Thank you all for your nice comments on the last chapter. I love hearing from everyone who's following the story, and I'm really glad you like it so far. And now we continue with our countdown to Christmas...
Sledding
"Come on, Cheryl, hurry up!" Sarah ran to the very top of the hill and raised her arms in triumph.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Cheryl grumbled. The other little girl stomped to the top of the hill. She was getting cold, and there was snow stuck inside her boots. "Okay, I'm here."
"Ready?"
Cheryl nodded, and she and Sarah clambered onto their little red sled and pushed off.
As the sled picked up speed, it churned up the snow in puffy white squalls, and Sarah squeezed her eyes shut against the icy cold stinging her cheeks.
"Sarah, we're going too fast!" Cheryl cried. "We're going to hit that bump!"
"Wipe out!" Sarah yelled.
There was a sickening thud as the front of the sled suddenly catapulted into the air and overturned, and with two loud shrieks, the children tumbled headfirst into a snowbank.
~*~o~*~
"You okay, Marine?"
Mac scowled. It was a very steep hill, and they had been trudging through the deep snow for a while now.
"I'm fine," she panted. "How's Navy?"
"Navy's fine," Harm replied. "Because we're here."
As Mac stopped to catch her breath, the view almost took it away again. Looking out over the farm from the top of the hill was truly spectacular. The snowy fields stretched as far as she could see only to be touched by a winter sky that stretched even further.
Harm had been dragging a sled behind him the entire way up the hill, and now he moved it into position, its runners gliding smoothly on top of the snow.
"You really want to go sledding?" Mac asked doubtfully.
"Unless you want to walk back down."
Mac shot him an exasperated look.
"I used to sled down this hill all the time," Harm said. "You go so fast that you feel like you're flying."
He leaned in and his warm breath tickled her ear.
"What do you say, Marine?" he whispered. "You want to fly with me?"
Mac nearly trembled with anticipation. "You know I'd fly anywhere with you, flyboy."
