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“Oh. That’s the shack. It’s where the previous owner kept firewood and supplies and stuff. It was way too small for us, so we built the barn instead. We should really get around to knocking it down.”
There’s a clanging noise, and I turn to see Cole grab a ladder attached to the side of the cabin. Heaving his rake over one shoulder, he starts climbing up onto the roof one-handed.
I watch him go. “Is that safe?”
Riven shrugs. “He’s not died yet.” He turns to Eli. “I’ll take the barn. You two do the drive?”
Eli nods. Riv disappears towards the huge shed while Eli and I tramp down to the road. A strong wind breezes past us and I shiver, even through both my coats. “Jesus. How cold is it?”
Eli stamps, cocking his head. “I’d say about minus twenty?” He hazards cheerfully.
“How do you know?”
He shrugs. “This is what the snow sounds like at minus twenty. Don’t worry. You’ll soon warm up.” He passes me my shovel. “Now remember. Lift with your legs.”
Half an hour later, I am a snow shovelling machine.Heave. Lift. Drop. Heave. Lift. Drop.I heave and lift and drop over and over again, clearing the snow as fast as I possibly can. It’s tiring work, and all of my muscles are aching, but I don’t care. I throw myself into it. I want to pull my weight. And I want to show Cole that I’m not completely useless.
A trickle of sweat drips down the back of my neck, and I stick my shovel in the growing pile of displaced snow, straightening to unzip Eli’s jacket and tie it around my waist. I look around, panting. A little wave of triumph hits me when I see the section that I’ve cleared is almost as big as Eli’s.
He’s stopped shovelling too, and is leaning against a pine, looking at me. Not doing anything. Just looking.
“What?” I call.
He shakes his head. “Nothing. Just watching you.”
I huff, turning back to the snow. “Creep.” I dig my shovel back into the snow and heave to lift it up, all the muscles in my arm shaking.
Something hard thumps into my back, almost knocking me over. I whip around to see Eli patting together another snowball. “What was that for?!”
He shrugs. “You called me a creep. That’s not nice. I’m very offended.” He bends for more snow, and I take in the view. He’s taken off his jacket, too, so I can see his sweater-covered muscles in all their glory. His high cheekbones are stained pink from the cold, and his coppery hair is ruffled. He looks fuckingdelicious.
I wipe snow off my shoulder. “If you don’t wanna be called a creep, maybe stop staring at me.”
“But you’re so nice to look at.” He straightens. “Here. Catch.”
“Catch wha—”
He pulls his arm back and lobs the snowball right at my face. I gasp as it hits my cheek, so cold it almost feels like a burn. Without thinking, I drop my shovel and jump, grabbing a branch of the pine tree spreading over us and shaking it hard. Eli yelps as a pile of snow slides down over him.
“Shit!” He bends and grabs at the snow, balling up another sloppy snowball, and I dash for cover. The snowball flies right by my face, clipping my ear, and I frantically grab my own lump of snow to chuck back at him.
Soon, we’re in the middle of a full-blown snowball fight. We batter each other, not pulling any punches. He’s not holding back because I’m smaller than him; he’s using every ounce of strength in his giant athlete’s body to beat me. And it’sfun. Somuch fun. I feel like a kid. Eli is so playful, it’s bringing out a light-heartedness in me that I haven’t felt in months. I’ve been so worried about my scummy ex, it’s like I’ve forgotten how to just enjoy myself. And now this man, with his lazy smile and constant teasing, has brought that part of me back out of hiding.
Iloveit.
I peek out from the tree I’ve been hiding behind, sending my own missile flying towards him and hooting in triumph when it hits him dead in the forehead. He scowls, shaking snow out of his hair like a wet dog, then bends and sweeps up armfuls of snow, packing it together. My eyes widen when I see how big the ball is getting. “Don’t you dare!” I shout over the wind. He grins, scooping up more and more snow. I drop to the ground to make my own giant ball, but when I look up again, he’s standing, hefting a lump of snow bigger than my head.
“Any last words?” He calls.
I back up slowly, holding my hands in the air. “Eli—”
He lifts his arms back to throw, and I turn on my heel and run. I barely get three steps away before the giant snowball hits me in the back. Knocked off balance, I trip on one of my snowshoes, skid, and slip over, landing on my ass. I groan and roll over, looking up at the pale blue sky. My blood pounds in my ears. Freezing snow falls down the back of my jacket.
I feel more alive than I have in a long time.
There’s a crunching sound as Eli jogs up to me, panting. “Wipeout,” he crows. “You good?”
I can’t resist fucking with him. I wince, propping myself up on my elbows. “I’m not sure. Think I twisted my ankle.”
