Mountain Secrets by Elizabeth Goddard (good books to read for teens txt) 📕

her body heat. He liked having her so close. Maybe now she’d come to trust him.

With the motor humming, they descended the hill. The ATV seemed to almost hover over the snow, providing them with a smooth ride.

Isabel leaned close to his ear and shouted, “He’s getting closer.”

They must be within a half mile of the two-lane road. He turned the handlebars and directed the ATV toward the bumpier, more foreboding landscape where a car would not be able to follow.

He aimed toward a patch of trees, swerving expertly around them. The rough terrain didn’t scare him. He’d grown up riding ATVs and dirt bikes with his father. The ATV headlights cut a swath of light in front of him so he could plan his next move.

Chances were the thief would patrol the two-lane and wait for them to emerge, but he could only go back and forth on a small section of road at a time. If he took the ATV far enough out they’d be able to get on the two-lane without being spotted.

A steep drop on the hillside caused them to catch air again. As they sailed through the air, he tried to maneuver the machine for a successful landing. The nose of the ATV pointed downward. Isabel screamed but held on tight.

They dived into a snowbank. The crash seemed to make all his bones vibrate.

He took in a breath and patted Isabel’s gloved hand. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t think anything is broken.”

The motor of the snowmobile had died. “Can you get off? I’ve got to see if I can get this thing started and out of this snowbank.” He was still a little shaky from the impact of the crash.

Isabel swung her leg over and stepped back. She pulled his keys out and shone the light for Jason.

“It looks pretty stuck.” Her voice was monotone, devoid of any emotion.

Maybe she was just as exhausted as he was from all the running.

Fragments of light flashed below them, a car going by on the two-lane.

He lifted his head and met Isabel’s gaze. Was she thinking the same thing he was? “This time of night there won’t be many cars going by.” Even fewer because of the storm.

“I still think it’s our best shot.” Her voice filled with resolve. “Maybe the snowplows are out by now. We can flag one down.”

It was a huge risk. They’d have to dodge the thief in the big car and hope that another vehicle came along. “We can’t stay here.” The ATV was dead. Either the cold or the thief would be their demise.

Isabel held the flashlight in such a way that it illuminated her face. She nodded, but he saw the fear in her eyes.

“We’ll stay in the trees as much as possible.” He reached a gloved hand out for hers. She lifted her hand and he squeezed it, hoping the gesture would help quell her fear.

He turned. “Only use the flashlight when you absolutely need to. It makes us too easy to spot. The bright colors of my coat will draw attention too.”

“I can turn it inside out.” She slipped out of his coat and turned it to the dark lining.

He started walking. She trudged behind him. He breathed in a silent prayer that a car would come by sooner rather than later. Though the storm was no longer raging, staying out in the cold for any length of time would not be a good idea.

He was unable to see the ground clearly, so his footsteps were slow and measured. Isabel whispered something.

He kept walking but turned his head slightly. “What did you say?”

“Oh sorry. I didn’t realize you could hear me. I was...praying.”

“Yeah, we could use some of that.” He felt closer to her, knowing that she’d thought to pray.

“Sometimes things have to be at their darkest before I think of it,” she said.

He opened his mouth to answer but stopped when he spotted headlights through the trees. The car eased along the road. Most likely it was the thief searching for them. He crouched and Isabel slipped in beside him. The car stopped and the driver got out. Shining his flashlight, the man peered up into the trees where he and Isabel were hiding. It was clearly the thief. He must have seen their flashlight when they had it on. The thief continued to walk toward them in a zigzag pattern.

The car engine still hummed. The thief had left it running to keep the engine warm.

An idea sparked inside Jason’s head. They could get to the thief’s car and drive it to safety.

Jason squeezed Isabel’s arm just above the elbow and tilted his head. She nodded in understanding. They’d be spotted if they went straight for the car. Still crouching, he moved from tree to tree, working his way down to the road in an arc. Isabel stayed close.

The thief’s light bobbed through the forest maybe twenty yards from where they were. Jason scanned the landscape below. It was hard to discern much of anything. He chose his path and made a run for it, knowing that Isabel would be right behind him. He put his foot forward but found only air.

The hill dropped off abruptly. He lost his balance. He tumbled, rolling through the snow. He righted himself. The chill of the snow soaked through his skin. Isabel came to a stop beside him.

A gunshot reverberated through the silence as the light came toward them. The noise of the fall had been enough for the thief to find them. Cold and wet, he grabbed Isabel’s hand and made a run for it, coming out on the road behind the running car.

Another gunshot stirred up snow in front of them. Isabel stumbled. He pulled her toward the car. The thief emerged from the trees, lifting his gun. Jason pulled Isabel to the ground as the third shot whizzed over them.

She bolted to her feet and raced toward the car. Jason pulled his gun from his waistband and fired a