Snow Falls

chapter Twelve



“I can’t believe how warm it is,” Jen said. She turned in a circle, arms held out from her sides. “I mean, clear skies, nothing but sunshine.” She smiled and tilted her head. “Listen. You can actually hear the snow melting.”

“Yes. The wonderful signs of spring,” she said. They’d left their coats at the cabin. She had a sweatshirt on over her shirt. Jen wore one of the two sweaters she had.

“Are you sure a storm is coming?”

“Spring blizzards aren’t uncommon,” she said. “Twenty-four hours or so of a winter blast, then this again. The sounds of it all melting.” She eyed Jen who had a wistful look on her face. “It shouldn’t delay you getting out of here,” she said.

Jen turned to her. “Oh, I wasn’t worried about that. I was thinking about sledding.”

“Sledding?”

“All this snow. It’s like a giant playground.” Jen reached down to pet Sierra, who was leaning against her leg. Kia was normally the more affectionate dog, but Ryan had noticed that Sierra had taken a liking to Jen. “I’ve never played in the snow before,” Jen said.

Their daily hikes had taken them all over the mountain and never once had it occurred to her to play. Jen had been here four weeks now, going on five, and while she never mentioned leaving, Ryan assumed she still counted down the days. She still wrote in her journal, in great detail of their daily activities, Jen said. She wondered how long she had been harboring the desire to play in the snow.

“I don’t have a sled,” she said. “But I think we can find something to use.”

Jen’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Yeah, sure. Let’s bring enough firewood inside to last through the storm. Then we’ll go out to the shed and see what we can find.”

Jen smiled brightly. “Thank you. That’d be fun.”

A little over an hour later, with the sun still shining brightly, Ryan looked skeptically at the piece of plywood she’d commandeered for their sled. She’d drilled two holes in the front and slipped a rope through, but still, it was rudimentary at best.

“Maybe I should take it on a test spin and make sure I don’t kill us,” she suggested.

“Oh, it looks fine,” Jen said, grinning like a child. “Besides, this is a little hill. If it works, I want to go on a really big hill.”

Ryan laughed. “Don’t forget, you still have to climb back up that really big hill.”

She sat down on the plywood and spread her legs, digging the heels of her boots into the snow. Kia licked her face and tried to lay down in front of her. “No, no, no. You don’t get to go,” she said, nudging her out of the way. She held her hand out to Jen.

“I’ve never done this before,” Jen warned.

“I know. You’ll do fine.”

Jen settled down between her legs, scooting back tight against her. Ryan put her arms around Jen’s waist, feeling Jen grab them to pull them even tighter together. God. She took a deep breath, then took the rope, hoping to use it to help them stop.

“Ready?”

Jen nodded vigorously, and Ryan noted the anticipation on her face.

“Okay. Hang on.”

She wrapped her legs around Jen and shoved off. They were soon racing down the hill. Jen screamed with pleasure as she held tight to Ryan’s arms. The dogs, she was certain, had no clue as to their antics, but they ran behind them, barking joyfully as they tried to catch them. Even she had to admit that it was thrilling racing down the hill as they were. Whether it was from the ride or the woman nestled between her legs, she wasn’t sure. But all too soon, it leveled out, and she pulled up on the rope, slowing their speed. Jen leaned back against her, laughing delightfully.

“Oh, man, that was fun,” Jen said. She looked back at her, her eyes bright. “Can we go again?”

Yeah, it was great fun, Ryan admitted. She laughed too, feeling a bit like a child herself. “Sure, we can go again. As much as you like.”

“You shouldn’t have said that,” Jen said as she got off the sled. She held a hand out to Ryan to help her up, then took the rope, pulling the sled behind her.

The hill was steeper going back up than it appeared, and even she was a bit out of breath by the time they got back to the top. Jen leaned over to catch her breath, still smiling.

“You were right. Going down is great, but you still have to climb back up.”

“That’s why after two or three, you’ll be done.”

Jen stood back up and took another couple deep breaths. “I feel great. Can I be in the back this time?”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Are you afraid I’ll spill us?”

Ryan shrugged. “A little tumble in the snow never hurt anyone,” she said. Although she wasn’t sure if that was her reason for hesitating or not. She glanced at Jen, who was already seated, her legs spread invitingly. Ryan looked away with a slight roll of her eyes. You’re a pig. She got down, feeling Jen pull her closer as she wrapped her hands around Ryan’s waist.

“I’ll take care of the rope,” she said.

“Good. Because I can barely reach around you,” Jen said, scooting up closer to her.

Ryan bit down on her lip, loving—and hating—the feeling of Jen nestled up behind her. If she let her imagination run just a little, she could swear she felt Jen’s nipples against her back. “Try not to lean to either side,” Ryan cautioned.

“Okay. You ready?”

“Let’s go.”

They both leaned forward as Jen used her feet to push them off, then she wrapped her legs around Ryan’s as they sped down the hill for the second time. Ryan barely had time to register Jen’s arms and legs around her before she felt them tipping. She tried to right the makeshift sled but to no avail. They were thrown off, both crashing into the snow as the sled continued down the hill without them.

She spit snow out of her mouth and wiped her face, looking around for Jen. Jen was sitting up, a mixture of panic and joy on her face.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I leaned.” Then she burst into laughter. “That was fun.”

