Sleighed by the Farmer’s Daughter (Sweet Christmas Kisses)

Chapter One

Shhhhunk. Seth’s stomach fell somewhere around his ankles at the sound of frozen snow scraping along the side of his truck and the way the oversized vehicle leaned to the side before coming to a crunching halt. Only the left headlight was visible in the gloomy evening light. Peering in the side mirror, the small portion of the thirty-foot Airstream he could see through the snow falling heavily around him was equally mired in several feet of snow.

He braced his right arm against the center console, attempting to hold his body in a more upright position as he evaluated the situation. No matter how many horses were running under the hood of his Ford 350 Super Duty truck or the size of his tires, there was no way four-wheel drive was going to get him out of this mess. He wasn’t sure if the trailer tires were even on the road anymore as the whole rig was at a solid forty-five-degree angle, tipped over in what must be a ditch. It was going to take a very large tractor or tow truck to get him back on the road he had been traveling on fifteen seconds ago, and in this snowstorm, that could take days.

His goose was well and truly cooked. Eric was going to kill him if Sarah didn’t beat him to it. He promised his new sister-in-law he wouldn’t miss another Christmas now that he had a niece to get to know, but thanks to this snow-covered country road, he was going to break it.

Leaning forward so his head rested against the steering wheel, Seth closed his eyes. He had been driving for who knew how many hours in this whiteout after working sixteen hours straight before that. This problem would seem less impossible after a few minutes of shut-eye.

The “Eye of the Tiger” blared from his cell phone, startling him awake. Taking a moment to gather his bearings and remember where he was and why he was falling over while sitting in the driver’s seat of his truck, he started searching for the obnoxious phone. It stopped ringing, which was a relief since he couldn’t find the infernal thing, and it was apparently turned all the way on high. No sooner had he realized it was on the passenger side floorboard than it started blaring the old rock song again. His younger brother was nothing if not persistent, like a dog with a bone. Unfastening his seatbelt, he managed to reach across the distance to retrieve the phone without falling on his face. Getting back into his previous position was awkward, but by the time the phone call came through for a third time, he was strapped back in and braced so he could talk in some semblance of comfort.

“Eric, you could give a person a few seconds before ringing back, you know,” Seth admonished as soon as he tapped the accept button on his phone and the call connected.

“You haven’t moved in thirty minutes, and you took three calls to answer. What’s wrong?” Eric demanded, ignoring his older brother’s previous statement.

“We aren’t at war. You aren’t my commander. I don’t need overwatch, little brother,” Seth grumbled, his observation that something was wrong grating on his nerves. He didn’t need his brother to rescue him.

“I haven’t been smaller than you in a very long time. It’s not overwatch; it’s called GPS tracking. I couldn’t get overwatch on you even if I wanted to with the storm over your head. And age has nothing to do with this situation. Something is wrong. Why have you stopped in the middle of nowhere, New York?” Eric repeated his question, his impatience growing.

“ GPS tracking ? Did Sarah put you up to this? Did you have one of your Ranger buddies hack into my truck emergency alert system or my phone?” Seth asked incredulously at the breach of privacy. His brother’s connections could be annoying at times.

“Something like that. Doesn’t matter. Why have you stopped ?” Eric inquired once more, this time putting the full weight of ten years leading men into battle and expecting a quick response through the line.

A long-suffering sigh escaped Seth’s lips before he could stop it. He would have preferred to keep this little situation to himself. It was the kind of thing brothers, especially much larger but younger brothers, held over your head and razzed you about for years to come.

“Seth, do not make me ask again. I know something is wrong. Spill it!” Eric commanded, giving way to anger as worry ate at his gut.

“Eric, breathe, Hun.” Sarah’s soothing voice came over the line as a baby whimpered in the background. “He’s talking to you and pushing your buttons, which means whatever has happened isn’t life-threatening. Here, let’s put this conversation on speakerphone. Hi, Seth. It’s Sarah. Please tell us how you are doing so your brother can stop worrying about your safety and calm down. Yes, Eric, you’re worried, or you wouldn’t be growling and scaring your daughter. Seth?”

