First they had to find her, and Reed had enough to deal with right now. Hurrying to meet him at the door, she waved the folder. “I have it.”
“Everything’s there?”
She nodded. “Everything you need to know right now is in here,” she said, locking the door and avoiding his gaze.
* * *
A THICK SNOW veil blinded them as they took the Ski-Doos through the trails toward the campsite zone listed in Cassie’s file. Since the group wouldn’t be officially missing for several more hours—their return time was scheduled for that evening—they weren’t treating the mission as a search and rescue. Right now, it was deemed a call for assistance, therefore Wade was back at the station preparing to call the emergency contacts of the campers if he didn’t get word that everyone was safe by six o’clock.
Wind blew her hair away from her face and tree branches whipped against her legs and arms as Erika held on to Reed on the back of the Ski-Doo. His breakneck speed through the trail was slightly terrifying, but she wished he’d go faster. Cassie’s interrupted call to the state trooper hadn’t given them much to work with, and they had no idea if anyone was seriously injured or if the group was snowed in and unable to make their way out without assistance. Erika’s heart and mind were a mess. She’d only reconnected with her friend days before—she had to be okay.
Winter camping was a crazy idea to her and while she knew the unpredicted snow and avalanche warning wasn’t Cassie’s fault, she was irrationally annoyed with her friend.
Or maybe it had to do with the secret Cassie was keeping from Reed.
A secret they were both keeping.
Damn! Her life had gone from simple—work, eat, sleep, repeat—to conflicted, chaotic and confusing in a matter of days. Getting emotionally involved meant getting hurt. She had hardened herself against that possibility with her career, then she’d taken a break from her life and had opened herself up to all kinds of potential pain.
The roaring of the Ski-Doos racing through the trails drowned out the beating in her chest, but she was certain Reed could feel it pressed against his back. She held him tighter, hoping to reassure him that things would be okay. Or was it to reassure herself?
A moment later, they stopped the Ski-Doos at the site where Cassie’s group had been camping. She got off the Ski-Doo and stood silently, scanning the area with the rest of the crew. Tent marks on the ground, partially covered by snow already... Footprints practically buried and an old campfire that had been put out hours ago. Several logs still sat around it, gathering their own light dusting of powder. The clearing was surrounded by trees and in the distance she could hear a water source. Nothing appeared to be out of order and there were no clues to any trouble the group may have run into.
“They were scheduled to leave here today at 10:00 a.m. and walk out through the south backwoods trail...along the mountain peaks,” Reed said, reading the file. “But in this weather, Cassie would have checked the updated avalanche advisory system and seen it go from caution to danger.”
“Not if the weather impacted her signal,” Tank said. The guy looked as white as the snow and, while they were all worried about their friend and her group, Erika suspected Tank was feeling the anxiety more than some of the others. The man obviously had strong feelings for her friend. Would this be the catalyst needed to make him finally act on those feelings once they found Cassie? Erika refused to believe there’d be any other outcome that day. She was staying positive, despite the dark clouds looming overhead and the heavy snowfall.
“Even if she couldn’t get confirmation, I think she’d be aware of the danger of hiking south out along the mountain ridge as planned. I know Cass and I think she’d take the alternate route listed in the file,” Reed said.
Tank nodded. “I hope so.”
So did Erika. Big blankets of snow on the mountains looked treacherous, seemingly dangling from the peaks like marshmallows melting over a campfire. If they decided to give way, things would get so much worse—fast.
“The call came into the station at 11:56...almost two hours ago, so they might be as far as Canyon Ridge by now if they did take the mountain ridge trails,” Tyler said.
Reed nodded as he stared at the snow-covered mountains to the south. “She must have known not to go that way. I’m sure they would have taken the north trails.”
Erika thought his voice held a note of hopeful optimism, but it masked a layer of uncertainty. He was obviously struggling with his belief in his sister’s abilities.
“But I think we need to cover both trails just in case,” Reed said.
Tiffany nodded. “Okay, why don’t I lead the support team members along the north?”
The least experienced members. They should definitely go the safer route—no question. The last thing they needed was more emergencies that day.
Reed nodded. “Yes. And Tyler, Tank, Cruz and I will go along the south.”
“What about me?” Erika asked.
“You’re with Tiffany’s group,” he said.
“No. I’m going with you guys.”
“No, you’re not. You’re not an official crew member...”
“Stop. We are not doing this shit. Cassie is my best friend and I’m a doctor—if someone is hurt out there, I’m your best ally.” Cocky, arrogant, she didn’t care how she was coming across. She’d just gotten Reed and Cassie back in her life. The idea that they could be in trouble or injured and she wouldn’t be there to help would drive her crazy.
Reed walked toward her, obviously pained with a similar dilemma. “Look, my sister means everything to me...and now you are...becoming someone I care deeply about. I’m not putting your life at risk.”
“It’s not your decision. If you say no, I’ll follow you anyway.” Hard-faced, she met his stubborn stare.
