Page 60 of K-9 Prime Target

She sat next to him on the side of the bed. “I’ve been to one of those cabins,” she said. “Last year, with Renee and Raz. They have beds and a woodstove and a little kitchen. It was a lot of fun.”

“I looked online, and there’s one available to rent right now,” he said. “We could go for a couple of nights. When we come back we’re bound to feel stronger, and have a better perspective.”

“Then let’s do it.” She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. She wouldn’t think of this as running away. It was a time to regroup and return stronger.

Chapter Sixteen

The following morning, Liam slipped the straps of a backpack over his shoulders and straightened, then grasped a ski pole in each hand. “Ready to go?” he asked Nina.

“I can’t wait.” She grinned from beneath a pom-pom knit cap, dressed all in blue today, from the hat to her blue cross-country ski boots. Her eyes shone with an excitement he hadn’t seen in days—the sight lifted his spirits more than the sunshine and beautiful day.

“Come on, Sky,” she called. “Hurry up, Angel.”

The two dogs, fully recovered from their ordeal of the day before, raced from the other side of the SUV and set out across the snow. Liam’s SUV was the only car at the trailhead, off a remote forest-service road. Even if Nicholson somehow found it, he would have no way of knowing in which direction they had headed. No less than five ski trails crisscrossed this basin. The hut was five miles away, tucked at the edge of a shallow bowl and touted on the website as the perfect private escape. Exactly what they needed.

“How’s that pack working for you?” he asked Nina.

“Perfect fit,” she said. The blue pack belonged to Raz, who had loaned it and both sleeping bags to them after learning that Nina’s had been destroyed in the attack on her home. The pack Liam wore belonged to Connor, as did the cross-country skis. The two men were about the same size. Nina’s skis, stored in her garage, had been unharmed in Nicholson’s attack on her home.

Angel returned to him, tongue hanging out. “Ready for a ride?” he asked, then scooped her up. She scampered over his shoulder and onto the blanket he had tucked into the top of the pack. From this perch she had a view over his shoulder and a secure place to rest. Sky trotted alongside Nina, snow clinging to the fur of her legs like white lace pantaloons.

“It’s so beautiful today,” Nina said. With temperatures in the mid-twenties, blue skies and plenty of sunshine, they couldn’t have asked for better weather.

“It really is.” Later, he’d take some photos, but for now they were both anxious to reach the hut and set up camp. They had the trail to themselves. Despite the loaded pack, he felt ten pounds lighter. He hadn’t realized how much the constant dread of encountering Nicholson had weighed on him.

“This is first real vacation I’ve taken in a couple of years,” he said.

She turned to smile at him. “It’s going to be great.”

“It is.” They had packed wine and a gourmet feast. He anticipated a satisfying and very romantic evening.

* * *

Raz pushed open the door to the Trail’s End Tavern and was hit with the blare of country music, the aromas of barbecue and beer, the warmth of the heating system and the press of dozens of patrons lining the bar and filling the dance floor.

“I see an empty table,” Renee said from behind her and led the way past the pool players to a table against the wall. Connor and Brian followed them. Heads turned to watch the four patrollers, in their distinctive red and white jackets, as they crossed the room. Several locals called in greeting. Raz waved and started peeling off her jacket even before they reached their seats.

“I’ll get the first round,” Connor said as the other three slid into chairs. “What do you want?”

“Raspberry wheat,” Renee said.

“Do you think it’s healthier because it has fruit?” Raz teased. “I’ll take an Avalanche Amber,” she told Connor.

“There’s bound to be some vitamin C in there, right?” Renee said as she shrugged out of her own jacket. She had replaced her ski helmet with a pink beanie with googly eyes that made Raz smile every time she saw it.

“What are you grinning about now?” Renee asked.

“You look very pretty tonight.”

Renee blushed but looked pleased. Raz hoped she wasn’t coming on too strong. She really liked Renee, but the other woman was so skittish. Still, the fact that she had insisted on coming with Raz to see Stevie must mean she cared, right?

“If you two are going to flirt with each other all night, I’m going to feel really left out,” Brian said.

“You look pretty tonight, too,” Raz said.

He patted his hair and fluttered his eyelashes. “Why, thank you.”

Connor returned with their beers. “This place is packed.”