Ryan sat back, the dogs dancing around them, licking at their faces. “We’re okay,” she murmured, petting them both. “Well, like I said, a tumble in the snow never hurt anyone.”

“Can we go again?”

“Sure. Just as soon as you go down and fetch the sled.”

Jen stuck her tongue out at her playfully, then grinned mischievously as she tossed a snowball at her. Ryan laughed as Jen sprinted away from her. She ruffled the dogs’ fur, then stood, watching Jen’s progress as she went after their sled. She realized she was still smiling and looked away. Yes, she admitted, she was attracted to Jen. A lot. Sure, Jen was cute and had those killer blue eyes, but she would attribute it more to them being stuck together than anything else. Straight women with fiancés in the picture never had done much to her libido before. As for Jen, their close contact on the sled didn’t seem to have affected her in the least. Which she supposed was a good thing. At least Jen wasn’t shying away from her.

Jen’s breathing was labored as she approached, dragging the sled behind her. The snow was crunchy under her boots and was starting to cake on them.

“Okay. I’m good for one more,” Jen said between breaths. “But you’re in the back.”

“You got it.”

Once back at the top of the hill, Ryan steadied the sled. She opened her legs and patted the spot between them. Jen sat down, reaching for Ryan’s hands. She pulled them tight around her, holding them in place. Ryan scooted down, pressing Jen snugly between her thighs. God, that feels good. She hesitated just a second, relishing it for a moment longer. Jen turned and their eyes met. Ryan was shocked by what she saw there. Her gaze dropped to Jen’s lips, then back up.

“Hang on,” she said quietly.

Jen nodded, finally ending their intense stare. It was almost in slow motion—their trip down the hill. Ryan could hear each heartbeat, could feel her skin burning where Jen touched it. And with each bump, Jen was slammed back against her, causing her arousal to grow even more. Who would have thought sledding could be an erotic sport? She forced herself to concentrate on keeping them upright, all the while holding Jen tightly in her arms. As they neared the bottom, she loosened her grip, reaching for the rope. She pulled up sharply and dropped her feet, easing them to a clean stop.

She felt Jen quietly laughing against her chest, and she joined in. Jen turned, smiling into her eyes.

“Thank you.”

“Oh, it was my pleasure,” Ryan said. She wiggled her eyebrows teasingly. “Believe me.”

Jen laughed outright. “You’re terrible,” she said, pushing against her playfully. She got up, holding a hand out for Ryan. As Ryan stood, their eyes held again. “I have never had so much fun,” Jen said.

“Yeah?”

“I’m not talking about just today, although this was super. I know me being stuck here wasn’t in your plans,” Jen said, “and I’m really sorry for that. But I’ve just had so much fun with you. I feel...I don’t know, I can’t even explain it.”

She surprised Ryan by pulling her into a hug. Ryan sunk into the embrace, holding her tightly for a few seconds, again relishing the feeling of having another woman in her arms. When they pulled apart, she was surprised by the subtle blush on Jen’s face. She was even more surprised by the look that still lingered in her eyes.

They were both quiet as they trudged back to the cabin. The dogs ran ahead of them, as usual, although their steps were a bit slower too. Apparently their racing up and down the hill had tuckered them as well. To the west, dark clouds were building. Ryan pointed to them.

“Storm’s on the horizon,” she said.

“How long before it gets here?”

“We should see snow by dusk,” she said. “Although the news said the brunt of it wouldn’t hit until around midnight.”

“So in the morning, this will all be covered again,” Jen said as she stopped, her gaze fixed on the dark clouds.

“Blizzard, so yeah. We could get five feet or so. But this time of year, it won’t last long. A couple of days and we’ll hear it melting again.” She paused. “I suppose you’re anxious to get out of here, huh?”

Jen had a thoughtful expression on her face as she turned to look at her. “I imagine you are more anxious than I.” She turned her gaze back to the storm clouds. “This has been...therapeutic for me, I think.” Jen smiled then. “Of course, it’s been at your expense. I do know my time is dwindling down and I’ll be leaving soon. But it hasn’t been a hardship for me.” She turned to look at her again. “You’ve been wonderful. I can’t thank you enough.”

“No need. While the prospect of spending six to eight weeks together was a bit daunting in the beginning, the time has flown by.”

“Yes, but I’ve gotten in your way.”

“You haven’t been in the way,” Ryan insisted.

“No? I doubt you’ve been working as much as you should. You must have a deadline,” Jen said. “Instead, you’ve been keeping me entertained.”

Ryan looked away. No, she hadn’t been writing as much but not because Jen was in the way. It was just conversation got in the way, which wasn’t a bad thing. But she probably did owe her some kind of explanation about her supposed editing gig.

“I have another few weeks before my deadline,” she said. “I’m all but done anyway,” she lied.

Jen tilted her head as if studying her—scrutinizing her—and Ryan wondered if Jen knew she was lying. She shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, finally pulling her eyes away as she reached a hand out for Kia.

“My turn to cook dinner,” Jen said. “How about stew? We still have potatoes.”

“Sounds great,” she said, smiling at Jen’s casual use of “we.” “I’ll let you have the shower first. I need to go close up the shed and cover the firewood pile and tend to a few other things before the snow falls.”

Jen nodded and headed to the cabin. Ryan watched her for a moment, then turned, whistling for the dogs as she made her way around the side and to the shed.