Page 4 of Snowed In with Four Firemen
Ben rubs his shoulder as if remembering the heavy gear we’ve been carrying up and down. “At least we don’t have to deal with an actual fire today.”
Tanner laughs, the sound filling the cab. “Yeah, because riding up a mountain to drop Jace off for wedding duty is so much better. At least with the fires, we get a little action.”
Jace makes a face. “You get this scenic drive to make up for that.”
“The weather’s changing out there,” Ben says abruptly. I see Tanner and Jace exchange a glance.
“You think it’s going to storm?”
“My sister is going to have a coronary.” Jace winces. “So, I hope for all our sakes that’s not the case.”
“I heard two guys talking about it earlier. It’s going to hit pretty hard,” Tanner says.
I crane my neck over the dashboard to look up at the sky. “I think we’ll make it before the storm hits.”
I’m not particularly fazed by blizzards. I’ve faced it before. I can only think of the poor souls with zero experience with the weather driving up the road alone.
“Most of the wedding guests have made it up, so that’s fine,” Jace says. “And others will come tomorrow.”
“Yeah, anybody driving up so late in the evening would be a fool,” Tanner says.
“A brave fool,” Ben says.
“I’m not worried about the guests, but the caterers don’t get here till tomorrow. My sister needs everything to be very particular and perfect.”
“Everything is going to be fine,” I say, turning up the music on the dashboard.
But it’s not. As soon as the words come out of my mouth, the weather starts to shift, fast. The sky darkens, and I feel a prickle of unease. Snow begins to fall. At first just a few flakes here and there, but soon it’s coming down hard. Visibility drops quicker than I expect, and I ease off the gas, focusing on keeping the truck steady.
“Damn, this is coming in quick,” Ben says, squinting through the windshield. “You think we’re gonna make it up there?”
“Of course we are,” I reply, but my tone’s more serious now, eyes scanning the road ahead. “This thing’s built for this kind of weather. We’ll be fine.”
But the blizzard’s hitting harder than I’d like. The road’s starting to disappear under the snow, and the wind’s picking up, rattling against the windows. I can hear Raffle shifting uneasily in the back seat, his big body tensing as he senses the change. The wipers are working overtime, but they’re no match for the blizzard that’s now in full swing.
“Everyone stay sharp,” I say, my voice calm but firm, my firefighter instincts kicking in. “We need to keep our eyes on the road. Tanner, keep an eye on the right. Ben, you watch the left. Jace, check the GPS. Let’s make sure we’re still on the right track.”
“Got it,” Jace says, pulling out his phone and adjusting the GPS. The screen flickers as the signal wavers, but it’s holding for now. “We’re still on the main road, but it’s going to get trickier the higher we go.”
I focus on the road ahead, what little I can see of it. The truck’s tires crunch through the snow, but even with the F-450’spower, keeping us steady is a struggle. The wind howls, pushing against the truck like it’s trying to force us off the mountain, and the snow is coming down so hard that it’s like driving through a wall of white.
“Axel, how’s it looking up there?” Tanner asks, his voice more serious now, all traces of humor gone.
“It’s rough,” I admit, steering us carefully around a bend. The road is narrowing, the drop-offs on either side hidden by the snow, but I know they’re there, waiting. “But we can make it if we stay focused. Just keep your eyes peeled.”
The snow is so thick now that it feels like we’re driving in a tunnel, the walls of white closing in on us.
“Jace, how much further?” I ask, my voice tight as I concentrate on keeping the truck from sliding.
“About a mile now,” he says, checking the GPS again. “But it’s going to get steeper. We need to be careful.”
“We’re almost there.” Good. My hands are starting to ache from gripping the wheel so tightly, but I don’t dare relax.
“But what next?” Jace says.
“What?” I say. I hadn’t thought that far.
“The snow isn’t going to blow over anytime soon,” Ben says practically.
