She shook her head. “I’ve thought about it, trust me. But no, I can’t think of why someone would do this. And we’re here. I mean, if someone from my past had it out for me, they would have had to follow me here, right?”
“Yes.”
“So, no. I can’t fathom it.”
Gideon pursed his lips, then sighed after a few seconds. “Well, keep thinking, but in the meantime, this might sound ... bad ... in light of things, but do you feel up to a little potential fun today?”
Fun? She raised a brow. “It doesn’t soundbad. I might feel a little guilty, though. Then again...” Sure they were stuck, and they had some injured people to take care of until help could reach them, but there’d been no tragedies. Both she and Gideon were doing their part to help—and more. “What did you have in mind?”
“I thought about the whole feeling-guilty thing, but I don’t know ... we’ve both done a lot to help. Almost everyone is pitching in. But we need to take care of ourselves too. And that means time off unless there’s an emergency.” He stopped. “Well, an emergency other than being trapped at a lovely resort that’s still mostly functional.”
She tilted her head and thought about it. He wasn’t wrong. “Okay, as long as no one needs immediate help, I’m game. What did you have in mind?”
“Snowmobiling. Like we used to do when we were kids. If we enjoy it, maybe we can ask Vance and Ellie if they want to go with us tomorrow.”
“Yeah. Okay. That does sound fun. On one condition.”
“Name it.”
“I’d like to run by the clinic and see if they need anything before we go. It feels weird not to be able to just call.” She frowned. “In one sense, it’s really nice not to be tied to a device. In another, it sure is inconvenient.”
“But the teenagers are loving making the extra money with their messenger service.”
“True.” She smiled. “They’re a creative bunch for sure.” She sipped the coffee he’d poured for her, relishing the hot brew sliding over her tongue and down her throat. Then she grinned. “Wonder if they’ve heard about the treasure.”
He chuckled. “If they’ve been coming here for any length of time, they’ve heard of it.”
“I can’t believe we fell for that. Believing there were secret tunnels and gold. We searched for hours every day when we weren’t on the slopes. Can you believe our parents did that to us?”
“Well, it kept us out of their hair so they could have a little fun and not have us constantly underfoot—or in too much trouble.”
“I suppose that was the purpose. Wonder who first made up the story? Started the rumors?”
“A very tired parent.”
She laughed. “Probably.” She sighed. “I’m hungry again. Wanna grab some sandwiches from the restaurant and take them with us on the snowmobiles?”
“That sounds like a great plan.”
Maya headed toward her bedroom and changed into warmer clothes and hiking boots, then grabbed the new heavy coat she’d purchased from the ski shop, hat, and gloves. When she returned to the kitchen, Gideon had shrugged back into his winter gear. He’d also cleaned the kitchen. “You’re pretty handy to have around.”
His eyes glinted with some kind of emotion she didn’t recognize but wondered at. The look disappeared and he nodded to the door. “I’m ready when you are.”
“I’m right behind you.”
Thirty minutes later, they had their sandwiches, chips, water bottles, and two big slices of chocolate cake packed in a small cooler strapped to the back of Gideon’s machine. They also had strict instructions to stay on the snowmobile trails and not to attempt getting to the other side of the avalanche slide. “Ski patrol has been up there, looking for anyone trapped and in need of rescue,” the rental manager said. “Brought three people in two hours ago.”
“Do they need medical attention?” Maya asked.
“Thankfully, no. They had provisions in a backpack and found shelter in an empty cabin. It’s a huge area, and they were closer to this side than the other but didn’t get caught up in it. It took some finagling, but we managed to get them across before more snow slid down in a minor avalanche.”
“Oh, thank goodness you got them.” She frowned. “I didn’t hear anything that sounded like another avalanche.”
“It was small. Still dangerous to get caught in, but it didn’t last long.” He shook his head. “It’s possible there are people still trapped on the other side, so listen carefully while you’re up there, will you?”
“Of course.”
He nodded. “All right. You guys be careful. It’s safe enough if you stay on the snowmobile runs and away from the problem areas. Everything’s marked.”
