NOWHERE TO HIDE

Fleeing to Alaska is the only option for Leah Marks after witnessing a murder. Afraid for her life, the legal investigator hopes a remote cabin will be a safe shelter. But the killer has tracked her to Mountain Cove. As he chases her into snow-packed Dead Falls Canyon, an avalanche buries them both. Saved by daring search and rescue specialist Cade Warren, Leah longs to tell him the truth. But how can she, without bringing even more danger into Cade’s life? Especially when they discover the killer is very much alive and waiting to take them both down.

Mountain Cove: In the Alaskan wilderness, love and danger collide

“Are you in some kind of trouble?” Cade finally asked.

Leah turned away. “Why would you ask that?”

“I don’t know. Something about the way you’ve acted since…well, since I pulled you from the snow. Like you’re scared. Why are you in such a hurry to leave? I thought you were staying in the cabin tonight?”

She glanced at him. “I never said I was staying. I asked you to give me a ride back, that’s all.”

“I just want to help.”

Leah sighed. “I know.

“I could take a look at it for you.” Now why would he offer that up—an attempt to snag her?

“No.” Her reply was too emphatic.

He glanced her way, trying to watch her and the road. To his surprise a timid smile broke through.

“Not tonight, that is,” she added. She was trying to be friendly, warm up to him, but still, it seemed forced.

He risked another glance over and caught her eyes—there he saw the truth. She was terrified and hiding something.

Who are you, Leah Marks?

ELIZABETH GODDARD

is an award-winning author of more than twenty romance and romantic suspense novels, including the romantic mystery The Camera Never Lies—winner of the prestigious Carol Award in 2011. After acquiring her computer science degree, she worked at a software firm before eventually retiring to raise her four children and become a professional writer. A member of several writing organizations, she judges numerous contests and mentors new writers. In addition to writing, she homeschools her children and serves with her husband in ministry.

Buried

Elizabeth Goddard

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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This is how we know what love is:

Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

—1 John 3:16

This story is dedicated to all the true heroes in the world—men and women who risk their lives for others.

It takes many people to write a novel and I thank my wonderful and amazing family first and foremost—my husband and children who let me spend hours far away from them in another world. Thanks to Shannon McNear—you are always there for me! I couldn’t do it without you, friend. Writer friends Kathleen Y’Barbo Miller and Kellie Gilbert assisted me in figuring out my legal matters. I especially appreciate the technical expertise from my new friends in Juneau. I couldn’t have come close to getting things right without the time and detail they offered. Bill Glude of the Alaska Avalanche Center, Doug Wessen, president of the Mountain Rescue Association, and my friend who works for the US Forest Service in Juneau.

If I got anything wrong, that’s all on me, but remember, I write fiction, and I created a whole new town.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

Acknowledgments

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

EPILOGUE

Dear Reader

Questions for Discussion

Extract

Copyright

ONE

Mountain Cove, Alaska, North of Juneau

Gasping for breath, Leah Marks ran for her life, working her way through the deep snow from last night’s winter storm, the semiautomatic in her pocket pressing into her side. What she wouldn’t give for a pair of snowshoes.

How had Detective Snyder found her here?

At least she’d seen him from a distance, giving her a few more precious seconds to make a run for it. She had to escape. She wouldn’t use her weapon against him unless she had no other choice. Shooting a police detective, even if he was a dirty cop and a killer, wouldn’t win her any points no matter which way you looked at it.

Approaching Dead Falls Canyon, she left the tree line and took the biggest steps she could, her hips aching with the effort. She couldn’t outrun him this way, but she reassured herself with the fact that he struggled with the same obstacles.

The deep snow would hide the hazards, and Leah counted on that. As she made her way, a snowcapped Mount McCann loomed in her peripheral vision. She’d spent enough time on the ski patrol in the Cascades during her college days to recognize the avalanche risk was high.

As she entered the danger zone, a glance over her shoulder told her Snyder was gaining on her. As strong as she was, she couldn’t keep up this pace, and as if to confirm the thought, she stumbled headlong into the powder. Leah grappled and fought her way out, gulping panic with each breath.

With her fall, she’d have to turn and face him much sooner than she’d hoped. Leaving town and hiding in an off-grid cabin in Alaska hadn’t bought her enough time. Hadn’t bought her safety.

“Leah!” he called, his voice much too close.

Heart hammering, she turned to stand her ground. Stared into his stone-cold eyes. Breathing hard, he flashed a knife as he approached; smirking because he’d finally cornered her.

Dressed to kill, he was in black from head to toe—a dead giveaway against the white-carpeted mountains.

So that’s what death looked like.

Funny that she’d worn white camouflage hoping to remain hidden, for all the good that had done.

Cold dread twisted up her spine. She thrust her hand into her pocket to reach for her weapon.

It was gone.

No! She must have lost it when she’d fallen. Snyder now stood between her and the snow she’d crushed with her tumble. Between her and her gun.

“Give me what I want, Leah.” His dark eyes flashed from the opening in his ski mask.

“Why? So you can kill me like you killed Tim?” She had no idea what Snyder wanted from her, what he thought she had, but she’d witnessed him commit murder. No way would he let her live.

A thunderous snap resounded above them.

A crack appeared in the white stuff beneath Leah Marks’s boots.

The ground shifted.

Before she could react, before she could think, the avalanche swept her away—swept Snyder away, too—along with everything she’d been taught about how to survive. Carried away by a daunting, crushing force, heavy and swift to kill, she was helpless to stop the power that gripped her with icy fingers.

Roared in her ears.

Terror seized her as the megaton of white powder ushered her along to a frozen grave, an untimely death, as though she was nothing more than a twig. One brutal way to die had been exchanged for another.

And then...

Her body slowed before easing to a stop. The snow settled and held her inside.

Frozen silence encased her, shrouded her in muted gray light.

Think. What did she do now? Something. There was something she must do and she must be quick. To act before the snow compressed around her.

Fear temporarily gave way to determination as survival tactics filled her thoughts. She took in a breath to expand her chest, give her breathing room. With her left hand near her face, she scooped snow away from her mouth and nose before it hardened completely. These things she did while thrusting her arm toward the surface in what she thought was the right direction. If only she could breach the packed snow and force her hand through. Before she could complete that one last task, increasing her chance of survival, it was all over. There was no more give to the snow—it had locked into place.

Buried alive. She couldn’t move.

Icy grayness weighed on her.

She wouldn’t dig her way out of this one. She hadn’t planned for things to turn out this way. Panic the likes of which she’d never known choked her, compelling her to gasp for air.

That would kill her faster. She had to conserve her oxygen.

Inhale...exhale...

Minutes. She had minutes, if that, thanks to the small air pocket she’d created. She’d been given another chance to live, one small chance in a million. Or maybe she would die, but at least Snyder wouldn’t be the one to kill her.

Calming her breaths, she prayed someone would find her in time.

But if that prayer was answered by the wrong someone...

She was dead anyway.

