Snowed in With My Small Town Billionaire

Chapter 24 Gwen

24

C H A P T E R

Gwen

G wen was standing by the window, staring outside. There was something about the dark night that drew her attention. Most people were afraid of the dark because they didn’t know what was hiding. Gwen always found magic in the darkness because a person is only limited by their imagination. There was no reality to block her vision. Wonderful, mysterious creatures could be playing in the darkness. A fairy could be playing with her friends the unicorn and dragon.

She smiled. This time on the mountain made her aware of how important it was to pursue some of her other dreams besides just being a teacher. She had always wanted to write books for middle school and high school kids, who were in the in-between stage of childhood and adulthood and were discovering their own identities.

The avalanche could have killed them all, but it didn’t. Gwen took it as a reminder of how important it was to live life for today. Her heart broke for Zaid, and she said another prayer that he would have a lot more days to fulfill his dreams.

Jerome walked beside her and stood, silent for a minute.

“What do you see?” he asked.

“A world full of possibilities,” she said.

“How’s that young fellow doing?” he asked.

“We don’t know. He’s got a bad infection. Sawyer is afraid that if help doesn’t come in the next day or two, we’ll have to figure out how to amputate the leg. He can’t risk letting the infection kill him.”

“Amputating the leg will kill him,” Jerome said.

“Maybe, maybe not, but it might be the only chance he has,” Gwen said.

“Sawyer is playing God.”

Gwen sighed. Here it comes, she thought. Aloud, she said, “No. He’s a doctor. Sawyer is doing the very best he can with the resources he has.”

“Those Johnsons are trouble. Trauma follows them around everywhere they go.”

“No, Dad, they aren’t. They didn’t cause your trouble or Kyles. You just need a scapegoat, and frankly, this conversation is getting a little redundant and old.”

“I know that you and he have been hanging out a lot and I saw you two kissing. Have you given any thought as to what is going to happen after we get off the mountain and go back to the real world? You’ll go back to teaching, he’ll go back to doctoring, and that will be that.”

“We’ve talked briefly about it. We figure that we’ll take it one step at a time.”

“I see. Well, I guess you’re all grown up and can make your own decisions, but you should consider this: If you decided to be with him, then you will no longer be my daughter.”

With that, Jerome walked away.

Gwen shook her head. I can’t believe he just said that to me. Wait, never mind. Yes, I can.

She wondered whether he really meant it and if it would be a forever thing.

Did I dare risk it? What if I do decide to pursue a relationship with Sawyer, it doesn’t work out, and I lose both of them.

Feeling trapped and as though the walls were closing in on her, Gwen went to the foyer and pulled on her coat.

“Where are you going?” Audrey asked.

“I’m just going to step outside for a few minutes. I need some fresh air.”

“What was your father talking to you about?”

“Go ask him,” Gwen said, feeling that it would be useless to talk to her mother about the situation.

The night air was so cold, but it was a relief from the stifling, musty air inside the lodge. It was obvious that some of the people weren’t making good use of the five-minute shower time allotted to them.

She wasn’t really paying attention to where she was walking. Gwen just focused on her breathing and pushing all other thoughts a break, hoping to clear her mind.

Suddenly, she noticed that it had started snowing again. She turned around to head back to the lodge but didn’t see the lights. Gwen tried to retrace her steps, but in the inky darkness, she couldn’t see them. She walked for a while and then realized that she was completely lost.

Terror exploded inside of her. Her heart thundered and she couldn’t breathe. She started shaking, and not from the cold.

“Stop it, Gwen,” she told herself. “Panicking isn’t going to help you. You need to focus.”

She looked around here, but she didn’t recognize any landmarks – not that she could see them in the darkness anyway. Looking up, she saw that there was no north star to follow because of the thick clouds, and she hadn’t paid attention to the direction she was walking in, anyway.

Gwen paused a moment to consider her options. One, she could keep walking. She had heard that when people get lost, they tend to walk in circles. If she did that, she might end up back at the lodge – or she might end up in a ravine like Brent, or worse, with a broken leg or arm.

Her other option was to wait. Someone would notice that she was missing and come looking for her. She laughed bitterly. It’ll likely be Sawyer and Lucas who search for me, not my dear old dad.

She pushed the thought away. That’s not helpful right now.

If she kept walking and somehow managed not to fall into a ravine, she would make it that much harder for them to find her. However, if she stayed in one place without moving, she would freeze to death.

Gwen remembered that Sawyer said that snow was an insulator, which was why the Inuit people used it to build igloos. Of course, they had body heat and fires to heat the insides with, but it was better than nothing.

She found a stick and started digging a hole in the snow, packing the snow hard against the walls of her hole, just like the tunnels that Sawyer and Lucas had dug to get them out of the cabins.

When it was big enough, she crawled inside and prayed that Sawyer would find her soon. The tunnel protected her from the falling snow and the biting wind. Between that and her parka, sweater, sweatpants, and thermal underwear, she was just slightly chilled, at least at first. Then, the longer she sat there, the more the cold seeped in through her clothes, her skin, and into her bones.

Gwen must have fallen asleep because she was startled awake when she heard Sawyer calling her name.

She tried calling out, but her voice was caught in her throat. Gwen cleared her throat and tried again. “Sawyer, I’m here.”

“Gwen?” he called again.

She stood up on shaking legs, emerging from the snow like the abominable snowman. Sawyer and Lucas rushed up to her.

“Are you hurt?” Sawyer asked.

“No, I’m fine. Just cold.”

“What in the Hades were you thinking, Woman?” Lucas exclaimed. “Didn’t you learn anything from your brother’s little adventure?”

“Lucas…” Sawyer started to say.

Gwen held up her hand. “No, he’s right. I messed up, royally. Not only did I put myself in danger, I put you guys in danger, too. However, please yell at me once we get back. I’m cold.”

“Can you walk?” Sawyer asked.

“I’m fine. I’m not hurt, just cold.”

They walked back to the lodge together. Gwen was a little embarrassed to discover that she hadn’t actually been that far away from the resort. However, she was certain that if she had continued to walk aimlessly about, she would have gotten a lot further away.

Audrey ran up to her when they got back inside.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, Mom. I’m fine. I just got lost. I dug a hole in the snow and waited for Sawyer to find me. I knew that it would be he and Lucas who came looking for me.”

She cast a baleful look at her father who had the good graces to look away and walk back into the parlor.

Sawyer and Gwen go into the library. He looks at her fingers, feet, ears, and nose.

“Everything looks good. No signs of frostbite. Digging that little snow cave was a very smart idea,” he said.

“Thank you. I remembered the story you told Brent. I knew it wouldn’t be the same without a fire, but I figured it would help a little.”

“Smart woman,” he said. He hesitated for a minute and then said, “You scared the dickens out of me. When your mother told me that you were lost, my heart nearly stopped.”

“I’m sorry. I know that it was a stupid thing to do.”

“Yes, it was,” Sawyer said. “However, I’m not trying to chastise you. I’m trying to tell you that somehow, among all of the chaos, terrifying avalanches, and other issues, you managed to capture my heart. I fell in love with you.”

She looked into his eyes and touched his face. “I love you, too.”