Over the River and Through the Woods (6 page)

Chapter Nine

The day had passed blissfully. True to his word, Micah had been practicing his ping pong, but that still didn’t stop me from destroying him, twelve games to six. For the most part, he was a good sport about it, fake crying only a little and accusing me of continuing to beat up on the injured guy, which only made me laugh even more.

“You’re heartless, I tell you. Completely heartless,” he muttered.

“Okay. If I’m that heartless, you don’t have to kiss me anymore.”

“What?” he asked, looking shocked. “Well, if that’s the case, then I officially declare you the Ping Pong Champion of all time.” I couldn’t stop giggling at him as he grabbed me and planted his lips firmly against mine. “Nothing is allowed to get in the way of kissing you. That would be a crime.” It seemed as if I’d spent most of the morning giggling like a sixteen year old, now that I thought about it, but I loved every second of it.

After the Ping Pong Wars, we headed upstairs and foraged for lunch, digging up a pen and notepad to write a letter to the homeowners with a list of everything we owed them. Once we were finished, we decided to sit down with our iPads and do a little afternoon reading, while they still had a charge. My story was good, but I felt my eyelids growing heavier, the more time that passed. I jumped in surprise when Micah suddenly elbowed me.

“Hey! Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” I asked, sitting up to listen. The sound of a motor grew closer and we both jumped up and ran toward the front door. Micah threw it open, running onto the porch in his bare feet as he waved his arms wildly over his head. “Hey!” he shouted. “Over here!”

I wasn’t sure if they heard him or not, but it didn’t matter. Two snowmobiles were coming down the lane straight toward us. As they got closer, I could see it was two men with big orange vests marked Search and Rescue on them.

“They found us!” I said, hugging Micah as I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Are you Micah Nickolaus and Felicity North?” the one on the left asked as they came to a halt.

“Yes, we are.” Micah gripped me tighter. “Boy, are we happy to see you.”

“We’re glad you’re all right. You have some mighty worried family members who are anxious for some news about you today. We were concerned that you might not have made it to shelter in the storm.”

Both men climbed the snow covered steps and shook hands with us, introducing themselves as Officer Lance, and Officer Huffman with the Sheriff’s Department, before following us inside.

“I’m afraid we broke in and made ourselves at home here in this cabin,” Micah admitted, truthfully. “We’ve been keeping a list of things we need to reimburse the owners for. Thankfully, they keep the place well stocked.”

“I’ll make a report of everything before we leave,” Officer Lance said. “That way you’ll have something official if you need it. We can look up who owns this property on the county register and try to get in touch with them. Are both of you doing okay? Any medical needs to be taken care of?”

“I think we’re doing fine. Mostly bumps and bruises,” Micah replied.

“Except for the gash on his head,” I interjected. “I’m pretty sure he needs a couple of stitches.”

“And Felicity fell into the river on the way here and got pretty chilled, but she’s seemed well enough since we got her warmed up.”

“All right. I think we should take you both to the hospital, just to be checked out. I’m going to assume that you’re both healthy enough to ride with us on the snowmobiles to the main Highway? They’ve been clearing it today and there’s a vehicle waiting at the end of the road that can take you the rest of the way into town. We can call in a helicopter though, if you think it’s necessary.”

“I think we can ride just fine. Everything we have with us fits in that bag over there.” He pointed to where his duffle bag rested against the wall.

“Okay. If you want to show me around and give me a report while Miss North packs things, my partner can go radio the rest of our crew and let them know what the plan is. We’ll have them tell your families to meet you at the hospital.”

“Sounds good.” Micah agreed with a nod, glancing at me.

“I’ll start getting our things gathered and get dressed to go.” Relief surged through me. We were going home.

***

The wind flew through my hair, whipping it behind me. I anxiously held onto Officer Lance as the snowmobile raced on top of the heavily snow-covered road. I kept glancing over at Micah, who was riding with Officer Huffman, to the side of us. Thankfully, my boots, coat, and outdoor accessories had all completely dried, making the ride much nicer than it would’ve been, otherwise.