* * *

From the helicopter, Cade Warren stared at the northeast face of Mount McCann, struggling to remember the innocence and joy of a carefree childhood spent in the mountain’s shadow. But the images from two days ago still haunted him.

Snowboarders out seeking a thrill. Kids who believed they were invincible. By the time they’d called him to assess the avalanche danger for a search and rescue team, the victims were already dead.

Beside Cade, his friend and coworker Isaiah Callahan flew the helicopter deep into the hidden mountain crags.

Cade scraped a hand over his rough jaw. They did more searching than rescuing.

He pushed the thought away, reminding himself that that wasn’t what they were there for this time. Today they were supposed to forecast the mountain, assess the avalanche threat in their roles as avalanche specialists.

“I don’t get it,” Cade said. “Why don’t people read the forecasts?”

“They read them.” Isaiah directed the helicopter to the right, angling a little too sharply for comfort. “They think it won’t happen to them.”

People didn’t want to pay attention, which was why Cade’s father had always struggled to get enough funding for the Mountain Cove Avalanche Center he’d founded. With his death, his father’s frustration had now become Cade’s.

The death tolls this week had been brutal, making Cade even more determined to do his job. He turned his attention back to the mountain. In the distance he could see the glaciers spilling from the Juneau Icefield.

Strange that in spite of all his expertise, his father had died in an avalanche, trying to rescue someone. Cade was still trying to make sense of it all.

The one thing he knew was that his father had a reputation with the town of Mountain Cove as a real hero—a reputation that Cade strived to earn for himself. But he doubted he’d ever come close to being the hero his father had been.

“So far we have what—two hundred potential snow slides?” Isaiah asked.

Before he could answer, Cade’s pager went off. He pulled it from its clip and looked at the screen.

This is a callout for SAR on an avalanche in Dead Falls Canyon...two victims. Meet at Crank Point. Respond on Code One frequency... Case No. 5547.

Cade stiffened. Not another one. He glanced at Isaiah. “Dead Falls Canyon. We can get there in time.”

His pulse ratcheted up.

Maybe today he could make a difference.

Isaiah grinned his agreement and steered the helicopter east. First responders rarely made it in time to dig someone out of an avalanche. Cade and Isaiah were already in the air, near the avalanche.

They could serve as the immediate action team.

While Isaiah flew them over the harsh winter terrain of the backcountry, Cade communicated their plans, even as he wondered how and why someone would be in the remote area, especially after last night’s storm.

The call had come in three minutes ago. Cade set his stopwatch to track the critical first fifteen minutes. They only had twelve left, if the witness had made the call immediately. Cade went over a list in his head, glad they always carried equipment in the helicopter for such an occasion. Probe. Shovel. And they each wore a transceiver at all times, in case the unthinkable happened and the helicopter crashed. There was also bivouac gear in the event they were stranded on the mountain.

Maybe today would be the day he could save a life instead of recover a body.

Eight minutes.

Cade tensed, praying that the area would be stable, that he would know where to search. Even if they arrived in time, there were safety issues to consider. They’d need to examine the crown and path for debris, look for ski poles, gloves, goggles—anything that might tell them where to look.

Right around the ridge, Dead Falls Canyon came into view—a deep chasm, rugged and lethal, in the heart of avalanche country. Cade tensed at the ominous sight. Breath forced from his chest as though he were the victim crushed in the slide.

Isaiah sucked in air. “A big one.”

“No kidding.” Cade looked at the crown where the avalanche began, then down over the resulting debris field. “Six, seven hundred feet wide. Eight hundred long.”

“Could be ten, twelve feet deep in some places, Cade. What do you want to do?”

“Get me down there.”

“You sure it’s safe?”

Is it ever? But whoever was buried, if they were still alive, would die if he didn’t do something now. He hadn’t been there to save his father that day and he’d never forgiven himself.

“I’ll take my chances.” Five minutes left on the stopwatch.

He swallowed. It could take him longer than that to find the victim much less dig them out.

“Someone’s waving at us down there,” Isaiah said.

“The witness,” Cade mumbled under his breath when he spotted someone layered in winter wear. He wasn’t digging, but maybe he could give a few more details about where the victims were last seen on the slope.

“There’s no place to land here,” Isaiah pointed out, hovering the helicopter over the snow. “I’ll need to toe in, touch one ski down while you grab your gear. I’ll find somewhere to land, if possible, and hike over to help you.”

Cade stared at his friend—a man he’d grown close to over the past three years. “Don’t set her down. Don’t even think about joining me until you assess the avalanche danger.”

Isaiah didn’t have a degree in glaciology like Cade. Didn’t have the years of training under a mentor like Cade’s father that Cade had.

Of the two of them, Cade was far better prepared—and it still might not be enough. At thirty-three, he didn’t have near the experience or training he needed. He’d lost his father much too soon.

“Understood?” Cade stared him down.

“Aye, aye, captain.” Isaiah saluted him.

Three minutes.

Isaiah touched the helicopter down long enough for Cade to grab the trauma kit, gear up with his equipment and step out. The landing zone was tight, and Cade kneeled next to the helicopter, the whop-whop-whop of the rotor blades drowning out all other sounds. He gave Isaiah the thumbs-up and watched the helicopter lift off and away.

The witness headed in Cade’s direction and, in turn, he hurried toward the man, hoping to get the needed information. In the meantime he turned his beacon from transmit to receive and prayed for a signal.

Cade wanted to know what the witness was doing out here in the first place when the avalanche danger was considerable, but there was no time. Two lives were in the balance.

His ski mask hiding everything but his eyes, the man pointed to a place between the trees a few yards away. Not good. “Over there. I think I saw them—a man and a woman—go down, but it’s hard to tell where they ended up.”

Knowing the range of his beacon, Cade nodded and hurried to where the man pointed, moving down the center of the debris field, listening, looking for that life-saving signal. And then he locked on to that precious sound.

There was a chance...

He marked the spot.

Please, God, let me save this one.

He’d trained for this moment so many times—learned how to locate a beacon and dig quickly. He knew how to assemble his probe without wasting precious seconds. But rarely had he had the chance to use this particular set of skills with the real possibility of finding a survivor.

Two minutes...

Cade hoped to be a hero today, even though he’d never live up to his father’s reputation. Pulse pounding, he reined in his chaotic thoughts, shut out the fear and panic. Stayed focused on the tried-and-true rescue strategies that worked.

Heart bursting, he assembled his probe—an eight-foot collapsible rod. He drove it into the packed snow, hoping to feel something—someone—beneath the surface. He kept searching and probing until finally the probe hit what felt like pay dirt only a few feet down.

A few feet and not ten or twelve or twenty.

God, please...

He tossed his probe to the man who’d witnessed the avalanche. “Start probing for the other victim.”

Cade’s breath hitched as he thrust the shovel into the snow, hoping he’d made the right decision to send the other man away. Then Isaiah appeared by Cade’s side and helped with the digging.

Within a couple of feet they reached a hand.

Thirty seconds left on the clock and counting...

