The wind whipped around us, and the snow hit my face like pins of ice. I was totally numb in my toes. Adam loaded the four wheeler and trees before we lost more light.
I pointed up the hill to the left. “How about that tree?” It was at the top of the little hill, it bent to the right and had more branches on the left side. Either my standards were far less than Adam’s or the cold was speaking louder. “I think it looks perfect.”
Adam didn’t argue the tree’s virtues or lack thereof. “You sure?” He grimaced.
“Yep.” I smiled.
Adam nodded, and we started up the hill hopefully for the last time.
“Can I carry the saw?” Danny reached for the handle.
“Sure. Just keep the safety guard on.”
We continued up the steep slope, and I slipped on a patch of ice and braced my hands in front of me to catch myself. I noticed Adam smiling in my direction. “What?” I stepped nearer to him, just for his warmth. I lied to myself.
He reached up and touched my hair. “Your hair is frozen straight out.” He smirked.
I gasped, hurried a glove off, and felt my hair; it wasn’t the sexy windblown look; it felt like a crazy cat lady, or electroshock therapy hair. “Yikes!” I squeaked. I’d lost my hair tie on the trail somewhere, so I tried to tame my hair back into my hood.
Adam chuckled. “I like it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, it’s entirely your fault. With your crazy driving, my hair didn’t stand a chance.”
Adam reached over and pulled my hand away from my hair. “You should leave it.”
Adam stopped walking and looked down at my ungloved hand in his, but he didn’t drop it. The air got caught in my lungs, and everything went quiet. I searched his brown eyes, and neither of us stepped away. The entire mountain seemed to hold its breath, waiting, wondering what was happening between us.
Suddenly the mountains were far less quiet. Something cracked, and a large rumbling crash filled the air. A large tree trunk segment tumbled down the hill toward us.
Danny held the saw as he walked along a log, right in the falling tree’s path. He was completely oblivious of the danger.
Adam and I both started running.
“Danny!” we both hollered.
Danny stopped and turned toward us. Adam was faster and got to Danny to pull him into his chest as my momentum carried me into Adam and we made a Danny sandwich. The snow broke our fall, all of us on our side next to the log, and Adam’s instinct brought him rolling on top of us both. He grimaced and braced as the trunk met the log Danny had been walking on moments before and rocked the earth around us. Adam cursed as a jutting branch scraped along his back before the trunk flew onward then slammed to a stop in a group of trees. Everything went quiet.
If I wasn’t lying on the ground, I would have wondered if I imagined the whole thing.
Then I heard crying. Who was crying? I searched Adam’s now wide eyes. If it wasn’t him, that left…
“Danny, are you okay?”
Chapter Eleven
FAITH
The saw!
I looked around frantically and found it lying on the ground to the side, thank goodness. But then, why was Danny crying?
Adam pushed off of us and kneeled in the snow. He scooped Danny up off my stomach and into his arms, his eyes frantically searching all over to see what caused him pain. Danny was holding his wrist at a funny angle as tears streamed down his face.
“Danny, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”
Danny didn’t answer; he just cried.
“I’m an idiot. I should’ve been paying attention.” Adam growled.