“If you get hurt...”
“Then I’ll fix myself up. Let’s go,” she said with more bravado than she felt. The south mountain trails looked terrifying as shit. On a clear, sunny day she wasn’t sure she’d feel confident hiking them, and on a day like today there’d be no chance in hell, but her friend needed help. The man she was falling in love with wasn’t doing this without her.
“I want her with us,” Tank said, joining them.
Her chest swelled with pride in the man’s confidence in her.
“Me, too,” said Tyler.
She stared at Reed.
“Fine.” He reached for his backpack from the Ski-Doo and gave some final instructions to Tiffany’s group as they headed toward the north trails. Then he turned to the rest of them. “We walk in. Noise and vibrations of the Ski-Doos will only make the avalanche conditions worse.”
They all nodded, gathering their gear.
“Tyler, as we walk, please give Erika a crash course in her avalanche gear. There’s a beacon, probe and shovel in her backpack.”
“Will do,” Tyler said.
Beacon, probe and shovel. She knew what a shovel was at least. Tyler had better be a quick teacher. Though she hoped she wouldn’t have to use any of it.
“Don’t worry. It’s not brain surgery,” Tyler said with a small smile. “If kids can learn this stuff quickly, you’ll have no problem. Just stay close and I’ll explain everything.”
She nodded.
“Quietly, we move. No unnecessary talking. No noise. Silent steps,” Reed said, checking his watch. “Mandatory breaks at every two hours.”
Everyone nodded.
He glanced at her, and the silent worry in his eyes was stronger than she’d ever seen it before. This rescue had personal stakes.
She sent him her best reassuring nod, but the twisting in her gut grew stronger by the second. They hadn’t had time to smooth over the abrupt, awkward way they’d left things that morning.
But there would be time to talk, to figure things out. This mission would be successful.
It had to be.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
FOUR HOURS LATER, they’d arrived at the end of the south trails, the road at the edge of the forest was coming into view and there had been no sign of Cassie or any of the campers along the way. Reed wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or even more nervous. Maybe they had taken the north trails out. Maybe they were back at the village by now. Safe. It beat thinking about the alternative—that they’d somehow gotten off trail and were stranded in avalanche territory now that the warning had reached critical. As they’d hiked, three snowslides had occurred on mountains in the distance and each one had brought a new sense of urgency.
He brushed the snow off his jacket and, reaching for his radio, called Tiffany. “Any news?” They hadn’t heard from the other team in hours.
“No. We reached the trail’s end ten minutes ago. No sign of them. No recent tracks to suggest they’d gone this way either...but the snow is falling so fast, it would be hard to see footprints...”
His stomach fell. They weren’t safe. Despite Tiffany’s attempt to make him feel better, his gut told them Cass wasn’t waiting back at the station. Brother’s intuition told him finding his sister wasn’t going to be that easy.
“How would you like us to proceed?” she asked.
“Try the West Loop trail.”
“That would have added hours to the trip... I don’t think...”
“Just do it.” The harshness in his voice wasn’t intended. “Sorry, just...try it, okay.” If they weren’t on the north trails and they weren’t on the south, where the hell were they?
Which way did you go, Cass?
He turned to his team and shook his head. “We need to double back and move in closer to the Chugach Mountain.” He glanced at Erika. She was nodding her agreement with everyone else.
Why in the hell was she out here in this unpredictable storm?
The entire four-hour trek, his instincts had been on high alert. He had to find Cassie and her group, but he also had to protect his own team...including the woman he was falling in love with.
He followed behind the rest and she walked alongside Tyler, who continued to quietly brief her on procedure and actions in the event that the mountains did give way. For the first time, jealousy wasn’t among his emotions. He knew how she felt about him and right now, they were all putting their lives at risk. They were all in this together. Tyler was the best instructor they had on avalanche safety.
As they moved farther south, toward the dangerous peaks, his radio sounded.
He held up a hand to halt the group.
“Wade, give me good news.” Was it too much to hope that the group had made it back via another route?
“We got a tip from air patrol. A signal flare just went up forty feet from Canyon Ridge...”
A flare. Good to locate the group. Not so great in an avalanche. His sister knew the risks of setting one off in these conditions so someone in her group must be hurt.
He quickly checked the camping file. Canyon Ridge was nowhere near the group’s planned course. What the hell was his sister doing? She lived out here in these woods and she knew the dangers. There was no way this was a mistake. She couldn’t have gotten turned around. Even in a snowstorm, his sister could navigate these backlands blindfolded.
“Okay, we are headed toward Canyon Ridge. We are going to have to start moving up the mountain, where the flare came from,” he told the group, falling into step next to Erika. He’d brought along an extra search and rescue jacket for her this time, knowing it would be warmer if they were still out there by nightfall. In it, she looked like part of the team. And while his protective instincts told him he could never handle her being on these missions all the time...he felt more confident with her next to him. If one of Cassie’s campers was injured, having her there would be an asset.