Sweat poured from Cade in spite of the cold, in spite of the fact that he was in top physical condition for his job. Together, he and Isaiah created a tunnel into the snow, searching for the face that connected to the hand. No time to stop to check for a pulse when seconds counted.

There!

“Establish an airway, stat!”

They dug the snow out and away from the pinched features of a young woman so that she could breathe. Vivid blue-green eyes blinked up in surprise and relief, sending his heart into his throat. She was still alive—though he wasn’t done saving her yet. If they didn’t free her completely and soon, she could still die in her icy grave from hypothermia or internal bleeding. Also, Cade couldn’t forget she hadn’t been alone.

“You search for the other victim. I’ve got this,” Cade told Isaiah. “I could only get one beacon signal, though.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. I can dig her out.” But he couldn’t tolerate letting someone die when they could save both victims. Even though they’d passed the first fifteen minutes, victims had been known to survive up to two hours on rare occasions. For the first time in a long time, Cade was on the scene in time and every choice he made could save.

Or kill.

Isaiah left his side. From his peripheral vision, Cade saw him set his beacon and assemble his probe to search for the other victim. But where had their witness gone?

Great.

Failing to keep track of the witness would be a mark against him within the search and rescue team ranks.

No time to worry about him. Cade stared down into the air tunnel and concentrated on digging out this survivor—fortunate beyond reason—careful to avoid collapsing the tunnel, the only thing keeping her alive.

TWO

Leah sucked in a breath, trying to push down the rising panic. Except for her right arm, she couldn’t move her body. But at least she could breathe. She blinked up at her rescuer—warmth and respite spilling from his determined eyes, the fierce green of a country spring in the mountains. Streaks of snow clung to his coffee-colored, wavy hair, and though he looked a little rough around the edges, he wasn’t Snyder—the man who needed her dead.

Relief filled her and overflowed in an exhale accompanied by a few whimpers. She hated the sound, hated the weakness it conveyed. If she were standing right now, her legs would quiver, unable to hold her weight.

“It’s okay. You’re going to be fine. I’m digging you out now.” Though his eyes held an urgent and untempered concern, his smile reassured her. “My name’s Cade, by the way.”

That’s right, keep talking in those soothing tones.

Cade, wearing the usual thick snow-country gloves, breathed hard as he expertly thrust the snow shovel in and around her, moving the iced powder almost as efficiently as a mechanical snowplow. He’d uncovered her torso and had started digging out her legs.

“What’s your name?”

She wasn’t sure what name she could trust him with. She didn’t want anyone to know she was here, much less know her name. Telling this man could put him in danger, too. She’d been hiding in the remote wilderness cabin, in fact, when Detective Snyder had sniffed her out and come to kill her. Panic set in and she glanced around at her limited view. Where was he? Had he been buried, too?

Oh, God, please... But she hated herself for wishing him dead.

“It’s okay if you’re unable to give me your name,” he said.

He probably thought she was in shock. And she was.

“Is there someone I should call? Friends or family?”

“No.” Her cold answer iced over her heart. It wasn’t a lie.

“Can you tell me if you have any pain—how bad it is on a scale of one to ten?”

She felt numb and cold at the same time; stiff, as though rigor mortis had already set in. Oh, no...was she paralyzed? Had the impact broken her back?

With the shifting snow she tried to move her body. Her legs responded. Thank You, God. And there wasn’t any pain.

“No, I don’t think I’m injured. I don’t know.” How could she be sure if something hurt until she was completely free? She felt so numb, she couldn’t really tell.

His chuckle lightened the seriousness of her near death. By the look in his eyes, that had been his intention. She liked his laugh, but it was hard to trust, even in someone who had rescued her.

“Almost there.” He threw the shovel aside and began scooping snow away from her back and legs.

Leah shifted and moved, and the sheer freedom of that act left her with the daunting awareness that she’d almost died on this mountain today—twice. The thought pressed in on her, suffocating her. This man digging her out only knew the half of it.

As she started to climb to freedom, Cade grabbed her and gently lifted her out as though she weighed nothing at all. He then set her to the side, away from the hole that had almost been her tomb.

“You sure nothing’s broken?” He assessed her limbs with practiced skill.

Again she moved her arms and legs. “No, nothing’s broken. Nothing’s crushed inside or I’d be in pain, wouldn’t I?”

He pulled something from a pack—a thermal blanket—and wrapped it around her. Crouched next to her, he wouldn’t stop staring at her, until finally Leah had to look away.

“You’re more fortunate than you know.” The solemn tone of his voice pulled her gaze up.

She figured he’d ask her why she was skiing in the back country with the avalanche danger high, but he didn’t even ask her what had happened to her skis. She hadn’t been skiing, so didn’t have any, of course, but she had no idea how she’d explain her presence here if pressured.

Cade frowned and stood tall, squinting as he skimmed the slope behind Leah. “What can you tell me about your friend? The man you were with?”

Leah’s heart stuttered. She forced a calmness into her expression she didn’t feel. “What man? I wasn’t with anyone.” True enough.

What am I doing? Why lie about Snyder now? Confusion crept over her like the cold trying to slip into the thermal blanket. She wasn’t sure how to handle this. But one thing she felt all the way to her chilled core: she wasn’t out of danger yet.

Snyder might not be working alone. That meant she had to stay on her guard and she couldn’t trust anyone. Until she discovered why he’d killed Tim that night and what he wanted from Leah besides her life, she couldn’t be safe. That meant she needed to disappear again somehow. And when she was gone, the less people in this area knew about her or what had happened to her, the better.

Cade stared down at her, his pensive gaze taking her in once again, wringing her insides as though he’d have the truth from her.

“Okay, then,” he said. “There was a witness—someone who’d seen the avalanche and called it in. He reported seeing a man and woman go under. We have another victim out here somewhere, and I need to help find him. If you think you’re not hurt, and are able, you can search, too. There’s only me and my partner until another team arrives, but they’ll take too long. And our witness seems to have disappeared after pointing me in your direction.”

What? He had no idea what he asked of her. How could she make herself help find the man who only moments before had tried to kill her?

Cade must have noticed her reaction. She saw suspicion in his eyes.

“Are you okay to rest here, then, while I help?”

No. She wasn’t okay. She didn’t want him to go. She hadn’t felt this safe, this secure, in so very long. And those things poured from this man. She’d never needed that before, and the realization stunned her. But she reminded herself she couldn’t afford to need anyone. To trust anyone. “Sure, I’ll be fine.”

“Someone will be here soon to evacuate you.”

Leah nodded and searched the canyon, reliving that moment only a few days ago when Detective Nick Snyder had shot and killed her boss, Tim Levins, in cold blood.

Tim was a lawyer and Leah was his legal investigator. She’d been leaving town that night for a three-week vacation. Tim had insisted she go and use the bonus he’d given her as thanks for her two years of service in his office. He’d bought her a present, too—a necklace that she’d forgotten on her desk in her rush to put everything in order before leaving. She’d stopped by the office late that night to pick it up, not wanting to hurt his feelings if he noticed that she’d left it behind.

