The car slid off the road and came to a stop several feet off the road in deep ditch.
Frank sat back in his seat and held his trembling wife as he took a deep calming breath. "Is everyone okay?" Fenton asked, his voice shaky as he tenderly touched his wife's cheek.
Laura took his hand and kissed it. "I'm fine," she assured him.
"We are too," Callie said from the backseat, holding on to Frank. "You girls stay in the car while Frank and I see if we can get out of the ditch," Fenton said.
The two got out of the car, hanging onto the side of it to maintain their footing. "There's no way we can get the car back onto the road!" Fenton shouted above the howling wind. Even so, Frank could barely hear him.
Frank looked toward the front of the car. The high beam lights barely broke through the snow which was hurtling every which way. He looked around. It was impossible to see anything.
They started to get back into the car but stopped when what sounded like a car horn made a whistle on the wind. Fenton squinted and made out a car on the road above. He opened the door and hit the horn in one long blast. A faint one sounded a second after he stopped.
"Come on, Ladies," Fenton said as Frank opened the rear door to help Callie out. "We can't get back on the road but it sounds like someone is willing to give us a ride."
The four carefully made their way to where a dim light shown. Reaching the vehicle, Fenton slid the van door open and climbed in the back with the women while Frank hopped into the front passenger seat.
"Are y'all alright?" asked the young driver in her mid twenties. She glanced at Frank through thick blond lashes then looked at her other passengers.
"We're fine," Fenton replied, smiling gratefully. "We just hit an icy patch and went off the road."
"Is there a motel or something near here?" Frank asked.
"'Fraid not," she denied, putting the van into drive two. "We live a little over a mile from here but our nearest neighbor is about ten miles away."
"I'm sorry we're such an bother," Laura apologized to the kind woman. "But we do appreciate your help."
"Forget it," she said, her voice light and warm. Her long blond pony tail bounced as the van lurched briefly before she got it under control.
"You drive really well," Frank complimented her, thinking about Joe once again. He could drive in any kind of weather.
"My husband taught me," she admitted. "Oh, I could drive before I met him, but I avoided this type of weather. When we bought a house here though, he took me out in our first snow to one of the few flat places around here and had me drive on the snow and ice until I was comfortable."
"Smart man," Callie observed. "Why didn't you ever think of doing that with me?" she added, leaning up and giving Frank a gentle punch on the shoulder.
"Because we don't live in the Rockies," he retorted, grinning back at her.
"Where were you headed?" the driver asked.
"Home," Laura answered. "We've been on vacation but wanted to get back home in time for Christmas so we left LA two days ago and have been stopping for the night along the way."
"Well, it doesn't look like you'll be going anywhere for awhile," she said, her blue eyes fastened to the road ahead. "The last weather bulletin said this won't let up for a couple more days and it will be at least two days after that before the road gets cleared." She made a left turn as she spoke, coming to a stop beside a Jeep Cherokee partially buried in the snow.
"This is it," she told them. "Come on in and don't worry about getting snow on the carpet. It'll dry." She paused before opening her door. "Oh, could you help me bring in the groceries? We could get them all without making a second trip."
"Of course we will," Callie said, reaching behind her and pulling up a bag. She gave the men two a piece and Laura and their hostess one each and she took charge of the last two bags.
They made their way to the house where the young woman opened the kitchen door without a key. "That's not a good idea," Frank told her with a worried frown on his face. "Anyone could just walk in."
"In this weather, they would need to," she replied. "That's why we don't keep it locked at times like this."
"But anyone could just come in and..." he broke off as an Alaskan Husky entered the room, it's teeth bared as it growled low in its throat.
"Easy, Rambo," she told him. "Friends." The dog sat down on his back haunches and let its tongue hang out as it's tail swished back and forth across the floor. Their hostess set her bag on the counter top and motioned for them to do likewise.
"Roxy!" came a worried voice from another room. Frank felt a shiver race down his back although he couldn't quite put his finger on why the voice affected him thusly.
"Hey, Babe," Roxy said as her blond-headed, blue-eyed husband entered the room and enveloped her in his arms, burying his face in her neck. "God, I'm so glad you're home," he whispered fiercely. "I've been worried sick."
"That's not worry making you sick," Roxy told him, pulling back and looking into his eyes. "You're really hot," she told him, touching his cheek with her own.
"No," he denied with a grin. "It's just 'cause you're really cold."
"Maybe," she relented although her concerned look never completely vanished. "Honey, these people went off the road," she said, changing the subject.
Joe looked up, the smile in his eyes disappearing as he looked at the four people who were staring at him with their mouths hanging open.
