THE TWELVE NIGHTS OF CHRISTMAS:
UNDER THE TREE
UNDER THE TREE
"There they are!" Bianca Sylvan followed the arctic wolves with the camera's zoom lens into
a cluster of low-growing, wind-bent, snow-laden pine trees. The helicopter dipped into an
air pocket and she bounced in her seat, momentarily losing sight of the pack. "Dang!" As
soon as she spotted them again, their white coats disappeared into a band of falling snow.
"What the hell?" The pilot banked hard to the left.
"Don't lose them, Snowden!"
A blast of arctic wind caught the rotors and flung the aircraft sideways. She hung on, more
concerned about missing her photo opportunity than the shaking helicopter. After all,
Snowden Pierce was an experienced search and rescue pilot.
The helo straightened out and hovered in place.
"What are you doing?"
Snowden stared into the horizon. "I almost hit a flying reindeer."
Laughter bubbled up her throat. "What?"
"I swear I almost clipped its antlers."
Bianca snorted. "Ho ho ho. Glad to see you're in the Christmas spirit."
"Don't underestimate the magic of the season, Bianca. There's more enchantment in this world than you can imagine."
"Like fairies, leprechauns and flying reindeer?"
"Yeah."
She shook her head. "Now isn't the time to joke around, Snowden. I need these wolf shots. I'm working on a deadline."
A muscle twitched in the pilot's jaw. "So am I."
What had she done to upset him this time? "You said you had no plans. Don't get mad at me now for dragging you out on
Christmas Eve."
"There's no place I'd rather be." He didn't look at her when he said it, which made it difficult for her to believe him.
In retrospect, asking Snowden to fly a helo on the anniversary of Lawton's death wasn't the brightest idea since the accident had
occurred while Snowden hovered the rescue helicopter right above Lawton. So close, yet so powerless to save him.
Last year, they'd hung out at the ski lodge bar and sulked about the mistakes they'd made in their lives. That had been a disaster.
This year, she'd planned something that would engage the practical side of their minds.
"Can we get back to work now?"
He glanced at her with pain in his eyes, but said nothing more. They flew back to where she'd seen the wolves last. Of course, they
were gone. She scanned the vast tundra while she re-examined her relationship with Snowden. Ever since Lawton died, she walked
on thin ice with him. How many times had she forgiven Snowden for stealing her fiance the morning of her wedding to run a rescue
mission and then coming back without him? The rescue team had evacuated a van full of tourists from beneath a small avalanche
before the snow shifted again. Tons of snow swept Lawton and the vehicle over the mountainside. His death wasn't Snowden's
fault. Her fiance had died a hero.
A lump clogged her windpipe. She would've never pulled through the heartache without Snowden's solace. He'd become a great
friend. Once, she'd thought they might become more.
Several months after the accident, depression had set in and she'd broken down. Snowden had been there, offering comfort in a
fierce hug. She remembered blubbering into his sweater while he kissed the top of her head. No one had ever held her so
compassionately, not even her mother. Eventually, her tears had stopped flowing and the sobs quieted into hiccups. Snowden had
wiped the tear tracks away and rained gentle kisses on her face. Lips brushed, brushed again, and the mood changed.
Before she knew it, he'd angled her down onto the couch and covered her body like a warm blanket, the hard bulge pressing
against his jeans' zipper notched into the valley between her legs. She'd never forget the tightening in her belly and the dampness
in her panties as his kisses grew more demanding. For longer than she cared to admit, she'd imagined him in her bed. She'd
needed him so desperately.
She'd thought he wanted her too, but it all went wrong when she asked him to make love to her. He'd jumped off her as if flames
had suddenly engulfed his body, apologizing profusely. Since then, he'd remained friendly but kept an emotional distance.
He must've thought she wanted him as a substitute for Lawton. Maybe she did at the time. Now, two years later, she only wanted
Snowden.
Too bad he had no romantic interest in her.
