“We could walk, but I think Miss Vivian would be impatient if we took that
long to get you there.” Ben chuckled and held the door open.
Sighing, I pulled myself up into the high truck. Inside, it had the smell of gasoline and Fritos. When he started it up, a burst of frigid air blew from the vents. A chill ran through my body.
“Can we turn on the heat?” I asked.
“It’ll be toasty in no time. Just needs time to get going.” Ben looked at me
with pity. “Didn’t Miss Vivian warn you about where you were coming? I hope
you’ve some warmer clothes.”
“My warmer clothes are in the boxes.” I blushed at my ignorance. After composing myself, I decided to find out more about my new home. “Where are
we going, Ben?”
“Miss Vivian’s property is about thirty minutes that way.” He pointed
towards a range of mountains in the distance. “Lucky for us, there hasn’t been a
big snowfall.”
“What would snow mean?”
“That no one would be going out, and you wouldn’t be going in.” He
chuckled at his joke.
“So, I am going to be trapped up there?”
“I promise you won’t feel trapped when you see Miss Vivian’s home.”
“What do you do for Miss Vivian?” I questioned, intrigued by his obvious affection for Vivian Wolf.
“I’ve been working for her about forty years now. I take care of the property
and her horses. We’ve been through a lot together. I’m sure she’ll let you know
all about that. Do me a favor and paint her in a good light.”
“Of course. This is her story,” I promised.
We rode in silence down the two-lane highway. We passed by small stores and modern conveniences along the first ten miles. Then, the landscape turned to
snow-covered trees. We went for miles and miles before I would see a house set
back from the road.
I held my breath as we began a windy ascent up the mountain. Ben must have sensed my tension as the two-lane highway turned into a one-lane road with four-foot piles of snow on each side.
“I’ve been driving this for years. You are safe, Miss,” he assured me.
“Well, what do you think?” Ben’s voice was filled with pride.
We pulled through iron gates, and he drove down a cobbled stone path. The
property was even more spectacular than the pictures showed. The dark wood and stone house looked more like a ski lodge than a home.
“It’s beautiful,” I gushed.
From the distance, I saw an indistinct figure standing in the doorway. The
closer we got, the more the shape morphed into a small woman, who I guessed to be Vivian Wolf. My assumption about her height had been right.
After Ben opened the door and helped me out of the truck, she called to us.
“I worried you wouldn’t make it here before the storm hit.”
“Bah,” Ben grumbled. “There is not a cloud in the sky. You better stop watching that channel. You mark my words, no storm is comin’ tonight.”
Vivian had the brightest green eyes. They sparkled with delight at his coarse
comment. She waved Ben off and turned her attention toward me. “My, aren’t you a beauty.” Vivian clasped my face in her hands and continued greeting me.
“I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about you, Caitlyn. I’m so excited for
