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  The first woman had wrapped her arms around him and was holding on for dear life. He only hoped the other woman was secure on the seat, as well. The gunmen couldn’t go very fast pursuing them on foot. The route he took on the snowmobile to the family cabin was over the mountain, not on the road, so they wouldn’t be able to follow along in the car. Chances were the men would take whatever was of value in the women’s car and head straight out to the highway.

  They traveled in ever increasing cold, wind and snow for about twenty minutes. He felt a gentle pounding on his shoulder and brought the snowmobile to a stop, but let it idle.

  He flipped up his visor. “Yes.”

  “Where are you taking us?” Fear saturated the woman’s voice.

  She was probably wondering if she had just gotten out of one dangerous situation only to land in another.

  “Sorry, I was kind of focused on getting you away from the gunfire. We’ll go to my cabin. It’ll be safe there. We’ll call the police. I have a truck. I can take you into town to the police station to file a report. Maybe they can catch these guys before they get too far.”

  Her response came after a long pause. “Okay.”

  She didn’t sound totally convinced, but what choice did she have? Going back to the cars was unwise, and they couldn’t stay on the side of the mountain with the wind and snow blowing at them.

  “It’s going to be okay,” he said, hoping to lessen her anxiety.

  By the time they reached the cabin a few minutes later, the storm had become full blown. Tiny sword-like snowflakes came at him sideways. Air seemed to freeze in his lungs.

  He brought the snowmobile to a stop, took off his helmet and leaned very close to the woman in purple to shout into her ear. “You and your friend go on inside. The door is unlocked. I’ve got to put the snowmobile away.” He pointed toward the cabin twenty feet away and almost not visible through the blowing snow. “Get warmed up.”

  After watching them safely enter, he put the snowmobile in the three-sided shed then stumbled toward the house, reaching out for the rough pine stairs.

  He pushed open the door. The two women huddled by the dying fire, bent over and shivering. Both were wearing dressy winter coats, fine for a church service, but nothing that would keep them warm in this kind of weather. They needed to thaw out from the ride on the snowmobile before they headed down the mountain to the police station.

  Nathan stoked the fire and threw on another log. From the guest room, he retrieved blankets for them. He placed the blanket over the shoulders of the woman who wore purple.

  She pulled her long strawberry-blond hair free of the blanket and whispered, “Thank you.”

  The other woman stared at the floor as though she weren’t seeing it. He had worked ten years as a paramedic straight out of high school. His job had taught him a few things about people’s responses to violent crime or any kind of trauma. The blonde would come out of the shock in time. He just needed to keep talking to them, pulling them away from the memory of the violence and back into this safe part of the world.

  “How about I get you guys some hot tea? I’m Nathan, by the way.”

  “Tea sounds nice.” The strawberry blonde lifted her head and looked at him. “I’m Merci and this is Lorelei. We’re students at Montana State in Bozeman.” He liked the trust he saw in Merci’s eyes. At least she had come around.

  “Well, Merci, it’s going to be okay. Soon as you are warmed up, we’ll call the police, go into town and get this taken care of,” he said.

  Nathan went into the kitchen and prepared two cups of tea. They really needed to get moving, but neither of the women was in the state of mind emotionally or physically for a ride down the mountain. It wouldn’t hurt to give them a few minutes to recover.

  The blonde didn’t take the cup when he offered it, so he placed it on the table beside her before returning to the kitchen to clean up. A moment later, when he peeked out, he watched Merci gently place the steaming mug in her friend’s hand and encourage her to sip.

  He stared at the storm through the window as he made his way back through the living room. With the amount of snow falling and the intense wind, visibility had been reduced.

  “I suppose we should make that call to the police,” Nathan suggested. “The sooner we get this done, the faster the police will be looking for the guys that robbed you.”

  Merci set her empty cup down. The color had come back into her face, and her eyes looked brighter. She was kind of pretty. Lorelei had at least raised her head and taken a few sips of tea. The almost invisible freckles on Merci’s cheekbones and her white eyelashes gave her a soft, translucent quality, like a water color painting.

  Lorelei shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself. “I don’t want to talk about what happened. I don’t want to go to the police.”

  “She needs a few more minutes.” Merci rose to her feet and walked over to Nathan. The fear had returned to her eyes. “Could you make the call? You saw what the men looked like and what they were driving. I don’t think either of us is ready to talk about this just yet.”

  “Sure, I can do that.” His heart filled with compassion. Because he was an EMT, he was used to handling traumatic situations. But this might have been the first time these women had even seen a gun. He tempered his voice, hoping not to stir up the fear again. “When we get to the station, they will want more details. Can you tell me what you were doing down there? Did you know those guys?”

  Merci explained about the shortcut and getting stuck and how the men had shown up.

  Nathan kept his thought to himself, but it sounded as if the women had been targeted. The only thing more vulnerable than two college-age women traveling together was one traveling alone. The men had probably been following them and waiting for an opportune time to rob them.

  He kicked himself for not having gotten there five minutes earlier. Then this whole thing could have been prevented. He would have helped them with their car and gotten them on their way.

