He nodded and Maya shot him a grateful look. “Thanks.” She followed him outside, and he paused to look around for a moment. He couldn’t help wondering if one of the guests was her intruder.
And now he didn’t want to leave her side.
Three
SHE SHOT A GLANCEat the door. No security yet. But skiers and snowboarders were on the slopes, so she walked to the railing to watch them while Gideon headed for the walkup window attached to the café.
Her gaze was drawn to the slopes where people zipped down the mountain, kicking up sprays of powder as they slid to a stop at the bottom. The morning sun climbed higher while the cold air nipped at her cheeks.
She tugged her jacket together and zipped it, then shoved her hands into the pockets. A group of teen racers streaked by, their laughter a stark contrast to the anger boiling through her veins. She couldn’t expel the sight of her trashed cabin from her mind—or the fear from her heart when she’d realized someone was still in the place she was calling home for the next five days. What if Gideon hadn’t been with her?
Thatwas a terrifying thought. Not that she was completely helpless when it came to protecting herself. She’d learned basic self-defense while in the army, had even carried a knife and knew how to hold her own in hand-to-hand combat. Any doctor would be wise to know that. She even had her concealed weapons permit and carried her gun in her car. But her car was at home, along with her weapon. She’d ridden the resort’s airport shuttle to the lodge.
A sudden longing hit her for the comfortable weight of it on her hip. Or, right now, in her hand.
The firepit crackled behind her, and the conversation from those enjoying the warmth filtered to her ears. She turned from the view of the slopes and walked to the firepit to hold out her hands, palms facing the dancing flames. Tendrils of smoke spiraled toward the sky. She closed her eyes, soaking in the warmth, and forced herself to relax for a fraction of a moment.
Something slammed into her back, sending her stumbling toward the open fire. Her feet scrambled for traction on the snow-covered deck. For a terrifying instant, she teetered on the edge of the pit, the open fire licking dangerously close.
Then she lost her balance and fell forward. She let out a cry, expecting to feel agonizing pain, just as a strong arm hooked around her waist to yank her back.
“Maya!” Gideon’s voice cut through the spiraling terror.
“Gideon. Oh, thank you.” She started to hug him when she smelled the burning fabric. The heat spread, and when she looked down, a line of orange flames curled around her sleeve.
Maya swatted at her arm, panic threatening once more, but the glimmer of a thought that she needed to stay calm kept her from full-blown hysteria.
“In the snow!”
Gideon’s sharp tone spurred her to action. She dropped to the floor of the terrace and shoved her arm into the white wetness. Gideon knelt beside her and scraped more snow on top.
Steam hissed from where the cold met heat, tendrils of smoke curling away as the flames died a sudden death.
“You okay? Are you burned?” Gideon’s breath clouded in the frigid air.
Maya patted her arm and winced at the stinging pain. She raised her gaze to his. “I-I think I’m fine. It burns a little, but...” She rolled her sleeve back, revealing stinging reddened skin but no blisters yet. “Just a little singed. And a lot rattled.”
Gideon ran his hands over her arm, searching for any other signs of injury. “That was way too close, Maya. You could have been seriously hurt.” His low, controlled words couldn’t disguise the fear simmering just beneath.
She sat up, brushing wet snow from her burned coat. “Did you see who pushed me?”
“Someonepushedyou?” Gideon scanned the crowd, his eyes narrowing.
“Yes. I think so.” People stood around, concern on their faces. Others moved in and out of the fire’s warmth, unaware of what had just happened.
“Whoever it was is gone,” he said. “Disappeared into the crowd.” He looked up, his gaze scanning the building. “They have cameras. I wonder if we could see the security footage.”
“I don’t know. It was probably an accident. A dangerous one, but with so many people around, whoever did it may not have even realized it.” She pressed on her now-saturated sleeve, the coldness feeling good against her minor burn. “It was definitely weird, though. If it was on purpose ... why?”
“Could’ve been an accident for sure.” He helped her to her feet, keeping a protective hand on her back. “It’s pretty crowded out here. Like you said, maybe someone was just in a hurry, not paying attention, and didn’t realize what almost happened.”
She shuddered, her mind replaying the moment. “I don’t know, Gideon. I don’t want to jump to conclusions or act paranoid, but with the break-in at my cabin, I also don’t want to brush the incident off. Honestly? It felt deliberate.”
Gideon frowned. “But who would do that?”
“I have no idea.”
“Let’s hope it was just some careless idiot.”
