Page 12 of Undone By The Mountain Daddies

Holden on one knee when I’m still so painfully in love with him…

I step on the gas and keep going.

That’s when the snow becomes a problem.

Here comes the blizzard.

I dig my fingernails into the steering wheel and brace for the worst. Two days ago, that would’ve meant breaking a nail.

But now I’m faced with life or death.

Wind howls through the mountains, the snow taking flight. It slams into my windshield and my wipers are going crazy, but there’s too much snow.

All I can do is keep my hands locked on the steering wheel and hope there’s not much longer to go before I’m on the other side of the mountain. The wind should be calmer on that side.

I glance through the side mirror again. Terrible idea. My stomach rolls over with nausea, and I’m unable to tell if I feel like vomiting because of the altitude sickness or because I’m paralyzed with fear.

I need to concentrate. But the rational side of my brain is being overshadowed by hard, cold fear.

I’d rather not die today if I can help it.

I regain some focus but totally lose it again when the literal ground disappears, like someone has slid a carpet out from under me. My car falls for half a second, my stomach going with it.

I land safely on solid ground, but there’s no way of knowing yet if I’m safe.

I keep my foot on the brake pedal for a moment and weigh up my options. The wind howls even more aggressively than before. If Mother Nature could calm her shit for a moment, I might actually stand a chance of surviving this.

I exhale a few breaths and go again… except my wheels are turning and not going anywhere. I try again and get the same result.

I kick open the door. And that’s when I know I’m in trouble.

I’m snowed in.

“Fuck!” I panic and slam the car door again.

Let’s try this again.

Slamming my foot back down onto the pedal, I wait for a miracle. But it doesn’t come. The engine grumbles, climbing higher, getting ready to finally accelerate. But aside from my rev counter venturing into the red zone, there’s no movement.

I grab my phone and realize I have zero cell service. I’ve got no way to tell Jules that I won't be at that meeting tomorrow.

I can’t even call mountain rescue to come and get me.

Fuck.

I push open the car door again and step out into chaos, a different kind than the one I’m used to and right now, I’ve got to say, I’d rather be walking a red carpet.

To make matters worse, my Dior slingbacks are officially ruined from all the aggressive pedal-slamming I was doing. And they were a limited edition.

I wade through the heavy snow, making it to the trunk of my car. Pushing from the rear might be my only shot at getting out of here.

I give it a big heave, though they don’t really prepare you for this kind of thing in Pilates.

I growl like an animal when my nail breaks. Now I’m one nail down and still no closer to getting anywhere.

“Excuse me, miss?” calls a very deep masculine voice.

I turn and see a figure approaching through the snow. Walking through it is no real challenge for him, given his height and the tree trunks he has for legs.