  Nathan picked up the phone and dialed into the sheriff’s office. He recognized Deputy Miller’s voice.

  “Hey, Travis, I’m up at the cabin and I’ve got two young women here who were robbed up on Jefferson Creek Road.” He briefly described the men and the car they were driving. “They should be able to give more details by the time I bring them in. They’re still a little shell-shocked.”

  “I haven’t noticed a car in town matching that description. Doesn’t sound like they’re from around here.” Travis Miller’s slow drawl came across the line. “So you’re up there playing hostess with the mostest to college co-eds. Tough duty, huh?”

  Nathan rolled his eyes at the friendly jab. Clampett, Idaho, was not a big town. Driving an ambulance in a town of twenty thousand meant that he was cozy enough with all of the first responders to joke around. “That’s right, I’m the Martha Stewart of the mountain. I’ll bring them in shortly.”

  “Better hurry, that snow is coming down fast. Getting the road up to your place plowed isn’t county priority since there is no traffic up there anymore.” Travis said goodbye and hung up.

  Nathan returned to the living room. Merci had risen from her chair and was looking at family photographs on the mantel. She picked up one of the framed pictures. “Is this your mom and dad?”

  A sharp pain sliced through him. He hadn’t been up to this cabin since his dad’s funeral. He had a place in town. When his mom and dad were alive, the cabin had been used for family gatherings and vacations. He had come up here to clear away all those photos, to pack them in a box where they wouldn’t evoke sorrow every time he looked at them. “Yes, they passed away a little bit ago.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry.” Her voice filled with compassion as she placed the photo back on the mantel with care. “You look really happy in these pictures.”

  “I suppose we were.” He laid the photo facedown, not wanting to think about what his life used to be. “I don’t live up here, and all this stuff is just gath
ering dust. It needs to be packed up so the place can be sold.”

  “I think pictures are a beautiful treasure.” She picked up a second photo. “Is this you with a friend?”

  Nathan felt himself retreating emotionally as he took the frame from her hand. The image was of him and his older brother, Daniel, when they were maybe twelve and fourteen, practicing archery at the camp. Their hair shimmered in the summer sun, and both were smiling. His relationship with Daniel had been strained for the past ten years and had only gotten worse when their mother and father died.

  He really didn’t want to talk about his brother…not to a stranger. Not to anyone. “He’s my brother.” Merci had probably thought she could make up for having reminded him of his parents’ death by talking about his “friend.” Instead, she had opened an even deeper wound. “We need to get going. If we wait too long, even my four-wheel drive isn’t going to get us off this mountain.”

  TWO

  Merci slipped into the truck next to Nathan, and Lorelei climbed in beside her. It had taken some coaxing to even get Lorelei to agree to go. She wasn’t handling this well at all.

  The sound of the engine turning over made Merci breathe a little easier. At least the truck was running. Snow fell in clumps. The wipers worked furiously to keep it off the windshield. At best, they could see maybe five feet in front of them.

  Nathan pressed a button, and a blast of heat hit her. “Warm enough for you?”

  Nathan had found them both extra clothes to put on underneath their dress coats. “Yes, that’s good.” She stole a glance at the man who had saved their lives. His brown eyes held kindness. “Thank you…for all you’ve done for us.”

  “No problem.” He leaned forward to see better through the window, focusing on his driving. His answer was so abrupt. Maybe he was still upset over her asking questions about his family. He probably thought she was nosy. She hadn’t meant to step on toes or reopen old wounds. It was just that in the pictures of his family, everyone looked so happy. She only understood the concept of happy families from television shows.

  She’d been an only child. Her father, an international businessman, traveled all the time. Having to raise a child alone had made her mother depressed and resentful. Merci had always felt as if she was in the way of their happiness, not a part of it. Though her mother would never say it, she seemed happier when Merci was old enough to stay with relatives, and she could travel with her husband. Her aunt Celeste, her father’s sister, had been the stabilizing force in her life. When her parents left for Hong Kong or London, she had stayed with Auntie in the little town of Grotto Falls, Oregon, that never changed. Even though she would be twenty-six in a month, she found herself running to the stability and the love that her aunt provided.

  “I’m just grateful you came along when you did, that’s all.” Merci folded her hands in her lap.

  “Once I saw what was going on, I couldn’t very well have left you there.” Nathan gazed at her for a moment, offering her a lopsided smile that sent a charge of warmth through her. “Besides, I’m an EMT. I can’t help myself. I had to rescue you.”

  She was glad he was able to look past whatever pain she had caused by talking about his family. In addition to showing bravery in facing the armed robbers, he seemed like a truly kind and decent person.

  The truck slid, and Nathan gripped the wheel tighter. Lorelei let out a tiny scream, and Merci patted her leg.

  “This is scary.” Lorelei’s voice was barely above a whisper. “We should have stayed at the cabin.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll make it. I can handle this snow just fine,” Nathan said.

  Up ahead, the mountain road intersected with a flatter road. That must be the country two-lane they’d taken when they turned off the highway.

  Nathan slowed the truck down. “There’s something on the road down there.”

  Merci couldn’t make out anything but windblown snow.

