After the Frost EBOOK

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CHAPTER 1

Reidun Norberg stayed well below the speed limit as her truck approached the sharp bend in the road around Berghaven Harbor.

There was no need to hurry home from work when all that awaited her was an empty house and a TV dinner.

It was still technically summer, but, clearly, the weather couldn’t read the calendar. A cold, driving rain fell from the brooding low-hanging clouds as though an October day had strayed into August.

Reidun adjusted the heating on the dashboard. She’d make sure that TV dinner was a hot curry.

She rounded the bend, gently depressing the brakes on her truck. What was this? A white car, its hazard lights flashing, was nestled in the roadside ditch.

Reidun’s heart lurched. Were they all right? She pulled up a safe distance ahead and set her own hazard lights on.

She jumped out of her truck, pulling her hood over her head as she approached the car. It was a white Ford Focus.
Her stomach knotted up as she got closer, and she reached for her phone in case she needed to call for help.

The driver's side window rolled down, and a man looked up at her. A very handsome man. His salt and pepper hair framed a face that was probably too perfect when he was younger, but had now weathered to a well-worn ruggedness.

She leaned forward. “Are you all right?”

“Yes, we’re all fine,” he said, revealing teeth that were as flawless as his face. “I can’t get out of this ditch, but I’ve called a tow truck. We’re waiting for them to show up, but I appreciate your stopping to check on us.”

We? She looked beyond him into the car. An older woman sat in the passenger seat, fiddling with a cellphone. Two strikingly beautiful children, a boy and a girl, both blond-haired and blue-eyed, stared back at her from the back seat.

The little girl leaned forward. “Dad slid into the ditch and now we can’t get out.” She spoke in English, rather than Norwegian. Were they tourists? But their dad’s dialect sounded like he was from up here in the far north of Norway.

Reidun marshaled up her English. “That happens to many people on this road, especially when it’s been raining all day. I’m glad you’re okay.” She turned back to the man. “You know, I’ve got towing equipment in my truck. I’m happy to help.”

His eyes rounded. “Um, thanks, but I think I’d better wait for the pro—I mean, for the towing company.”

He’d been about to say “the professionals.” Fair enough. She couldn’t blame him for refusing help from a random person.

“All right,” she said. “But while you wait, it might be a good idea to put out your hazard warning triangle. This is a notorious blind corner, and I’d hate for someone else to join you in that ditch.”

He stiffened, a deep red staining his cheeks. “I’m not sure I have one.”

“Of course you have one, unless you removed it. Every car does.” She hesitated, remembering his English-speaking children. “It’s been required by law in Norway for almost twenty years.”

His gaze slid away from her face. “I wouldn’t know where to look, to be honest.”

“Let’s check in your trunk.”

He stepped out, revealing a tall, well-built frame, two or three inches taller than her five foot ten.

She followed him to the back of the car, and he popped the trunk open. It was full of luggage, with fresh baggage tags attached. Had they just arrived in Norway?

She pointed to the back corner of his trunk. “I used to have a Ford like this. Your hazard triangle is probably under the mat over there, but you’ll have to take out some of your bags.”

He removed the suitcases. Sure enough, there was a tab on the mat.

He opened the compartment and pulled out a small red oblong case. His eyebrows drew together as he stared at it, turning it round in his smooth hands for a long moment.

Reidun crossed her arms. Didn’t he know how to set it up?
“It might be a good idea to place a second one because of the blind corner,” she said. “I’ll lend you mine.”

She jogged to her truck and grabbed her hazard triangle. She walked up to him and unzipped the red pouch, then unfolded the triangle, suppressing a smile as he surreptitiously watched and copied her motions to set up his own.

“I’ll put mine down the road and you can place yours in front of your car,” she said.

With her hazard triangle about thirty-five meters from his car, anyone approaching would get a heads-up and be on the lookout.

When she got back to him, he was leaning on his car and frowning at his phone.

