by Terri Reed
“I do.” She paused with the box of chamomile in her hands. Her delicate eyebrows drew together. “You don’t?”
“It’s fine. I’ll have what you’re having.”
She nodded and closed the cupboard. “You’re a coffee drinker, right?”
“Most days. A little jolt of caffeine proves helpful now and again.” He’d started relying on strong black coffee to keep his wits about him while helping his father through the dark days of betrayal by the woman he’d fallen in love with after his retirement from the police force. A decision that had cost his father not only money but his self-respect. A fate Hunter would never allow in his own life. Falling in love was a dangerous endeavor. One he hoped to avoid. He never wanted to be so imprudent as to let his heart rule his head.
“Well, just so you know, there are some teas that have a very high caffeine content.”
What kept her up at night that made her seek out caffeine to get through her day? He tucked in his chin. “Good to know.”
“But tonight, we’ll go with a nice herbal blend. I’ll let the teas steep while you let the dogs out.” She put a tea bag in each cup.
He chuckled at her pointed instructions. “All right, fellas, you heard the lady, outside.” He unlocked and opened the side door. Juneau waited for Hunter to release him before he trotted through the open doorway into the glow of the outside lights.
Hunter and the puppy followed. The frigid April air stung Hunter’s lungs. He searched the area for signs of any threats while the puppy sniffed the grass. Juneau disappeared around the corner of the house and came back a few minutes later.
Satisfied that all was well on the property, with no dogs howling to signal an intruder, he urged the puppy back into the house. Juneau slipped inside and lay down beside Sasha’s crate as if he knew that was where the puppy was headed.
After removing the harness from the puppy, Hunter tucked him inside the crate and set the latch on the door. Sasha lay down with his black nose sticking through the wire holes, nearly touching Juneau.
Hunter returned to the kitchen, where Ariel handed him a cup of chamomile tea. The fragrant scent of the chamomile flower wafted up with the steam rising from the mug. He wrapped his hands around the ceramic and let the heat seep into his cold fingers.
He followed Ariel into the living room. She sat on an overstuffed wingback chair, tucking her feet up beneath her. He took a position on the couch facing the large picture window that looked out over the drive. Juneau left the sleeping puppy to lie down in front of Ariel’s chair.
She glanced down at him. “Do you train him to do that with all your rescue victims?”
“Only the pretty ones,” he quipped, then inwardly cringed. Where did that come from?
Her eyes widened and then lowered to look into her tea as if the world’s secrets could be found in the soothing depths of her mug.
Great, she probably believed he was flirting with her. He was usually much better at keeping his thoughts from escaping. Hoping to alleviate the sudden tension between them, he said, “Tell me more about your business?”
Lifting her gaze, she said, “My dad was a champion musher until he had an accident that left him with a bum knee. But he loved the sport so much that he decided to start breeding dogs and training them for other mushers.”
“And he taught you?”
“Yes, I kind of learned alongside him,” she replied. “We had dogs traveling with us for as far back as I can remember. My mother and I would go with my father on the race circuit around the US and Europe.”
“Did he compete in the Iditarod?”
“He did, and usually placed in the top fifty.”
“That must have been a very interesting childhood,” he remarked.
“It was lonely,” she admitted. “Just me and my parents.”
Empathy twisted in his chest. “I don’t have siblings, either.”
“Being an only child does lend itself to loneliness, doesn’t it?”
As did losing his mother at a young age. A subject he didn’t want to talk about. “So, you traveled with your parents during the racing season. I assume you went to school the rest of the time?” He wasn’t sure of the time frame for the racing season beyond the famed Iditarod, which started in Anchorage at the beginning of March and ended fifteen days later in Nome.
She shifted in the chair and leaned her head back and then winced, sitting straight up. “No, my mother homeschooled me.”
Which meant she hadn’t had school friends. “Were there other children on the race circuit?”
“Some. But there wasn’t ever time to form any real attachments.” She shrugged. “We traveled to places that some people only dream about. The excitement of race day was always something I looked forward to and, truth be told, still do.”
“Hard to show off champion dogs without putting them to the test,” he said.
“Exactly. Plus the purse money helps with my operating expenses.”
“You do it all. Impressive.”
“Training the dogs is my passion.” She made a face, her nose scrunching up in an adorable way that had his gut clenching. “When I was old enough for high school, my parents decided it was time for me to enter the public school system. They dropped me off with my grandparents here in Anchorage.”
“Difficult adjustment, I would imagine.” He remembered his high school days. All the jockeying for popularity. The dramas between classmates. Everything seemed so much more important and life-altering until stepping onto a college campus.
“I got through it. College was better. That’s where I met Violet.” Ariel’s gaze dropped to her tea. “I can’t believe she hasn’t been found yet.” She lifted her gaze, her eyes filled with worry. “Do you think she’s okay?”
He wished he could reassure her but there was no reassurance he could formulate. He answered honestly, “I pray so.”
“I do, too.”
“Tell me more about Violet.” Maybe something Ariel knew about her friend might help them understand where she was or what had happened to her and the other two hikers.
