My pounding heart nearly busts out of my chest horror-movie style as the SUV fishtails dizzyingly out of control. When it finally comes to a stop,
my hands are shaking and Iโm weak with relief.
I plaster my face to the window. All I see is total darkness, broken only by the thin columns of the headlights. Theyโre pointing at a stretch of white. Nothing but snow fills my line of sight. Weโre at the bottom of a small slope, but it might as well be a mountain. When I peer up to where I think the road is, it feels impossibly far.
Logan is breathing hard beside me. โAre you okay?โ
โIโm fine.โ We didnโt hit anything. Weโre both in one piece, and so is our vehicle. โWe have four-wheel drive, right? Can we make it back up to the road?โ
He purses his lips. Assesses the situation. โI mean, we can try. Worst-case scenario, Iโll get out and push.โ
โYouโre going toย pushย an SUV up a snow hill?โ I say in dismay. โI mean, I know youโre a big sexy beast, butโโ
โThanks, baby.โ He sputters out a laugh.
โNo problem. But I donโt think youโre strong enough for the job.โ
โYe of little faith.โ
I roll my eyes. โProve me wrong, then. But letโs do it now, because Iโd like to try to get out of here before we die.โ
โWeโre not going to die.โ But thereโs a serious note in his voice.
He moves the gearshift to drive and gently presses the gas pedal. The car eases forward, much to my relief. Good. At least weโre not stuck in some inescapable snowdrift.
Logan drives a few feet, then starts to turn toward the slope. Itโs not at all steep, but the Mercedes ascends only about a foot before it struggles. Logan hits the gas. The car wonโt budge another inch.
โShit.โ He accelerates again.
I feel the tires laboring to try to gain some traction. But itโs not happening.
โGuess Iโm pushing,โ Logan says in resignation. As I look on miserably, he reverses down the slope and puts the car in park. โAll right, gorgeous. Itโs your time to shine.โ
I laugh weakly.
He zips up his coat and grabs his wool hat from the center console. He shoves it over his head, then takes a pair of gloves out of his pocket.
โWell,โ he announces with a wry grin, โthis is gonna suck.โ
โI can come and help you push.โ
โNo, I need you to steer and work the pedals.โ
After he hops out, I climb into the driverโs seat and buckle up, then feel a bit stupid for doing so. But better safe than sorry, right? When I open the window so I can hear his instructions, a gust of bitterly cold air slaps me in the face.
โAll right,โ I hear Loganโs mu๏ฌed yell. โOn the count of three, hit the gas and Iโll give you a little push. Okay?โ
โOkay,โ I call out the window.
He begins to count. โOneโฆtwoโฆthree.โ
I slam my boot on the gas. The car shoots forward. A foot, two feet. And then it keeps moving.
โYes!โ I shout. โItโs working.โ Weโre about halfway up now.
โKeep going!โ Logan hollers his encouragement. โWe got this, kiddo.โ
โDid you just call meย kiddo?โ โYeah, sorry, G got in my head!โ Weโre shouting over the wind.
โOh my God, would it kill you to make any sort of sense ever?โ
โForget it. Just keep your foot on the gas. We got this.โ Heโs right. A few more yards andโ
Except we donโt got this. I hear a loud curse, and then the car slides backward several feet.
Holy shit, is he still behind me? Alarm tightens my throat. What if Iโm running him over?
Before I can blink, the car rolls right back to where we started. Dammit.
Relief pounds into me when Loganโs wind-burnt face appears in the driverโs side window.
โI slipped,โ he growls. โSorry.โ
โIโm the one who should be sorry,โ I say, breathing hard. โI wasnโt fast enough with the brakes. I couldโve killed you.โ
โLetโs try again.โ
โBut what if you slip again? I donโt want to run you over.
Iย likeย you.โ
His muscular chest shudders with laughter.
โBesides, I honestly donโt think we can do it. Letโs just call a tow truck,โ I advise.
โFine.โ
Logan gets back in the car, sliding into the passenger side. He grabs his phone and checks the screen. โShit, Iโm down to one bar. How about you?โ
โZero bars,โ I answer cheerfully.
โOne bar for the win.โ
Rather than Google the number for a tow truck, he pops open the glove compartment and rummages inside. โI have complimentary road assistance with Mercedes,โ he says at my questioning look.
โFancy.โ
โNumber should be in here somewhere.โ
He finally finds the paperwork. Dials. When someone answers, he provides a policy number and explains the situation. He gives our location, listens for a moment, then rolls his eyes.
โThey put me on hold,โ he tells me.
And while weโre on hold, the call drops because of the weak signal, so heโs forced to call back and do the whole thing all over again.
โIย justย called,โ he grumbles after being asked a bunch of questions. โSomeone was checking for me when the call failed andโโ He bites out a curse and glares at me. โThey put me on hold.โ
I giggle.
This time he survives the hold, but the response we get is not ideal. โIn the morning?โ he exclaims. โSeriously?โ
โWeโll be dead by then,โ I hiss.
Logan grins at me. โWe wonโt be dead by thenโno, no, sorry, I was talking to my girlfriend. But thatโs way too long. Come on, man. You gotta get someone here sooner. Weโre stuck at the bottom of a hill in the middle of a blizzard.โ He pauses. โI understand itโs New Yearโs Eve, butโโ He stops for a beat, then snarls like an irate beast. โThey put me on fucking hold.โ
