Winter Wishes (The Play #1.5) by Karina Halle

lose our minds a bit and go nuts with the shopping and being around family who may not always mesh well. But as long as we have those we love, nothing else really matters.
    I try and keep that all in mind as the day wears on. As we dry off inside though and settle down by the fire for snacks and more tea, the world outside seems to grow darker. The wind picks up and the snow starts coming down heavier.
    I glance at the clock on the wall, ticking loudly in its wood carving. “What time did Brigs say he’d leave?” I ask. Last I talked to him was last night but all he said was “See you tomorrow.”
    Donald gets up and stares out the window that is becoming harder to see out of. “He said he’d leave at noon. He should be here in an hour or so.”
    “Not in this weather, not with that damn car of his,” George grumbles.
    “I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Jessica says, though you can hear in her voice that she doesn’t quite believe it.
    I’m sure he’ll be fine too. The car isn’t as bad as we make it out to be – it’s an Aston Martin after all – and I know he’s got snow tires on the thing.
    But after two hours of sitting by the fire, listening to Christmas music, drinking tea, snacking on cookies and making small talk about my cousin Keir who is moving back to Edinburgh after years in the army, the sky outside has fallen dark, the snow is coming down heavier and we can’t pretend we aren’t worried about Bram.
    “Still nothing,” Jessica says, ending a call from her mobile phone and turning it over in her hands.
    “His battery must be dead,” I tell her as calmly as possible. “I’m sure he’s on his way.”
    “If his battery is dead, he must be able to recharge it. Unless he can’t at all,” Jessica says. She blinks a million times at nothing and then scurries off into the kitchen, checking on the roast in the oven again and again.
    “I should go out and see,” I tell Donald, getting to my feet.
    “I’m going with you,” Kayla says immediately, as I knew she would.
    “You’re going to go find him in this?” George says, pointing at the window with his came. “Walk all the way to Edinburgh? You may play rugby Lachlan but you can’t do everything.”
    I give him a tepid look. “We’ll go to the end of the driveway, down the road maybe to the MacAuley’s farm. It’s better than sitting here and doing nothing.”
    So Kayla and I pile on the layers, coats and boots while Donald arms us with flashlights that belong with the Navy.
    “Oh, don’t get lost, please,” Jessica says as she hovers at the door. “And turn back when you get cold. Otherwise I’ll have to send Donald after you and he’ll get lost right away.”
    I give Donald an affectionate pat on the shoulder. “We’ll be right back.”
    I open the door and we’re blasted with wind, the snowflakes slicing into our faces like shards of ice. I pull up my scarf over my nose, making sure Kayla does the same with hers, and we set out into the darkness.
    Thankfully that flashlight works wonders, even though the rapidly falling snow makes visibility tricky. It’s too hard to hear Kayla over the wind and crunching snow with the earmuffs and hats pulled low on our heads, so I just hold her mitted hand while we walk through a different kind of wonderland.
    When we get to the end of the driveway, we scour the main rural road, looking down both ends, into nothing but blackness and driving snow. There seems to be some kind of light flickering in the distance but it’s the same area as the neighboring farm. Probably a barn light. Still, I pull her hand and we set out in that direction.
    Because of the snow and the wind and Kayla’s short stride, it takes us a while to finally get close to the light. It does appear to be the barn and as we stop, staring at it from a few metres away, prepared to turn back, a shadow passes across the light. A human figure, seeming to walk toward us.
    I lower my scarf and yell out, “Hello?” while