Deep down, she knew she had wanted to stop by the office for more than just the necklace. She’d had a feeling something was wrong...that Tim had been trying to hide things from her. He’d been a little too insistent that she use the bonus to go on a long vacation. So she’d gone back to investigate.

She’d liked Tim, but thanks to the trauma of her childhood, she’d never met anyone she trusted, her lawyer boss included.

She’d arrived just in time to witness Tim’s murder. And Snyder—a decorated, trusted police detective and the town’s hero—had come for her.

So she’d disappeared on her own to figure it all out. It had seemed impossible that he’d find her in the remote cabin hidden deep in the Inside Passage of Alaska, hundreds of miles from Kincaid, the small town in the Seattle metropolis where she worked and lived.

Tim had recently inherited the cabin from a distant uncle. He’d wanted Leah to do some research for him regarding the man’s daughter, who Tim thought should have inherited the place. But the woman had vanished. With their case loads, researching anything about the cabin had been put on the back burner.

And when she’d known she had to run and hide, the cabin had been the perfect choice because she’d thought no one had known about the place or had any reason to connect it to her. That is, until she’d spotted Snyder at the cabin.

Until she found out why he’d killed Tim, she couldn’t be sure Snyder had been acting alone, which meant Leah didn’t know who she could turn to with what she’d seen. There could be others in the department who could make her disappear.

Pulling the thermal blanket tighter, she tried to ward off the double chill that told her she wasn’t out of danger, even if Snyder died on the mountain today.

* * *

Cade and Isaiah were still fruitlessly probing for the other avalanche victim when the whir of an additional helicopter echoed beyond the spruce trees covered in white icing. The second mountain rescue team had arrived.

He glanced up the hill at Isaiah who gave a shake of his head. By this time, it was highly unlikely the second victim would survive.

Disappointment corded through Cade and pulled tight. He glanced over to where rescue team members were already preparing to evacuate the woman and reminded himself that he’d succeeded, at least, in saving her. This could have turned out much differently for her. They could be placing her in a body bag right now, as they might be doing in a few minutes when they discovered the other victim. His chances of survival after all this time were almost zero. But they would continue the search for as long as they could safely do so.

Cade’s thoughts tracked back to the five snowboarding victims.

Five body bags.

Earlier in the week Cade and Isaiah had hiked into the backcountry to out-of-the-way paths in the higher elevations. On the north ridge they’d found packed cornices—heavy snow blown in by the wind and overhanging a ridge. After dozens of compression tests to determine the strength or weakness of the snow layers, Cade had been ready to call it a week when they’d received the callout for the snowboarders.

Before the mountain rescue team had even been able to begin searching for the snowboarders, Cade and Isaiah had tossed scores of explosives to trigger the snow that remained above the avalanche—the hangfire snow. Stabilizing the area so that the mountain rescue team could go in. All part of their jobs as avalanche specialists. That, and forecasting and educating the public. While rescuers had shoveled several feet of snow to uncover the victims, their hapless friends or family watching from the sidelines nearly always asked why this was happening to them.

There was no one standing on the sidelines today for either this woman or the other victim.

David, Cade’s older brother, was leading the second team. When he spotted Cade, he approached. “Tell me.”

Cade pointed to the debris field and explained what the witness had said. “We figured with the victim’s trajectory and where we found the woman, this would be the likely catchment area. But as you can see, we’re still probing.”

David grabbed Cade’s shoulder. “You did good, man. You saved someone today. You can take that to heart. Now go home and celebrate. We got this. We’re already setting up a probe line and shovel crew. Handlers are bringing the search and rescue dogs in, too.”

As David jogged through the snow to dole out instructions to his volunteer rescue team, Cade spotted Isaiah hiking toward him.

“Let’s get going. We need to finish our forecasting work before the sun goes down so there won’t be more victims.”

Cade wanted to stay and help. Isaiah must have sensed his hesitation. “You’re exhausted. We’re exhausted. You did what you could, Cade, and it worked. You saved that woman. There are plenty searching for the guy now. Forecasting the avalanche dangers, which is your primary job, saves lives. You can’t know how many lives, but you have to trust that it does.”

Isaiah’s words encouraged Cade. His friend was right. They had work to finish and he’d be in the office until late again, as it was. “I wanted it to be more.”

“I know you did, man. I know you did. I parked the helicopter over the ridge. Let’s go.”

Cade grabbed his gear and followed Isaiah, trudging through the snow that less than an hour before had turned brutal and lethal. More often than not, they had to cart victims—or bodies—out of the area on snowmobiles and toboggans because there wasn’t any helicopter access. This time they had two helicopters—though Isaiah’s was a single-engine R22—and a survivor. The R22 could only accommodate two passengers, so Cade might have had to wait around or hike down on his own while Isaiah evacuated the survivor if not for the medevac.

Cade still didn’t know her name. Strange that she’d seemed hesitant to tell him what it was. But she’d been through an ordeal and he’d given her the benefit of a doubt.

They topped the ridge and spotted the R22 and the medevac that provided both medical attention and transported mountain rescue teams as necessary.

The woman climbed into the medevac, her ash-blond hair with golden streaks half hidden under the blanket covering her shoulders. When he’d found her, tunneled through to her, he’d been stunned at the blue-green eyes staring back at him—the crystal purity he’d seen there. Like a tomb raider, he’d pulled her from the snow-laden crypt and it was then that he’d noticed the rest of her face. She had a clean, natural look. No makeup hiding flaws. She had an open, honest look—like someone with nothing to hide.

If only he could believe it were true. She’d winced when he’d asked her about the other person with her; denied she’d known anything about another victim. She’d been hiding something.

He hated the images that accosted him at that moment. Images of his fiancée with another man. They’d been caught in a situation that required a rescue, revealing her deception. Cade had been devastated that day. Even now his heart was still too strung out to think about loving again and he couldn’t stop himself from looking at this woman with suspicion.

Normally he wouldn’t concern himself too much with whether or not someone he’d helped was deceiving him. After all, it wasn’t as though he usually knew any of them well. It wasn’t until a victim teetered on the precipice between this life and the next that Cade met them, which only made sense. But then he never saw them again. He liked it that way. Better to keep his distance. He’d rescued them. End of story. They didn’t need him anymore anyway.

His throat twisted tight. He couldn’t understand why he didn’t want this to be the last time he saw this woman. Then again it had been too long since he’d rescued someone buried alive in an avalanche. Too long since he’d seen a positive outcome. Maybe that explained it.

With no relatives or friends to call, she had that proverbial deer-in-the-headlights look about her. Well, who wouldn’t after being buried alive? But Cade couldn’t shake the sense that she was afraid, scared of something or someone that had nothing at all to do with the avalanche.

He had a feeling he wasn’t done with this rescue.

Cade trudged forward and chided himself. He was probably reading way too much into things. He was tired and distracted and too suspicious for his own good. He tugged his gloves off. At the very least, Cade would deliver her home. Wherever that was.

