Snowbound - Harlequin.com

JANICE KAY JOHNSON 165
to wrap a chain around the axle. They dragged him
back out, clutching the end of the chain. Then, with the
snowplow pulling and the boys pushing, the van
bumped back onto the road.
It took a hell of a lot longer to turn it around. The
plow widened the road as much as possible. Then John
got behind the wheel and backed up, inched forward,
backed again, while everyone else pushed, until the
damn thing faced uphill.
Predictably the boys cheered and gave each other
high-fives. John felt branded as the cripple who hadn’t
been able to pull his weight. Telling himself none of the
boys had the skill to maneuver the vehicle under such
difficult conditions helped about as much as a skinny
bandage on a bone-deep gash. The truth was, he
couldn’t have been much use. His leg and hip wouldn’t
have stood up to the strain at the same time as his feet
were slipping in the snow.
Face it: he was a cripple.
The highway guys introduced themselves to the kids,
and everyone shook hands. John expected to be seeing
the two men regularly this winter. Not likely nature
would throw a temper tantrum like this in November
and then turn mild and easygoing come December and
January. John figured it would pay to be on good terms
with the guys who had to dig him out every time the
snow came down.
After some discussion, they backed the plow out to
the highway and John followed with the van so that they
could finish plowing his road down to the lodge. Otherwise,
he wouldn’t be able to get out with his SUV.