Frank sat back in his seat and held his trembling wife as he took a deep calming breath. "Is everyone okay?" Fenton asked, his voice shaky as he tenderly touched his wife's cheek.
Laura took his hand and kissed it. "I'm fine," she assured him.
"We are too," Callie said from the backseat, holding on to Frank. "You girls stay in the car while Frank and I see if we can get out of the ditch," Fenton said.
The two got out of the car, hanging onto the side of it to maintain their footing. "There's no way we can get the car back onto the road!" Fenton shouted above the howling wind. Even so, Frank could barely hear him.
Frank looked toward the front of the car. The high beam lights barely broke through the snow which was hurtling every which way. He looked around. It was impossible to see anything.
They started to get back into the car but stopped when what sounded like a car horn made a whistle on the wind. Fenton squinted and made out a car on the road above. He opened the door and hit the horn in one long blast. A faint one sounded a second after he stopped.
"Come on, Ladies," Fenton said as Frank opened the rear door to help Callie out. "We can't get back on the road but it sounds like someone is willing to give us a ride."
The four carefully made their way to where a dim light shown. Reaching the vehicle, Fenton slid the van door open and climbed in the back with the women while Frank hopped into the front passenger seat.
"Are y'all alright?" asked the young driver in her mid twenties. She glanced at Frank through thick blond lashes then looked at her other passengers.
"We're fine," Fenton replied, smiling gratefully. "We just hit an icy patch and went off the road."
"Is there a motel or something near here?" Frank asked.
"'Fraid not," she denied, putting the van into drive two. "We live a little over a mile from here but our nearest neighbor is about ten miles away."
"I'm sorry we're such an bother," Laura apologized to the kind woman. "But we do appreciate your help."
"Forget it," she said, her voice light and warm. Her long blond pony tail bounced as the van lurched briefly before she got it under control.
"You drive really well," Frank complimented her, thinking about Joe once again. He could drive in any kind of weather.
"My husband taught me," she admitted. "Oh, I could drive before I met him, but I avoided this type of weather. When we bought a house here though, he took me out in our first snow to one of the few flat places around here and had me drive on the snow and ice until I was comfortable."
"Smart man," Callie observed. "Why didn't you ever think of doing that with me?" she added, leaning up and giving Frank a gentle punch on the shoulder.
"Because we don't live in the Rockies," he retorted, grinning back at her.
"Where were you headed?" the driver asked.
"Home," Laura answered. "We've been on vacation but wanted to get back home in time for Christmas so we left LA two days ago and have been stopping for the night along the way."
"Well, it doesn't look like you'll be going anywhere for awhile," she said, her blue eyes fastened to the road ahead. "The last weather bulletin said this won't let up for a couple more days and it will be at least two days after that before the road gets cleared." She made a left turn as she spoke, coming to a stop beside a Jeep Cherokee partially buried in the snow.
"This is it," she told them. "Come on in and don't worry about getting snow on the carpet. It'll dry." She paused before opening her door. "Oh, could you help me bring in the groceries? We could get them all without making a second trip."
"Of course we will," Callie said, reaching behind her and pulling up a bag. She gave the men two a piece and Laura and their hostess one each and she took charge of the last two bags.
They made their way to the house where the young woman opened the kitchen door without a key. "That's not a good idea," Frank told her with a worried frown on his face. "Anyone could just walk in."
"In this weather, they would need to," she replied. "That's why we don't keep it locked at times like this."
"But anyone could just come in and..." he broke off as an Alaskan Husky entered the room, it's teeth bared as it growled low in its throat.
"Easy, Rambo," she told him. "Friends." The dog sat down on his back haunches and let its tongue hang out as it's tail swished back and forth across the floor. Their hostess set her bag on the counter top and motioned for them to do likewise.
"Roxy!" came a worried voice from another room. Frank felt a shiver race down his back although he couldn't quite put his finger on why the voice affected him thusly.
"Hey, Babe," Roxy said as her blond-headed, blue-eyed husband entered the room and enveloped her in his arms, burying his face in her neck. "God, I'm so glad you're home," he whispered fiercely. "I've been worried sick."
"That's not worry making you sick," Roxy told him, pulling back and looking into his eyes. "You're really hot," she told him, touching his cheek with her own.
"No," he denied with a grin. "It's just 'cause you're really cold."
"Maybe," she relented although her concerned look never completely vanished. "Honey, these people went off the road," she said, changing the subject.
Joe looked up, the smile in his eyes disappearing as he looked at the four people who were staring at him with their mouths hanging open.