“I’m fine. No blood. No guts. No concussion. I’m fine . I can’t believe he’s tracking me! How long has he been doing that? I’m a grown man for crying out loud!” Seth lered his frustration into the confined space.

“Oh, that was me. I asked my brother Tom to get us access so Eric could stop pacing the floor. He was scaring your niece. I tried telling him you learned to drive in the snow just like he did, but he wouldn’t listen. He said driving in a nor’easter was a whole other beast, and you should buckle down until it passes. Once he could watch your little dot on the map, he was fine... until it stopped anyway. Then, it took three calls for you to answer the phone. Now he’s fit to be tied. So, if you don’t mind, please help calm his nerves and let us know that you are okay and just resting or if there is trouble.”

“You make me sound like a mother hen, woman,” Eric grumbled in the background.

“Those who have the benefit of your love understand you tend to worry about us. Nothing to be ashamed of, my love. Seth?” Sarah prompted again.

“ I’m fine . It has been a total whiteout for hours, and I missed a turn somewhere. This rig doesn’t turn around easily, so I had to take a new route, which led to the middle of nowhere. I lost my satellite connection over an hour ago and have been driving, trying to find a good place to stop. I can’t see jack out here. The next thing I know, the truck and camper are on their side in a ditch. I was trying to think of a solution and must have fallen asleep. That’s why I missed the call. Any more questions?” Seth asked a little snarkily and then immediately felt bad, remembering it was his sweet new sister on the phone and not his thick-skulled brother.

“Is it safe to stay in the truck since it’s on its side and the camper is inaccessible? The worst of the storm is still heading your way, and the temperatures are going to get below zero. Your location is predicted to get over two feet of snow. If that piles up on the door, it will be difficult to push it open and climb out. You could be there for two more days,” Eric informed him.

Seth could hear the concern in his brother’s voice now that they were talking and not jumping at each other.

“Honestly, I think my exhaust pipe is blocked by snow—or at least the right side. I will have to crack my windows to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. The other problem is that I am running low on fuel. If I turn on the heat every hour, I will make it maybe eight to ten hours, which is not enough to get through this storm. I have a Dr. Pepper and a Snickers bar. My summer sleeping bag, my winter coat, hat, and gloves. I wasn’t thinking clearly when I left the factory. I am not equipped for a long stay in a freezing cold truck,” Seth admitted, mentally kicking himself for his unpreparedness. It wasn’t like this was his first rodeo. He grew up in the mountains of Massachusetts. He knew how dangerous snowstorms could be.

“Let me make a few calls and see if we can find you any shelter. Is there any way to get into the camper where your provisions are?” Eric asked, jumping into problem-solving mode.

“None. It is going to take heavy machinery to get my home back on the road. The door is face-first in the snow, and before you ask, I would have to break a window to get inside. I don’t see how opening her up will make my survival stats go up any. That would just expose me to freezing temperatures and winds.”

“Agreed. Let me troubleshoot this with some folks, and I’ll get back to you. Charge your phone if necessary, then turn off the truck to conserve fuel. It may seem cold right now, but it is going to get much worse. You are definitely going to need the heat then. If the snow isn’t too thick yet and you have any empty cups lying around, scoop up some snow to drink later. It’s been snowing for so long; it should be clean. It will be better than nothing if you get stuck in there in the long term. Don’t forget to turn on your hazard lights. It will increase your chances of being found and not plowed when the roads are cleared. Rest. I’ll call back soon.”

“Thanks, Eric,” Seth managed to get out before the line went dead.

Grabbing three empty coffee cups from the floorboard, he maneuvered himself into position and rolled down the window so he could scoop up piles of snow that had already accumulated on the upturned side of his truck. His little brother may be annoying, but he was always excellent at problem-solving and keeping a cool head during a crisis. Ten years in the Army Rangers fine-tuned those skills. He may have felt like his privacy had been violated when he heard Eric was tracking his movements via GPS, but right now, he had to admit that it turned out to be a blessing. If anyone could find him a safe place to ride out this storm, it would be Eric.

Seth closed his eyes and prayed. It looked like, once again, he had ruined his family’s Christmas. He needed a miracle if he was going to survive this storm.