“On the house.” She waved him away. “She’s been a great girl. Hardly even noticed she was there.”
Wasn’t that the truth?
“I really appreciate it. Mr. Joy.” He tipped his chin toward Rachel’s father. “Mrs. Joy.”
“Nice to see you, Holden,” Paula reciprocated his greeting. “And thank you for checking in on the cabin and Rachel. We appreciate it.”
“Of course. Happy to.”
His gaze snagged on Rachel’s before he clapped his hand against his thigh to call his dog over. “Come on, Scout. Let’s get going, girl.”
Stewart saw them out, but Rachel remained immovable, like that superglue had suddenly secured the tread of her shoes to the hardwood too.
It didn’t help that Paula’s glare also pinned Rachel in place.
“What’s really going on here?”
“I told you. Holden came by while he was doing the rounds. He was just checking in.”
With her mouth pinched, Paula narrowed her eyes at her daughter. Suddenly, all tension on her face faded. “Well, I’m glad he did. I’ve been worried about you all alone in this cold house. Your father and I headed back up the mountain as soon as it was plowed. We’re just making a pit stop to change our clothes before we go back to the store. You sure you’re alright here?”
“I’m fine, Mom. Promise.”
Paula took her daughter’s chin between her fingers. “Sometimes, I forget you’re a grown woman who can take care of herself. You’ve been doing it for over a decade in that big city. But you’ll always be my little girl. And I’ll always worry about you, like it’s my job.”
“You don’t need to worry about me.”
“I know I don’tneedto, but I do.” Her mother’s hand slipped, and she tilted her head, regarding Rachel with the most maternal gaze. “I also sometimes worry that you’ve made a decision you feel forced to stand by. Sweetheart, do you still love your job?”
It should have been a simple answer, but Rachel couldn’t locate the words. Did she love working at December Décor? No, it wasn’t love. But she was motivated, and she knew if she could work her way up the corporate ladder, she’d certainly love the view from the top.
Wouldn’t she?
“It pays well and it’s challenging. What more could I ask for?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe that it would be fulfilling and fun too.”
Rachel gave a little shrug. “It sometimes is.”
“Life is too short to be satisfied with ‘sometimes’. You deserve to love every bit of it. Every precious bit.”
CHAPTER28
Holden wasn’t prone to panic attacks, but being buried in the snow was a surefire way to bring one on. He knew the statistics—the more rapidly you breathed, the quicker you went through your oxygen supply. He didn’t need to stay in the cave long. Scout would find him.
Or at least, he prayed she would.
It was the final test in getting her Avalanche Rescue Dog validation. She’d passed the first round with flying colors. But finding a human was an entirely different thing than locating and digging out a piece of fabric. The stakes were higher, the timeline shorter.
Holden knew fully that if things went south, someone would get him to safety. There was an entire team waiting in the wings. He wouldn’t be left to freeze below the packed surface, and that knowledge was a mollifying comfort that tempered his nerves and slowed his heart rate. His breathing too.
That hadn’t been the case for Lance all of those years ago. How long had he been buried beneath the snow? It likely wasn’t more than five minutes, but they must have been the most terrifying minutes of his life.
And Holden knew he was to blame.
The ski race had been a stupid idea. After all, the one person he had wanted to beat down the hill hadn’t even shown up. It was with that disappointment that Holden had set out the markers that fateful morning, delineating the path skiers would take in their race to the finish. It had been shoddy, hasty work, and it almost cost his best friend his very life.
Not that Lance would ever admit that. No, he’d been ‘just fine’. Veering off-course and falling into the tree well was an adrenaline rush, he’d claim. That’s how he would go on to tell the story. But when Holden saw Lance’s scattered ski poles and skis snapped free from their boots, each landing several yards away from the spruce trap, Holden had never been more terrified in his life.