“Violet came from wealth, but she doesn’t flaunt it. She’s kind and generous. Big-hearted. She recently become a Christian and dedicated her life to the Lord. And then she found out that she was pregnant with Lance’s baby...”
“How did Lance feel about the baby? Is that why they were getting married?”
Ariel made a face. “Lance didn’t know. She planned to tell him, but I don’t know if she worked up the nerve to do it.”
Hunter’s mind turned this information over in his head. “Could she and Lance have eloped?”
Ariel perked up. “Now that’s an idea.” She frowned, her shoulders slumping. “But it doesn’t explain who killed the tour guide or why somebody would push me off the edge of a cliff. And where’s Jared?”
“Good questions.” This case was certainly a mystery. He noticed her stifling a yawn and glanced at his watch. It was well after midnight. “I should let you get some sleep.”
He took their mugs to the sink and rinsed them out. When he returned to the living room, she had collected a blanket and pillow for the couch.
“Would Juneau like a pillow, too?” she asked.
“He’ll be fine. Most likely he’ll plant himself by the front door.” Hunter checked that all the window and door locks were secure.
Ariel retrieved Sasha from his crate and snuggled him to her chest. “Thank you, Hunter, for everything,” she murmured and headed down the darkened hallway to the room at the end.
When he heard the soft snick of the door closing, he dimmed the lights and stretched out on the couch. His utility belt dug into his hip. He debated taking it off, then decided it was best to leave it in place. Juneau flopped down on the entryway tile by the front door.
Hunter closed his eyes but kept seeing Ariel b
alanced precariously on the bush jutting out from the side of the mountain. He prayed until he drifted off to a light sleep.
His phone vibrating in his front shirt pocket brought him fully awake. He glanced at his watch. Three in the morning.
“McCord,” he rasped into the phone.
“Hey, it’s Gabe.” Fellow Trooper Gabriel Runyon’s voice filled the line. “Dispatch received a call from our missing groom. Lance Wells and Jared Dennis used a satellite phone to report that they were injured and holed up in a cabin in Chugach State Park.”
“Is Violet James with them?”
“They didn’t say. The colonel asked me to mobilize a search team. She wants you with us.”
Hunter sat up and wiped a hand over his jaw, the rough whiskers scratching his palm. He couldn’t leave Ariel unguarded. “I’ll meet you at the state park entrance as soon as I can. I need to arrange for Metro PD to send over a patrol officer.”
“Copy that,” Gabriel said.
Hunter hung up, dialed the precinct and asked for Officer Everett Brand. A few moments later dispatch connected him to the officer.
“Brand here.”
“Everett, this is Hunter from the Alaska K-9 Unit. I’m hoping you can help me out. I’m at Miss Potter’s, but I’ve been called away. I need you to come stand guard until I can return. She’ll be more comfortable with someone she’s already familiar with.”
“I’m on my way. I’ll arrange for someone to take over in the morning if you’re not available by then.”
“I’d appreciate that.” Hunter hung up. He didn’t relish waking Ariel up to tell her what was happening, but he knew if he left without saying anything she would be upset. Besides, she deserved to know that Lance made contact.
He walked down the dark hall and softly knocked on her bedroom door. It opened almost immediately. The soft glow of her bedside lamp backlit her as she stood in the doorway.
“I heard voices,” she said.
“It was me on the phone. Lance Wells sent out an SOS message saying he and Jared need rescuing. Juneau and I need to go help in the search.”
“Violet?”
“No word yet.”
She made a distressed noise. “Where could she be?”
He hated seeing the anxiousness in Ariel’s expression. “She might be with them. Don’t lose hope.”
Ariel took a shuddering breath. “I’m trying not to.”
She pushed past him and headed for the living room. “You should go. I’ll be fine here.”
“Not quite so fast. Officer Brand is coming to provide you protection.”
Her lips pursed. “Okay. I appreciate all you’re doing for me. For Violet and the guys. Please bring them back, Hunter.”
He knew better than to make a promise he had no guarantee of keeping. “I will do my best.”
* * *
Ariel cuddled Sasha to her chest and stared out the front window as Hunter’s taillights disappeared down the drive. The darkness enveloped his vehicle, leaving her somehow bereft of his and Juneau’s presence.
Officer Brand sat in his car, parked near the front porch. He shouldn’t be out in the cold like that, but he refused to come inside, stating he was used to long overnight stakeouts.
Needing something to do, she went to the kitchen and made a thermos full of hot cocoa. Then she put on her barn boots and jacket, and she and Sasha went out to deliver the thermos to the policeman.
Officer Brand rolled down his passenger side window. “Miss Potter?”
“Hot cocoa.” She handed him the thermos. “It’s the least I can do.”
“Thank you. That’s very thoughtful of you.”
“I’ll be sleeping in the kennel room with the dogs,” she told him. “The house is too quiet.” Not usually a problem for her. But she had to admit she was a little freaked out and nervous about this whole ordeal. She wanted the comfort of her canine companions. “I appreciate you being out here.”
“Doing my job, ma’am.”
