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“Yeah. Started back in April.”
“Those positions are hard to come by.” I remember Howie saying that his friend had been applying religiously for years and couldn’t get so much as a toe in. He ended up going down to the lower forty-eight.
“They are. Luckily, I know a few people.”
“Like the head of parks and rec,” I answer for myself, recalling that name-drop way back when. “Is this something you’ve done before?” Specializing in law enforcement, too, based on the vest and gun.
“I am qualified, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Oh yeah? How?”
He smirks. “Do you want to see my résumé?”
“Maybe.” There are so many things about this guy that I still don’t know. “Who takes care of the dogs while you’re here? Your brother?”
“Reed. Yeah.”
“How old is he?”
“This feels like an interrogation. Is the crusader worried that my dogs aren’t well cared for during the off-season? Do I need to bust out that humanitarian trophy you gave me?”
“I’m beginning to regret that vote.” It’s the second time he’s brought it up. “He just seemed a little young.” I spent ten minutes with that kid, and while he was at ease with the dogs, that’s a lot for anyone to handle.
“He’ll be twenty-one in the fall, and yeah, he is, in some ways. He can be painfully shy, especially around girls, but I’ve never seen anyone more in tune with those dogs.” Tyler hesitates. “Reed is my wife’s half brother. Her parents split when she was about ten. Her dad married an American and moved to Montana, where they had him. They have a mushing tour company down there, so he’s grown up around sled dogs. When I told him I was moving here and bringing her team with me, he asked if he could move, too.”
I don’t miss the way he refers to her as his wife. Not his late wife.
“And you just took him in.”
“Of course. He’s family. Plus, he’s a good kid, I trust him, and I like having him around.” He nods ahead. “Yours?”
Yukon and Bentley trot toward us, their leashes dragging behind them.
“Yes.” Panic surges. While the pass is a wide-open space, the knolls and low bushes make it easy to miss someone who might be sitting on the ground.
Or lying there, unconscious.
We pick up the pace and while I’m normally coolheaded in emergency situations, now I’m holding my breath while my mind churns through terrible worst-case thoughts.
We crest a hump and find Dad where I left him, fiddling with his glasses in an attempt to bend the wire frame back. “Is that you, Marie?” He slides his glasses on. “Oh, there you are. I was starting to think you’d abandoned me.”
I drop to my knees next to my father, my relief bringing a cold sweat to my skin. “How is it?”
“Still broken.” He offers Tyler a wan smile. “I supposed that’s not what you guys mean about leashing your dogs, is it?”
“No, but I think we can let it slide this time.” Tyler crouches on the other side of my dad, examining the protruding bone. “That’s a good break, all right.”
“I’ve been called an overachiever from time to time.”
My dad’s quippy humor is kicking in strong, which means he’s in a lot of discomfort and is trying to overcompensate.
“Help is a few minutes out. Luckily, they were in the area.”
“I hope that help is strong.” Dad scowls at the path to the road. “I tried to get up, but—”
“You didn’t.” I spear my father with a scolding glare before inspecting the wound more closely. The tourniquet seems to have done its job with stemming blood flow, but I’m more worried about infection the longer he’s sitting out here in the dirt. “At least you didn’t try to put it back together.” Stubborn old fool.
“Thought about it. Then I remembered that I’m better at setting bones on dogs than I am on humans, so I talked myself out of it.”
“That’s right. Marie told me you’re a veterinarian, too.” Tyler’s gaze flickers to me. “Like father, like daughter.”
“Once upon a time. Now I leave the animals to Marie. She’s far better at it than I ever was.” He waggles a finger between us. “Why do I get the feeling you two know each other?”
“Dad, this is Tyler Brady. He won the—”
“Iditarod! That’s right! Of course, I’ve heard that name. Both Wade and Grant talked nonstop about you.”
A genuine smile fills Tyler’s face. “You know Wade and Grant?”
“I do. They’re good men. Terrible card players, but good men.”
Tyler’s chuckle is deep and soft. “Small world, I guess.”
“Wait until they hear about this.” Dad nods to the uniform. “Looks like you lead a busy double life.”
“I have a few things on the go, yeah.”
“Well, what a day … Marie never told me you two were friends.”
“Oh no, we’re definitely not friends. Marie has made it clear that she doesn’t need any more. She has too many. No time for more, I guess,” Tyler says dryly.
