Snow Falls

chapter Six



The sun was magnificently bright, and Ryan shielded her eyes, turning to find Jen staring off across the mountains, her cheeks red from the wind but a slight smile on her face. God, she’s pretty. Jen glanced at Ryan, as if sensing her watching.

“It’s so beautiful. Simple words can’t do it justice.”

Ryan nodded. “I can think of lots of words in a dictionary where this scene could be used as the definition. Like ‘pristine.’”

Jen looked back toward the cabin, the trees white and laden with snow. She glanced at Ryan. “Immaculate.”

Ryan nodded. “Exhilarating.”

Jen tilted her head, a smile on her face. “Inspirational.”

“Splendor.”

“Radiance.”

Ryan laughed. “Okay. So you get the idea.” She walked on, hearing Jen following. Sierra and Kia were running ahead of them, and Ryan followed their tracks. They had a trail established, keeping the snow packed down. Not only was the ridge the only place she could get a cell signal, it was also the spot for a perfect sunset. “So, Santa Fe, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Rented the SUV, drove from Santa Fe, through the mountains, up Wolf Creek Pass, through Creede to Lake City. In the dead of winter. For a writer’s retreat?”

“That’s the point. It’s the dead of winter. You’re stuck in a lodge. You don’t lose your focus. You want to get snowed in.”

“Well, you got that part right, at least.”

“Are you going to call me an idiot again?”

“No, no. I think we’re past that.”

Jen huffed behind her, her feet crunching loudly in the snow. “Like I said, I suck with directions. Always have,” she explained. “But this seemed so straightforward.”

Ryan stopped, letting Jen catch her breath. Both dogs came running back down toward them, their tongues hanging out as they danced in the snow. Ryan petted each of them, then watched as Jen did the same.

“So who’s going to miss you?”

Jen looked up, frowning. “What?”

“You know, when you don’t show at the lodge. Who are they going to call? Boyfriend? Husband?”

Jen shook her head. “No. They’ll call Susan, my agent. Brad wasn’t all that enthused about me taking this trip. He and Susan don’t really get along, but I suppose she’ll call him.”

“Brad?”

“Boyfriend,” Jen said. Then she shrugged. “I guess. I mean, he wants to get married.”

“Fiancé then?”

Jen looked past her, to the west where the towering peaks of the San Juan Mountains hovered. She had a pensive look on her face. Ryan wondered what thoughts were going through her mind. She turned back to Ryan, and again Ryan was stunned by the blueness of her eyes.

“He hasn’t officially asked. And there’s no ring,” she said, holding up her gloved hands.

Ryan moved on, continuing up the trail. “So you’re not ready?”

Jen laughed. “That’s so cliché, isn’t it?”

“Well, it’s an excuse, anyway.”

“Yes. And I shouldn’t need an excuse.”

Ryan stopped again. “So?”

But Jen waved her on. “No. I don’t want to talk about it. Besides, last night you gave me the impression that you don’t like to talk. Why all the questions today?”

What could she say? The curiosity was brought about by the writer in her. Of course, it wouldn’t do to tell Jen that. She could only imagine her reaction to that bit of news. “Just making conversation,” she said instead.

Up this high along the ridge, trees were few and far between, only a handful of hearty firs taking hold in the rocks. A group of noisy nutcrackers gathered in one, shaking the snow from the branches as they landed.

“What are they?” Jen asked.

“Clark’s nutcrackers,” she said. “I’ve got some birdseed at the cabin. I’m just not real diligent about keeping the feeders filled. We can put some out later, if you like.”

Their eyes met for a brief moment, and Jen nodded. “I’d like that.”

Ryan walked a few more feet, taking out her cell phone. She checked the signal. Only three bars, but enough for a call. “Got a signal.”

“Do you know the number to the lodge?”

“No. I’ll just call Chief Daniels,” she said, finding Reese’s number in her contact list.

“Who is that?”

“Sheriff,” she explained. “And a friend.”

