Christmas Escape

Chapter Four

Peyton

I wasn’t a complete stranger to snow. It snowed where I grew up. But nothing would have prepared me for the sheer amount of it in Alaska. Trees were ladened with it drooping their branches down to the ground. When the sunshine caught on a freshly fallen snowflake it twinkled as if winking. It was beautiful. I stared out the window wordlessly as Micah drove from the airport to the lodge that I would call home for the time being.

I didn’t know what I was going to do I had to get work. I couldn’t rely on Micah to keep me fed, clothed, and housed. Especially since I snapped at him that I wasn’t a charity case. Mom and Dad helped me to set up a bank account and they put in a few thousand dollars that would get me started. But the sooner I was able to find some work the better.

I had no idea if there were jobs even available in Badger Valley. The truth was I didn’t know a single thing about the place. For all I knew it held the lodge and that was it. I continued to watch the window as the forests of snow-covered pines slowly began to change into homes. The homes quickly became a row of businesses. A bakery, diner, and bar. I was shocked, the town appeared to be a lot bigger than I’d anticipated.

It was still a tiny town in comparison to where I’d come from. But I guess I hadn’t even expected there to be anything more than the lodge let alone a school and a large town hall. Christmas lights were strung along the light poles and red and green Christmas decorations covered the whole town.

“Everyone in Badger Valley gets together every year and decorates for Christmas. We often have tourists who come for the skiing,” Micah explained as I took in the main street of Badger Valley.

“It’s beautiful,” I murmured quietly.

Micah chuckled. “It sure is. You’ve chosen a great little place to start again in.”

“Is it safe?” I asked wondering honestly if I would be hidden from Jason in such a small town. All of the questions I should’ve stupidly asked before I moved here. It was just another one to add to the list of where Jason was right. He always said I was stupid. I guess he was right. I moved away from everyone and everything I knew, without even first checking to see if it was a viable place to hide.

“Peyton, you are well protected here. Everyone knows everyone. The cop in town Brody, is a good guy, he keeps a keen eye on things. If anyone comes here that doesn’t appear to fit in, they will know. You’re safe here.”

I sighed. This was going to take time to get used to. I was free. Yet I still felt like I was held captive by Jason. He always said that if I ever left him, he would kill me. I believed every word of what he said. I knew that him being held in jail and then charged for his assault on me was going to piss him off further. He wasn’t going to let it go.

I hoped he would. I hoped that it would be enough to make him give up on me. But my gut told me I was going to be looking over my shoulder for a long time. And no matter how good Brody the cop was, if Jason wanted me dead, he would find a way to make it happen. I just had to make the best out of this chance while I had it. I felt so morbid thinking about my fate, and I wondered when it happened that I accepted my death so easily.

I didn’t say anything else as Micah drove to the end of the main road and turned into a large driveway. The lodge wasn’t some small quaint little building. It loomed over the street. Easily the largest building in Badger Valley. But for as big as it was, the building was beautiful. It looked old and had a lot of character. Almost as if it were actually alive. I could almost sense it breathing in the essence of every person that had crossed the threshold.

Micah killed the engine and glanced over at me. He was a handsome guy. If I’d met him before I met Jason, I definitely would’ve been interested. His blonde hair hung in natural waves around his shoulders. His blue eyes were almost the colour of the clearest ocean. And when he smiled it lit up his entire face.

A knock on my window startled me and I spun to see the biggest animal I’d ever seen. A moose with enormous antlers was staring into the window. A gasp got caught in my throat as I peered out at the beast.

“Micah,” I whispered.

Micah chuckled. “That’s Maurice. He is Badger Valley’s resident moose. He won’t hurt you. He is just a bit of a peeping tom and likes to see what is going on.”

Micah opened the driver’s door while I still sat staring out at the enormous beast that was watching us through the passenger window.

“Here you go Maurice, I bought you a pastry,” Micah said as he reached into the back seat and pulled out a paper bag. I watched in astonishment as the moose basically skipped around the car towards Micah. I could have sworn the moose smiled as Micah pulled out the sticky bun from the bag.

Maurice the moose took the bun from Micah’s hand in one bite and swallowed it down. Bellowing out a happy call, Maurice smooshed his nose against Micah’s chest before walking down the driveway and into the town.

I sat in the passenger seat in shock. I wasn’t sure what to think. I’d never seen a moose in the wild. Let alone one that almost appeared human and ate sticky buns.

“Let’s get you inside, it’s too cold out here,” Micah called, shaking me out of my shock. I opened the passenger door and followed him up the stairs to the front door of the lodge. My home. For now. But at least it was a small piece of safety.