~*~Winter's Embrace~*~

Hello this may be my entry for a contest called Winter Romance. This is my first attempt to write a romance so any pointers would be nice. Yes I also know that there is hardly any romance in the first part. It is hard for me to right about stuff like this since I have no experience in the lovey-dovey department. Anyway here goes.

Part one-

Voices echoed through the trees. They were calling out bravely against the wind for the young girl who was lost in the harsh weather. The frozen wind tore through his seven layers of clothing letting the bitter cold wrap icy fingers around him. He stopped to listen, trying to pick up a voice carried by the wind. But no. All that could be heard were the yips and barks from his dog sledding team and the chinking of ice covered tree limbs as they were slammed around by the wind. It only slightly disturbed him that he could no longer hear the calls of other searchers.

A glance at his watch told him that her time was growing short if she was not already dead. Three hours had flown past since the discovery of a wrecked car that was registered to a young woman. He remembered being called late that afternoon by one of his buddies on the search and rescue. Pulling up to the wreck had tugged at his heart, especially after overhearing the police officers. Nineteen years old, they said to each other shaking heads sadly, as though she were already dead. Nineteen, that’s how old Abby would be if she was still here, he thought. Looks like she swerved to miss something … flipped the rig three times. Was their conclusion as they examined the skid marks on the highway.

Paul good to see you…it’s been awhile…how’ ya been doin? They asked him as he studied the tracks where she had pulled herself out of the car and drug herself a few feet. She had lain in that spot awhile. The sharp contrast of red blood on the sparkling snow had made his stomach turn.

Now he trudged up one of the many snow covered mountains. It was treacherous on the icy slopes but the man knew exactly how to place his feet and how to survive in the freezing wasteland. His name was Paul Sanders, and he had lived in the place his whole twenty three years. Breathtakingly beautiful. Extraordinarily deadly.

He watched his breath roll out in a fog like cloud as he paused looking out over the landscape. Night was falling quickly and clouds filled with snow stretched across the horizon. A blizzard was on the way he could feel it in the air. So could the animals, they’d been preparing for days now, getting ready to hole up and ride it out. Paul had been doing the same thing before the call. He was the best tracker around for miles though. That’s why he was up here while all the others were doing who knows what. He’d found the tracks, found the blood, and broken limbs for what seemed like forever. The girl had wondered way further than anyone would have expected in her condition.

Though since the wind had picked up he’d been wandering blind because of the snow covering her tracks. Keeping an eye on the storm he hurried as fast as was possible through the calf deep snow.

That’s when he saw it.

A remarkably small piece of dark green.

It was a long scarf and clutching it was a slender long fingered hand. Gently he touched two fingers to her throat trying to find a pulse. At first there was nothing, and then miraculously he found a very light heart beat. Exceptionally easy he rolled her over. He glanced down and saw that there was blood on her shirt and stomach. When he looked at her face he very nearly went into shock. Because lying there in his arms, in all her dark haired angelic beauty, was his ex-girl friend. Abigail Weston, the girl he’d loved since a child, who had disappeared two years ago. Dying in his arms. Just his luck that it began to snow heavily when he lifted Abby up placing her protectively against his chest. She couldn’t die until he knew the truth.