Page 22 of 15 Summers Later

“Yes. Headache. Plus, work tomorrow. Good thing we drove separately tonight, isn’t it?”

Nicole looked as if she wanted to argue but something in Madi’s expression must have told her it was futile. She finally shrugged. “I’ll cover your one measly drink.”

Luke shook his head. “We can settle up with Jamie on our way out.”

After they paid for their drinks, she and Luke walked together out to the parking lot. The June evening air smelled of pine and sagebrush. A cool wind blew out of Emerald Canyon and Madi shivered, wishing she had thought to bring a jacket. She should have. She certainly knew evenings here in the mountains turned cold once the sun went down.

“Thanks for the save,” she said as they neared her SUV. “Multiple saves, actually. Do I really have to go vaccinate sheep with you tomorrow? I’ve got a full day planned at the rescue.”

“You don’t have to. But I could use the help. It’s easier with two people. Tomas will be out of town and Carly has a bridal shower for her cousin. I was planning on Sierra’s help. Maybe I can drag her away from her sleepover early enough to come with me.”

She sighed. She owed him, even if he hadn’t come to her rescue that evening. “I’ll do it, if we can get it out of the way early in the morning. I’ve got new volunteers coming in the afternoon for training.”

“Fine with me. Should we say seven?”

She did a quick mental calculation. “Let’s make it eight so I can feed the hordes.”

“Okay.”

She opened her SUV door. Before she could slide inside, Luke leaned down.

His scent, masculine and clean, brushed against her again at this close proximity. He must have shaved before going out on the town, she realized, as his late-afternoon shadow was gone. Was it his aftershave that smelled so good?

Whatever the cause, Madi inhaled deeply, hoping he didn’t notice.

“So. Ryan O’Connor. He seems pretty smitten. Will he be your summer guy?”

She released her breath. “Highly doubtful, unless I want to spend all summer trying to avoid the subject of Ava’s stupid book.”

He raised an eyebrow. “It’s not a stupid book. You know that, right? It’s beautifully written and very gripping.”

She stared at him, feeling as if the car door had somehow slammed into her gut. Beautiful? Gripping?

“How would you know that?” she demanded. “Surely you haven’t readGhost Lake, have you?”

She suddenly wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer to that question.

7

In our pursuit of help, we find allies who listen to our harrowing tale, their eyes mirroring a mixture of disbelief and compassion.

—Ghost Lakeby Ava Howell Brooks

Luke

He was treading on dangerously thin ice here.

He studied Madison in the streetlight, skin glowing and hair still slightly damp from dancing.

She looked lovely and fragile, with her mouth permanently frozen on one side, and he fought the sudden fierce urge to tuck her against him and protect her.

It was a battle he fought often, whether that was in the office when a wounded dog tried to lash out or sitting in a town hall meeting with her as she tried to persuade local politicians that a no-kill shelter would only benefit the community over the long haul.

He had learned a long time ago that Madison Howell didn’t want him—oranyone—to protect her. She wielded her independence like a Valkyrie with a sword.

He had seen her wounded, so pale he wasn’t sure she was still alive. He had seen her bandaged and hooked up to machines. He had seen her crying in pain and frustration from the physical and occupational therapy necessary for her to come back from a serious brain injury.

He wondered if she had ever been as vulnerable and exposed as she was now, since her sister had written about their experience in the mountains fifteen years ago.

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