But his conflicted heart was something else he had to deal with. As soon as this was over and everyone was safe, they needed to talk.
* * *
THE FIRST SNOWSLIDE happened twenty minutes into the backwoods search.
Watching from fifty feet away, Reed held up a hand to halt the group as loose snow descended the mountain, a tidal wave getting wider as it traveled toward the base. “A sluff,” he told the group.
Tyler had mentioned that those were some of the more common slides and they were rarely deadly. But from where Erika was standing, watching the snow pick up speed and size as it cascaded down the mountain, it didn’t exactly look safe for anyone standing beneath it. A broken bone or being trapped beneath may not be deadly, but it wouldn’t be much fun.
Reed checked the area for more loose snow and a few minutes later, they continued their slow-moving upward trek.
Had anyone ever told her that she’d be climbing a mountain in the middle of an avalanche warning, she’d have said they were insane.
Six hours in and her body felt the exhaustion of their efforts. The higher they climbed, the thinner the air and the worse the visibility. Snow was still falling in big, thick flakes, the wind tossing them around in swirling loops before they could land on the ground. Milder temperatures that week had made the snow damp and heavy but as it started to get dark and the temperature dropped below freezing, things were getting slippery.
“Wade is calling families now. It’s officially time to call this a search,” Reed said, his anxiety evident in his voice and stress etched on his handsome face.
As they slowly, cautiously moved higher, Erika could hear the deep rumbling of more sluffs in the distance, and her confidence waned. She wasn’t trained to be out there. Tyler’s crash course in avalanche safety had practically gone in one ear and out the other in her worried state.
Would I remember any of it if I needed to use it?
She clutched the straps of her backpack, hoping that at the very least, she didn’t hinder the search. She didn’t want to become a liability to the group. Everyone was exhausted and worried and the weather was really taking its toll. During the day had been difficult enough, but now as a heavy dusk settled over the trees and the temperature plummeted, their hopes of finding the group were waning. She’d heard Tyler mention something about setting up camp and resuming in the morning, but Reed was pushing on.
Tank was quiet, his fear written on his face.
Man, if Cass could see the guy now, it would erase all doubt about how he feels about her.
“I see red,” Tank said, breaking his silence seconds later. “Over there, beyond that peak.” He pointed to the left of them, several feet higher. “It could be a jacket.”
Reed moved closer, climbing higher for a better view, and a second later he was waving them all forward. “I see the group. That was Cass,” he said.
Tank’s face, which had yet to show anything other than a deep fear, relaxed into a look of relief. Then, it quickly turned to one of determined focus as they hurried toward the group.
Erika did a quick count as brightly colored ski clothing came into view. Twelve. Cassie’s file had listed eight corporate people and two guides, including her. They’d obviously picked up some hikers along the way.
Cassie must have heard them approach because she turned as they drew closer and she hurried over to them. “We have an injured hiker... Fell through a slab avalanche a hundred feet to this spot. My group saw the beacon as we were trekking out this morning,” she said.
The worry and relief on her friend’s face made a lump rise in Erika’s throat. She was okay.
“So, you’re okay? Your group is okay?” Reed asked, hugging her quickly.
She nodded. “We’re fine. I hurt my foot on the trek up here, but it’s nothing serious. Probably just a sprain. But the injured man has broken bones and we can’t get a litter in here without sending these mountains into a free fall,” she said, casting a glance at the ominous snow peaks above them.
They needed to move fast and get the hell out of there.
“He’s gone into shock and right now, we’re all just trying to keep him from passing out.”
“Where is he?” Erika asked. This was something she could help with. She pushed fear aside and focused on her medical training. This was the reason she was here.
Cassie led the way to the injured man, who was lying on several sleeping bags on the ground. His legs were clearly broken and one shoulder looked dislocated, his arm lying at a weird angle beside him. His head had several large gashes and blood covered his cheeks. He was covered as best as they could in bags and heated blankets, but moving him or trying to assess injuries was nearly impossible.
Fixing a broken clavicle on a conscious man was one thing. These injuries were hours old and the guy was in shock. Her professional oath wouldn’t allow her to attempt anything here.
She pulled Reed aside. “This guy is barely hanging on. We have no idea the extent of his injuries. I’d like to help, but it’s too dangerous to do anything out here.” Even just removing the blankets from his body could cause further damage to him right now. He hadn’t moved in hours, and his body wasn’t self-heating.
“I agree. We have to get him airlifted out of here, but first we have to get him away from the high-danger avalanche zone. A chopper this close will certainly do more damage than good. We could all be snowed in.”
More rumbling of shifting, falling snow in the distance confirmed his words. The sluffs may not be deadly, but they were dangerous enough and an injured person in shock would slow them down considerably. It was going to take several hours to get to a clearing. They all needed to mentally prepare for the trek ahead.
An Alaskan Christmas Page 19