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“Maybe she parked in the garage.” I shut the truck off and walk up to her front door, ringing the doorbell, but again, no answer. I pull my phone out of my pocket and give her a call, but it goes straight to voicemail.
“The fuck?” Then it hits me . . . maybe she’s with Styles. My stomach curdles at the thought. I scroll down to Brooklyn’s name and give her a call.
“Hey, Ranger, what’s up?” her always-chipper voice picks up after two rings.
“You heard from Dolly? I stopped by her store but she was already gone, then I stopped by her house and she wasn’t home, and I just called her and it went to voicemail.”
“Oh,” her voice changes and it makes me stop in my tracks halfway to my truck.
“What?”
“Well, she said she was going up to her family cabin for a few days. I guess I thought she had told you.”
“What? No, she didn’t tell me. She left already?”
“Yeah, she left earlier today. Why? Everything okay? You sound panicked.”
“Jesus,” I mutter, yanking my truck door open. “There’s a storm warning for the mountains: a foot and a half of snow expected.”
“I’m sure she’ll be okay, right?” she asks, her voice sounding unsure.
“I mean, I hope so, but I don’t think she’s ever gone alone to the cabin even when there’s no snow, plus there’s clearly no cell reception. And if she tries to beat the storm and come back down the mountains, she’ll be fucked. I’m not chancing it.”
“Are you going to head up there?”
“Yeah.”
“Text me when yo—”
“No cell reception, Brook.”
“Shit. Okay, umm . . .”
“I’ll get up there just fine, and once I’m there, she’ll be okay. Don’t worry about it.”
I hang up the phone and call Decker, explaining the situation to him.
“She’s a mountain girl, born and raised, so she’ll be fine,” he says, brushing off my concern.
“She’s also bullheaded and I can see her trying to drive back before the roads are properly cleared.”
“You’re just going to piss her off, you know. Good luck, though. I’ll let Tyler know you’re out for a few days.”
“Thanks.”
I stop to fill up my truck with gas, and grab my winter coat, a shovel, some water, and extra gas for the generator in case the power goes out. An hour and a half later, the snow has begun to fall rapidly and I’m pulling up to Dolly’s family cabin.
I brace myself before I knock on the door. The moment she opens it, Deck’s warning that she’d be pissed is confirmed.
“What are you doing here?”
“Better question is, what were you thinking?” I step forward over the threshold, forcing her to step back so I can step inside out of the snow and close the door. “There’s a damn storm warning in effect and you traipse off to the damn mountains by yourself?”
“That’s why you’re here? To rescue me?” She has that cocked hip again, her head off-center. “Oh, please, Ranger. I’ve been coming up here since I was a baby, so I can handle myself. And I drive a Jeep, thank you very much.”
“You think that thing is invincible in a foot or two of snow down an icy mountain road? I’ve dug out my fair share of them over the years, Doll.”
“I wasn’t planning on going anywhere; that’s why I came up here. I just wanted to get away, but clearly, I can’t even do that.” She throws up her hands in exasperation.