He grabbed Isaiah’s arm as the medevac rotors started up. “Nothing personal, but you mind if I ride with them?”

“Instead of with me? Thought we were going to finish the assessments?”

“I think we’ve done all the assessments we’re going to do of the mountain today. You have about enough time before dusk to fly back to the center. Anyway, the avalanche gives us a good assessment of the instability. I’ll do the reports back at the center, so you don’t have to.”

Isaiah saluted and gave a crooked grin. “Have it your way. So, what is your evaluation of the instability?”

“The danger is high.”

THREE

“I need to get a brief medical history, ma’am.” The medic sat next to Leah inside the helicopter. “Take your vitals again. They’ll do a full assessment at the hospital. Your name and age?”

“Twenty-nine.” She didn’t want to give her name; didn’t want it surfacing in the computer system. She wanted to be invisible. To disappear. “But I’m fine. I don’t need to go to the hospital.”

He frowned, but didn’t push her on that or her name. He went through a list of questions, which she answered, portraying a healthy medical history. When he cuffed her for blood pressure, Leah sighed.

Please, just leave me alone.

She needed space. Time to think about what had happened. About what to do next. She inhaled a breath to calm the turmoil rising inside.

I’m alive.

She should be grateful for small things. For this moment. That she was alive, thanks to God. And to the man who had believed he’d find someone beneath the snow on a backcountry strip of a lost canyon.

“Looks good.” The medic packed his equipment away. “Still, you should go to the hospital for a complete exam. Make sure I didn’t miss anything. Internal bleeding or a concussion could be serious.”

“Thanks. I’m fine.”

He promised to return in a few minutes and hopped from the helicopter.

Maybe he was going to check on the other victim. See if the helicopter was free to whisk her off the mountain. Had they recovered Snyder? Leah’s heart stammered at the thought of Snyder, alive or dead. The whole situation filled her with fear.

She strapped herself into the seat, as though it would protect her from whatever would come of it all, the events of the past few hours—past few days—blowing through her thoughts and twisting into a tight knot. For this moment in time—this one moment—she was safe inside this helicopter.

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

The deafening whir of the medevac’s blades started up. A familiar voice resounded over the obnoxious sound. Leah opened her eyes to see Cade—the man had stepped from her thoughts into the helicopter. He sent an assessing glance her way and spoke to the pilot, who nodded. Cade closed the door and took the seat next to her, strapping in. A few moments later the medic climbed aboard and sat next to the pilot.

Cade looked at her, that concerned yet calm, soothing expression she’d seen when he was digging her out now gone, replaced by something she couldn’t read. “Hi.”

“Hi,” she said.

Closing the helicopter’s door had turned down the volume of the rotors, but not by much. Did the relative quiet mean she might have to talk to Cade? What did he want from her? Had he seated himself next to her to gather more information such as, say, her name? Or for some unrelated reason?

“You never told me your name.”

Leah sighed and looked out the window, away from him. She would only make him suspicious if she didn’t answer, didn’t give him at least this much of the truth. “Leah. Leah Marks.”

She would be forever grateful to him, but she reminded herself not to take his rescue too personally—that was part of his job. He was likely a volunteer as most were. Men and women from all walks of life who gave up their time and their own hard-earned dollars to rescue people who too often made life-endangering mistakes while hiking, climbing or skiing.

Her knowledge from her ski patrol experience had made her aware of the avalanche risk today, but she’d had no choice but to run straight into the danger zone. The way things had unfolded seemed surreal. The avalanche had prevented Snyder from harming her.

She wanted to relax and breathe, but she couldn’t think she was home free yet.

The helicopter lifted up and away. Leah shifted in her seat to peer out the window, the sun beginning its dive toward the horizon. Darkness would overtake the rescuers soon. Cade leaned over her, a little too closely, to look out the window on her side. She smelled the faded remnants of a musky aftershave overshadowed by the outdoors—evergreens and mountain air and something entirely masculine.

It made her uncomfortable. She wanted him to move away.

He pointed out the window. “Look, you can see displaced snow from the crown and the path. That’s the avalanche that took you down.”

The width and breadth... The whole side of the mountain appeared to have caved in, flattened by snow. Looking like ants from this distance, people were searching for the other victim. For Snyder.

Her ribs contracted. Feeling her lips tremble, Leah slid her hand over her mouth. How had she ever survived that? She knew...she knew exactly how.

She knew exactly who.

Slowly she turned her eyes to look into Cade’s. His face was still much too close, making it hard for her to remember to breathe. The burn started behind her eyes and she blinked at the moisture. That same look of concern she’d seen when he’d first pulled her from the snowy depths pulsated there again.

“Thank you.” The whisper creaked from her lips.

His half grin spread wider. “You’re very welcome.”

The sound of his voice was comforting—too comforting. She knew better than to trust anyone, especially now. Besides, men were louses. She’d seen the way they’d treated her mother, learning that much at an early age. Every person was only out for themselves. Even someone like Cade.

He eased away from her and Leah breathed easier.

“About the other victim, what are his chances?” With this question, Leah’s pulse thundered in her ears.

She already knew, of course, but she needed to hear it from Cade. Wanted to know that she was at least free from Snyder. And yet part of her knew she should hope and pray he survived. That she could somehow bring him to justice. But the thought of Snyder alive and well, tracking her down, plotting the best way to kill her and leave no trace, terrified her.

Her question had apparently affected Cade, as well. He leaned forward, dropping his head into his hands. Then, just as abruptly, he sat up, wiping them down his face. Obviously losing someone to an avalanche upset the guy. As though he felt he was somehow responsible.

Leah didn’t know what came over her, but she slipped her hand over his. “You did what you could. Maybe they’ll find him in time.” Oh, why had she said that?

Though he left his hand in place under hers, Cade relaxed his head into the seat back. “His chances aren’t very good. I’m sorry.”

He was sorry—she could hear it in his voice, see it in his expression.

He didn’t know what she knew. The victim was a murderer. How she hated to see Cade suffer through the agony of believing he’d let someone down because he hadn’t saved a man today. Maybe she could ease that pain by telling him the man had stalked her, wanted to kill her. Then again, Cade didn’t seem like the kind of guy who wanted to play God, deciding who should live and who should die.

Regardless of Cade’s answer, fear that Snyder or someone involved with him was still out there waiting to kill her clawed across her thoughts.

* * *

For a moment Cade had felt like some sort of superhero or something, filled with elation that he’d rescued Leah. Her question had knocked him back to earth.

Leah finally took her hand back from where she’d covered his. Showing him compassion, she’d only meant to help, but she couldn’t understand how her simple touch had moved him.

He didn’t understand it. He didn’t want to be moved. Didn’t think it could happen.

And then he remembered looking into her crystal-clear eyes from the snow—a life hanging in the balance.

She’d moved him, all right.

For a million reasons he hadn’t figured out yet and some reasons he might already know.