With a sigh, she refocused on her mission. "Over there!" She pointed excitedly out her window. "See them! The pack is playing
tag."
He followed her directions, circling overhead so she could shoot various angles.
"Oh, they're beautiful!" She clicked through a roll of film in a matter of minutes. The snowflakes thickened as she reloaded her
camera.
"Looks like a squall is rolling in. We'd better head back."
"Not yet!" She zoomed in and captured the two wolves courting the alpha female. While one nuzzled her neck, the other sniffed
her and pawed at her hindquarters. "He's going to mount her. Watch."
"Bianca..."
She ignored him, engrossed in the trio below. Something about mating wolves cranked her engine. The front wolf clamped his jaw
over the female's neck. She lowered her head, twisting away, but he had a firm grip. Meanwhile, the wolf at the rear jumped up
behind her, humping her. The camera shutter clicked faster and faster.
"Get closer," she whispered into the headset, as if the wolves could hear her. "Don't scare them off."
The wind buffeted the helo as it descended. Sleet slapped the windows. The weather didn't bother the mating wolves but it
distorted the picture clarity. "Lousy weather!" She dropped her camera into her lap. No sense in wasting film. "You can take us
home now."
Snowden gripped the lift controls with white knuckles. "I would if I could," he said between clenched teeth.
Listening to the stuttering rotor blades, she suddenly realized they weren't descending but falling! "What's wrong?" she asked in a
panic.
"The blades are iced. Brace yourself for a hard landing."
Below them, the wolves loped out of harm's way. The snow-packed earth loomed closer and closer. In an attempt to hold the front
end up, the helo skimmed forward, deeper and deeper into the ice storm.
"What's that?" Snowden exclaimed.
A glowing red light pierced the white fog ahead.
"Rudolph's nose?" The humor didn't mask the elevating fear as well as she had hoped.
The tail spun sideways. The helo's runners bounced hard over snow-covered rocks and brush, and then slid forward down a steep
depression.
Muscles cramped. Her limbs quivered. She closed her eyes and prayed.
Save us, Snowden!
a cluster of low-growing, wind-bent, snow-laden pine trees. The helicopter dipped into an
air pocket and she bounced in her seat, momentarily losing sight of the pack. "Dang!" As
soon as she spotted them again, their white coats disappeared into a band of falling snow.
"What the hell?" The pilot banked hard to the left.
"Don't lose them, Snowden!"
A blast of arctic wind caught the rotors and flung the aircraft sideways. She hung on, more
concerned about missing her photo opportunity than the shaking helicopter. After all,
Snowden Pierce was an experienced search and rescue pilot.
The helo straightened out and hovered in place.
"What are you doing?"
Snowden stared into the horizon. "I almost hit a flying reindeer."
Laughter bubbled up her throat. "What?"
"I swear I almost clipped its antlers."
Bianca snorted. "Ho ho ho. Glad to see you're in the Christmas spirit."
"Don't underestimate the magic of the season, Bianca. There's more enchantment in this world than you can imagine."
"Like fairies, leprechauns and flying reindeer?"
"Yeah."
She shook her head. "Now isn't the time to joke around, Snowden. I need these wolf shots. I'm working on a deadline."
A muscle twitched in the pilot's jaw. "So am I."
What had she done to upset him this time? "You said you had no plans. Don't get mad at me now for dragging you out on
Christmas Eve."
"There's no place I'd rather be." He didn't look at her when he said it, which made it difficult for her to believe him.
In retrospect, asking Snowden to fly a helo on the anniversary of Lawton's death wasn't the brightest idea since the accident had
occurred while Snowden hovered the rescue helicopter right above Lawton. So close, yet so powerless to save him.
Last year, they'd hung out at the ski lodge bar and sulked about the mistakes they'd made in their lives. That had been a disaster.
This year, she'd planned something that would engage the practical side of their minds.
"Can we get back to work now?"
