The cruiser pulled up, and Topher walked over to the man getting out of the driver’s seat. Not Deke. Well, probably for the best.
She turned and stared off at the mountains, the oncoming storm. Yes, time to finish this.
And then she’d finally be able to say goodbye.
2
He was madeto hunt for trouble. And after seven years, Jericho Bowie could nearly smell it on the wind.
Today’s breeze, fresh off the snow-covered pines of the Copper Mountain Ski Resort, hinted of disaster—a heavy, wet snowpack from last night’s storm, the kind that clung to the backcountry bowls, waiting for a trigger. Avalanche weather, no question.
But no one was getting hurt today—not on his watch. And if he did his job right, not in the foreseeable future either.
Jericho stood on the edge of the Aurora Basin, his green parka zipped tight against the bite of the morning air. The sky stretched clear, a deceptive blue, but the Alaska Range loomed with a quiet menace, its peaks dusted fresh and heavy. Below him, the ski patrol team fanned out, their neon vests stark against the white, while two first-year avalanche dogs—an enthusiastic border collie named Juniper and a stocky Lab named Bear—bounded through the snow, noses twitching.
Nearby the quiet hum and rattle of a ski lift offloading skiers and snowboarders sounded. How he loved crisp, clear days.
What he didn’t love were skiers trapped beneath a ton of snow, suffocating. Not a fan, zero stars, would not recommend.
From his position near the summit of Copper Mountain, Jericho could see clear into the next valley, where shadows still held the night. The Eagle’s Nest, the Bowie Resort’s ski lodge, nestled halfway down, sat quiet, perched at the apex of a plowed road. Beyond that, another road led past the lodge, down the mountain, into a small high-end community, more lodging.
A few Summit Construction trucks sat in the parking lot of the Nest. His brother Hudson had probably already arrived to oversee the remodel. Jericho should stop in, but...
Well, he didn’t really have a right, did he?
He turned to the lead trainer, a lean woman in her late twenties named Marla. Her clipboard was clutched tight. “What’s the time?” he asked her.
“Sixteen minutes, thirty seconds.” Marla wore her dark hair in a braid under her wool Copper Mountain Ski Resort Ski Patrol hat. A red jacket bore a patch that read the same. And she also wore the PEAK K9 School patch on her arm, a graduate of his former K9 SAR school back in Montana.
So, Marla knew what she was doing.
But sure, since he was in town, he didn’t mind showing up to cheer her on, maybe give some pointers, evaluate the dogs.
He missed it, really, the training. At least, sometimes.
Not enough to open up shop here in Alaska, thank you very much. Those days were over. Despite Moose Mulligan’s endless nudges for him to join the Air One SAR crew.
Jericho’s own dog, Orlando, pressed against his leg, his leash taut, the black-and-brown Bernedoodle’s muscles tense. Too tense. Jericho scratched behind Orlando’s ears, felt the tremor in his frame. “Not today, boy,” he murmured, his voice low, steady. “You’re sitting this one out.”
“They have the scent cone,” Marla said, indicating the dogs below. “I can see them circling.”
“For sure, Juniper has the nose,” Jericho said. “Bear is a little distracted.”
“He’s a Labrador.” She shook her head. “He still loves to play too much, but he’ll get it.” She looked at Orlando. “We can’t all be superstars like America’s Top Dog here.”
Sweet. And he didn’t argue with her—dogs had feelings too.
“You should let him go. Show these pups what a pro looks like.”
He glanced at her, back to the bowl. “He’s not ready.”
She frowned. “He’s a legend, Jericho. He’ll be fine.”
He shot her a look, then gazed back out on the field, the whiteness almost blinding. “Yeah. He will be. Just needs time.”
He pointed to the dogs in training. “They’ve got to find Tanner before the clock runs out.”
Jericho had buried the rookie patroller himself—dug a shallow trench, packed the snow light, left an air pocket for safety. But twenty minutes in a snow cave, even a shallow one, pushed the limits. Cold seeped in fast.