Jen laughed. “A friend? Do hermits have friends?”

“I’m allowed two,” Ryan said with a smile, turning away from Jen as Reese answered.

“Hey, Ryan. What a surprise. Everything okay up there?”

“Yeah. I guess,” she said, glancing at Jen. “Cooper’s Peak dropped its load,” she said.

“I figured. So did Cutter’s Chute,” Reese said. “You got your wish. You’re stuck up there now. How’s the writing going?”

“At a standstill,” she said. “I kinda have company,” she said quietly, although Jen did not appear to be listening. She was playing with the dogs, tossing snowballs up in the air and laughing delightfully as the dogs attempted to catch them. “Jennifer Kincaid,” she said. “She was on her way to Patterson’s Lodge when she got stranded.”

“What the hell was she doing up there?”

“She thought she would take the forest road across the mountain.”

“In the winter? That road’s been closed for two months.”

“Yeah. We’ve been over all that already,” Ryan said. “Avalanche buried her vehicle.”

“She’s damn lucky. Do I need to request a helicopter rescue?”

Ryan glanced over at Jen who still seemed oblivious to the conversation. Six weeks? Maybe eight? It could all be over within a few days if the winds died down. Of course, they would charge Jen a fortune for the rescue. She stared at her, her cheeks red and glowing, her smile lighting up her face as she played with the dogs. Beautiful. “No,” she said, surprising herself with the answer. “No need for a rescue mission. We’ll wait until they plow the lower road, then hike down.”

“That’s gonna be at least another six weeks yet,” Reese cautioned.

“Yeah. I know. But I have enough supplies for both of us.”

“Damn. What’s wrong with you? Let me guess. She’s young and pretty?”

Ryan laughed, again looking over at Jen. This time, Jen was looking back at her. “Definitely. Once I get satellite back, I’ll shoot you guys an e-mail and let you know what happened and let you get in touch with her rental agency. In the meantime, can you call Ellen? She’s got her contact information.”

“Will do. I’ll take care of it. Keep in touch when you can.”

“Yeah. I’ll check in occasionally.”

“Do that. I know Morgan is going to be pestering me for information. You might send a picture of this woman, huh?”

Ryan smiled and nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”

She disconnected, then held the phone out to Jen. “You want to call someone? Brad?”

Jen shook her head. “My phone was in the SUV,” she said. “Like most people, I don’t memorize numbers anymore.”

“Okay. Well, Reese said she’d call Ellen, the owner of the lodge.”

Jen studied her silently for a moment. “So you’re friends with the sheriff?”

“Yes.”

“Did you...get into trouble or something?”

Ryan laughed. “Yeah. I tried to hack up a tourist last summer.” She whistled for the dogs, and they both came running. “I met Reese and Morgan—that’s her partner—at Sloan’s Bar in Lake City. Real hermits aren’t supposed to go into town for burgers.”

“So they’ve revoked your membership?”

“Yeah,” she said, heading back down toward the cabin. “We became friends. Lesbians do tend to stick together.” Several steps later, she realized Jen was no longer following her. She turned back around, finding Jen stopped, staring at her. “What?”

“You’re...you’re a...lesbian?”

Ryan shrugged. “You didn’t know?”

“How would I know? You didn’t mention it. And you’re not wearing a sign.”

“Sorry. I just assumed.” She continued on, shaking her head. Great, now you’ve scared the poor girl. Maybe she should reconsider the helicopter rescue.

“We...we slept in the same bed.”

Ryan laughed. “Yeah, but lucky for you, I’m not contagious.”

“But—”

Ryan stopped again. “What is it? Are you afraid of me now? You think maybe I’ll try something and if you don’t give in to my advances, I’ll actually hack you up into little pieces?” She smiled but knew it didn’t reach her eyes. “Trust me, straight women with fiancés waiting in the wings don’t excite me in the least. You’re perfectly safe.”

“It’s just...you’re nothing like what my grandfather used to preach about.”

“Huh?”