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Olivia clung to the back of Lucas as they made their way down the road toward the gate. Everything was white and the road was buried beneath several feet of snow.
If she were out here alone, she would have no idea which direction to travel. Already all the landmarks she’d used were gone. Hidden by snow. It was a white wonderland.
The cold air blew against her exposed face and she was beginning to lose feelings in her cheeks. He’d tried to convince her to wear a scarf, but she’d refused. Now she was regretting that decision.
Burying her face into his back, she tried to warm her skin, but she wanted to see the world around her.
Holding tightly to Lucas, she liked the feel of his body warmth and the way that, at first he’d taken it slow, so she could get used to the feel of them traveling through the powder.
But now he’d sped up, and occasionally, he’d do a spin. Hanging on to him tightly, she laughed and realized she was having fun. He’d told her that they couldn’t be out long for fear of frostbite.
It was definitely cold. The temperature hovered around zero, and with a wind chill factor, the air registered in the negatives. And yet leaning against his back, she felt warm, except for her face which she snuggled into him.
This felt freeing and fun and something new that she needed. With Lucas, she was more relaxed than she’d been since she arrived. They were having fun and she needed something to make her laugh and smile again.
She saw the gate and knew they weren’t far from the highway. Steeling herself against the sight of her car, she realized that yesterday had been a terrible day, but if she’d been hurt, it could have been so much worse.
What if Lucas had not been behind her? What would have happened to her out in the middle of nowhere with no cell service? And a blizzard howling.
Damn the big asshole for not calling her and telling her he was not going with her. That’s all it would have taken for her to leave earlier in the day without him.
Even thinking about him, she felt sorrow that she’d wasted almost a year of her life with that man, and somehow, she hadn’t seen his flaws. Looking back, she knew she was better off without him. If he cheated before they were married, then there was no doubt what he would do afterward.
And a cheating man was not someone she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
Her biggest regret from yesterday was being fired by the school board. That one still stung and would for a long time. After the holidays, she would start looking for a new teaching position, but she had no idea where. Would a school even hire her with her tainted reputation?
Lucas stopped the snowmobile and turned it off. He turned and gazed at her. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she said smiling. Being outside in the snow felt good. She really was enjoying herself.
“Good,” he said. “I’m happy to see a smile on your beautiful face.”
He thought she was beautiful?
“What did you do with that scarf? I think I’m going to wrap it around my face,” she said.
He took his gloves off and reached out to touch her cheeks. The feel of his warm fingers felt good against her skin.
“Your skin is too cold. We don’t want you to get frostbite,” he said as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a big wool scarf. “Wrap this around your face and right below your nose.”
She took the garment and did as he said and instantly felt better. With his fingers, he tugged the scarf into place, making certain she was well covered before he put his gloves back on.
How wonderful that he was concerned about her.
Taking his snowshoes out of the storage compartment, he quickly slipped them on and clipped his boots to them then trudged through the snow to the gate.
“I’ve got to clear the road so we can get through the gate,” he said.
“Do you want me to help you?” she asked.
“No,” he said. “You’d only sink into the snow.”
Thank goodness he wore snowshoes or he would have had a hard time getting there. Once he reached the gate, she watched as he dug with his hands until he found the shovel hanging on the barbwire fence. Then he scooped snow away from the opening. It took him about fifteen minutes to move enough snow to open the gate, and then he had to clear enough for the snowmobile to make it through.
When he returned, he was huffing and puffing.
“Are you ready?”