It seemed unfair how quickly the vehicles made it back to the main road, after all the hiking and misery Micah and I had gone through to get to the cabin in the first place. The afternoon sun caused the snow to sparkle like white diamonds, giving the appearance of a winter wonderland that almost seemed other-worldly. Despite the beauty, I was thrilled to see the waiting police vehicles at the end of the road, signaling we were one step closer to our families.

Down the road, we could see Micah’s car being pulled from the snowdrift by a tow truck. In the bright light of day, it looked even more damaged than before.

“How’d you find it?” Micah asked Officer Lance, as we climbed off the snowmobiles.

“We were searching for you and noticed the damage to the guardrails when we passed by. That caused us to turn around and take a better look or we would’ve missed it. It was hard to see the white car with the snow; and the embankment is just steep enough that it’s difficult to see over. Who knows how long the two of you could’ve been stuck out here?”

“I guess this is just another Christmas miracle,” I said, slipping my arms around Micah before staring back at the patrolman. “Thank you for your help; and I’m so sorry we took you away from your families on Christmas.”

“No worries, Miss. We’re on the clock today anyway. We’re just happy you two kids are okay. Now let’s get you home to your loved ones.”

Micah and I held hands in the back of the Sheriff’s vehicle all the way into town, until we arrived outside the hospital emergency room and were ushered inside. A team of people were waiting for us, flurrying about to get all our information and to check us over—even though we insisted we were fine. It was clearly a slow day in the Emergency Room and we were the big news, apparently.

Micah’s gash was cleaned and he received four stitches, two underneath that were dissolvable and two more on top. It was also covered in Steri-Strips to help secure it and reduce the risk of scaring. Once he was finished, we were led to the waiting area.

I heard my mom’s shriek before I saw her barreling toward me, snatching me in a bear hug right before Micah’s mom did the same to him. Suddenly we were crowded in by what seemed like dozens of people with relieved faces, all trying to press in and touch us, welcoming us home.

“It’s okay, Mom,” I said, attempting to comfort her weeping. “I’m all right. Everything is good.”

“You have no idea what you’ve put my heart through young lady!” she said, kissing my cheek and hugging me tighter before passing me off to my dad. “I swear you aged us both ten years last night. Didn’t she, Bill?” she remarked, bringing him into the conversation.

“Pretty much. All I can say is this is the best Christmas present I’ve ever received.” He released me and moved to hug Micah. “Thank you, son, for taking care of our baby and keeping her safe.”

“It was my pleasure,” Micah replied, patting my dad on the back.

Slowly people began to filter from the building, heading toward their cars in the parking lot.

“I’ll see you later?” Micah asked, as we were pulled our separate ways.

I nodded. “Sure. Get some rest, though. That’s an order.”

Hurrying back to me, he hugged me again, quickly. “Merry Christmas, Lissy.” I watched him turn to leave and it felt like my heart went with him.

***

I was pretty sure my mom was trying to feed me all the food left on the planet. Even though I kept trying to reassure her that I was okay and hadn’t been starving, she was determined. She wrapped me in a blanket, sat me by the fire, and made everyone else wait on me. My status was definitely that of an invalid in her eyes. Still, we had a nice evening together, opening all the presents that didn’t get opened while they waited for news on us.

I felt bad, because my gifts for everyone were locked in the back of Micah’s trunk, probably in a junkyard somewhere, awaiting retrieval—except for the food gifts, like my dad’s, which we’d eaten. Dad kept saying not to worry, that having me home safe was the only gift they wanted.

Idly, I listened to the laughter and the stories of my loved ones, all the while wondering what Micah was doing. I wanted to call him, but the charger for my phone was in his car and I hadn’t even had the chance to ask to borrow one. Plus, I needed to be with my family, just like he needed to be with his.

