A man stepped out from behind a pile of snow and right into her path. She yelped and jumped back. He wore a heavy coat like hers and a ski mask. A red scarf was wrapped around his neck. Two more pops sounded. The man gasped and flinched.
“Who are you?” she asked. “Can I help you?”
He didn’t speak, just stood there. Frozen. Watching her.
She took another step back.
Run? Or ... what?
“Hello?” she said. “What do you want?”
Another branch cracked, the sound echoing around them.
He lunged at her, grabbed her arm, and pulled her to the ground.
Gideon Price heard the scream just ahead of him on the snow-packed path to the lodge, and he broke into a run to see a man holding a woman on the ground. “Hey! Let her go!”
The man still thrashed, holding the woman down. Gideon grabbed him and pulled him away from her. And the man still fought. Gideon punched him in the solar plexus and the attacker went down. Then curled into a ball. Gideon ripped the mask off and gasped.
“Vance?” He grabbed the man’s arm, but Vance pushed him away, then covered his head with his arms.
“He’s having a PTSD episode, I think,” the woman said. “Vance, it’s okay. It was just snow popping tree limbs. Repeat after me, ‘It’s a tree. I’m okay. I’m safe.’ Say it.”
Gideon blinked. He knew that gentle voice.
“It’s a tree” came the faint whisper from Vance. He repeated it several times before he stilled, staying frozen in his fetal position.
“Maya Sullivan?”
At the voice behind her, she rose to her knees, turned to him, and gaped. “Gideon Price?”
He had only a brief second to stare at the dark-haired, dark-eyed woman he’d never forgotten before Vance looked up and groaned, then wiped the sweat from his face with the sleeve of his coat.
“Hey, take it easy,” Gideon said.
Vance’s eyes cleared and widened when he saw Gideon. “Gid? What? How...”
“I know. It’s a shock to see you too.”
Vance rose to his feet.
So did Gideon.
Maya stood gaping at them both. Then she snapped her lips shut and turned her attention to Vance. “Are you all right now?”
The man flushed and his jaw tightened. “Yeah. I’m so sorry. I just sometimes ... whatever. I’ve got to go. Ellie is waiting on me.” Ellie Harland, Vance’s wife.
“Hold up, man. This is amazing we’re all here at the same time,” Gideon said, then frowned at Vance. “I tried to call you a number of times after you were discharged. Left a few messages, but you never called me back. What’s up with that?”
“Uh...” Vance blinked and the flush in his cheeks darkened.
Gideon kicked himself and softened his expression. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. I just wondered what happened to you.”
Vance scowled, then sighed. “It’s a long story. I ... things happened and I didn’t handle them well.”
“Yeah, I get it,” Gideon said. “I had things happen too.”
“We all had things happen,” Maya said, her voice soft.