He’d been untouchable since Melissa’s betrayal. And the pain of his father’s untimely death while saving old Devon Hemphill, a man his father had quarreled with for the better part of his life... Cade had no words. Even at the thought of the loss, his heart recoiled.

He stared out his own window now, studying the terrain, looking at the cornices and the buildup of windswept snow after the storms. All death traps waiting to be sprung. The helicopter carried them away from the canyon and Mount McCann and would set them down at the Incident Command Center location.

Leah seemed happy that Cade had left her to her thoughts. She had to be exhausted. Did she have any idea how fortunate she’d been?

God had intervened on this one, Cade was sure. Something Cade rarely saw anymore, which made him wonder about God sometimes.

“We’ll land at the Incident Command Center for coordinating the avalanche rescue and recovery,” he informed her. “They’ll want to take you to the hospital to get things checked out.”

She shook her head.

Cade had expected that reaction. “Listen, when I was digging you out, you mentioned you had no family or friends for me to call. I need to make sure you get home safely. That is, after your visit to the ER. The hospital staff needs to thoroughly check you out.”

“That’s not necessary. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“You might be injured and not even know it.”

“The medic already checked me out and said I was fine. I don’t need anything else.”

Cade knew what the guy had told Leah. Too bad he was up with the pilot, wearing a headset and oblivious to their conversation. Why didn’t she want to go to the hospital? “Look, at least let me give you a ride home.”

“Thanks, but I can get myself home.”

“Really?” Dusk clamping down on them, Cade shifted in his seat to face her full on. “Because unless you parked your vehicle at the ICC, you’ll need a ride somewhere.”

Leah blew out a breath. “You’re persistent, aren’t you?”

“What kind of rescue is it if you can’t get a decent ride home?” He was only being courteous. That’s all this was, wasn’t it?

Part of him liked Leah, sure—he’d admit that. He should stay far away from her on that reason alone, except that same feeling came back to him that he’d had before. He sensed that something was terribly wrong. That he shouldn’t let her vanish into the night. He wasn’t done with this rescue.

He almost wanted to roll his eyes at his own thoughts—he thought much too highly of his ability to assist people.

“Listen, Cade...”

Anything prefaced with those words couldn’t be good. Had he given her the wrong idea? That had to be it. But he had a strange feeling that he’d given her exactly the right idea about his interest in her—and he couldn’t be interested, not in that way. How did he protect himself and protect her? Especially when she clearly didn’t want his help or protection.

“I’m listening.”

“I like you.” She paused, appearing to measure her next words. “It’s just that I’m not in a place in my life right now to have friends, especially someone...”

She left the sentence hanging and Cade wondering what she had planned to say about him. She obviously had thoughts about him one way or another; she had been thinking about him. Even in the dimming light of day at only four o’clock Alaska time, Cade noticed the rush of color to her beautiful, nature-girl face. He’d be a jerk if he told her now that he wasn’t interested.

Cade held up his hands in mock surrender. “Point taken. But I’m only trying to wrap up your rescue and leave you safe and sound at home. If not me, then let someone else deliver you there.”

Passing her off to someone else to help her was for the best.

“I’m in a cabin up by Dover Creek. Not far from—”

“Dead Falls.” Where the avalanche happened today. “I know the place.”

All too well.

After her insistence that he stay out of her business, he was surprised she’d told him where she was staying. Acid burned through him. Though that explained what she was doing in the avalanche area, it didn’t explain why she was in old Devon Hemphill’s abandoned cabin. When Devon had died not long after Cade’s father had saved him, he’d taken with him the chance for Cade to get answers to his questions as to why his father had given his life to save the man he’d always seemed to hate. Could the answers be hidden somewhere in that cabin? Was he supposed to meet Leah for that very reason?

“You said there was a witness who called to let you know about the avalanche.” Her shaky voice weaved through his tumultuous thoughts and pulled him back to the present.

“Hmm?” He turned to face her again, her question sinking in. “Yeah. He pointed to where he’d seen you and the other man, and that helped me to pinpoint where to search for a beacon signal.”

Which reminded him. “You wore a beacon. Smart girl. But you weren’t wearing skies or snowshoes, unless the snow slide stripped them from you.” He was probing, now, hoping she’d tell him why she’d been out there. People didn’t usually hike or ski the backcountry in the winter alone. It was stupid and dangerous, even if she was staying in a nearby cabin. She’d told him that she didn’t know the victim, so why had she been out there alone? For that matter, why would the other victim be out there alone?

Things didn’t add up. Her story didn’t fit. Maybe it wasn’t his business, but he wanted to know what she was hiding.

“What else did he say?” She frowned.

Why would talking about the witness make her frown? Without that guy’s efforts, she wouldn’t have survived.

“His call about the avalanche and the information he gave us saved you. I guess you could say he was the real hero today, whoever he was,” Cade said. “After he pointed me in your direction, there wasn’t time for much small talk. I asked him to help find the other victim, but by the time my partner got there, the man had bailed.”

“What did he look like?”

Cade stared, wondering why it mattered, if she’d been there alone as she’d claimed. Hadn’t seen anyone else, as she’d said. What was she digging for? Her questions spiked Cade’s curiosity even more.

“The witness,” she said again. “What did he look like? What was he wearing?”

He scratched his head. “Black. Everything black, including his ski mask. I could only see his eyes.”

Fear rippled across her face in a quiet shudder.

FOUR

He survived.

Everything tilted. Leah gripped the seat, unsure if Cade’s unwitting confirmation that Snyder had been the “witness” had sent her world spinning or if the helicopter had simply angled sharply.

Or did he have a coconspirator? She doubted that, whatever he was up to, he was working alone. It seemed too hard to pull off a cover-up as a detective without someone else watching your back. But that remained for her to investigate. Before today, she had seen no one else at the cabin. No one other than Snyder had pursued her. Unless there’d been someone else dressed exactly the same that happened to be in a position to witness the avalanche and make the call. That would be far too coincidental.

Pulse throbbing in her neck, Leah looked out the window and away from Cade. He was too perceptive and would see her distress. She’d held on to a sliver of hope that Snyder had been buried in the avalanche today. That would have at least bought her time to investigate, discover why Tim had been murdered and who else, if anyone, was involved, before she went to the authorities—the ones she could trust, anyway.

But now...she’d have to keep running for her life. Her nightmare wasn’t over, not by a long shot, and she doubted Snyder would give her much time before his next attack.

Images of him killing Tim in cold blood flashed through her thoughts. His words resounded in her head. “Give me what I want, Leah.”

He’d called for a rescue team. That he needed her alive was obvious. She’d thought he only wanted to kill her because she’d witnessed Tim’s murder, but his words on the mountain told a much different story.

No. He needed something from her first and then he’d kill her. An image of his knife flashed in her mind. Leah shuddered.

“Are you okay?” Cade asked.

What should she tell him? What explanation could she possibly give? The truth wasn’t an option.

“Leah, is everything all right?” he asked again.

Leah rubbed her arms. “I’m fine.” The events of the past few hours played through her thoughts, images of her icy tomb wrapping around her once again.

