Warning: Dangerous Curves on Frozen Highway 100
an excerpt

“Where are you?” Kennedy whispered into the mouthpiece after he stopped yelling.. “’Cause I’m in a hammock out by the pond and there was just someone or something coming to join me – I think your phone call scared him away.”

It seemed like hours before she saw Travis walk around the side of the cottage. Kennedy didn’t notice the cold until after her reverie was broken by fear. The snow stopped falling, but gusts of biting ice wind whipped up bits of snow and seemed to cover the side of her face. Her hair seemed frozen in stiff dread locks. The oversized sweats and two pair of socks – the top layer wool – didn’t seem as warm as it did before.

Kennedy didn’t feel so tough or capable anymore. She upended the bottle of wine she carried up into the hammock with her and kept the moose head corkscrew clutched tightly in her left hand. She could no longer feel the hand anymore as cold as it was – probably frost bite and they’d want to amputate or something.

By the time Travis found her, she was shaking with cold and fear.

“How did you get up there?” He shielded his eyes from the icy onslaught.

“Hic” Kennedy sobbed, “I don’t even have any medical coverage yet.”

“What are you talking about?” Travis held both arms up to her, his elbows slightly bent. “Jump, I’ll catch you.”
She shoved her cell phone into her pocket, secured the blanket around her shoulders, still holding the corkscrew she jumped.

He grabbed her, caught hold of the blanket and felt her slip through his arms and into the snowbank that covered the pond.

“You idiot!” Kennedy struggled to stand but kept slipping on the ice beneath the snow. Good thing the pond was frozen or she’d be submerged in frigid water right now. She finally righted herself and swiped at his outstretched hand that was connected to a body that seemed to shake with silent laughter. Problem was, she still clutched the corkscrew and seemed to be using it to stab at him.

Without a word out of either one of them, she stormed toward the cottage and he tailed behind her.

“Did you see anything?” Kennedy felt shakey as se peeled off the layers.

“I saw some footprints coming out of the trees. Looked like he walks heavier on his left foot and drags his right a bit.” Travis was in the kitchen putting the kettle on. He walked toward Kennedy. Her shaking got more pronounced. He pushed more than led her to the couch in front of the re-lit fireplace.

“What possessed you to go outside – and stay out there?”
Kennedy knew it was a rhetorical question and tried to bite back her reply. She failed.

“I guess I needed to cool off. You know? To chill out?” She tucked her chin to her chest. The perfect Texas girl pout.

Travis did not acknowledge her. He just kept feeding the fire after sneaking a glance her way.

Kennedy closed her eyes and lifted her stiff frozen face to the warmth of the fire. Travis closed in on her and pressed his lips to hers. He leaned in. She didn’t open her eyes. She just opened her lips to his kiss. She felt him shift the weight of his body into her and suddenly her limbs weren’t stiff anymore. She felt heat radiate out to her extremities and made her feel like she moved fluidly.

No, the only stiffness evident was poking her thigh as Travis pulled her body closer into him. His breath seemed heavy and steamy – or was that his lips? She lifted her hand to stroke his hair. Something nudged her hand. Something cool, firm, and moist.

“Whoo – woo – oo!” Elvis!

Kennedy pulled away. Travis straightened and held very still – except for the hand that slowly and gently stroked the top of Elvis’ head. His tail didn’t wag with a thump, thump like it normally did. The golden retriever stayed still and wary.

“Good boy,” Travis whispered into the dog’s ear as he crouched low behind the couch and pulled Kennedy down with him. Elvis stayed silent, yet alert. Travis’ eyes darted around, window to window.

He whispered into Kennedy’s ear.

“Sounds like your friend came back.” He crouch-walked toward the chair near the cottage door. His hand slid under the chair and he pulled out a black gun. Then he ran his hand along the side of the chair cushion and pulled out a long strip of Velcro with bullets stuck along it’s length. Travis deftly pumped bullet after bullet into the revolver.

Kennedy ran her hands along the sides of the couch cushions wondering if she had almost had some explosive sex. She was only a little disappointed when her search came up empty. She put her arm around Elvis. Zoe had slinked up alongside Travis and stayed alert watching her new heroes’ every move.

“Wh-what is it?” Kennnedy whispered to Travis. She stared at him until he turned to her and shrugged then put his finger to his pursed lips. Then he turned all his attention to any sound or movement he could sense outside the cottage.

Kennedy started feeling underneath the couch maybe one of those guns got taped under here and already had its bullets inside it. Her hand touch on something that was indeed taped to the under side of the well worn sofa.
A knife. A very big knife with finger grips in the handle. Hmm, comfortable to hold it firmly she thought as she white-knuckled her bounty.

Travis waved his arm for her to retreat to the bedroom so she kept herself low and kept that knife in front of her face as she and Elvis silently made their way to the back of the cottage. Was she supposed to hide under the bed?

Kennedy flattened her body as low and as close to the wall opposite the window as she could. Next to the big window hung the huge round mirror that had betrayed her nearly naked body just hours ago. She wished Travis would shoot the darned thing.