He glanced at her with pain in his eyes, but said nothing more. They flew back to where she'd seen the wolves last. Of course, they
were gone. She scanned the vast tundra while she re-examined her relationship with Snowden. Ever since Lawton died, she walked
on thin ice with him. How many times had she forgiven Snowden for stealing her fiance the morning of her wedding to run a rescue
mission and then coming back without him? The rescue team had evacuated a van full of tourists from beneath a small avalanche
before the snow shifted again. Tons of snow swept Lawton and the vehicle over the mountainside. His death wasn't Snowden's
fault. Her fiance had died a hero.
A lump clogged her windpipe. She would've never pulled through the heartache without Snowden's solace. He'd become a great
friend. Once, she'd thought they might become more.
Several months after the accident, depression had set in and she'd broken down. Snowden had been there, offering comfort in a
fierce hug. She remembered blubbering into his sweater while he kissed the top of her head. No one had ever held her so
compassionately, not even her mother. Eventually, her tears had stopped flowing and the sobs quieted into hiccups. Snowden had
wiped the tear tracks away and rained gentle kisses on her face. Lips brushed, brushed again, and the mood changed.
Before she knew it, he'd angled her down onto the couch and covered her body like a warm blanket, the hard bulge pressing
against his jeans' zipper notched into the valley between her legs. She'd never forget the tightening in her belly and the dampness
in her panties as his kisses grew more demanding. For longer than she cared to admit, she'd imagined him in her bed. She'd
needed him so desperately.
She'd thought he wanted her too, but it all went wrong when she asked him to make love to her. He'd jumped off her as if flames
had suddenly engulfed his body, apologizing profusely. Since then, he'd remained friendly but kept an emotional distance.
He must've thought she wanted him as a substitute for Lawton. Maybe she did at the time. Now, two years later, she only wanted
Snowden.
Too bad he had no romantic interest in her.
With a sigh, she refocused on her mission. "Over there!" She pointed excitedly out her window. "See them! The pack is playing
tag."
He followed her directions, circling overhead so she could shoot various angles.
"Oh, they're beautiful!" She clicked through a roll of film in a matter of minutes. The snowflakes thickened as she reloaded her
camera.
"Looks like a squall is rolling in. We'd better head back."
"Not yet!" She zoomed in and captured the two wolves courting the alpha female. While one nuzzled her neck, the other sniffed
her and pawed at her hindquarters. "He's going to mount her. Watch."
"Bianca..."
She ignored him, engrossed in the trio below. Something about mating wolves cranked her engine. The front wolf clamped his jaw
over the female's neck. She lowered her head, twisting away, but he had a firm grip. Meanwhile, the wolf at the rear jumped up
behind her, humping her. The camera shutter clicked faster and faster.
"Get closer," she whispered into the headset, as if the wolves could hear her. "Don't scare them off."
The wind buffeted the helo as it descended. Sleet slapped the windows. The weather didn't bother the mating wolves but it
distorted the picture clarity. "Lousy weather!" She dropped her camera into her lap. No sense in wasting film. "You can take us
home now."
Snowden gripped the lift controls with white knuckles. "I would if I could," he said between clenched teeth.
Listening to the stuttering rotor blades, she suddenly realized they weren't descending but falling! "What's wrong?" she asked in a
panic.
"The blades are iced. Brace yourself for a hard landing."
Below them, the wolves loped out of harm's way. The snow-packed earth loomed closer and closer. In an attempt to hold the front
end up, the helo skimmed forward, deeper and deeper into the ice storm.
"What's that?" Snowden exclaimed.
A glowing red light pierced the white fog ahead.
"Rudolph's nose?" The humor didn't mask the elevating fear as well as she had hoped.
The tail spun sideways. The helo's runners bounced hard over snow-covered rocks and brush, and then slid forward down a steep
depression.
Muscles cramped. Her limbs quivered. She closed her eyes and prayed.
Save us, Snowden!
An excerpt:
