Page 7 of Take My Heart
‘Holy shit,’ I say, noticing the thing jumping up and down in the road is a woman. And it kind of looks like she’s wearing a wedding dress. ‘What the hell?’
Pulling off to the shoulder, I leave the truck running as I get out.
‘Oh, thank God!’ the woman yells as she runs over to me.
‘What the hell are you doing out here?’ I shout over the howling wind.
‘My car went in the ditch.’ She points to it, but all I see is snow with more swirling above it.
Looking back at the woman, I see her lips are turning blue and she’s shivering like crazy.
‘You need to get in the truck,’ I say, taking her arm so she doesn’t slip on the ice. I can’t see what kind of shoes she’s got on under that dress, but I’m guessing it’s not snow boots.
‘You’re not going to kill me, are you?’ she asks as we walk to the truck.
‘If I was, you really think I’d tell you?’
I was just joking, but she’s looking at me like she thinks I’m serious.
‘I’m kidding,’ I tell her as we reach the truck. I get the door for her, holding it open so the wind doesn’t blow it closed.
She hikes up her dress to get in, but she’s shivering too much to pull herself into the seat.
‘Let me help.’ I scoop her up and drop her in the seat, then shut the door and fight through the wind to get to the other side. ‘This wind is insane,’ I say, getting in.
‘I’m so cold,’ she says, still shivering.
‘The heat’s on high,’ I tell her as I get my wipers going.
She nods. ‘It’s warm in here. I’m just really cold.’
I drive slowly down the highway, not able to tell if I’m in a lane. The snow’s coming down so hard I can’t even see the road.
‘How long you been out here?’ I ask.
‘Almost an hour. I tried to call for help, but I couldn’t get a signal.’ She looks around. ‘Where are we?’
‘Just outside Haydon Falls.’
‘Haydon Falls. Is that the place with the apple orchard?’
‘Yeah, that’s it,’ I say with a smile. ‘You been there?’
‘No, but I know people who have. Don’t they have some big festival in the fall?’
‘Yeah, people come from all over to go to it, even as far as Chicago.’
‘That’s where I’m from.’
‘Oh, yeah?’ I glance at her. ‘So what are you doing here?’
‘I needed to get away for a few days. I was on my way to my grandpa’s cabin when I got stuck in the storm.’
I glance at her. ‘What’s with the dress? Doesn’t seem like something you’d wear to a cabin.’
‘I was at a wedding earlier.’
‘Your own?
