Some links may be affiliate links. We get money if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these links on our site.

Christmas All The Time is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Road To Wyoming Pass

“Jeb, I think it’s a good thing you padded that thing with extra blankets.” Brendan was hanging onto what he affectionately referred to as the ‘Oh Crap Handle’ above the passenger door.

“Yes, it’s a long way to Wyoming Pass and the weather forecast wasn’t looking too good. We’ll just take our time and be careful.”

“It’s not you I’m worried about.” Brendan watched the car in front of them begin to fishtail. “Watch out.”

“I see him.” Jeb started slowing down.

“Oh! There he goes.”

Jeb pulled over to the shoulder near the site of the accident and set his four-way flashers on. “Hang here a minute. I’m going to see if they need help.”

“Be careful.”

Jeb just smiled and hopped out of the truck. He took a quick peek to make sure the bear was still strapped securely to the trailer before he went to check on the accident. “Hey, are you okay? Do you need me to call an ambulance for you?”

The guy rolled down his window. “I think I’m okay. How does it look?”

Jeb walked around the car and back to the driver’s window. “I don’t see anything obvious. If you’re sure you’re alright, I’ll try to pull you back up on the road. Okay?”

He looked back out of his window. “Hey, thanks mister. Can you do that with your trailer attached? I don’t want to put you to any trouble.”

“No trouble. Just hang tight. I’m going to get my tow straps.” He walked back to his truck.

“Is he alright, Jeb?”

“Sure, he’s just a little shaken. I’m going to get him back up on the road. He can go to a garage and get it checked out.”

“Okay, you need help?”

“No, it will just take a minute.” Jeb went to the box in the bed of his truck and swept the snow off. He grabbed his tow straps out and headed back to the stranded car. “How are you doing? Still okay?”

“Just a little shaken up. I really appreciate this.”

“Sure, sure. No problem. Like I said, there’s nothing obvious but you might want to get to a garage to look underneath. Okay?”

“Yeah, sounds like a plan.”

Jeb tapped on the roof in agreement and went about attaching the straps. “Okay, hang tight a second. I’ll have you back on the road right away.”

“Thanks.”

Jeb nodded as he walked around to grab the straps. He picked them up and drew in the slack before slinging them over his shoulder and trudging toward the road. The car slid along behind him as he headed up to the shoulder. Once he reached the blacktop, he turned around and pulled the car toward him until the front tires were on the road. He reached under, detached the tow straps and set them aside. “Hey, I’m going to push now. Give it a little gas and you should be able to get on your way.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m just a guy making a delivery. You have a Merry Christmas and drive safely. It’s still pretty slushy out here and the forecast says it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Take your time. Alright? You’ll be okay.”

“Sure, buddy. Thanks. Merry Christmas.”

Jeb smiled and got behind the car. The guy threw it into gear and drove gingerly onto the sloppy roadway as Jeb made sure he wouldn’t slip back down. After he’d gone, Jeb collected and stowed his straps.

“What’s Aundrea going to think about that?”

Jeb looked at his cousin as he buckled up. “I don’t know. Not sure if she’s ready.”

“She might think it’s cool.”

Jeb smiled. “Maybe, but I don’t want to scare her. I understand her folks died because of the ruckus between the Sentinels and the Chaosians while she was at school in Empire City. She probably isn’t…”

“Well-disposed toward supers?”

“That’s a good way of putting it.”

“How are things going with you two?”

“Who knows? We had a nice conversation and she made me dinner. Then she froze me out for over a week.”

“That’s harsh. No explanation?”

“No, even Greg couldn’t think of a reason why she’d act that way.”

“Greg?”

“The pastor at my church. I mentioned him.”

“Oh, sure. Pastor Greg.”

“Anyway, I stopped by the bakery yesterday to drop off some pieces and she came out and cried all over me.”

“She did?”

“Said she was afraid I was going to get into an accident and she’d never see me again. All kinds of stuff like that.”

“So, you guys are better now?”

“I’m not really sure. She was slobbering over me like crazy but I don’t know where we actually stand. She’s on about some problem she can’t tell me about and I don’t deserve to be led on but she likes me and she wants us to be friends and so on.”

“Friends?”

“That’s all I really wanted.”

“If it turns into something more?”

“I wouldn’t be sad about that. She’s very nice.”

“That brand name is no lie. I feel like these bagels could have drifted down from heaven.”

“She’s good at what she does. No question about that. She’s very organized and-”

“Hot, Jeb. She’s smokin’ hot. Even in that dumpy chef getup she wears, you can’t hide hot.”