He looked at her. “The tow company’s estimated arrival time is seventy minutes. Up from fifty-five.”

Reidun winced. “That’s probably because they’re based over in Havdal. And they’re probably finishing up with other call-outs before they get to yours.”

The passenger window slid down, and the little girl poked her head through. “Dad, I’m hungry. And Chase needs to poop.”

The man pushed a hand into his hair, his gaze going from his daughter to his phone.

Reidun knew little about children, but she did know that when they needed to go, they needed to go. She held up both hands, palms facing outward. “Listen, no pressure, but I’ve towed a few cars before. I’ve got a recovery strap in my truck, and we could get you out of that ditch in under fifteen minutes.”

He stared at her, shaking his head. “You just happen to have towing equipment sitting in your car? Are you a mechanic or something?”

“No, I’m actually a plumber. But when you live in the far north, it makes sense to be prepared for trouble. Especially when the nearest towing company might be hours away.”

Her face heated. Did he think she was criticizing him? “No offense,” she added. “My friends used to tease me for having a recovery strap until one of them got stuck in a snowdrift.”

“No offense taken.”

She watched the internal debate that played across his features.

Finally, he said, “Thanks. I accept your offer. Things are getting pretty desperate for my son. What should we do?”

She clapped her hands together. “First, move both hazard triangles to the middle of the road to stop oncoming traffic. I’m going to need all this space to maneuver. When you’ve done that, I’ll get everything hooked up.”

While he went to move the triangles, she crouched behind his car to see what she had to work with. Thank goodness. It had the recovery points she needed. This should be straightforward.

Placing the second triangle, he called out to her. “What are you going to do?”

“I’ll tow your car backward onto the road. You need to get inside it and keep it in neutral, with the brakes on.”

The lady’s voice floated out from his car. She spoke in English, too. “Steinar, what’s going on? What’s that woman doing?”

Ah, so his name was Steinar. A nice, solid, Norwegian name.

He walked back to his car. “She’s going to tow us out.”

“Are you sure it’s okay? I thought you’d called a tow truck.”

“I think she knows what she’s doing,” Steinar said. “It can’t hurt to try.”

The conversation faded as Reidun went back into her truck and maneuvered it into place.

Steinar was back in his car, so she spoke to him through the window. “I’ve attached my recovery strap to your car and hooked it up to my truck. We should have you out in no time. Thankfully, this isn’t a very busy road, so we’re not holding up any traffic.”

But as she jumped into her truck, a vehicle slowed and stopped on the other side of her warning triangle. She flashed her lights and waved at the waiting driver. She’d better get this done fast before any other cars came along.

She figured the fastest way to get Steinar’s car out was if she drove directly across the road. She edged her truck forward.

Looking over her shoulder and through her rear view windshield, she glimpsed two vehicles lining up and waiting.

Reidun pushed on the gas pedal. Just a little more should do it.

She sensed the tension in her tow strap slacking, and eased off the gas. Looking over her shoulder, Reidun puffed out a relieved breath. Steinar’s vehicle was completely out of the ditch. Thank God!

She ran up to him, giving him a thumbs-up, which he returned with a grin.

“Don’t drive off just yet—I need to unhook you,” she said, recalling the teenage driver she’d towed once who had attempted to pull away while still attached to her truck.
In a minute, she unhooked her strap and moved her truck to the side of the road.

The waiting vehicles drove past, with one driver giving her a cheery wave.

Steinar walked up to her with her hazard triangle. “I can’t thank you enough. For everything.”

She shrugged, taking the triangle out of his hand. “It’s what people in Berghaven do. Anyone else would have gladly helped.”

“Good thing this is our new home, then. Thanks once again.” He glanced back at his car. “I’d better go before my son has a major accident. Bye.”

He went off and Reidun started her engine. A few meters down the road, she remembered that she hadn’t asked his full name. And he hadn’t asked for hers. Ah, well. Perhaps she’d see him around town.