Fallon laughs, and I glance over at her.
“I just realized that the sleigh bells on the horses aren’t getting on my nerves. Usually they would.”
This comes out of left field but has me grinning. “Really? It no longer sounds like nails on a chalkboard?”
“Maybe I’m getting immune. I almost like it combined with the horses trotting along the snow,” she admits. “It’s kind of relaxing.”
“Color me shocked,” I taunt. “Next thing I know, you’ll be singing carols.”
She shakes her head. “Don’t hold your breath on that one.”
A cool breeze blows through the trees, and white powder kicks up in front of us. As we turn the corner, the scene is revealed, and Fallon gasps.
I bring the horses to a stop so she can take it in.
“It’s beautiful,” Fallon whispers, looking at the large frozen pond, snow covered hills, and massive evergreens dusted in white. We stay silent as we listen to the sounds of our breathing and the wind whistling through the trees.
She pulls out her phone and snaps a picture. “I don’t want to forget this moment.”
“Me neither.” But it’s not because of the landscape.
When she smiles at me, the happiness actually reaches her eyes. “You know what I’ve always wanted to do?”
I search her face. “What?”
“Make a snow angel.”
I chuckle. “Then that’s what we have to do. Right now.”
Dasher hops down and runs through the snow, enjoying himself and I tie the horses to a nearby tree. I meet Fallon on her side of the sleigh and hold out my hand. She takes it, and nearly stumbles as she steps down, but I catch her.
“So there’s a trick to making the perfect one. You hold your hands out like this in a T, then you fall back just like this,” I say, doing it. “Then you move your arms like you’re doing jumping jacks. The trick is taking your time to stand so you don’t disturb it.”
Fallon chuckles as I make my creation, then I slowly stand.
“You were right! Itisperfect,” she tells me.
“As if you doubted me,” I say, leading her over to some undisturbed snow. “We’ll do this one together.”
I take a step away from her, creating enough space so she’ll be able to move her arms and legs. “Ready?”
She nods.
“Three. Two. One,” I count down and we fall backward. Fallon giggles as she thrashes in it.
“It’s so cold!” She squeals, repeating what I told her to do, then we stand. “Look.”
“I think these are the two best damn snow angels I’ve ever seen.”
She laughs and nods while she takes a picture with her phone. After she snaps it, it slips from her grip. Fallon goes to retrieve it, but when she straightens back up, snow slams into me.
My jaw drops at seeing her up to no good face.
“That’s war,” I warn, quickly packing a ball and launching it back at her. The next thing I know, we’re running around like teenagers, making snowballs, chunking them across the way and laughing as we try to hit the other. Dasher barks while chasing us around, and I smile so much my face hurts.
Fallon races toward me, stumbles forward, and trips me. I hold her, bracing her fall as we land in the snow.
“I thought you’d be harder to take down than that,” she teases.