“Brendan, I don’t judge people by their appearance. I mean, yes, she’s pretty. I’m not saying that she isn’t but there’s so much more to her than just being pretty.”

“You’re a real piece of work. You know that? You’ve got two women dying to get into your life and you’re all philosophical and ho-hum about it.”

“I can’t get too bogged down in it, Brendan. If it works out, it works out. It’s like that guy in the car. The reason he was fishtailing was because he was trying too hard to control what is already out of control. I just wanted to make some friends. I wanted to make up for lost time with Aundrea and, apparently, Trilby wanted to make up for lost time with me.”

“So, what’s up with this Trilby? I haven’t heard about her before.”

“Oh, she’s a really sweet girl. A little flaky but very nice and I’m told she’s smitten with me.”

“Wow. That’s a problem I’d like to have.”

“You’ll find the one for you, Brendan. You just have to be patient.”

“Says the guy with two.”

“Come on now. I don’t think Trilby will be interested in me after what happened this weekend. She didn’t even acknowledge my presence at church.”

“Oh, sorry. What happened?”

“Well, she came over for dinner on Friday so she could see my lights and stuff.”

“Emphasis on the stuff.”

“Maybe so.”

“What did you have?”

“The same kind of thing I’d make for you.”

“Food allergies?”

“Quite a few, it turns out. It’s no wonder she’s so petite. She can barely bring herself to eat anything even when it’s all organic and chemical-free.”

“How would you compare her to Aundrea?”

“Different.”

“Different, he says. Different how, Romeo?”

“Aundrea is tall and athletic and blond. Trilby is tiny and brainy and brunette.”

“Brainy?”

“She’s got a Master’s in Library Science. She works at the University.”

“You don’t say.”

“I just did.”

“Hardy-har-har, cuz. Tell me more. You said she’s petite?”

“Shorter than you.”

“Did you want to pull over and just kick me in the nuts? Not everyone can be a lumbering giant like you, Jeb.”

“Five foot two, eyes of blue.”

“You’ve got my attention. Blue eyes?”

“Did you ever see pictures of the blue ice in the glaciers?”

“No way. That kind of blue?”

“Exactly like that and her glasses really bring out the color.”

“Glasses?”

“Pretty thick ones. She says she can’t see a blessed thing without them. Couldn’t even see the dresser from the bed.”

“Oh, that’s-” Brendan turned to his cousin in shock. “The bed? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“Yes, there is.”

“What do I need, a crowbar? C’mon! Tell!”

“I wasn’t in the bed with her, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I was asking. How’d you get her in the bed?”

“After dinner, we took a walk around out back and looked at the lights. She was getting cold, so I took her back to the workshop to see the bear.” He poked a thumb over his shoulder toward the sculpture on the trailer.

“Sounds alright.”

“Sure, it was great until she set her shirt on fire.”

“She what?”

“I don’t know why anyone would do it but she leaned over some candles to smell another one. The shirt she was wearing was some kind of artificial silk.”

“That sounds bad.”

“It was awful. There was a flash and the front half of her shirt was just gone.”

“Why doesn’t stuff like that happen to me?”

“It sounds kind of sexy but it was just awful. The front half of her shirt just vanished and the scorched edge of the rest of her shirt was kind of hanging there.”

“Did it burn her skin?”

“She was wearing some kind of lacy tank top underneath and it was on fire, too.”

“It’s called a chemise. No bra?”

“I don’t want to be coarse but I don’t think she has much need for a bra. She’s very petite. Anyway, I was trying to get my shirt off so I could help to smother the flames.”

“That sounds like it would have been a good thing to do.”

“It would have been but she darted out of my workshop and dove into the snow.”

Brendan sat there with his mouth hanging open and stared at the road ahead.

“My thoughts exactly.”

“I’m guessing it worked.”

“It did but she’s so slender and tiny.”

“Hypothermia.”

“Yes. Almost immediately, poor girl.” Jeb turned to a rural driveway. “I got her inside and warmed up and put her to bed so I could wash her clothes.”

“Wash her clothes?”

“Let’s just say, it was necessary. I got her wrapped up in a blanket and got her to bed.”

“Your first naked lady and it went down like that?”

“I didn’t look.”

“Of course you didn’t. What was I thinking?” Brendan adjusted his glasses as a cover for rolling his eyes at his cousin.

“Here we are. Let’s get this thing delivered and you can take some pictures for the site.”