Page 75 of The Christmas Accomplice

“Um, yeah, it’s okay. I think. I mean, it’s nice that you remember that story.” Welton frowned. “Do you remember it?”

Reece stepped in closer and grabbed both of Welton’s hands. “I do remember it. You were cutting down a Christmas tree with your family and on the way back you fell and got stuck with your feet in the air, and it took them a long time to come back for you.”

“It was sleeting, too,” Welton said. “You didn’t mention the sleet.”

“I remembered, but I didn’t want to focus on that part.” He released one of Welton’s hands and waved to the clear sky above. “No sleet tonight. And I promise not to lose track of you. What do you say?”

“How does it work?” Welton looked around. “Do we wear them on this paved path?”

“Nope. There are footpaths leading out from behind the kiosk. All different lengths. I thought we’d take the shortest one for this first time.”

Welton peered at the woods around them, then looked back at Reece. “First time? Makes it sound like there will be more snowshoe hikes.”

Reece kissed him softly. “I hope so.”

That sealed the deal. Welton followed Reece to the kiosk and watched him greet the attendant by name. As the two of them chatted, Welton stepped away and peered around the side of the kiosk. Four trailheads branched off from a central spot illuminated by a floodlight on a pole. From what Welton could tell, each trail had path lights set at short intervals. He relaxed a little, and moved back to Reece’s side in time to see him accept two pairs of snowshoes from the attendant.

“Don’t you need my shoe size?” Welton asked.

“Nope. They strap onto your boots. Come on.”

Reece led the way to the back of the kiosk where benches were arranged in a semi-circle. He had Welton sit on a bench, then knelt before him and fit a snowshoe to each boot. Welton tried to think of a joke about glass slippers compared to snowshoes, but his busy mind couldn’t get it right, and then Reece sat beside him to attach his own snowshoes. When he’d finished, he stood and pulled Welton to his feet.

“Ready?”

“I think so.”

“Thanks for doing this. We’ll do the mile footpath for this initial walk. There’s a nice view I think you’ll like.”

“Okay, lead the way.”

Trying to put the memory of that long-ago disastrous Christmas tree hunt out of his mind, Welton followed Reece onto one of the paths called, he noticed, Beginner’s Luck. He certainly hoped that was the case.

Reece set a slow but steady pace, looking over his shoulder often to make sure Welton was keeping up and still on his feet. Welton wobbled a few times and feared he would fall, but he stayed upright by windmilling his arms and planting his feet. Not long after they started, he felt much more stable, enough that he came right up behind Reece and goosed him, laughing at the surprised squawk it produced.

“Okay, smarty pants, want to go a little faster?” Reece said.

“Just a little, please.”

Welton felt sweat roll down his back as he tromped after Reece, wondering if he might work off some of the dinner and dessert they’d had a short while before. Just as he was about to ask about the nice view Reece had mentioned, the path curved right, going past a scenic lookout spot on the left. A few benches were situated in a very small space cleared of trees, and a wooden safety rail had been installed at the edge of a drop off.

Reece stepped into the deep snow off the well-traveled path, and Welton followed. They reached the wooden fencing and looked out over a valley dotted with snow-covered pine trees. Moonlight put everything in stark relief and bleached the stone face of a small cliff on the other side of the valley. Reece stood behind him, strong arms hemming him in as he rested his chin on Welton’s left shoulder.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Reece whispered.

“It is.”

“If you look almost directly across, you can see a small cave opening.”

“Really?”

“Really. Right…” Reece extended one arm and pointed. “There. See it?”

Welton squinted as he looked along Reece’s arm. All he saw was moon-bleached stone and a few shadows cast by ledges and rocks. But one small shadow looked deeper than the others, and Welton sucked in a breath.

“I think I see it.”

“Yeah?”