Elvis whimpered. Kennedy caught a movement in her peripheral vision. She shrieked and her body shuddered. The mirror, she saw movement. Heard a crash. She didn’t shriek this time.

Travis burst into the room, slammed the door after Zoe cleared it and snatched a compact gun from under the mattress near the headboard. He clicked something on it and thrust it into Kennedy’s hands. He moved faster than a speeding bullet and Kennedy juggled the big knife and the little scary black gun. A boot hit her shoulder. Travis was about to throw the mate when Kennedy understood it was time to move fast and out the window. Travis put on a parka and grabbed a second one that he tucked under his arm. He still had the big revolver in his right hand.

Kennedy had her boots on and snagged her as yet unpacked tote-bag. Travis struggled with the lock in the window. Kennedy used her free hand to open the lock. Travis shoved the window all the way up with his gun wrist.

Kennedy heard another crash – louder this time. Travis lifted Zoe out the window and started pushing Kennedy out because Elvis refused to budge without her. She smelled smoke. Suddenly she was outside upside-down in the snow with Elvis whimpering half on top of her. She realized Travis had indiscrimately and galiently lifted and tossed out everyone, ahem, girl and dog before jumping out to save himself. Like a ship captain.

Now he was dragging her up by the hood of her sweatshirt and shoving the big parka at her all at once.

“Come on!” It sounded more like a hiss than a whisper in his urgent tone.

Kennedy was up and running with her large tote slung over one shoulder and banging on her hip. She shoved her arms, one at a time, into the parka sleeves and the knife in the right pocket of the parka and clutched the little gun in her left as she was left handed. She didn’t feel the icy cold gusts slicing into her. She did feel her terror lessened by Travis’ take charge and surefire attitude. Normally, she’d verbally kick his ass for that kind of demeanor. But now it worked.

She was thrown face first into the snow by a loud blast. She spit out snow and dared to turn and look back at the cottage. Flames shot from the front and she could see the east side was totally ablaze. Kennedy turned back toward Travis. He was standing, snow-covered now also, looking at the cottage.

Zoë and Elvis were about six feet out front of Travis. They must have gotten blown through the air. Poor Elvis must be petrified by now – he hates loud noises. Even the pop of a champagne cork sends him shaking to jump into the bathtub and hide out. That has been his safe zone since early puppy hood. That is, unless he could run behind or dang it, under, Kennedy’s knees.

“Get down!”

Kennedy dropped back to the snow drift she was getting to know really well.

“Run!”

Kennedy ran hunched over like an old Jewish man chasing his nurse down the halls of a rest home.

“Shit!”
What was she supposed to do with that command?

She kept running. The icy air that whipped through her hair and her stiff from the cold body slowed her down. Zoe kept pace at her right side and Elvis dogged her heels just behind her.

The sky seemed bright in contrast to the black night that surrounded her. Snow reflected light from the zillions of stars skyward. The resulting glow lighting Kennedy’s way sent the creepy felling of hairy spiders legs running up her spine. She turned to see where Travis was. Nothing but the black smoke and red glow from the cottage filled her view.

She shivered and redirected her flight from danger straight into the thick range of trees that lined the little yard to the left. Her mamma had always warned of the danger of wild men waiting in prey in “the woods,” but Kennedy thought those decrepit men would be better to face than the one wild maniac that pursued her out here in the open. Besides, her dark-colored parka would blend better where the snow was not a solid blanket on the ground and the glow was not so bright.

Her friggin nose was running – great! Glad this wasn’t her favorite White Columbia coat, Kennedy didn’t think more than twice before utilizing the big bulky sleeve.

No where else did she see any movement other than smoke rapidly congregating and forcing its way heavenward and getting lost in Kennedy’s upper horizon where the bushy parts of the trees blocked her light as well as her view and her sense of exposure.

She moved slower now as she stumbled through the snow-covered brush of the forest bottom.

Hide, she has to hide. She didn’t feel like she could move her legs any more to run or crawl even. She dropped to her knees. Her right arm grasped Zoe and her left wrapped tightly around Elvis.

“We have to stay very quiet guys,” she whispered. The dogs stayed stoic and stared straight ahead. Elvis more watchful than his playful nature seemed to be able to allow.

“I guess this is how everyone changes – being pursued by maniacs, er, Maine-iacs!”
Elvis flinched at Kennedy’s whispered tone but still kept his focus sharp and watchful.

Ignore frozen fingers and feet and find Travis. Watch out for crazed murderers. She felt like her brain was on overload tryig to receive any information about her surroundings to give up a spare brain cell or two in order to try to figure out what she should do now. Her arms and legs had stopped taking orders from her and started to shake like they suddenly discovered an inch of dog poop covering them and had to get it off quick. She had not had her teeth chattered more now than they had when she tried to tell Todd that their engagement was O-f-F.

Fabulous! The Mounties, or whoever traipsed around these parts with a badge, would come across her frozen, poorly attired -- huge black parka and muck a lucks indeed – scraggly-haired body stuck between her two loyal companions at the foot of this tree and leaning back against the rock. At least her body would be well preserved with all this ice.

***