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He continued scanning the blood-painted snow. No sign of Bree.
Where was she?
“Okay,” he told Norte. “On by, on by. We gotta find your mama. Where’s Bree? Find Bree.”
Norte took off like a swimmer from the starting block and swerved back into the forest along the riverbank. He had something. He knew exactly where he was going. And when Ellis gazed down at the ground sliding by under the runners, he realized what trail the dogs were following.
Blood.
His heart kicked painfully against his ribs.
He was too late. She was hurt.
He kissed the air, telling the team to go faster, but instead Norte slowed, made an abrupt left-hand turn, and again the sled shot down a short hill.
Bree had said to trust the dogs, so Ellis hung on and trusted they knew where they needed to go.
He smelled the woodsmoke before he saw the little cabin tucked away deep in the forest. Norte charged up the front steps and would’ve continued right through the door if the sled didn’t catch on a stump in the yard. Ellis quickly tied the sled to a nearby tree— although he didn’t think the dogs would go anywhere— and ran up the steps. Norte pawed desperately at the door and whined.
Bree had to be inside.
Ellis didn’t bother knocking. He shoved through the door and the smell that washed over him stopped him in his tracks. Woodsmoke. Cigars. Cinnamon. And vodka.
Dad?
But William Hunter wasn’t there.
The cabin was only a single room with a rickety table in the center, a rusted old wood stove in one corner, and a narrow bed against the opposite wall. A fire burned hot in the stove and Bree lay on that bed under a mound of blankets, her face as white as the snow outside.
For a second, his heart stopped. She looked like a corpse.
But then Norte let out a sharp bark and her eyelids fluttered open. “Dr. Will?”
He crossed the room in three quick strides and dropped to his knees beside her. “No, sweetheart. It’s Ellis.”
“Ellis?” She couldn’t seem to focus on him and shut her eyes again. “He was here. He was here. He saved me. He’s trying to protect us.”
“Who?” He remembered the smell when he first walked in— the mix of scents that made his heart ache with memories. “You mean Dad? He was here?”
“He saved me,” she whispered again, then struggled to sit up. “My dogs! Someone has to take care of my dogs at home—”
“Okay, Bree. Shh. I’ll take care of them. I’ll take care of everything. Just lay down.”
She collapsed back to the mattress and tears streamed down her cheeks. “Bones left them alone. I trusted him. He left them… my puppies…”
“Shh, sweetheart. It’s okay. I’ll make sure they’re safe.” Ellis gently pulled back the blankets. She wore only her sports bra and thermal pants and had a fresh white bandage wrapped around her middle. Blood already seeped through the gauze.
Shit. No wonder she was so pale.
“My puppies…” she whispered again. Her eyes rolled back, and she dropped into unconsciousness.
“I’ll take care of them.” He tucked the blankets tightly around her body and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m here now and your team is here.”
As if to prove his point, Norte whimpered. The rest of the team howled.
Ellis left her long enough to unhook Norte’s harness. The dog immediately went to her bedside and nuzzled his head under her limp hand.
Ellis stroked Norte’s head. “She’ll be okay, boy. Just tell her to hang on a bit longer. Help is on the way.”
