better not get caught!” Ana said, poking her head up between the adults.
Gabriela gaped at her. “I thought I taught you better than that, young lady.”
Ana shrugged. “It’s the rebel in me.”
That response stunned Gabriela into silence for a moment, but once that moment had passed, she couldn’t hold in her laughter. Mason and Ana joined her, filling the truck with laughter.
Mason ruffled Ana’s hair. “Better rein that rebel in after we steal this tree, kit, or we’ll both be in trouble.”
Gabriela, still grinning, shook her head as she met Mason’s eyes. “Come on. Let’s go commit grand theft conifer.”
They opened their doors, and Gabriela hopped down from the cab, boots sinking up to mid-shin in the snow. The cold nipped at her face. She shivered, already missing the warmth and coziness she’d enjoyed in the truck.
She closed her door and walked to Ana, crouching and helping the girl zip her coat; she couldn’t manage it on her own thanks to the gloves. Ana’s pink hat was jutting from her coat pocket. Gabby plucked it out and pulled it into place on her daughter’s head, making sure to get it down over her ears.
“Thanks, Mom” Ana said.
Gabriela smiled and pressed a kiss to Ana’s forehead before rising.
The driver’s side door slammed shut. Snow crunched under Mason’s boots as he walked alongside the truck bed, pausing to reach inside and lift an axe from within. He proceeded around the back of the truck until he was standing just ahead of Ana and Gabby. “Ready?”
Ana grinned up at him. “Yes!”
Gabriela pulled her gloves out of her pocket and tugged them on as she walked toward Mason. “Lead the way, oh faithful leader, and we shall follow.”
They trudged into the forest single file—or at least Gabby and Ana trudged. The snow that slowed them down seemed to offer little hindrance to Mason, either because he was so big, because he was so strong, or a combination of both. But he glanced over his shoulder regularly to check on them, often adjusting his pace so they could keep up.
And Gabriela was grateful that, if nothing else, he was breaking a path for them that made it easier to walk. She could only imagine how difficult it would be for her and her daughter to traverse this snow on their own. When they did hit deeper patches—some of which almost came to Gabriela’s waist—Mason helped them through, lifting Gabriela as easily as he did Ana.
Thankfully, those times were few and far between.
Reaching down, Gabby gathered some snow and formed it into a ball. She glanced at Ana, grinned, and brought a finger to her lips. Ana grinned in return and nodded.
Gabriela turned toward Mason, drew her arm back, and launch the snowball at his back. It struck with a dull thump and exploded, splattering snow across his coat.
Mason halted mid-stride, shoulders slightly hunched.
Ana erupted into a fit of giggles. Gabriela laughed, and was already forming another snowball when he turned around.
That crease was back between his eyebrows, and his mouth was downturned in a frown that seemed more confused than anything else. He met Gabby’s gaze. “Did you throw sn—”
She threw her next snowball, hitting him square in the chest with another thump.
He blinked and flinched his head aside as bits of snow sprayed up into his face.
Ana was giggling so hard that she lost her balance and fell onto her knees, but she used it to her advantage, gathering a big handful of snow.
“Come on,” Gabriela said, “you have had a snowball fight before, haven’t you?”
“Snowball fight!” Ana threw her snowball at Mason. It flew a little too far to the right, only clipping his thigh.
He glanced down at the bit of snow left behind on his pants, tilted his head, and looked up at Gabriela again. His lips spread into a wide, wolfish grin.
Gabriela’s heart sped. Mason’s expression was sinful and just a little frightening, and it made her warmer than the truck’s heater ever could.
But it also meant they were in trouble.
“Ana, run,” she said, and darted toward a nearby tree. Just before she was behind its cover, she saw Mason crouch, standing the axe straight up beside him, and scooped up some snow.
Ana laughed and ran in the opposite direction.
Gabriela bent and made a couple haphazard snowballs before peeking around the tree. She barely had time to widen her eyes before Mason launched a snowball at her. It hit the tree trunk and burst apart, spraying her face with snow. She