” I let out a sigh of relief before signaling and turning down the long driveway. “Over the hills we go,” I sang then began the final ten minutes of my trip.

“Of course, I’m the first one here. Why wouldn’t I be?” I groaned, putting my truck into park.

Thank goodness I knew where Stefaniehidthe key. I told her hiding it under the welcome mat was a stupid idea. She always told me how the locals out here were good people and no one would bother their cabin. With my lack of trust in people, I still insisted that she move it.

I bundled up to protect myself from the elements that awaited me on the other side of my truck door. The snow was coming down heavier. A lot heavier.

“Now or never,” I said, grabbing my bag from the backseat. I left my phone in the console. Out here in the boonies, it was just a damn paperweight anyway.

The truck door was hard to push open thanks to mother nature fighting against me. Stepping out of the truck, the cold wind whipped against me, sending a shiver down my spine. My cheeks burned from the coldness.

Without any more hesitation, I carefully made my way to the front door. With my bare hands, I lifted the welcome mat to grab the key. The coldness from the mat hit me like a ton of bricks.

“Holy hell!” I cried out, grabbing the key and quickly dropping the frozen-solid mat.

The coldness lit a fire under my ass and had me frantically unlocking the front door. I turned the knob and was hit with coldness again. The heat hadn’t been turned on ahead of time.

“Oh, come on!” I yelled with my hands up in the air.

Why would I expect anything else? I was the first one here, which meant it was my job to turn on the heat. The generator was old, so I doubted I could get it to start so I’d have to playPaul Bunyanand gather wood and start a fire.

This trip was really becoming a pain in my ass.

The snow was up to my knees. It made it even more difficult to trek back to the cabin with my hands full of firewood, which had been in the shed.

My teeth chattered as I continued walking. I didn’t dare stop because I feared freezing to death and being bear food.

“Ah!” I screamed when my foot got caught on something under the snow. Everything felt like it was in slow motion. The logs flew into the air, scattering everywhere. The snow came closer and closer until finally I face planted into it.

“Are you okay?” I heard a man call out. I wasn’t sure who he was or where he was because I was too busy sitting up and bawling my eyes out. “Let’s get you out of the snow.”

The man now stood next to me. Before I had time to reply, I was lifted off the ground and cradled into strong arms.

“It’s okay. I got you,” he said, walking towards the cabin.

“The wood,” I sobbed.

“I’ll come back and get it once we get you inside.” He continued carrying me through the snow as though I weighed nothing.

I inhaled sharply and the smell of his cologne melted me. It was an unfamiliar scent, but it warmed me to the core.

Who was this mystery man?

Chapter Two

The man carried me inside the cabin and into the living room. Slowly, he lowered me down to my feet.

---