Page 19 of The Northern Lights in His Eyes

Garvin didn’t think he had heard anything more generous than that. Knowing that William didn’t think he needed to put on an act or hide who he was was a high compliment. Everyone hid parts of themselves, and knowing that William had let his guard down was sexy as hell. “No, you don’t. You open yourself in a way that’s pretty amazing.”

Their kisses intensified, as did the passion between them. The air in the room might have been chilled, but in that bed, under those covers, he and William scorched those sheets. Garvin didn’t want this to end, but the heat built between them fast, and there was nothing he could do about it. The electricity between them was like a runaway engine, completely out of control with no way to slow it down before it overheated. William’s skin against his provided just enough friction that there was no way Garvin could contain himself.

“Garvin,” William whimpered, and Garvin gripped that perfect ass, clutching it as he pushed them harder, lifting William up as they slid together. He clamped his eyes closed, trying to hold on to some shred of control but losing it by the second. William was too sexy, and it had been so long since he’d allowed himself to feel anything for another man. Suddenly the dam burst and Garvin tumbled into sweet oblivion, taking William along with him.

He lay still, panting. “Damn…,” Garvin breathed softly.

“I know. I guess there was a lot of pent-up anticipation on both sides.” He laughed softly. “If I’d known that just having you in my arms like this would be so explosive….”

“I know. I wouldn’t have waited so damned long either.” He chuckled right along with William, closing his eyes and just letting himself be happy to exist in the moment. There was no need for anxiety or worry about what was to come next.

A bark, happy and energetic, broke their spell as Sasha raced into the room and up onto the bed. He pranced on top of the covers before jumping down once more. “I think someone is here.”

“It isn’t even light yet.” William leaned over to glance at the clock.

“Yeah, I know. but I have to get up and start class anyway.” He slipped out of bed, kissing William gently before heading to the bathroom, where he quickly cleaned up and then dressed before peering out the window, where Sasha had propped himself up against the sill.

“It’s just snowshoers heading to the lake. They aren’t here to play with you.” He stroked Sasha’s fur, rubbing him down. Garvin didn’t dare let him out or he’d follow them, and Garvin didn’t want him straying too far. Once he built up the fire, he logged in and waited as his students connected. Sasha put his front legs on the chair to get himself in the picture. The kids loved seeing Sasha, and they said hello to him as they connected, with Sasha barking his greeting back.

For the next few hours, Garvin conducted class, taking the kids through their lessons and answering questions. Then he gave them their homework assignments for that afternoon. Since they had been away for a few days, Garvin wanted to make sure they didn’t fall behind.

“Let’s go to the trading post for lunch. I have a few hours before I need to be back, and I want to talk over some things with the guys about what I saw,” Garvin told William. “Sasha can go with us. It would be good for him to get out.”

“Okay.” William came right over and kissed him. “I wanted to do that all morning, but I didn’t think your students would appreciate me making out with you during class.” He smiled and then hurried over to start getting his outdoor gear on.

“WHAT HAS you so concerned?” Enrique asked once Garvin and William, along with Devon, were seated in the side room at the trading post. The walls were covered with some of Devon’s local landscapes, making the trading post the closest thing to an art gallery in the Alaska bush. The thing was, folks had been driving up from Anchorage to look at his latest work and even buy pieces that fetched many thousands of dollars. Garvin had always admired the work and had his eye on one of the smaller pieces that hung on the main wall.

“Well,” Garvin said, “when we found those three people after the avalanche, they were supposed to be caretakers at some mining operation. But what sort of mining is happening up where we found them? Think about it. You shut down an operation on the river a few years ago, and no new permits have been issued. I’m assuming that their camp was higher up, given the way the avalanches run downhill.”

Enrique nodded. “There are still some old permits that are active, but they have mostly played out, and I’ve been told that they had largely ceased operations because they weren’t finding anything viable, even with high gold prices.”

William patted Garvin’s leg. “What did you see that the rest of us missed?” He smiled. “What has you so worked up?”

“Well… you remember that the three people we found were in a hollowed-out depression and there were bits of the building they were in around them. It was all mixed in with the snow, and they used some of that wreckage as tools to dig with.” He met the gazes of the other three. “But I noticed that some of those pieces of wood had been charred. They were black on the outside.”

Devon and Enrique shared a look, while William gasped. “Which would mean that their building burned before the avalanche.”

William sighed, his eyes as big as saucers. “Remember that night how I thought I felt an earthquake or heard winter thunder? In the morning I thought I heard the avalanche… and I did. But there were two rumbles, one sharper, and then another five minutes later that lasted longer. I thought the second was an earthquake. But what if neither of them was? What if the first was an explosion and the second was the avalanche?” He smiled, and Garvin tugged William into a hug.

“You’re brilliant, you know that? And you’re right. An explosion could cause an avalanche, which is why all explosives are banned in the winter. Mining ceases, and they have to wait till spring. Most responsible operations pull all their explosives because of the effect the cold can have on some of them.”

All four of them gaped for a second at the implication. “So what if they weren’t caretaking, but trying to mine this time of year?” Devon asked.

“Yeah, and their cache of explosives went off, bringing down half a mountain of snow on top of them. They’re lucky to be alive,” Enrique observed, but it was William who got to the heart of the matter.

“What if it’s even more stupid? What if they didn’t clear out their supplies of explosives because they wanted to get a head start in the spring, and their camp caught fire? An explosion would blow everything apart, and the snow and cold would douse everything fast, I’d think. So what if the fire came first, then the explosion, followed by the avalanche?”

Garvin nodded. “Either way, they are responsible for destroying miles of forest and thousands of trees, and God knows what else.”

“True. But the only answers are out there,” Devon said. “So what’s the plan?”

Garvin leaned forward. “Tomorrow is Saturday, and I don’t have class. My plan was to go back up there and see what I could find out. Bring back some of the charred wood as proof of what happened and see if we can find anything else. The longer we wait, the more everything will be buried under more snow, and by spring….”

“Everything will be covered by new growth, and everyone will have moved on to other issues,” Enrique finished with a nod. “I’ll make sure Angie can handle the Saturday breakfast crowd. We’ll go on up at first light tomorrow. No storms are predicted, but who knows about the weather otherwise. At least we know right where we’re going. We’ll travel light and as fast as we can. Get in, take what proof we can, and get out before the mining company can get people in there, because once they do, everything that could tell us what happened will either be gone or lost until spring.”

“I’m in,” William said.

Garvin wasn’t so sure that was a good idea, but judging by the set of his jaw, arguing with him would only cause a fight. Garvin would feel a lot better if William stayed here or back at the cabin.

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