Page 4 of Their Frozen Bones

“What would it look like, Mommy?” Tauri rubbed the end of his nose.

Jenna thought for a beat. “Oh, shiny black with silver stripes, tinted windows, maybe.”

“That sounds like a plan.” Kane nodded slowly. “Maybe a spoiler as well?”

Looking ahead at the recently cleared highway and the gray snow piled up along each side, her stomach dropped and grieffilled her again. She nodded, trying to keep it together. “Yeah, that sounds wonderful.”

“We’ll find her.” Kane took her hand and squeezed. “I’m sure as heck not giving up on her until I see her body. I know Julie and she is tough and resourceful. Wolfe, I, and Blackhawk have all trained the girls on how to protect themselves in the forest in all weathers. She knows we’ll be searching for her.” He scanned the landscape. “It’s bad, I know that, but we have crews here that deal with rescues in this weather all the time. We need to trust in the system. Someone will find the aircraft and call it in.”

Jenna pulled a tissue from her pocket and blew her nose. As sheriff, she had to act as an example to everyone on her team. She understood that her hormones were raging at the moment, but that was no excuse for falling to pieces on the job or upsetting her son. She nodded to him and sucked in deep breaths. Wolfe would be shattered and she needed to be strong. “I’m glad I have you, Dave. You put everything into perspective.”

They blew through town with comparative ease. Not many people had ventured out into the blizzard and the snowplows had been working since sunup clearing the snow and keeping the roads open for emergency vehicles. As they turned into Wolfe’s driveway, she spotted Rio’s and Rowley’s trucks parked outside. They headed for the door and at once Wolfe’s housekeeper appeared and ushered Anna and Tauri into the kitchen to make cookies. Jenna watched him scamper away, glad he had someone to play with after being cooped up in the house with Nanny Raya for the past week. He loved being with his nanny, but he missed kindergarten and it had closed for the duration of the holidays. She headed into the family room and pulled off her coat. A log fire heated the room and everyone was in deep conversation. She went to Wolfe and hugged him and Emily. Norrell gave her arm a squeeze and the conversation stopped as all eyes went to her. “Okay, bring me up to date.”

“We have a general idea of where the aircraft went down.” Rio had taken charge. “Going on Blackhawk’s sighting and a man driving into town from Bison Hump Bridge, we have triangulated a possible crash site. This being the case, search and rescue are on standby. Carter and Styles will be here the moment they have visibility. The snowmobile enthusiasts club is already heading in that direction. They are all carrying satellite phones. We have five snowmobiles and Blackhawk will be heading toward the coordinates from his side of the mountain. He’ll meet with us at the area north of Bison Hump Bridge. The snowplows have cleared the way from town to Bison Hump Bridge and will continue to keep the road open for us.”

“So what’s the catch?” Kane tossed his coat over the back of a chair and removed his gloves. “If the roads are clear, why aren’t we heading that way now?”

“The coordinates suggest the aircraft went down in a remote area. There are no fire roads or any way we can find to make it easier to get there.” Rio’s expression was like stone. “We’re the most experienced team, so we’re taking the most dangerous route.” He looked at Jenna. “It might be better if you man the control center.”

“Oh, for goodness sake.” Norrell glared at him. “She’ll be fine. I’m sure Jenna would appreciate it if you all stopped treating her as if she’ll break. Being pregnant when a woman is strong and healthy isn’t a problem at this stage. I might be concerned if she was in her last trimester, but right now this overprotectiveness is getting me down, so heaven knows how you’re making her feel right now.”

Looking at her team, Jenna smiled. “I know you care about me but I’m fine. I do appreciate your concern but right now we have Julie and the other people on that aircraft to consider. They are our priority, so let’s move out.”

“Does anyone need any supplies?” Wolfe looked around the room. “Are your winter survival packs complete? It’s darn cold out there. Is everyone bundled up?”

“Yeah, we make sure we have the backpacks fully stocked and the snowmobiles maintained well before the first snow.” Kane picked up his coat. “The visibility isn’t too bad right now. We should move out.”

Jenna nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”

SIX

In a world of pain, Julie Wolfe opened her eyes, expecting to be somewhere in the forest. It was dark and silent. Panic gripped her. Where was she? What had happened? The terrifying knowledge that the plane was going to crash had come from the frantic shouts from the pilot. He told them all to hug their knees as visibility was zero and he’d try and put the aircraft down somewhere. Terrible memories spun around in her head and she moaned, holding up her hands. “Help me. Someone, help me.”

A light poured over her and she made out a small room. She started at the sight of a huge man filling the doorway. Hope filled her. “Is that you, Dave?”

“No, my name is Johnny Raven.” The man came into the room and looked down at her. “What’s your name?”

Head spinning, fear caught in Julie’s throat. Cool sheets pressed into her back. Where the heck was she and how did she get here with this stranger? For now she’d cooperate because she had no choice. With effort, she pushed words out of her dry throat. “Julie Wolfe.”

“Do you remember what happened?” Raven sat beside her and flicked a flashlight across her pupils. “I can’t find any head injuries. How do you feel?”

This man was acting like a doctor, but if he had been, wouldn’t he have said so from the get-go? Gritting her teeth, Julie moved her head and went through a self-check. “My leg hurts and I was in a plane crash. I recall the pilot telling us to brace for impact and then waking up here.”

“Do you need something for the pain?” He indicated behind him. “I have morphine or pain meds.”

As if she’d trust a stranger to drug her. No one was that stupid, but she did need something for the pain shooting up her leg. She dragged her dry tongue over cracked lips. “Not morphine and I’ll want to see the bottle before I take anything. I’ve no reason to trust you and I need to ask questions. Where am I and how long have I been here?” She looked around the tidy log-built room and then lifted the covers. She swallowed hard at the sight of her PJ’s. One leg was split to the knee and she made out a heavy bandage. “Where are my clothes?”

“You were soaked through.” Raven’s eyes narrowed. “I needed to get you warm before you died.”

I need to get out of here.She touched her ear, searching for her earring but it was missing. One squeeze and it would activate a tracker and her dad would come. A shiver of fear ran down her spine. Had Raven removed it to stop her escaping? Heart racing, she looked at him. “Did you remove my earrings?”

“You have one on the left.” Raven narrowed his gaze at her. “Why would I remove it? You must have lost it in the wreck.”

Reason washed over her. He’d have no knowledge of her tracker. She nodded. “I need to call my dad. Have you got my purse? My phone is in there. It has a satellite sleeve.”

“I brought a set of pink luggage with us, but I didn’t find a purse. You were covered with snow.” Raven frowned. “It was bad up there. You were the only survivor.”

Horrified, Julie burst into tears. “Are you sure? That can’t be possible.”

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