Page 25 of Annika's Aurora

“That’s Jolene.”

After the boisterous bar owner rejoined the women, they asked her how she knew Logan. “We grew up together.”

“Aww, that’s just like you and Graham, Natalie,” Jolene mused. “Let me guess, you’ve just been reunited after many years apart, and now you’re together.”

“Not exactly. It’s more complicated than that.”

“Isn’t it always, Honey,” Jolene muttered.

“That’s always been my experience,” joined Natalie. “Are you the one who fell off the bluff?”

“How did you know about that?”

“Logan texted Graham earlier asking for help in replacing his supplies. He mentioned helping a friend who’d fallen. Are you okay? He said you had a concussion.”

“I’m fine. It’s down to a dull throb now. And I don’t get dizzy anymore when I stand, so I’m grateful for that.”

“Yeah, concussions are a bitch.”

“What were you doing out there in that weather anyway?” Emma wondered.

“I went for a run. The snow wasn’t too bad when I started.”

“You run?” Emma’s eyes lit up, and Annika nodded. “Goody! Maybe we can go together sometime. The rest of these lazy girls don’t do the running thing.”

“Why run unless something is chasing you,” Jolene teased.

“But how do you know you could outrun whatever is chasing you unless you practice?” Annika wondered.

Jolene’s eyes widened as she gasped, and they all laughed. “I never thought of it like that. Okay, Emma, train me.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Right now?”

“Well, no. After Christmas. We’ll call it a New Year’s Resolution.”

“You never stick to your New Year’s Resolutions,” Emma quipped.

“Details.” Jolene waved Emma off. “So, Annika, you were running, but why so close to the edge?”

“A dog was tangled up in the bushes. I freed it. Then the ground gave way.”

“And Logan saved you?” Jolene sighed, looking like she thought the whole incident was a lovely dream.

“I guess.”

“You guess?”

“Well, I was unconscious. I woke up hours later in my bed.”

“Oh my God! That is so romantic.” Jolene clasped her hands together under her chin, eyes shining with hearts.

The women groaned. “Jolene,” Natalie admonished. “Falling off a cliff is not romantic.”

Natalie’s sister, Maddie, put her two cents in, ignoring the swooning woman. “I wonder how Logan got you up by himself. And why he didn’t call the team.” Maddie was striking in a different way from the other women. While the others were dressed casually, Maddie looked like she’d just arrived from work. Sharply pressed dark slacks and silk blouse gave her an elegantly polished appearance.

“I think I must have been partially in the water. He said something about me being hypothermic.”

“He must have thought time was of the essence and couldn’t wait for the team to get there,” Emma stated. “And the weather was really bad. He probably figured the trucks or even an ambulance couldn’t get through.”

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