Page 41 of Jagger

I felt him stiffen even from where I was standing. Why I’d chosen to share something so painful and personal was beyond me.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” He didn’t ask why and I didn’t know if he cared, but I almost felt compelled to continue.

“She had a heart defect when she was born. Several surgeries, sepsis, dozens of infections later and she became my little miracle. My survivor.”

“Maybe she’s just like her mom.” Jagger stepped slightly in front of me, which allowed for a much better view. “I’m not prying. Your business. Your life.”

“You might be right, Jagger. We all learn to adapt if we want to survive.”

He huffed his answer.

About that time, Cally caught my eye, waving to me like the happy kid she was. “Santa was a good idea.”

“Not mine.”

“Not a holiday guy, huh?”

“Not a people person. Haven’t you figured that out by now?” He tilted his head enough I was able to catch the hard expression on his face.

“I don’t know about that.”

“Well, you’ll get it eventually.” As he’d done several times before, he started to walk away. Suddenly, there was commotion coming from the entrance.

Several vehicles pulled up in a hurry, people climbing out and racing inside.

“What is going on?” I asked.

Jagger shook his head. “Stay here. I need to find out.”

While he raced toward the front, suddenly Hunter was jogging through the lobby, another man who looked an awful lot like him following closely behind. I couldn’t avoid my curiosity, moving around the Santa display toward them.

The sky was already appearing more ominous than before, the few glimmers of sun I’d noticed fading. I had a feeling we were in for another storm.

“What the hell did you just say, Denise?” Jagger asked.

The woman was dressed in a park ranger uniform, the label on her shirt indicating her job position. She was wet, her hair stuck to her face. As men flanked her side, they appeared the same. They’d been in the snow handling a rescue.

My gut tightened.

“A partial avalanche. There was a group of tourists on Danger Cove. They didn’t get the warnings and were trapped. We might have one left out there. Shephard. It’s bad.”

“Why the hell didn’t we get the warning?” Shephard asked.

“We were trying to get them to the hospital, but the rocks and snow blocked the only road leading there.”

“Shit,” Hunter exclaimed. “Where are they?”

“We had no choice but to bring them here. Maybe you have a doctor among your guests. No one is likely to die but a couple have lost a lot of blood. We need to turn your conference room into a makeshift clinic.” Denise was exasperated.

I found myself walking closer even though the little voice in the back of my mind told me what I was thinking was a very bad idea.

“I have no clue if we have a doctor in the resort, Denise. We can try and find out.” Shephard and Denise obviously knew each other fairly well. I could tell by their body language.

“We’re not equipped to be turned into a hospital,” Hunter insisted.

“We have to do something, Hunter. The backside of the storm is coming in. There’s no way a helicopter will be able to get in and take the victims to safety.” Denise was pleading.

I was sweating.

---