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“Okay.” Owen shrugs his coat on and heads to the door. “If you need me, let me know. If not, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”
“See you,” I say and get up.
I grab my stuff and flick off the lights before locking the office. There haven’t been any big interventions today. I rescued a noob snowboarder who slid into a snowbank and broke his leg. That’s it. Not a word from the other side of the mountain about lost hikers. I’m sure Emily is safe and sound in her cabin.
I head to my truck and try to remember what she told me when I left her earlier. Something about not venturing out before the sun started shining? I hope she didn’t, because the sun can melt snow fast in some areas, causing mudslides. Although it might sound uncommon in winter, I’ve had to rescue people out of that exact same scenario multiple times over the years. Some parts of the woods are so densely packed with trees and vegetation that there are fewer layers of snow than on the ski slopes.
I’m sure she’s fine. She wouldn’t have been that irresponsible to head out alone after I warned her not to, right?
I drive in the direction of Winnie & Woof, remembering that Winnie asked me to stop by. Bruce, my dog, will be happy if I return home with a special treat for him. But right before I get there, I change my mind. I need to make sure Emily is okay. I can’t put my finger on it, but I have a feeling that something isn’t right. I know I won’t sleep until I know for sure that she’s safe and sound in her cabin.
I make a U-turn, causing angry drivers to honk their horns at me. I make my way towards the cabin Emily has rented. As I pass by Frosty Crest Haven, the town’s fancy ski resort, I wonder if my cousin Wren is working and, if she is, who is looking after her son, Navy. My brothers and I help her out a lot since she’s a single mom. I make a mental note to pop in later and check to see if she needs anything. After I’ve made sure Emily’s safe.
I drive by the bus stop at the bottom of the mountain road leading to her cabin. A group of skiers is waiting for the next bus to pass through town. They’re probably local or are staying at the older resort.
I grab the steering wheel so tight that my knuckles go white. It’s ridiculous how nervous I am. But when I get to the cabin, it turns out I was right to worry. The lights are out inside, and when I pound my fist on the door, there’s no answer.
Where the hell is she? I get my phone out and call my brother Caleb, who works at Hidden Springs Bar & Grill, to ask if he has seen someone matching her description. When he says no, I call around some more, but no one has seen a girl matching Emily’s description all day.
If she’s not in one of the hotspots in town, she might be in the woods. I fire off a quick text to Winnie, asking her if she’ll drop by my place later and check on Bruce. Then, I grab a flashlight from my truck, sling my backpack with emergency supplies over my shoulders, and head into the forest.
“Emily,” I shout.
A flock of birds on a nearby tree takes flight, their wings flapping furiously as they fly away from me.
There’s no sign of her, but I’m not giving up so soon. I quicken my pace, trying to find a clue about whether or not she’s been here. The mountains are huge. She could have gone off in any direction.
The beam of my flashlight dances over the snow and mud. Where is she? I arrive at a clearing with a nearby slope and go check it out. I shine my flashlight on the ground and see footprints. Someone’s been here, possibly even slid down. The ground is nothing but slush and there’s no safe way for me to reach the bottom of the slope, so I take a detour to get there.
Hope sears in my chest as I get near the spot where she might be, but the area is deserted, so I quicken my pace once again, a mix of determination and dread pushing me to go on.
A few moments later, I pass by an abandoned barbed-wire fence. My heart forms a lump in my throat as I pull off a piece of fabric the same color as Emily’s coat. Fuck. This isn’t good.
“Emily!” I shout again, desperation lacing my voice.
The lack of an answer makes me sick. If, no, when I find Emily, I’m never letting her go out into the wintry wilderness on her own again.
“Emily!” I keep calling out to her.
Ten minutes later, I hear a faint voice answering me. Yes! I’m no longer walking. I’m running now.
I shine my flashlight in the direction of the voice and to my relief, I see Emily slumped against a tree.
“Brody? Is that you?” she asks in a trembling voice, her teeth chattering.
“What the hell, Emily,” I say while I do a quick assessment of her injuries. “Why did you go out when I told you not to?”
“Are you mad?”
“Mad?” I yell. “Of course, I’m mad! You could’ve died out here. I never would’ve gotten over it if something happened to you.”
“Really?” She sounds surprised.
I put my arms under her legs and neck and gather her in my arms, lifting her off the cold ground. “Of course.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“To safety,” I say as I take big steps to get to her cabin as soon as possible.