She’d come here to hide, to stay alive, to investigate Tim’s murder from a safe distance. But now she had to add one more thing to that list: finding out what Snyder wanted from her.

Thankfully, Cade seemed to sense her need to process everything because he didn’t ask more questions. The helicopter landed and Cade assisted her onto the pavement of the parking area swarming with emergency vehicles with flashing lights.

A rescue worker approached Cade. “A storm’s moving in.”

Cade frowned, eyeing Leah. “They’re giving up the search for the other victim then?”

“The incident commander suspended the search. He’ll reevaluate at first light,” the guy said, then left Cade alone with Leah.

“There’s no point in risking more lives.” Cade’s intense gaze studied Leah. “Unless they found something to indicate they were close to finding him. Skies, gloves or poles. Something like that.”

Her throat constricted. Shouldn’t she tell him that there wasn’t another victim? Except, what if she was wrong? What if Snyder had been buried in the avalanche? The witness had said there were two people who had gone down in the avalanche. If Snyder had survived and made that call, then why would he lie about the number of people needing rescue?

To throw her off? Maybe he believed that if she thought he was dead, she’d let down her guard so he’d have the advantage again. Leah wrapped her arms around herself, wishing she could tell Cade everything. But it wouldn’t help—they would still need to search for another possible victim if there was any chance someone was still trapped out there. Besides, she couldn’t tell anyone about her predicament. Not until she knew who she could trust.

Dropping her hands, she eyed the man who had pulled her out of the snow. He hovered over her as though he was afraid to let her out of his sight.

She didn’t need some overprotective rescuer getting involved in her life, putting himself in danger for her any more than he already had.

She needed to find a way to get her things from the cabin and get out. But as Cade had pointed out, she didn’t have her vehicle. It was parked in the shed at the cabin along with a snowmobile. Besides, the road would be treacherous and maybe unnavigable in the dark with the storm moving in.

At least Tim had paid some guy to keep the drive to the cabin plowed. There was only one way in and one way out and considering she had a killer after her, she liked it that way. But now that her hiding place had been discovered, she couldn’t afford to stay there.

“If you’re still willing to give me a ride back to the cabin, I could use that.”

He nodded, as if he’d only been waiting for her to see the obvious. “I know the road well. I can get you there.”

“I appreciate your help.” She hung her head. “I hope it’s not too much trouble.”

“I like to finish the job. Make sure you’re safe and secure, tucked away at home. The only problem is that with the storm coming in, I don’t know if that cabin is fully secure. You sure it’s a safe place to stay?” He lifted a brow.

No. But not for the reasons he might think. She held her hand to her forehead. “Look, I’m tired. I need to get back.” She wouldn’t call it home. Leah couldn’t return to her real home—a small apartment a few miles from Tim’s office. But one thing at a time. One day at a time. She had to survive this night first.

“Okay, then.” He watched her for a few seconds longer than necessary. What was he thinking? Then he turned his attention to finding a ride. He spoke with a police officer, and Leah stiffened. She turned away, concealing her shudder. Snyder had driven home her reasons to fear people who were sworn to protect. But then, her past had already done that for her. She’d watched helplessly from the sidelines as people sworn to protect had put an innocent woman in prison. Put her mother in prison.

Someone agreed to transport Cade and Leah to Cade’s vehicle. From there, he could take her to the cabin. She climbed into the backseat of the sedan, while Cade sat in the passenger seat. He and his buddy spent the drive talking about the avalanche. They didn’t engage her in their conversation, which was just as well. But she knew that wouldn’t last. Cade was all too clearly the inquisitive type. She couldn’t really hold it against him—she was the same way. It was one small part of why she’d become an investigator. But any digging that Cade did into her situation was only going to cause trouble for them both.

Once Cade got her alone, she had a feeling his interrogation would start. He was perceptive, and she’d read in his eyes that he had questions. She wasn’t sure how to evade them, but she had to try. She hadn’t done a good job of hiding her emotions, but maybe she could convince him that her state of mind was all due to the avalanche. Involving someone else in her dilemma, possibly putting them in danger, wasn’t something she would willingly do.

Leaning her head against the headrest, she closed her eyes. This brief respite, this was the first time in hours she could shut off what was going on around her, if only for a few moments, as Cade and his friend talked about the approaching storm. Another one. She thought that southeast Alaska, with the temperate rainforest, was supposed to be milder than interior Alaska. Maybe it was—but it sure didn’t seem that way to her.

Ignoring the words, she let Cade’s smooth voice wrap around her again, reminding her of when he’d spoken reassuringly to her as he’d dug her out. She couldn’t ignore that the whole rescue-hero thing was more than attractive. Add to that, the guy seemed so selfless. His concern for her, when he had no reason to care about her at all, was disconcerting. So unlike any of the men she’d known. But there had to be some reason she couldn’t trust him. Even if she didn’t know it yet, she’d find it. Men couldn’t be trusted—her boss and trusted hero Detective Nick Snyder were prime examples. This Cade guy had a secret, a side to him he kept well hidden.

Everyone did.

They arrived at the avalanche center, which shared space with other businesses in a five-story building along the main thoroughfare in Mountain Cove. Cade and Leah got out, and Cade thanked the guy for the ride before leading Leah to his vehicle.

It was only four-thirty in the afternoon in February, and the sun was already setting. She’d only had three days at the cabin, but had learned quickly how limited the daylight hours were in the dead of winter. Parking lot lights illuminated Cade’s big blue truck sitting at the side of the building along with other vehicles. But his was the only vehicle with a plow attached to the front.

She glanced at him and he shot her a grin. “I live up a long drive. It’s a little higher elevation than the town, and snows a lot more.”

Leah couldn’t help herself. She smiled back, the first genuine smile to cross her face in days. But she couldn’t let herself get too comfortable with him. She needed to vanish. Once he took her to the cabin, she could pack her stuff and leave.

Disappear.

If only there was another place on earth farther away than a lone, off-grid cabin in Alaska.

* * *

Sitting in the warm cab of his truck, Cade glanced at his passenger. He hated the awkward silence, but what had he expected?

Snow filled his headlights as he drove away from Mountain Cove on the one road out of town. The only problem was that the thirty-mile road didn’t go anywhere. Just came to an abrupt end. To say the town was isolated was an understatement, but this was southeast Alaska where “remote” took on a whole new meaning. The only way in and out of Mountain Cove was by boat, floatplane or helicopter.

At least Cade could get to the road to Devon’s cabin this way. Accessing most off-grid cabins required serious trekking by snowshoeing, skiing or snowmobiling for miles.

Up in the mountains, sometimes even the cabins got buried in the snow. That’s why uncertainty about Leah’s stay in the place gnawed at him. Devon had known how to dig himself out of the snow up there, but Leah looked like anything but a mountain girl.

It didn’t help that his protective instincts had kicked up a few notches after he’d pulled her from the snow, and they hadn’t shut down. No. In fact, if anything, the thought of her staying in that cabin in the heart of avalanche country—especially with another storm rolling in—put his protective instincts on high alert.

