So much had happened. Scott had been shot, but hadn’t died. They had been cold and hungry and lost and desperate. They had shared a sleeping bag, and she had never felt closer to another person.
Was she the reason he had resigned his job and left the program he loved? That was beyond ridiculous. Maybe escaping death had made him rethink his whole life, and he had decidedto move away and what—he didn’t seem the type to join a monastery or decide to get a PhD in philosophy. But how well did she know him?
Not at all, it appeared. “I don’t know what happened,” she said.
“Connor says Scott is happy about it, whatever the reason,” Nina said. “And Connor will do a good job.”
They reached the patrol station at the top of Lift 7 to find a family from Chicago waiting to buy T-shirts and ask questions. Then they were called to attend a woman who had fallen and injured her knee on a difficult run.
Lily moved from one task to the next in a fog. At the end of the day she headed back to patrol headquarters at the base area, only to be hailed before she could reach the office. “Lily! Wait up!”
She turned to see Denny Endicott and Jackson walking toward her. She smiled. “It’s good to see you both looking so well.”
Denny hugged her tightly, holding on for just a moment. “I can’t thank you enough for all you did for me and Jackson,” he said.
“You don’t have to thank me,” she said. “I’m just so glad everything worked out. Are you both okay? Really?”
“I’m okay,” Jackson said. “I ate a cheeseburger and slept for, like, a day and a half.”
“I’m still dealing with the fact that the man I trusted with my life tried to take my son away from me,” Denny said. “But I have Jackson, and I still have my business and my good name, and that’s all that matters. And you’re okay. And Scott. The two of you will always be heroes in my book.”
She nodded, the mention of Scott’s name a heaviness in her stomach.
“I was just talking to Doug Elam about the avalanche dog program,” Denny said.
“Oh?”
“Jackson told me how Shelby and Hunter kept him warm and safe after he got separated from you and Scott, and how Shelby attacked Mike when he tried to shoot Agent Shipman. In light of that, I want to make sure the avalanche dog program here at the resort keeps going.”
“Dad’s giving the resort a lot of money just for the dogs,” Jackson said.
“Well, and their handlers and trainers and such,” Denny said.
“That’s so generous of you,” Lily said.Scott would love this, she thought.Why hadn’t he stayed to hear this?
“It’s the least I could do.” Denny patted her shoulder. “You’re sure you’re all right now? If you need anything at all, you let me know.”
“I’m fine, really.”
“That’s good to know. I’m glad I ran into you. We won’t be needing you to stay with Jackson for a while.” He looked down at his son, who grinned up at him. “We’re going to take a little vacation, something we’ve been putting off too long.”
“We’re going to Disney World!” Jackson said. “We’re going to ride all the rides at least twice.”
Lily laughed at the boy’s enthusiasm, then stooped to hug him. “You have a wonderful time, and when you get home I want to hear all about it.”
After they left, she retrieved Shelby and her belongings and headed home. As she stepped off the shuttle at the entrance to her apartment complex, she glanced across the lot and saw Scott’s motorcycle parked in its customary place. Before she could lose her nerve, she got out of the car and marched across the complex and up the steps to his apartment.
She leaned hard on the bell, then listened as heavy footsteps crossed to the door. After a moment, it opened. “Lily? What are you doing here?”
“I came to ask you what you think you’re doing.” She pushed past him. Shelby followed and hurried to greet Hunter.
Scott closed the door behind her. He was barefoot, wearing joggers cinched at the hips, and a long-sleeved T-shirt advertising a long-defunct brewery, the lettering flaking and faded. She turned to face him. “I showed up at work this morning and learned I was the only person on the team who didn’t know you’d quit the program,” she said. “The program you started. The program you gave everything to. The program Denny Endicott just gave a bunch of money to in order to keep us going. How could you do that?”
She was horrified when her voice broke on the last sentence, and tears spilled down her face. Why did she care so much what Scott Linden did with his life? He was betraying the program, not her.
He raked his hand through his hair. “I was going to tell you,” he said. “I was just waiting.”
“Waiting for what?”
