‘I’ll get in when you move into the passenger seat,’ Dino drawled, leaning across and undoing her seat belt. ‘Move over. I’m not kidding.’
Meg tightened her grip on the wheel and refused to move. ‘Chauvinist.’
‘Actually, you’re wrong. If it were Ben or Sean sitting in the driver’s seat, I’d still move them. I’m Italian. I don’t like being driven. Move, Meg, before this woman gives birth in a snowdrift.’
With a sigh, she flounced across into the passenger seat. ‘Fine. I’m only doing this because we can’t waste any more time. Just don’t come squealing to me for help when you’ve slid off the road because you don’t know the bends of the Wrynose Pass. If you’re in the wrong gear, you’ll never make it.’
‘I’ll make it.’ His hands confident on the wheel, Dino headed along the valley and turned onto the narrow road that led to the beginning of the pass. A snow plough had clearly been along the road before them and the snow was banked high against the stone walls that bordered the fields. ‘Why did they pick this route?’
‘Because they were desperate and panicking. The forecast for the next few days is really awful. They were afraid that if they waited any longer, they’d be snowed in. One of the disadvantages of living in a remote area.’ Meg tucked her hair under her hat and sorted through the equipment. ‘Watch yourself on this corner, the road suddenly gets a lot steeper and there’s only room for one car. There are passing places, but most of them haven’t been cleared since last night’s snowfall.’
Dino glanced at her. ‘How many times have you driven this road in winter?’
‘Plenty. See? You should have let me drive. I know every rabbit hole.’ She gave him a cheeky smile. ‘The best way to get good at something is to practise. I practised. Driving the mountain passes is one of the best forms of entertainment.’
He was tempted to suggest a few other forms of entertainment that were less life threatening, but he decided this wasn’t the time or the place. As they crested the top of the slope, he felt the back wheels of the ambulance slip and heard Meg gasp.
‘Relax.’ Dino handled the vehicle carefully, feeling the way it responded. ‘I’m going to put chains on for the next hill. It’s too slick and there’s a drop on the right.’ He jumped out and fastened the chains to the wheels. The landscape around them had been transformed by the heavy snow and a few abandoned vehicles lay half-buried by the side of the road. It took him less than five minutes to finish the job but that was long enough to freeze his hands.
The snow fell onto the windscreen in big fat lumps and Dino jumped back into the driver’s seat, flicked on the wipers and turned the heating up to full. ‘That should improve the
grip. It’s cold out there.’ He flexed his fingers. ‘I think the mountain rescue team will be called out tonight.’
‘If that happens, we’ll miss the ball.’ Meg checked her phone for messages and he had a feeling that was exactly what she was hoping would happen.
‘I’m flattered to know you’re looking forward to our date, tesoro.’
‘I warned you I wasn’t good at that sort of thing. Look, I’ve said I’ll go. What more do you want?’
‘Enthusiasm?’
She bit her lip. ‘I’ve bought a dress, so I suppose it would be nice to at least have the chance to wear it.’
‘A dress? Bene. I look forward to seeing your legs for the first time.’ Because he was concentrating on the road, Dino didn’t see her frown. ‘Is that the car? The red one.’
‘Yes, looks like it.’ Her voice was strange but when he glanced at her she simply glared at him.
‘Keep your eyes on the road or you’ll drive off it.’ She turned back to look out of the windscreen, narrowing her eyes to see through the falling snow. ‘The guy is waving. Why is he waving? He ought to just stay in the warm until we get there. There’s no reason to—’ She broke off and turned her head slowly. ‘Oh, no—do you think…?’
‘Possibly, knowing our luck,’ Dino gritted, ‘but if I drive any faster than this we’ll end up in the ditch alongside them. Get on the phone and check on the helicopter situation. Failing that, get the police to meet us at the head of the pass.’
‘Any excuse to break the speed limit.’
Dino smiled. ‘I’m Italian. That’s enough of an excuse.’
While Meg made the necessary calls, he negotiated the switch back turns of the mountain pass and finally pulled up by the red car. Normally it would have been a dangerous place to stop but today, with the world transformed into a white, faceless desert, they were the only people on the road.
‘Quickly.’ His door was dragged open by the man who had been waving his arms at them. ‘Are you the doctor? What the hell took you so long? I’m going to put in a complaint when all this is over. The baby’s coming. I’m not kidding. God, you have to do something.’ He choked the words out, hyperventilating, and Dino closed his hand over the other man’s shoulder, trying to calm him down, choosing to ignore the rudeness.
‘Breathe slowly. Deeply. That’s better.’ He jumped down from the vehicle and found himself in snow up to his knees. The cold immediately clamped his ankles and seeped through his clothing. ‘When did her contractions start?’
‘About ten minutes ago. I think it’s the stress. We never should have left. But I took our little boy to his grandmother’s a couple of days ago to give Sue a rest, and Sue was fretting, wanted us all to be together at her mother’s for Christmas. If we hadn’t left we would have been stranded, and—’
‘Hi Mike, it’s me.’ Meg struggled through the snow and slapped the man on the back. ‘Stop panicking. It’s all going to be fine, I promise. We just need to get our equipment and then we’ll sort her out. Go back and sit with Sue. And stop looking so worried or you’ll scare her. Looking at your face is enough to make me go into labour and I’m not even pregnant. Everything is going to be fine.’
The man sucked in two deep breaths and swore. ‘It isn’t fine, Meg.’ His voice was savage and he was clearly on the edge. ‘Not every woman is tough. Sue isn’t good in cold weather at the best of times. She’s delicate and feminine—nothing like you.’
Dino saw Meg’s face change.