Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 63214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
I did my thing when I made you.
A fire blazed in front of us. Flames crackled in the wind.
I’d slung a couple of bad romance novels into the pit. I loved books, but the bad ones had to be turned into ashes, never to darken my doorway again. It had been a rough year in the bookstores I’d ordered from. Lots of fluff and clichés between the pages and nothing grabbing at my heart and twisting me forward. I’d burned around ten books tonight, hoping the ashes would serve more purpose to the world.
Thankfully, my icy lover showed no signs of melting.
Peace. It’s peaceful out here.
Pouring a glass of wine, I kept the phone’s volume on high while I placed it next to me and sat on a blanket on the ground. I figured the girls might call and I didn’t want to miss it.
This is good. I needed a break and being out here is relaxing.
Wind whipped through the trees. The fire’s flames snapped against smoke mingling with the night fog. All around me animals crunched along a landscape of snowy mountains, leaving tiny footprints everywhere they crept.
The branches splintered within the fire. I breathed in fresh air and burning logs, sinking into relaxation.
It takes a different type of person to live out here.
Although people had always settled in the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevada, and even the Coastal Mountains. Those settlers had been considered rebels. They’d left modern houses and streets for primitive dwellings and winters that gnawed at the skin and froze up the bones.
Mountain living was a rough life, but still people came in all colors and from various backgrounds and class levels. Cowboys worked alongside millionaires. Newly freed slaves helped build the town with runaways. Women did the same tasks as men. With winters that lasted more than nine months, there was no time to hate and fight.
People united on survival.
Mom told me that the skiing industry rose after World War II. Rich people started fleeing crowded cities and taking a few months out in the mountains to breath in the calming peace that one could only get with barely touched nature. The mountains and open space were intoxicating.
And modern heating and computer technology made this life bearable.
Out here, you can escape from the world.
I drank in the sculpture as it shimmered in the moonlight.
For whatever reason, I liked being outside with Remy. Not even Netflix could lure me away. There was peace within the coldness of nature. Few things came out to bite—not bugs and insects, nor bears or wolves.
It was too cold to bother humans tonight.
Anytime I was outside in the evening, I felt safe. My house was a half a mile out from the main road. No one could sneak up on me without my knowing it.
This isn’t so bad with the girls not being here. Maybe. . .I needed time to myself.
Moonlight gave winter a haunting glow. Everything looked enchanting. Even the dark blue sky with its dangling stars and slow-dancing clouds. Magic sparked within the cold winter breeze.
Then, suddenly I could’ve sworn the mermaids giggled. I turned to them. They remained stiff and solid.
I checked behind me.
Santa stood on the side of the house, holding his big belly.
Wait a minute. I thought Santa was by the mailbox. Wasn’t he pointing at the mermaids?
I finished that glass of wine in minutes and opened my second bottle of wine, as the first lay empty at my feet. I’d even snuck out a joint I’d hidden in my attic for monthly mommy-break-down emergencies. My friend had brought a small bag of it along with the blocks of ice. Hopefully, weed didn’t go bad, after sitting around for too long. I’d been proud of the fact that there’d been no reason to pull it out this month.
“It would’ve been nice to have a good man to spend the evening with.” I grabbed my lighter and the joint from my pocket and lit it. The amulet warmed against my skin. “What is up with this thing?”
Mom, what did you put in here? I should’ve asked her that when I had her on the phone.
I pulled the bag out, undid it, and looked inside. The key dangled at the end of the twine. Weird items lay inside—a small vial of blood, tiny animal bones, herbs, and other odd things.
“Mom said you make dreams come true.” I looked up at the snowman. “What do you think? Could this make you real, Remy? That would be my wish—a beautiful ice man coming alive and spending the evening with me.”
The leather burned hot in my fingers and seared the tips.
“Ouch!” I dropped my glass, but still held the bottle. Wine spilled all over the icy ground. The bag hit my chest.
“Ouch!”
Sparks bursts around me. Still gripping the bottle, I batted them away with my free hand. My heart pounded in my ears.