He reminded himself he didn’t know enough about her to make that kind of judgment call. She might be completely capable of handling a stay at the cabin during a harsh winter—and this one was certainly looking that way.

“You warm enough?” he asked. “Need more heat?”

“No, I’m good. Thanks.”

That was all she said. His neck tensed. How did he get her talking? He wanted her to open up for a lot of reasons. For one, he wanted to know what she’d been doing out there today. She’d almost died. The panic and fear he’d seen in her eyes was because she’d been shell-shocked from having barely survived an avalanche. But the natural disaster didn’t explain all of her reactions. When she’d asked about the witness, and he’d told her, she’d all but freaked out. He’d seen her eyes before she’d turned her face from him in an attempt to hide her reaction.

What was that about? Cade couldn’t shake the sense that she knew something vital she had no intention of sharing.

He pursed his lips and watched the road, the glow of the dash lights contrasting to the darkness outside. He had to be honest with himself. Sure, he wanted to help her, but he also wanted to know whatever Leah could tell him about Devon Hemphill and why she was in his cabin.

More than anything, he wanted answers to the story behind his father’s quarrel with the man. He wanted answers to explain the reasons behind his father’s tragic death. Those were answers he doubted he’d ever get. But he had to try. Leah might know something. She might be able to give him a clue.

When Cade finally made the turnoff to the cabin, he was surprised to see the drive had recently been plowed, but snow was already piling up again. He glanced at Leah. Maybe she was more capable than he’d given her credit for. Still the new snowfall would make the drive long and tedious.

He stopped.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Have to engage the plow.” He climbed out, lowered the blade and then got back in the truck, Leah watching him.

“So, I knew the guy who used to own the cabin where you’re staying. Devon Hemphill. You related to him or something?”

Leah stiffened and grabbed the armrest. Whether from the question or the slipperiness of the road, he couldn’t tell.

“A friend inherited the place. They are letting me stay for a little while.”

Cade glanced over again. A friend, huh? She conveniently left off if the friend was male or female. Not that it mattered to him. All he cared about was finding answers to his questions and making sure she was safe. He had a feeling, a very strong feeling, her life was in need of rescuing again. Cade scraped a hand down his face—was he even up to that task?

More importantly, did it matter if he wasn’t up to it? He couldn’t abandon someone who needed help. He just wished she’d tell him what was going on. Maybe if he gave up something private and personal, she would, too. Reach out to her and then she’d reach back. He could pull her the rest of the way.

What are you doing?

“Devon Hemphill and my father knew each other well.” Maybe a little too well. “They had an ongoing disagreement about something. I never could figure out what. It seemed to escalate as the years went by.”

He’d tried to ask about it so many times but all his father would tell him was to mind his own business. Completely out of character, considering Cade and his father were close. So Cade had tried to learn more by digging for answers in other ways, but none of them had panned out. “My father and I argued about that the day he died.”

“I’m sorry,” she said.

He waited, hoping for more.

“I didn’t get the chance to say anything else to him before he got the call for a search and rescue. Didn’t get the chance to say I was sorry.”

He kept his eyes on the road, reliving that day. In his peripheral vision he saw Leah watching him, waiting for the rest of the story. He wasn’t sure he could keep going, especially with a perfect stranger. But maybe that was exactly the person he could tell, say it out loud to. Face his battles head-on.

“The stranded person was Devon.”

Leah gave a slight gasp. “What happened?”

“I never saw my father alive again. Devon walked away and my father died during the rescue mission to save that man. A man he detested. I still don’t understood why.” Cade blinked back the memory of pulling his father’s body from the avalanche and pushed the rising anger down. “My father liked everyone, and was liked by everyone. Except Devon.”

He felt as though he’d said too much. But maybe in the telling he could stir things up and get information. “I never got an answer from Devon about what had happened between them, and then he died, leaving me with nothing but questions.”

“Now here I am, staying in his home,” she said.

Cade didn’t reply. It was her turn to talk.

When the truck’s high beams illuminated Devon’s cabin in the distance, Cade thought he saw someone in the trees behind the pile of old tires and barrels of diesel for the generator. Had to be the shadows dancing off his lights. Who would be out here at this hour in the middle of nowhere, especially with a storm moving in? Unless Leah wasn’t alone in the cabin. But that couldn’t be the case, could it? She’d told him there was no one he could call.

Stopping the truck at the end of the drive, he shifted into Park but left the motor idling. A soft glow emanated from one of the cabin windows. At least she wouldn’t have to enter a completely dark house, although she’d have to hike the final twenty-five yards. He couldn’t get the truck between those trees.

“And here we are at Devon’s once-empty cabin, now your vacation home away from home.” He repeated what she’d said earlier, thinking that might ignite more conversation on the topic. He hid a wince at the sound of his own gruff tone, which had been way more accusatory than he’d intended.

“Look, I didn’t happen upon the cabin and find it empty and decide to stay.”

Yeah, she’d heard it in his voice, too. “I didn’t mean to insinuate otherwise.” He blew out a breath, hoping she understood. “Thinking about everything that happened frustrates me in ways you can’t understand.”

“You’re wrong. I do understand. You blame yourself for your father’s death. You think you should have been with him that day.”

Cade nodded, surprised at her words. “If I had been, maybe he would still be alive.”

“Or maybe you would have died instead.” She stared at her hands in her lap. “I know how you feel. I have my own regrets. Things I wish I had done differently. But we can’t change the past.”

“No, we can’t.”

“I can’t help you find the answers, Cade, if that’s what you’re thinking. My friend who inherited the place never said anything about the man who used to live here. I’m sure he...doesn’t know. But I’m sorry you lost your father. I’m sure he was very proud to have a son like you.”

Her words were clearly meant to heal and reassure, but instead they scraped across his wound.

“I don’t know.”

Cade strived to live up to the kind of man his father was, but always felt as if he fell short. An awkward silence filled the cab again. He’d gotten too personal.

She clutched the door handle, glancing back at Cade. “Thank you for saving me today and for bringing me here.”

“Wait,” he said. “Are you sure you should stay here by yourself after the rough day you’ve had? Especially with the storm coming?”

“I’ll be fine, I promise.” Something contrary to her words flashed in her eyes.

Cade was skeptical, but what could he do? “I’ll come in and get the fire stoked.”

He shoved on his door and the cold air blasted into the cab of the truck, swirling icy snowflakes around them.

“No,” she said, the force of her words meant to convince. “No, Cade. Please, go home. You’ve done enough.”

Cade nodded reluctantly, recognizing when he’d been dismissed. He shut the door as she opened hers and stepped out.

Headlights illuminated the cabin while he continued to wait, thinking he’d watch her go safely inside. For the longest time, he’d been about saving people. She might have sent him away, but the anxiety lurking in the shadows of her blue-greens said she still needed his help.

How could he turn his head now? As long as he could keep his heart in a safe place.

Out of danger.

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