Harsh winds blew the snow in every direction. The horizon was no longer visible to Shelby as she trudged through it all. She was on her way to the closest town. She was previously at a truck stop diner twenty miles back. She set up camp in a forested area and slept the night. She then awoke to the blizzard of her nightmares. The wind picked up and the snow fell even faster. Shelby’s legs started to hurt and she couldn’t feel her hands. Wind blew right through her jacket as if she didn’t have one at all. It was 5 o’clock A.M. and her only light was the headlamp strapped to her hood. She couldn’t see no more than 3 feet in front of her. She was getting weak and the elements were not helping. The snow started to get thicker as she neared what she thought was the mountain town. Her hopes rose as she neared the light she thought she saw. As she drew nearer, the light seamed to get farther away. She turned off her headlamp for a moment. The light disappeared. She turned her light back on. The light reappeared but now to the far right. Shelby pushed through the snow and finally reached the light. A elk stared her down and ran off. The light she saw was the reflection of the elk’s eyes. Shelby fell to her knees. She was weak and fatigued from the lack of sleep. She could feel her body shut down from the cold conditions. Her eyes grew heavy and she started to feel dizzy. She collapsed in the snow in a ball. The wind dyed down but the snow fell without end. Her headlamp blinked off. Shelby closed her eyes and slept in the snow. Her body temperature was dropping. With the last ounce of energy she had, she opened her eyes again to see a floating light through the blizzard. She closed her eyes and slept. 

            Shelby woke up in a bed with fresh thermals on and four thick blankets. She was wrapped in a thermal sleeping bag underneath it all. She slid out of the covers and sat up. Her bed sat next to a fireplace and a space heater. She rolled out of bed and looked around. She grabbed a blanket and wrapped herself in it. She walked over to a chair with her backpack untouched. She was in a log cabin. It was rustic like a log cabin should be. Her next destination was the bathroom. With the blanket around her, she shuffled her way toward it. Her wet clothes hung from the shower rod and on a chair in the bathroom. She smelled the scent of food coming from the hallway. She walked out of the bedroom and into a large living room. Another fire place was burning on the other side of the room. A large couch was placed in the middle of the room with two wooden end tables on each side. A large chair sat next to the fireplace with a foot rest to match. A buck head was mounted above the fire place with a mantle covered with garland and Christmas lights. Two stalking hung from the mantle as the fire blazed. A Golden Retriever walked up to Shelby and nudged her. She startled by the touch and bent down to pet the dog. His collar read Sam with a bell around his neck. Shelby smiled at the dog and petted him. Sam nudged her again but with little more force toward the couch. Shelby complied with him and walked over to the couch. A door opened somewhere in the cabin and closed just the same. Sam leaped up on to the sofa and sat next to Shelby. Footsteps came from behind Shelby. She turned around and saw a tall man walk around the kitchen table and over to a pot on the stove. He raised the lid and peered in. He turned around and saw Shelby and Sam looking at him on the sofa. He took off his hat and spoke softly. He had dark brown hair and had a short haircut with a beard. He had on a red flannel shirt and dark blue jeans. He would have almost been the definition of a lumber jack if he didn’t look so small. He wasn’t skinny but he wasn’t large either. His eyes were calm but he looked as if he always was angry. A confused expression crossed his face. ” What are you doing out of your bed? Do you know you almost froze to death”? His voice was soft but had a little roughness to it. Shelby sneezed and responded. “I know and I thank you but I just woke up and I don’t know where I’m at or who you are”. The man walked over to the fireplace and threw two more logs on the fire. He stood up and faced Shelby. “The name is Jack. Since we are being formal, what is your name?” Shelby smiled and stood up. “My name is Shelby…”. Just then, everything went black for Shelby and she got dizzy and almost fell over. Jack dashed to her side. She landed right into his arms. “Here let’s get you back to bed. You need to get your energy back”. Jack lifted her up and carried her in his arms to the bedroom. 

