Page 15 of Mine For The Winter

“Mom?” Cole said, his voice high.

“Get out of the car, honey.” She took a deep breath, trying not to sound like she was panicking.

“What’s happening?” Cole’s voice was tremulous. “What’s wrong with the car?”

“I don’t know. Please get out.” Kelly unclasped her seatbelt, trying not to panic. She had visions of the whole thing blowing up with them inside. “And go stand by the trees.”

“But it’s cold. Can’t we stay in here?”

“No!” It came out more vehement than she intended. A mixture of fear and urgency sending her voice sky high. She scrambled out of the car and wrenched his door open, and Cole stepped out.

“Go stand by the trees,” she said again.

“But why?”

Kelly took a deep breath. “Because if the car blows up I don’t want you anywhere near it. And if another car drives by they may swerve and hit us if we’re too close to the road.”

Her words must have hit home because Cole nodded, his questions forgotten. “Can I bring my bag? I don’t want my hockey stuff to blow up.”

She exhaled heavily. “Yeah, I’ll bring it over.”

A moment later she put both of their bags by the tree she’d insisted Cole sit by. His brows were pinched. “I’m not gonna get to play today, am I?”

She pressed her lips together in sympathy. “I don’t know. I’m gonna call Charlie and see if he can help us. Then I’ll call one of the other moms and ask them to pick you up.”

Cole nodded, but said nothing. She felt the ache of his disappointment as she dialed the Cold Start Garage, muttering a curse when it went straight to voicemail. She left a quick message explaining what had happened and where she was, then tried Charlie’s cell phone.

“I’m over in Marshall’s Gap,” he said after she’d apprised him of the situation. “Everybody’s car is failing today. I can probably get to you in an hour.”

Cole’s game would be half finished by then. But that wasn’t Charlie’s fault. It was hers. “Okay, no problem. I’ll be waiting.” It wasn’t as though she had anywhere else to go.

Cole’s lip wobbled, but he said nothing.

She called three different moms from the team but none of them answered. They were probably all driving right now. Then she called her dad, but he didn’t pick up either.

Kelly gritted her teeth with frustration. Why did nobody answer their damn phones anymore?

Cole’s teeth started to chatter.

“Put on your jersey, honey,” she suggested. “An extra layer will help.” She was feeling damn cold herself, but she pushed it out of her mind. She needed to think.

Cole hunkered down to rifle through his bag. But then he suddenly stopped, looking up from his bag to the road ahead of them.

“Is that a car?” he asked.

Kelly looked in the direction that Cole was pointing, further up the foothills. A little tiny blip was moving in their direction, disappearing around a curve then reappearing again. Getting bigger. Closer.

Yep, it was definitely a car. Thank the lord.

Cole stood. “We need to stop him.”

“Or her,” Kelly said because she was damned if her son was going to show any unconscious bias.

“Either way they could help us.”

She gave him a soft smile. “Don’t get your hopes up, honey. Could be a lost tourist. They don’t tend to stop.”

But Cole was already up and running toward the road. “Hey!” he shouted, even though the driver was way too far in the distance to hear them. “We need help. Mayday! Mayday!”

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