“Are you kidding? This is insanely beautiful." I cracked the window, the chilly air rushing through my senses.
The evergreens broke at the edge of a cliff before the tires rolled out onto the icy grates of the bridge. A gorge rushed with white rapids more than a hundred yards below us. Moonlight lit the water and made the evergreen needles shimmer with streaks of silver.
“If the GPS had mentioned a suspension bridge I think I would have booked us the first luxury hotel at the base of the mountain and called it paradise.”
I giggled, finally feeling the pressure lift the further removed we were from home.
“It’ll be an adventure.”
“As long as I don’t have to chop any wood."
“Mm, no desire to be a lumberjack?”
Tav shook his head, fingers flexing around the wheel as we reached the center of the bridge. It swayed with the breeze, and I had to admit even that freaked me out.
“Does anyone actually live out here in the middle of winter?" Tav grunted.
“It’s not even winter yet." I frowned, realizing for the first time just how extreme the weather must get up here if this bridge was already iced over in October.
“Do you think it’s too late to turn back?" Tav murmured.
I didn’t reply, recognizing the thread of frustration in his tone.
I knew better than to add fuel to the flame that always simmered just beneath the surface of him.
“No wonder this place was available." Tav looked out his side window as he eased the car off of the suspension bridge. He breathed a sigh of relief and loosened his grip on the wheel and then looked at me with a quiet smile. "It’s damn near uninhabitable.”
“So I guess that means we won't be running down the mountain for coffee and croissants in the morning."
"I guess not."
We drove for a few miles deeper into the woods as the road twisted at a steep incline. The trees towered forty and fifty feet straight into the air, and even though it was dark, moonlight lit the shadows just enough to perceive a steep ledge just a few feet from the vehicle tires.
We moved through the wilderness as the road switched back and forth, climbing higher until the trees opened and a wide parking area overlooking the cliff’s edge came into view.
We were so high up it was terrifying and exhilarating in the same instance.
A few hours and a lifetime away from life at sea level.
“It feels like we’re in the clouds."
The wheels began spinning. Tav slowed, a frown tracing across his features. He gave it some gas, and then the car stopped altogether. Tav whistled under his breath.
“I hope this was the parking spot they were talking about.”
“Here?"
“The road usually goes all the way up the mountain, but they said in the snow you may have to park and snowshoe in."
"Tav, it's almost midnight."
“I told you we had to get on the road early."
“You never mentioned anything about snowshoeing."
Annoyance bubbled to life inside of him as he jerked on the steering wheel and flung us in reverse on the ice until we were one tire in the snow bank. "I hope you’ve got your hiking shoes laced up."
Now he was just being an asshole.