My eyes grew heavier as the night wore on and finally my mom suggested that I go to bed, which was fine with me. I slowly made my way up the stairs and down the hall to the comforts of my childhood room, complete with soft, plush, inviting decor. I grabbed a pair of old pajamas from my drawer and put them on before crawling under the thick, inviting blankets.

***

The sound of someone knocking on my door woke me with a start and I bolted upright in bed, noticing the bright light streaming through my windows. Wait. It was morning already?

“Honey?” Mom’s voice drifted through the door.

“Yeah?”

“Sorry to wake you, but you have company. Micah is here to see you.”

Glancing at the bedside clock, I realized it was almost noon.
Good grief!
I thought. I guess everything finally caught up with me. “Can you send him in here?” I asked.

“Sure, sweetie.”

Jumping up, I ran into the adjoining bathroom, digging in my drawer for an old brush before spying a toothbrush. First things, first. I quickly brushed my teeth and rinsed out my mouth, before dragging the brush rapidly through my hair. I finished just as the knock sounded at my bedroom door.

Hurrying out, I opened it to find Micah standing there looking all fresh, shaved, and showered. Even with the bandage over his eye, he was still the hottest guy I knew.

“I thought maybe you were avoiding me this morning when I couldn’t reach you,” he said with a wink.

“Never,” I replied, gesturing for him to come inside and closing the door behind him. “I was simply being lazy.”

“You deserve it.” He glanced around the room. “It still looks the same in here.” Walking to my dresser, he picked up the framed photo of us together at one of our Homecoming dances. “You still have this?”

“I told you. I never stopped loving you.” I sighed. “I hated you too, though. At least before we figured this all out.”

Turning to face me, he smiled. “That’s all behind us now, I hope. I came over this morning to bring you a Christmas present. I didn’t get to give you one yesterday.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked with a laugh. “You gave me all sorts of goodies yesterday! A stocking, breakfast, games to play—I loved it.”

He laughed and shook his head. “I told you—all of that was from
Santa
.” He was sticking to his story. “This is my gift. Yesterday, when we had to leave the hospital separately, I realized I don’t ever want to be anywhere without you again. You were all I could think about all night long. I got up first thing this morning and talked to my parents, telling them everything that happened between us. They took me shopping for your gift as soon as the stores opened.” His face grew serious as he pulled a small box from his pocket and popped it open, revealing a sparkling diamond ring inside. I gasped. “Felicity, will you marry me?”

My heart was pounding, racing wildly as I stared at him. Tears leaked down my face and I couldn’t believe the good fortune that had brought us back together. “Yes,” I whispered, nodding my head in case he couldn’t hear me.

Taking the ring out of the box, he slid it gently up my finger. It fit perfectly. “I love you,” he said. “I’ve always loved you.” His lips descended to claim mine, once again, and I held onto his broad shoulders as he kissed me fervently, relishing the joy that spread through me.

“I feel so bad!” I said when we broke apart. “I didn’t get you anything!”

“Are you kidding?” he said with a laugh. “You just gave me the one thing I’ve always wanted. You! This is the best present I’ve ever received in my life.”

And he kissed me, again.

Part Two

Christmas Delights!

Holiday Recipes From

Readers Around The World!

From the A
uthor:

When I came up with the idea for this Christmas novella, I wanted to have some way for my amazing readers to get to participate in this project with me. In the past, I’ve had contests where I added winners’ names into my stories. It’s always a lot of fun to see other people get their name in print.

That was when the idea of adding favorite holiday recipes came to mind. I thought this would be a great way for me to put readers in the book with me, and to share something special from holiday traditions all over the globe.

So dig out your mixing bowls, because these delicious delights are bound to be favorites the whole year round!

Thank you to everyone who participated!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Lacey

(*Disclaimer: Recipes shared are reader’s favorites from their own personal kitchens. No copyright infringement is intended. They are printed as they were submitted.)