“My car’s up there.”
“Wait. My purse.”
His jaw flexed and he growled. “You couldn’t have grabbed it before I pulled you out.”
She pressed a hand to her head and he noticed a dark mark on her cheek and scratches on her temple.
“I’ll get it.” He went back into the car and dove for the bag. “Here.” He flung it at her and she caught it against her chest. “Be careful on the hill. The snow’s deep.”
He crawled up the slope, clawing at the snow with numb fingers and working his way up to the road. It was only a few feet, but the ditch was steep. When he got to the top his breath formed a cloud of vapor. He brushed off his clothes and looked for Erin, spotting her still by her car.
“What are you waiting for?”
“My feet…” She glanced down at her exposed legs. They looked blue in the moonlight.
“Why would you wear those shoes on a night when we’re expecting a blizzard?”
“Oh, like your shoes are any more sensible.”
“At least I’ve got socks!”
“Just help me up there.”
Jaw locked, he tried to anchor his footing and stretched out an arm. She reached upward and their fingertips brushed.
“You’re gonna have to do better,” he barked. “Step on that spot there.”
She hesitantly took a step where he instructed and he grabbed her hand in a tight grip. Her foot plunged into the snow and she gasped just as he jerked her up the slope. Losing his footing, he tumbled forward, landing on his knees in the drift and she yelled, “My shoe!”
“Fuck your shoe,” he growled, hoisting himself out of the snow.
She stood there, pouting like a one-legged flamingo and he cursed.
Hiking back down the hill, he dug out her high heel and brought it to her. “Your shoe, Cinderella,” he sneered.
“Thanks.” Popping the shoe on her foot, she staggered to find her balance, wincing when she clumsily sank her foot in a puddle of slush.
“Come on.”
She unwillingly took his arm as he led her to his car. The headlights were blinding and her heels got caught in the ice several times.
She slipped and he caught her elbow, saving her from hitting the ground. “Careful,” he snapped, disliking the way her body clung to his.
He’d never been happier to get into his car. They both rubbed their hands, chafing the frozen skin and desperately trying to chase away the bite of cold.
“Are you going to start it?” she asked with too much venom.
“I can’t feel my damn hands. Give me a second.”
“Where are the keys? I’ll do it.”
“For the love of God.” He fished into his pockets and found what felt like jagged metal. His motor skills were off, and he dropped the keys twice before sliding them into the ignition.
The glow of Erin’s cellphone filled the car. “I’m not getting a signal.”
“I think we’re in a dead zone.”
“This whole damn mountain’s a dead zone.”
He turned the key and the engine clicked.
“What was that?” Her eyes flashed with accusation as the moonlight illuminated her face. “Don’t tell me that’s your battery.”
He turned the key again and got the same click-click-click. No rumble of the engine. No purr of heat pumping through the vents. The headlights dimmed when he tried it a third time.
“Fuck!” he shouted.
“You shouldn’t have left the headlights on!”
“I was saving you!”
“Nice job. I’m so rescued right now.”
“God, you’re such an ungrateful bitch!”
“I can’t believe this.” She cradled her head and glared out the window.
He cupped his hands and blew into them, deeply concerned that he might have frost bite. “The plows will be out soon. Someone will find us.”
She shoved her arms into her coat and stretched her dress over her knees, drawing them up to her chest. How did women do that? She literally just transformed into a ball.
He kicked off his ruined shoes and peeled back his damp socks, draping them over the rearview mirror. There was no relief against the sting of the cold.
“Like they’re gonna dry there. It’s twenty-six degrees outside.”
“Do you always have to be so damn negative? Just…shut up. The next few hours will be a lot easier if you don’t talk.” His toes were frozen to the bone.
He took off his coat and wrapped it around his feet. Shutting his eyes, he tried to get some rest, if only to distract himself from the freezing pain. Maybe if he slept for twenty minutes he’d wake up to feeling in his toes. Or maybe he’d wake up to find them black. Why had he not been a boy scout? He didn’t know shit about surviving in the wilderness.
For nearly an hour, they sat in silence, their breath and the heat of their frustration the only thing keeping them warm. The snow was mounting, and he was sure, by now, the local news stations had determined this a state of emergency.