A refrain she’d heard already once today from Hunter. Were all law enforcement types so dedicated to their jobs? What else was Hunter dedicated to? Did he have a wife waiting for him at home? Guilt pricked her conscience. Had she kept him away from his family? And now here was this nice officer also sacrificing his time to protect her.
All because someone had tried to kill her.
With a shiver of unease, she went back inside. There was no way she’d fall asleep. Her insides were twisted in knots of worry for her friend. Grabbing the blanket and pillow from the couch, she stopped at the entryway closet for the baseball bat she kept there. Then she and Sasha headed out to the kennel room.
The dogs perked up as she entered. She checked on each dog before settling down next to Dash’s kennel. She made herself a little nest and lay on her side in a position that didn’t bother her wounded head. The pillow smelled like Hunter, spicy and masculine. Sasha turned circles in front of her before settling down and scooting up next to her belly. Dash put his paw through the wire grating, and she held on to him. As she worked to calm her racing thoughts, she whispered, “Please, Lord, bring Hunter and Violet back to me.”
SIX
Once again traversing the fresh-snow-covered trail leading up to Flattop Mountain, Hunter’s mind was half attentive to where the search party was headed. The other half of his brain was focused back at Ariel’s house.
Was she safe?
He pushed the question aside. Of course she was. Officer Brand would see to her safety.
Yet Hunter couldn’t deny that trusting others to do their jobs the way he wanted the job done didn’t come easy.
One of his many flaws, as his father kept telling him.
He expected too much of people.
But no more than he expected from himself.
Was she scared?
Well, duh. Someone tried to kill Ariel. He’d hated seeing the fear in her eyes when he’d left her standing in the doorway of her home, holding the puppy, looking so sweet and vulnerable. He didn’t understand why she got to him in such a visceral way.
He shook his head. Best to get his brain in gear and focus on the task at hand.
The early morning air clung to his breath every time he exhaled. Tension twisted his gut into knots. They didn’t know what they were going to find or what they would have to deal with once they reached the coordinates for the cabin where the groom and the best man were holed up.
Gabriel and Bear led the way, paused and pointed off to the right side of the mountain, away from the place where they had found Ariel and the tour guide. “That way.”
“How did they double back down the mountain and go this direction without anyone seeing them?” Hunter asked. Was this some sort of ruse to draw them away from Ariel? The muscles in his shoulders bunched as the overwhelming need to return to her gripped him, making him misstep, nearly taking a header into the snow. Juneau glanced over his shoulder at him, his eyes bright in the dawning light.
“Maybe they went over the top of the mountain and down the other side,” Maya said. “I saw no indications of them doubling back when we were up there earlier yesterday.”
“That makes sense,” Gabriel agreed.
“There’s no way we will get an ambulance back here,” Maya observed.
Hunter’s flashlight swept over the path ahead of them. The rough terrain, especially with the new fall of snow, was perfect for the snow machines. “I’ll call EMS and request snowmobiles.”
“It’s a good idea.” There was a hint of mocking amusement in Gabriel’s tone, his kind way of reminding Hunter who was leading the search party.
Hunter let out a breath. He liked to be in control. Another of his many flaws. One he shared with Ariel. He shrugged. “Sorry. After you.”
Gabriel clapped him on the back as he stepped past him and led Bear into the
snow.
Hunter and Juneau followed, while Hunter made the call. The snow was deep and required effort to plow through, but the dogs were agile and easily navigated the drifts, occasionally stopping to shake, sending snow flying.
As the dark gave way to twilight, the outline of the cabin tucked beneath a grove of spruce and hemlock trees became visible. They fanned out and approached the A-frame structure with caution. Hunter and Juneau headed to the left, Maya to the right, and Gabriel straight to the front door.
Hunter edged around the side of the cabin and peeked inside through a chest-high, rectangular window. Dirt and snow covered the glass pane. Through the streaks of dirt, he could make out someone lying on a cot. But Hunter didn’t see anyone else. Gabriel’s loud knock on the front door broke the silence.
“Alaska K-9 Unit. Open up.”
The creak of the door opening sent a chill over Hunter. Light filtered in through the open doorway, illuminating the person on the bed. He wasn’t sure, but it looked to be Jared Dennis.
Hunter and Juneau circled the building, meeting up with Maya and Sarge in the front. Gabriel and Bear had stepped inside the cabin. Hunter, Juneau, Maya and Sarge crowded inside behind Gabriel and Bear, shutting the door to keep the cold out.
Lance Wells, holding a rag to his head, shuffled backward. He was tall with short, dark blond hair, and his green eyes watched them warily. He was dressed in black snow pants, marred with dirt, and a dark jacket that had a rip down the side. He gave his head a shake, winced, then said, “I’m so glad to see you.”
Jared Dennis lay stretched out on the cot with what looked like a bloodied T-shirt wrapped about the upper biceps of his right arm. His brown hair had leaves sticking out like ornaments on a tree.
Lance sat down on the cot and jostled his friend. “Jared, wake up. Help is here.”
The man came to with a moan, his eyelids fluttering open. He licked his lips. “Water?”
Maya hustled forward with a small bottle of water from her pack. She helped the man drink some of the liquid, then handed Lance another small bottle of water.