            Jack helped Shelby into bed and pulled the covers over her. “I’ll be back with something to eat. Sam will keep you company”. As Jack turned to leave, Sam watched as he closed the door. Just as the door clicked close, Sam jumped up onto the end of the bed and curled up at the feet of Shelby. Shelby petted him and made herself comfortable. She could hear Jack fuss with the pots and dishes as she waited for him patiently. She couldn’t tell what it was, but she felt safe with Jack. Although she doesn’t remember anything about earlier; she was fine with that. She was glad it was him that found her. Jack opened the door and came in with a table tray. It had a bowl of soup, a glass of water and a glass of orange juice and three slices of toast. He shooed Sam off the bed and placed the tray in front of Shelby. Shelby thanked him and ate a piece of toast. It was buttered with cinnamon butter making Shelby let out a long “mmm”. Jack sat down in the chair next to the bed and smiled and said “I’m glad you like it. My mother used to make the butter like that for me. Eat some soup now. It’s has potatoes, corn, and bacon. It’s broth is just milk so it’ll leave you full and sleepy”. Shelby picked up the spoon and dipped it in the soup. She blew on the spoon and took a sip. The soup was warm and tasty. The only thing she could do to show her appreciation was to smile and nod her head. Jack gave a hardy chuckle. “So what were you doing in that blizzard this morning anyways?” he asked. Shelby took another bite and put the spoon down. “Well I was camping in a patch of trees a couple yards from the ice road” Shelby started. “When the blizzard woke me up. I folded my tent up thinking I could beat the blizzard before I got to the next town. I was obviously mistaken and walked right into the thick of it. I couldn’t find the road so I couldn’t follow that and I started to walk toward where I thought the town was. I thought I saw a light so I started to walk toward that. I rudely discovered it was just the reflection of an elk’s eyes from my headlamp. After that I just started walking and the blizzard got worse. The wind let up but the snow just kept falling. I got so cold and I got no sleep from that night. I was so tired. I gave in and just fell asleep where I stood. Everything after that I can’t remember”. Jack nodded and took off the navy blue hat he was wearing. “Well I think I can help you with that.” Jack said. ” I was out with Sam looking for some firewood when the blizzard hit us. I rushed inside but Sam stood on the porch barking. Way far off in the distance he must have seen you’re headlamp. He ran off and I chased him. He ran for a long time and stopped at you. I could finally see a light flicker off in the distance. So I started to shout and holler; but I got no answer. Sam started to bark again so I followed that. I found you curled up, covered in snow. I picked you up and brought you here. Gave you a fresh set of clothes and placed you under the covers. You’re wet clothes are hanging in the bathroom if you didn’t see”. Shelby put her hands on her hips. “Yeah I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.” she said sternly. “How exactly did I get into these clothes and who’s are they?” Shelby asked. Jack went a little pale and cleared his throat. “Well you see I, uh, I kind of…how do I put this…” Jack stammered while Shelby couldn’t help but giggle at him. He had a cute, innocent face while trying to figure out what to say. Shelby laughed and said “It’s alright. I would do the same thing too if I found someone out in the snow”. Jack let out a sigh of relief and sat back in the chair. “Well I can answer the second part of your question.” Jack started. “They are some of my sisters clothes”. Shelby took some more  bites of the soup. “Does she live here with you?” she asked between a slurp. Jack smiled and said “No. She left them here if she ever decided to come visit again”. Shelby nodded and took another bite. “How long ago was that?” she asked. “Five years ago.” Jack answered. Shelby placed the spoon down. “Oh, I’m sorry.” she said softly. Jack sat up again. “That’s ok.” he said as he sat up to walk out. “Why don’t you finish you’re soup and get some more sleep? We’ll talk some more later. I want to hear about your story then. Is it a date?” Jack asked. Shelby nodded and Jack smiled. He let Shelby alone to finish her meal. 

            It was almost four o’clock when Shelby woke up again. Sam was laying at the end of the bed waiting for her to awake. Shelby slipped out of the covers and into the bathroom. She turned on the light and saw an outfit laid out on the chair. It was a mismatched pair of sweatpants and shirt. Shelby rolled her eyes, slipped out of her pajamas and threw the shirt on. It flopped on top of her and drowned her. She turned to the mirror. When she saw herself, she raised her eyebrow and said “Oh no, this is not going to work out”.  She marched right out of the bathroom and into the living room. Sam raised his head and quickly followed Shelby out. Shelby walked right out into the living room and then to the kitchen where Jack was. “I know ‘beggars can’t be choosers’ but really? Show me your sisters drawer”. Jack’s eyes got wide to the sight of Shelby standing there in just a shirt and her undergarments. He slapped his hand over his eyes and pointed toward his sisters room. Shelby turned and marched toward the room. As she left, Jack slowly moved his hand away from his eyes to see the backside of Shelby walking away. He blushed and slid his hand back over his eyes until he felt it was safe. Shelby opened the door to the room Jack pointed to. She flicked on the light and walked over to the dresser. She rummaged around and finally found things she liked. Clumped up in a ball, Shelby took the clothes and walked across the living room again. As she turned into her room she heard Jack slap his hands across his eyes. She stuck her head out the door and yelled “Don’t act like you haven’t seen this before”. After a couple of minutes,  and the running of shower water, she appeared again with a white and blue flannel shirt and a pair of dark washed jeans. Her hair was wet and she was playing with it as she walked into the living room. Jack was in the large chair next to the fire place. Sam laid, again, curled in a ball by the fire. Shelby was still playing with her hair when it passed by Jack and he could smell it. It smelled flowery like cherry blossoms. Shelby plopped down on the couch across from Jack. Sam lifted his head to see who passed him, and put it back down. “So now tell me. What brings you  up this way?” Jack asked. Shelby put her legs up onto the couch and leaned on the arm of it. “You see, I’m not running exactly.” she said. “I’m just…finding myself. I went through a bad break up a couple months ago and I didn’t know what to do. I was stressed and confused. So I flew out here and been backpacking across the  Colorado Rockies for the past month”. Jack sat back a nodded his head. “Didn’t you think of coming home for Christmas?” Jack asked. “That’s why I was heading up this way. The last town I was at did t have an airport. A waitress at a diner told me that the next town over had one, so I headed this way”. Jack nodded as she told her story. He couldn’t help but focus on her face. It was smooth and flawless. Her blonde hair all on one side of her head, laying across her shoulder. She was beautiful, even without makeup. Her blue eyes twinkled in the glow of the fireplace. “Hey! You listening?” Shelby asked as she waved her hand in front of Jacks face. He focused back to reality and nodded. “Yeah, sorry about that. What were we talking about again”? Shelby shook her head. “I asked what you were doing out here”. Jack sat up in his chair. Sam got up and hopped on the couch with Shelby, waiting to hear Jack’s story. “I left my home, must be ten years ago. I wasn’t trying to find myself like you. I was running. I’m still not sure what from, but I was running. I made my way out here and found this cabin. It got pretty lonely out here so I got Sam here from a farmer that lives around here. He’s my best friend. Then I guess I got a little homesick and gave my family a buzz. I called my sister Emily and told her where I was at and that I was alright. She insisted on visiting me since she is a mail pilot and all. I met her over in town and picked her up. Ends up that the town was part of her daily route, so she visited multiple times. That explains all her left over clothes. But sometime in late August five years ago, she visited and things didn’t go so well. She told me that the past few months she was there to persuade me to come back home with her. I told her that I couldn’t do that. The argument got a little heated and words were said. The next morning she left. That was the last time I saw her. So now I’m out here with Sam. Just us two”. Jack smiled and leaned back in his chair. “Well and you too of course.” Jack said. Shelby smiled and petted Sam. The three sat in silence until it was time for dinner. 

