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He played along with her joke. “I’d like to thank all my friends and supporters, and especially my sponsors—insanity and chivalry. Now I have to go get my dog.” Another trip across the icy creek, then he set the squirming Buttercup next to Molly. She put her arms around the trembling dog. “You’re okay, you’re okay,” she murmured to the hound.
Sam took off one of his boots. He limped to the creekside and dumped half a boot-full of water back in.
“Oh no! Are you going to get hypothermia from that?”
“Very likely. The only way to prevent it is for both of us to get naked right now and share our body heat.”
By now, she recognized that dry humor of his. “Sorry. Not happening. Good luck with the amputation.”
“I guess that chivalry only goes one way, huh?”
She laughed. “I’m happy to rub your leg with any body part you choose. But it’s fricking cold out here and I’m keeping my clothes on.”
“Yeah, me too. At least until circumstances change and there’s a bed and a redhead involved. Let’s get going. I need to keep blood moving into my extremities.”
They fell quiet as they walked. Molly wished she’d never brought up her crazy idea about the birth control. Didn’t Occam’s razor say the simplest explanation was probably the right one? The birth control pills were probably a black market thing. Or maybe she decided month by month whether she wanted another child.
She should stop trying to solve every puzzle that came across her path. She hadn’t even made progress with Daniel’s death, and that was the only one that really mattered.
The trail turned into a three-way intersection that she recognized. Off to the side there was a signpost with three wooden arrows pointing different directions. Ice Falls, ten miles. Town Center, two miles. Smoky Lake, fifteen miles.
“I’ve run this one a few times. I think Daniel’s cabin is that way.” She waved her arm in the direction of Smoky Lake.
“You’re right. I think it’s about three miles from here. How are you doing?”
She’d done a lot of running today, and her legs ached and twitched. But they had to get back to Elias. “I’m good.”
He rummaged in his backpack and brought forth a dog treat for Buttercup and a chocolate bar for them. They split it in half, while she gazed up at the half-moon, bright as a bronze coin, just cresting the ridge line. The clouds below it seemed to be lit up from within.
“You dodged a bullet,” she said, pointing at the stunning sight. “It could have been named Moonlight Ridge.”
“Now that, I like. It doesn’t make me think of a wildfire I have to put out.”
“Fair enough.”
With that boost of chocolate-provided energy, they headed down the trail toward Daniel’s cabin. This trail was more well-worn, since it was closer to town, so they were able to pick up the pace. As they walked, Molly asked about Ice Falls, ten miles in the other direction.
“People keep mentioning it, but I’ve never seen it.”
“You can’t see it from the town. It faces north, which is one of the reasons why it never thaws. It’s quite a sight. I’ve never seen anything like it anywhere else. It’s part of the Korch Glacier, like a waterfall frozen in place. I can fly you over in the plane sometime.”
“Really? Like a flight-seeing kind of thing?”
“I was thinking more like a…date.”
Her heart seemed to melt like honey and spread throughout her veins. A sexy pilot wanted to take her on a date to see a frozen waterfall in Alaska. She couldn’t imagine anything more adventurous and romantic. “You’re on. I’d like that.”
“Good.”
An awkward silence fell as they trudged onwards. She realized that in a couple of hours the sun would start to rise again. It would be nice to be in a bed when that happened, sound asleep, with blackout shades in place. And Sam next to her.
Oh shit. She shouldn’t start thinking that way about Sam Coburn. An adventurous date was one thing. Sharing a bed all night was a very different thing. Where would that even happen? His house wasn’t safe until they figured out why it was a target. And she was sleeping on Lila’s couch, wedged between an anvil and an old whiskey barrel.
By the time they reached Daniel’s clearing, they were all limping with exhaustion, even Buttercup. They paused at the edge and scanned for any signs of intruders. No new vehicles, nothing unexpected. When Sam gave the go-ahead, they stepped into the clearing.
She took the lead, since Elias was expecting her, while Sam stayed a few steps back with the dog. She tapped on the door.
“Elias? It’s me, Molly. I’m here with some food and some help. Open up.”
