When Gabriel McQueen begrudgingly heads up the mountain to check on Lolly Helton during a bad winter storm, he’s expecting the same prickly girl he went to high school with to confront him and tell him to leave her alone. What he gets is a situation even more dangerous than the brewing ice storm as he and Lolly run for their lives from two gun-toting drug addicts. Lolly has changed and Gabriel likes who she’s become. Gabriel would like to see if they could have a future together, but they have to survive the night first.

Ice is a short and fast-paced story that surprisingly does not lack in depth. You get to the heart of the story faster because of its length. From the crazed maniacs chasing them, to the storm blowing around them, Lolly and Gabriel are constantly fighting for their lives. There is a lot of history between Lolly and Gabriel and most isn’t good, but the circumstances they find themselves in relieve them of the tension seeing each other for the first time in years should have created.  Lolly’s name may be amusing, but there’s nothing comical about her guts, determination, and sincerity. While Ice would have been even better if it were longer, it’s an excellent story with a touching, happy ending.