And, yes, loved her.
And she kissed him right back. Her cold lips turned molten under his, his kiss deepening, years of what-ifs and should-haves and never-agains pouring out of his touch.
Jericho.
He tasted of hope and belonging and safety and ... home.
Because this—thiswas why she’d returned to Copper Mountain.
And this was why she’d stay.
“Bro? That you?”
Sully’s voice, behind them. A beam of light cast over them, illuminating them.
Jericho smiled against her mouth, his breath warm on her cheek. “My brothers have terrible timing,” he whispered to her. Then he lifted his head and called out, “No, it’s the abominable snowman. Of course, it’s me.”
Then he smiled down at her again, his voice heartbreakingly soft. “Thank you for finding me.”
“That’s all Orlando. He came to the lodge.”
Jericho looked down, where the Bernedoodle wagged his tail. “Good dog.”
“He needs his toy,” she said, tugging it out of Jericho’s pocket. Then she tossed it to Orlando, who caught it in his mouth.
Sully came up, gave Jericho a once-over. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Cold.”
“Can you walk?”
“Yes.”
Sully nodded. “Then let’s go.” He turned his flashlight into the darkness. Orlando darted ahead, his toy caught in his mouth.
“What happened?” Harley asked, slipping her hand into Jericho’s.
“Mars and his cousin Sloan. I caught them loading up buckets of spackle into their truck—stored in this mine. They spotted me.”
“They triggered the avalanche?”
A beat, then, “No, no, that was my brilliance. I thought they were going to shoot me and leave me in the mine for all eternity, so I might have panicked and threw out an avalanche grenade. It brought down the mountain.” He glanced at her. “Don’t say it.”
“You mean the part about being impulsive and getting yourself killed? Okay, I won’t.”
He squeezed her hand.
“So, Mars and Sloan are out there, and they’re running drugs in spackle buckets?” Sully asked.
“Seems like it. My guess is that they’re using construction sites to ship the product. And then hiding it in mining tunnels nearby.”
They reached the larger cavern and Sully shined his light around. “Where did Orlando go?”
“Please don’t tell me ...” Jericho started.
Voices, and suddenly lights pricked the darkness of one of the tunnels. Malachi and then—
“Hey!” Hudson’s voice echoed down the tunnel. “Anyone alive down here?”
