Snow Crushing

Chapter 1

Camden

I take a deep breath, swing my arms forward and hit the chunk of wood straight down the middle. It splits with a satisfying sound before falling to the ground. I go to take another log, only to notice I ran out already. That went faster than usual. Must be my foul mood lighting a fire under my ass. I throw all of the cut wood into the basket and carry it inside. I clean up the mess that fell from my boots and drop down on one of the dining chairs. I brush my hair with my fingers and massage my temples. It's going to be one of those days. A knock on the backdoor has be looking up.

Marcie is standing on my porch, a thick coat wrapped around her and a beanie covering most of her head. I motion that the door is open and she hastily walks in.

"Morning, Cam. It's so freaking cold this morning."

"You should be used to it after living here for 27 years."

"You'd think so, right?"

"I didn't even hear your car drive up. What are you up to this early?"

"I didn't drive here, my car refused to work this morning so I need to borrow your Jeep for a few hours."

"You walked here? Marcie, please tell me you didn't."

"Of course I did. After 27 years I'm used to the snow and icy roads, as you said yourself. And don't bullshit me with the pregnancy argument because I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"You're going to be the death of me one day. Here have a coffee first." I pour two cups and throw in a spoonful of sugar in each. There are few things I am willing to do before I have my morning coffee and interacting with people is not one of them. Especially my sister who seems to like giving me a heart attack at least twice a week.

"Thanks, Cam. Are you gonna stop by the hotel later?"

"Depends on what time I finish fixing the roof of the store, I can't leave them in the cold all day."

"So, you're giving me crap for walking here and you're going to climb up on a roof later? Being a bit of a hypocrite, aren't you?"

I shoot her a glare and focus on drinking my coffee. Ever since we were young she was happy and bubbly from early in the morning till late at night. I, on the other hand, have always been more of a leave-me-alone type of person.

"What do you need the car for? Maybe I can do whatever it is for you."

"I need to pick up our new guest from the train station in an hour and I need to hit the stores before as well. You go fix that roof."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Don't be funny with me Camden." She takes the keys from the hook on the wall and twirls them around her finger. "I'll be back in a few hours, call me if you need the car back earlier."

"Just let me grab my toolbox before you go and I'll try to stop by the hotel to have a look at your car, alright?" She thanks me with a wide smile and gets out of the door.

I pour another cup of coffee to go and put on my work clothes. I shoot Rowan a quick text to pick me up on his way to work. It's not the first time he had to come pick me up because Marcie took my car. I've been telling her to get herself a new one for years, I even offered to get her one but she refused every time. If there's one thing my sister is good at it's being stubborn. Well, I guess it runs in the family.

I'm already locking my door before Rowan can honk. If there's one thing I hate it's making people wait on me. Especially when they're doing me a huge favour.

"Mornin'"

"I didn't have my coffee yet, so not a good one. And I had to come pick up your ass. Is there even anything you won't do for your sister?"

"Let's hope we never have to find out. I'm still waiting for permission to hunt her bitch of an ex down and hang him by his balls."

"Poor guy if her ever runs into you."

"Damn straight. Now drive, I don't want either of us to be late for work. And I need to get Marcie's car fixed."

Usually I don't mind going around town to fix whatever needs fixing but something feels different today. A small voice in my head tells me I should go to the hotel as soon as I can. My whole body feels tense as I talk to the store-owner before climbing up on the roof to fix the skewed tiles back in their place.

Snow starts falling in thick flakes by the time I'm finished. I pack up my tools and start the walk down to the hotel on High Street. Luckily our town is rather small, meaning you can walk from one side to the other in 30 minutes tops. And if my sister could walk it this morning, I can sure as hell make my way there right now.

The snow starts falling faster, the light from the streetlamps gets faded as the air gets white with snowflakes. Everything is covered in snow, the cars parked on the roadside, the porch fences, me. I can feel the cold specks sticking to my hair and coat, even my lashes and beard feel like they're covered in snow.

I spot my Jeep parked next to Marcie's Volkswagen, the latter covered under a thick layer of snow. I put my stuff in the back of my own car and walk inside to fetch Marcie's keys. The receptionist greets me with a smile and a hair twirl as I grab the keys from behind the desk. After trying to get my attention for over a year she still doesn't understand I'm not interested in her or any other woman in this town.

To be honest, I haven't really dated anyone seriously since I left high school which was six years ago. There have been women occasionally but the past three years I've kept to myself. It's easier to not let people in at all than to have someone else walk out on me. It's definitely less painful.

Marcie's car is fixed quickly, she's been having the same problem for months. Hopefully she agrees to a new car soon because I'm getting fed up having to walk everywhere because my sister needs my car.

"Camden! When did you get here?"

"Not too long ago. Your car is fixed by the way, here's your key back."

"Thank you, thank you! The fire place is on, you go warm up in the living room and I'll get us hot chocolates."

The living room is nearly empty, only two people are sitting in a corner talking over a glass of wine. Ever since she took over the hotel, we spend winter evenings sitting in front of the fire and drinking hot cocoa that tastes just like grannie used to make them.

I still have that tense feeling I got earlier. Making me look up and around the room a few times, but I'm not even sure what I'm searching for.

"Here ya go, thanks for lending me the car and fixing mine. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You would have been stranded at least a hundred times in the past 10 years, had to pay a shitload of money to get everything around here fixed, I can go on if you want."

"No need, I know all the ways you helped me out. I also know all the ways you've bragged about it."

I would deny it if it wasn't true. What's the use in helping your sibling if you can't hold it over their heads?