She remembered what he had told her about his former girlfriend—and his parents—berating him for not being ambitious. “That’s just one of the things I admire about you,” she said. “Money’s nice, but it’s not the most important thing. And I know you love dogs. That’s a big one.”
“Yeah. I love dogs. And kids.”
She stilled. “Too soon?” he asked. “No pressure or anything.”
Again, she laughed. “I already knew you liked children,” she said. “You’re really good with them. But we’ll table this discussion until later.” Much later.
“Fair enough. I’m just trying to put all my cards on the table.”
“Oh. And why is that?”
“I think we could build something real between us,” he said. “I want to try.” He covered her hand with his own. “I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you.”
Her heart beat faster at the words. Frightening words. Thrilling words. Sometimes the two emotions were so close to being the same. “I love you, too,” she said. She kissed his cheek. “I’m here right now, and I’m not going anywhere. That’s a good start, don’t you think?”
“Yeah.” He cradled her against him, and she closed her eyes once more. It wasn’t a dramatic declaration or an ardentproposal of marriage, but either of those things would have made her suspicious or scared her away. This was better—a tentative agreement to do their best to love each other. To see where walking this path together would lead.
Epilogue
Three months later
The sun on the snow shone so brightly Lily had to squint through the tinted lenses on her goggles. The blue sky promised a perfect day for skiing, the spring snow the texture of raw sugar, crunching beneath her feet with each step. Shelby raced ahead of her across the ski run and skidded to a stop, snow flying, at Scott’s feet. He greeted her enthusiastically, and the dog wagged her tail furiously.
“Are you ready for this?” Scott asked.
“We are.” Lily looked around. “It’s been ages since I’ve been to Vail. I’m looking forward to skiing a few runs when this is over.”
“Yeah, that’ll be fun.”
Level A certification for avalanche rescue dogs had to be conducted at a resort other than their home resort. Scott and Adam had arranged for Shelby’s certification test to be conducted at Vail, though Scott had recused himself from judging, and Marcie Stevens from Wasatch Backcountry was filling in.
Adam and Marcie skied over to join them. “We need to get started so we’re out of here before the lifts open,” Adam said.
“Let’s do it,” Lily said.
“You know the drill,” Adam said. “Volunteers, are you ready?”
“I’m ready.” Jackson stuck up his hand.
“Me too,” Denny said.
Lily grinned at them. She had asked these two if they would be the “victims” Shelby needed to find for today’s test.
Nina and Brian led Denny and Jackson away. They would seal them up in the ice caves, then sweep the area to camouflage the hiding spots. Scott moved over and took Lily’s hand. “Are you nervous?”
“Of course.”
“Shelby is going to do great.”
“Everybody ready?” Adam asked.
“Yes,” a half dozen voices answered.
He clicked his stopwatch. “Now.”
Lily looked into Shelby’s eyes—so attentive and eager to please. “Go find,” she commanded. The dog spun around and was off.
It took ten minutes for Shelby to find Denny, but five minutes later she was barking and digging out Jackson, who emerged from his hiding place laughing and waving a tug toy, which Shelby grabbed and used to pull him the rest of the way onto the snow. Boy and dog rolled on the ground while Lily’s fellow ski patrollers cheered.
“Congratulations,” Adam said. “Shelby has passed her Level A certification.”
Scott pulled her close and kissed her. “I knew you could do it.”
“That’s not what you said when we first met.”
“That was before I knew how stubborn you could be.”
“I prefer tenacious.” She looked into his eyes. “I’m not one to give up on something worth having.”
“I’m thankful every day for that.” He kissed her again, until those around them began whistling and hooting. They smiled at each other, not caring about the good-natured teasing.I love you, he said with his eyes.Love you more, she answered. Whathad started out as an experiment to see if they could make it was starting to feel like forever. A bond stronger than the things they had overcome, or the challenges they might meet in the future.