            The blizzard lasted another day and blocked all the roads. Shelby was trapped at Jack’s for Christmas. Not until the roads are plowed that is. They spent the next couple of days decorating the cabin with lights and decorations. They went out when the snow was calm on Christmas eve and cut down a Christmas tree. Sam ran through the snow and barked at the squirrels. After searching for a little bit, Sam stopped at a tree and started barking at it. When Jack and Shelby turned the corner, they stopped in their tracks. It was the perfect tree. It’s branches were full and a beautiful shade of pine green. They chopped it down and put it on the red slay they had brought. They set it up in the cabin and decorated it. When they were finished, they sat on the couch together. Shelby laid down on Jacks leg as they looked at the finished product. Shelby felt safe with Jack. He was strong but kind. Jack felt something between them too. Shelby was an independent, loving girl. Almost a perfect girl for Jack. If he could, he would freeze this moment forever. However Jack had other plans. “Ok.” he said getting up. “Dinner time”. Shelby laughed. “When you’re hungry you eat don’t you”? Jack smiled and said. “Yes but this dinner is going to be special. Go and get ready. I have present waiting for you in your room”. Shelby stood up and said “Jack, I don’t like surprises”. “You’ll like this one I bet.” Jack said. They both went into their rooms to get ready. Shelby opened the door and turned on the light. When she did, she found a silky pink dress laying on her bed. She turned to look at Jack but his door was already closed. Shelby got dressed and walked out to the kitchen. When she got out there, Jack was sitting at the table. He was clean shaven with no sign of his beard. He had on a royal blue dress shirt and a pair of dark jeans. He stood up when he saw Shelby and walked over to her chair and pulled it out for her. She sat down and Sam walked over with a bottle of champagne in his mouth and placed it in Jacks  lap. Shelby giggled and Jack held up the bubbly and offered her some. He poured the drinks and they both said cheers. The candles in the middle of the table reflected off of Shelby’s face. She was the most gorgeous thing Jack had seen. “You look beautiful.” Jack said. Shelby smiled and blushed then said “No I don’t. I don’t have any makeup on”. Jack shook his head. “You look more beautiful without it.” he said. Shelby smiled again and thanked him. They stared at each other and smiled until Sam barked. “Oh I forgot!” Jack exclaimed. He stood up and ran over to the oven. He pulled out a holiday ham and put it on a serving dish. He cut it and added it to the table. He then took out the other dishes from the oven. He had mashed potatoes, string bean casserole, sweet potatoes, and sweet corn. “I hope you enjoy it.” he said with a towel over his arm. Shelby laughed and said “Thank you. I think I will”. Jack sat down and they both ate. After dinner they went over to the fire and lit the Christmas tree lights. They sat together in Jacks big chair and sipped on hot chocolate. Jack turned on the radio and When the Bells Start Ringing by My Mourning Jacket started playing. He held out his hand and asked Shelby to dance. She accepted and they slow danced. Jack had his hand around her back and the other intertwined with hers off to the side. “This is nice.” Shelby said. Jack smiled and said “This is almost as nice as seeing the pine trees covered in snow, at Blue Ridge Mountain”. Shelby looked at Jack. “Is that we’re you’re from? Blue Ridge Mountain?” she asked. Jack nodded. “Yeah ,why?” he said. “That’s where I live.” she responded. They smiled at each other and Shelby moved in closer to Jack. The two danced even after the song had ended. They danced until they were under the mistletoe. They both looked up and saw what they were under. They looked at each other, and kissed. The mantle clock struck twelve just as their lips released. “Merry Christmas Jack.” Shelby said. “Merry Christmas Shelby.” Jack said. “Merry Christmas”.