Private North by Tess Oliver Page B

leaned forward to lessen the wind resistance and keep my nose from freezing into a solid chip of ice. I caught up to Ethan just as he turned sharply to avoid a deep rut in the snow. He tipped sideways, and I sped past him as he worked to right himself.
    I reached the next ridge and looked down. Dalton was riding a tight circle of donuts in the snow below. He waved to me teasingly. I rode down toward him and pushed the throttle harder as I ripped past him. He pulled his machine out of the circular trench he’d created and chased after me.
    I screamed with excitement and leaned down over the handle bars trying to keep my weight equally distributed over the seat as my thumb cramped on the throttle. An unexpected lump of icy snow sent me off the seat, but I managed to hold on. The buzz of a motor came up along my right side, and Dalton grinned widely at me as he raced past. I glanced back over my shoulder just as Ethan came coasting over the ridge. I turned back forward as Dalton purposely steered his snowmobile toward a large mound of snow. Fearless and reckless, he hit the incline at top speed and he was instantly airborne. While the snowmobile torpedoed straight ahead, Dalton lost his hold on the bars and flew off. He landed a good fifteen feet away.
    My heart pounded as I stopped the snowmobile and jumped off. It was like déjà vu as I raced toward him lying still and lifeless in a mound of snow. “Dalton!” I screamed. “Dalton!” I reached him and leaned down over him. His eyes were closed beneath the goggles, and I carefully slipped them off his head. The buzz of Ethan’s snowmobile neared and then the engine stopped. Ethan’s large feet crunched the snow as he trudged quickly toward us.
    I tore off my gloves and placed my hands on both sides of Dalton’s face. His skin was warm beneath my palms.
    “Dalton!” Ethan yelled as he looked over my shoulder. “Is he breathing?”
    Panic gripped me and I leaned my ear down to his mouth.
    “I think this is where you give me mouth to mouth,” a deep voice whispered softly into my ear.
    I straightened and smacked him on the shoulder. “You ass.”
    Dalton rubbed his arm. “Ouch. I haven’t taken a first aid class in awhile, but I don’t think you’re supposed to smack the victim.”
    “Damnit Dalton, why do you do shit like that?” Ethan walked over to Dalton’s snowmobile and pushed it upright.
    Dalton hadn’t sat up yet and I decided to take full advantage of his vulnerable position. I scooped up a mound of snow and threw it on his face. He shot up and I squealed as he lunged for me. He grabbed hold of my leg and pulled me down into the snow and against his chest. My bare fingers were numb as I scooped a clump of icy snow into my hand and pressed it hard against his mouth.
    “Dalton,” Ethan’s sharp tone rained down on us.
    We stopped our snow wrestling and stared up at him. His scowl shot straight to his brother. “If you two are done flirting like teenagers then we need to get back. Auggie and I have work to do.” His angry glare had been aimed at Dalton, but the comment was meant to embarrass me and it had. Ethan was right. I was starting to act like a teenage girl with a major crush, and I needed to pull myself together. Dalton was inexplicably irresistible, but I was not an inexperienced teenager with stars in my eyes. I needed to get back my self control.
    Properly chastised, I freed myself from Dalton’s arms and pushed to my feet. I searched around in the snow for my gloves and found them, soaked and covered in ice.
    Ethan reached his hand down. Dalton’s face twisted in pain as he hauled himself to his feet. His jacket and jeans were soaking wet, and it would be a cold ride back. Ethan’s angry admonishments had silenced all of us. Without another word, we climbed back onto our snowmobiles and headed back.
    Dalton was sufficiently hunched over and freezing by the time we reached the house, and I couldn’t believe the terrible urge I had to