“You alone?” Brock asked quietly.
“I have a shadow with a large wolf-husky pup at his side,” Ace said dryly. “He’s on a Polaris and broke off a few times to climb hills, but he’s keeping close.”
Ophelia wiped snow out of her eye. “Christian?” she whispered. Did the guy stay away from even his brothers?
Brock nodded, pressing the button to speak. “The agent and I are leaving the river trail and heading along McDonnel Plough from the other direction. Check in again within a couple of hours.” Brock slipped the radio back into place. “I have an idea. This trail is pretty smooth for the next thirty miles, and the snowwill be thick enough through here that rocks and roots aren’t a problem. Let’s put you in front for a while.”
In front? She frowned and looked at the sled. “Why?”
His too charming grin disappeared way too quickly. “You’ll see.” He held out a hand.
She swallowed and then took it, anticipation rippling through her. Even with the current somber search, it’d be fun to drive the powerful machine. “Well, okay.” She gingerly lifted her leg, and when Brock moved back, she settled into place in front of him. Heat from his body, even through their heavy coats, slid her way, and she fought a grateful moan. Business. This was business. There could be nothing personal between them.
He pulled his gloves on and then reached for the helmet, no doubt putting it on with the face plate up. “Hands here.” He took her hands and placed them on the grips. The very warm grips.
“Hey,” she murmured.
“They’re heated.” He set his big boots on the runner behind hers and partially lifted her knee. “Put your feet up along the slide, as far as they’ll go.”
She did so, and instant warmth surrounded both feet. “Those are heated, too.”
“The engine heats up by the top, so you’ll stay warmer.” His rough voice kept businesslike. “This is why you should always drive your own sled unless it’s springtime. If you’re sticking around, you’ll need to learn how, so let’s start now.”
With his solid body behind her, the wind couldn’t get to her, either. Not much, anyway. She settled in better, her butt brushing his thighs.
Was that a groan from him?
He started the engine and tapped her right hand, his voice roughening. “This is the throttle. Press it forward with your thumb to increase speed. Start by gently pressing it, and just keep it slow until you get the hang of it.” He put her hand onthe left grip and showed her a lever. “This is the brake. Use it anytime you want. Don’t worry about the speedometer, and just watch the trail ahead. My hands are right outside yours, so if anything goes wrong, I’ll handle it. Give it a go, Agent.”
That was the third time he’d called her by her job title instead of her name. Did he wish to distance himself? If so, with his body wrapped around her, it would be more difficult than he hoped. Plus, she had an active case—or two—and nothing would shake her free until she had answers.
For now, she would drive this powerful machine with his powerful body shielding her. She shivered, though not from the cold this time. Yeah, she needed to learn to drive her own snowmobile.
That would be safer. Without question.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The woman had a penchant for speed, which made her all the more likable. After the first hour of riding, Brock relaxed his hold on the throttle, letting Ophelia take the lead. She had good instincts with the trail, finding the smoother areas and avoiding the thicker snow. She excelled naturally, and didn’t that just rub him the wrong way?
He could easily see over her helmet, so he scouted the area on either side for any clue as to Wyatt’s location. The fishing creek remained over several large hills, but the blizzard had been bad, so Wyatt could’ve easily wandered in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, the snow had piled up, so if he lay buried or had stumbled even just a few feet into the tree line, they could pass the man without seeing him.
The third hour in, the sun decided to give up the fight to another dark set of rolling clouds, casting shadows across the snowy landscape. If another storm came in, they’d have to turn back while they could.
He waited until he saw Cliff’s Bend in the river before tapping Ophelia’s hand.
She hesitated, caught his meaning, and let off the thumb throttle until they’d stopped in the middle of the trail. Relaxingagainst him, she kicked her leg over to sit sideways and flipped her face shield up with a click. “Did you see something?”
“No.” The sound of wind and frigid water hitting the rocks and ice competed with the crash of heavy clumps of snow falling from tree boughs. Warmth from the meager sun heated the chunks enough to break free of the trees, but the strengthening wind and chill would soon change that. “We need to traverse deep snow and climb that first hill to the right, so I’ll have to drive. Do you need to, ah, take care of business while we’re here?” He could kick a trail for her behind some trees.
She frowned and looked around. “There’s an outhouse around here?”
“No.” The shock of amusement that flashed through him made him press his lips together.
She blinked. “Oh.” She wiggled on the seat, her gaze thoughtful. “Um, how long will the next stop be if I wait?”
He couldn’t believe he found himself having this conversation with an FBI agent who totally wanted to screw up his life, but here he was, and thank goodness his brothers weren’t around. Well, probably. He didn’t sense Christian, so he most likely shadowed Ace to make sure he didn’t drink during the search. “We have a series of hills to climb, and the terrain will be difficult, so this is the best place for quite a while.”
She wrinkled her nose and looked around.
