Briar
I remember the first time I played in the snow.
I was seven. My parents had brought me with them to a fancy ski resort in Colorado to attend a medical conference for my dad’s job. Left to my own devices—my nanny was more interested in skiing with cute instructors—I ventured out the French doors of my parent’s suite onto the hotel balcony.
A small pile of snow had fallen from the roof.
I dove right in, and was instantly in heaven.
Ever since that day, I promised myself I would have white Christmases when I was a grown up. I’d move somewhere with seasons.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be riding a horse, herding cattle, in the middle of snowy Montana.
The wind gusted through the trees and sent flurries of thick snow dancing across my vision. Visibility grew worse. I couldn’t see my boyfriend, Chase, or Ash, his horse. We were about five miles east of the main house on the McCree Ranch.
Chase had forged ahead, searching for a cow that had become separated from the herd. He’d told me to stay back where it was safe. The terrain ahead was rocky, slick with ice, and snow filled crevices on the hillside.
I was still a novice at navigating a storm like this, so I stayed back as he’d asked, though the waiting was starting to wear on me and my horse.
Firefly was in a restless mood. She probably sensed my unease. I was having trouble holding onto anything resembling calm. She bucked once, pounding her hooves into the snow. I steadied her, smoothing my gloved hand down her mane. “It’s okay girl.”
It was only my second time on horseback in snowy, inclement weather. So far, I hadn’t run back to the house, seeking shelter from the cold. Earlier in the day, Chase had said he was proud that I was trying.
“This is your last chance to run back inside, Briar baby.” He’d told me. “It’s going to take you a while to get used to the cold.”
The thought of going back to Chase’s Aunt Millie and having a hot mug of cocoa was awfully tempting, “No, I can do this. I’m not going back.”
Now I wished I’d stayed home.
Firefly jerked her head. I held tighter to the reins, trying to keep her calm, but something was bothering my horse more than usual. She hadn’t been this skittish in months.
I squinted, searching the white and gray, hoping that it wasn’t anything too bad. Probably just a small animal looking for shelter, or maybe a tree branch had fallen.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw something dart, disappearing behind a tree.
Firefly reared up. I held on for dear life, clinging to the saddle as she stood on her hind legs.
She dropped back on all fours, jarring me. The reins slipped from my hands. I grabbed the saddle horn. Before she reared again I let myself fall. It was a soft landing, right into a pile of snow. I sighed with relief, remembering the time Firefly had thrown me on the Fourth of July. I promised myself that if it happened again, I’d stop riding her and just keep her as a really awesome pet.
Stabbing, unbearable cold soaked through my coat and hit the back of my neck.
The creek.
I rolled to my stomach, scrambling on my hands and knees for the trees. I hadn’t realized how close we were to the creek. It wasn’t fully frozen yet. I’d been lying on snow that had piled up on the bank.
But as I sat up I felt water slide down my back. My skin crawled. I was wet from hips to shoulders.
Being wet wasn’t my biggest problem though.
Twenty feet away, a pair of glacial eyes met mine.
A wolf.
I was cold and wet, and my rifle was strapped to Firefly’s saddle.
The animal didn’t charge. He was sitting, just eyeing me, as if he didn’t know what to make of me.
I sat up a little straighter. Chase had told me what to do if I encountered a wolf, but every vital piece of information seemed to have vanished from my mind. I was frozen solid with fear and the icy water from the creek.
“Briar?”
I glanced over my shoulder, taking my eyes off
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