Bait

“Yeah.” Linden hefted Tyler to his feet, held him with one arm and used his other hand to better adjust the coat. “We’ll make it work. The snowmobile isn’t far and the ranger station is only a few miles from here. We can do this.” He tried to tie the coat sleeves around Tyler’s neck, but because of the slick material, they kept sliding apart. That was nothing more than an exercise in frustration, and frankly Linden didn’t have the patience right now. Grumbling, he tucked the ends of the sleeves into Tyler’s waistband. “Let’s get out of here.”

Tyler nodded. He staggered and tripped over his feet more than he walked. In the end Linden bent his knees and hauled Tyler up and over his shoulders in a fireman’s carry.

“I’m not—” Tyler grumbled and protested.

“You know you’re not exactly in the position to argue with me,” Linden countered. He shifted Tyler’s weight and trudged forward.

“B-but I can—”

“Shush,” Linden said.

They’d gotten about halfway to the snowmobile when the coat slipped from Tyler’s shoulders. “T-told you…w-wouldn’t s-stay on,” Tyler said.

“It was worth a try. The snowmobile is right behind those trees.” He nodded to a small group of pine trees. “No sense taking the time to mess with it anymore. We’ll rig up something else.” Sweat was oozing down Linden’s spine and sides by the time the vehicle was within reach.

Easing Tyler off his shoulders, Linden sat him on the snowmobile. He took Tyler’s hands in his own and put them on the back of the front seat, curling his fingers around the edge. “Hold on to that, just for a second.”

Tyler nodded and Linden could see he was putting all his effort keeping upright. Linden pulled his own coat off. Tyler watched his every move and began shaking his head.

“Don’t even waste the energy trying to argue. You need this more than me. We’ll both be nice and warm soon. I promise,” Linden said in a rush. “Besides this one will fit and stay on you.”