  Nathan braked. The truck slid before coming to stop. Now she could discern the dark lump at the intersection of the two roads.

  “Sit tight.” He pushed open the door. “Let me go check it out. I’ll leave the engine running so the cab will stay warm.”

  He stepped away from the truck. Within a few feet, the blowing snow consumed him. It cleared momentarily, and she saw his bright-colored ski jacket as he made his way toward the dark mass.

  * * *

  Nathan’s boots sank down into the deep snow. He pulled his leg out and tried to find the center of the road where the snow would be more hard packed. He’d been on the mountain in winter before, but this was the worst he’d ever seen it. At least a foot of snow had fallen in a short amount of time.

  He wasn’t worried. He’d get the two women down this mountain. He had confidence in his skill as a driver, and his truck was designed for these kinds of conditions. If the women could file a report, it would make capture that much more likely. Taking action would also help them get past the trauma. Lorelei seemed to be shutting down by degrees. The compassion her friend Merci showed her touched him. Merci seemed like a strong, capable young woman.

  The wind cleared and a dark colored car partially covered in snow came into view. It looked as though the car had slid off the road. As he drew closer, he saw that it was the car that belonged to the thieves. He slowed his pace.

  The car was facing east, which meant the thieves were headed back to Clampett when they got stuck. The impending storm must have made them decide to go back the way they had come, rather than face the unknown of how long the country road stretched on before it met up with the highway going west. From the way the car was wedged, lack of familiarity with the road and reduced visibility had caused them to veer over into a ditch and get stuck. The car blocked enough of the intersection between mountain road and country road to make it hard for him to get his truck around without ending up stuck, too.

  He approached the car with caution. When he peered through the windows, he saw that it was empty. Where had the men gone? The wind had blown quite a bit, but he could make out the soft impression of foot tracks leading back up the mountain road.

  Nathan exhaled, creating a cloud. His eyes followed the direction the men had walked. The two thugs might have seen the tall light by the cabin or maybe it had cleared enough for them to see smoke rising out of the chimney. In any case, they probably thought they could find shelter up the road, not realizing the cabin belonged to the man who had just seen them trying to rob the women. Though it looked as if they had veered into the forest, the thieves were headed up the mountain where he had left the women alone in the truck.

  Adrenaline kicked in and every muscle in Nathan’s body tensed. He ran back toward the truck.

  * * *

  Lorelei tapped her feet on the floorboards of the truck. “I don’t see what good going to the police will do. Those guys are probably long gone.”

  Merci cleared her throat. Part of her just wanted to get on a bus to her aunt’s house where it was safe and forget all this had happened. “I know it’s hard to think about, but what if those guys try to rob someone else? We need to tell the police what we know. We have to make every effort to make sure they’re caught.”

  Lorelei crossed her arms over her chest and bent her head. “I guess I just don’t like police very much.”

  Merci sighed and listened to the rhythmic movement of the windshield wipers. She took in her surroundings, what she could see of them. This road looked as if it had been cut out of the side of the mountain. Out of Lorelei’s window was a steep bank where the road dropped off. On the driver’s side was a slight upslope that jutted against an evergreen forest. The mountain road was a single lane at best.

  Merci stared out the windshield. Even before Nathan emerged from behind the veil of snow, running and shouting something they couldn’t hear, she knew they were in trouble.

  Lorelei raised her head like a deer alerted to a distant noise as she gazed out the driver’s-side window. Merci turned her head, zooming i
n on the movement in the trees. She saw flashes of color, branches breaking and then the man in the orange coat was on the road pointing the gun through the driver’s-side window. Merci reached over and locked the door.

  Time seemed to be moving in slow motion as her heart pounded in her chest. All of her attention focused on the barrel of the gun. The man in the orange coat stepped closer. He had a scar that ran from his lip to his ear. Murder filled his eyes as he lifted the gun.

  Lorelei shouted, “No,” and pulled Merci’s head down to the truck seat, a quick reaction that saved both their lives.

  Glass shattered, sprinkling everywhere. Cold wind blew into the cab.

  “Give me the truck.” The man shouted through the broken window.

  Nathan came up behind Orange Coat, grabbing him around the neck and wrestling him to the ground. The second man, the one in the leather jacket, emerged from the trees.

  Nathan rattled the handle and then reached through the broken window to unlock the door.

  The second thief was free of the trees and close enough to take aim.

  Nathan jumped behind the wheel, clicked into reverse and hit the accelerator. His arm covered the women and pushed them lower as another bullet hit the truck, creating a metallic echo.

  Nathan continued to back the truck up, swerving and looking behind him. Another shot was fired. This one fell short.

  The truck labored to get up the road backward. When she peered above the dashboard, the two men were on the road coming after them, and a third man emerged from the trees. Lorelei gasped. She saw the third man, too.

  The blowing snow enveloped the three figures on the road.

  Going back to the cabin didn’t seem like such a good idea. The men would know where they were. “Isn’t there some way we can get into town?” Merci found the courage to sit up a little straighter.

  “Their car is blocking the intersection. If I try to go around it, I’ll get stuck.” Nathan craned his neck, focusing on the narrow road behind him.