Page 41 of Hot Winter Nights (Bear Mountain Rescue 1)

Dex grabbed his snow shovel and started digging with Bluebell, yelling for Chris. After what felt like hours of work, he heard a voice hollering from below and Dex started using his hands. “Chris, start moving toward the sound of my voice. You’re getting closer, man, just a little farther.”

Finally, Chris broke through the snow, gasping, his arms flaying. “Get me the hell out of here!”

Taking the guy’s arms, Dex pulled, dragging him out. Chris lay on the ground, breathing heavily. “Thank God, I thought I was going to die down there.”

“Are you hurt?”

“Just my head. I think I flipped a couple of times.”

“Okay, I’m going to strap you to the sled. Can you walk?”

Chris stood a little unsteadily, and Dex helped him to the sled before strapping him in. He waved toward a couple of EMTs headed back out.

“Let’s go, Bluebell.”

Dex took off, heading toward the road. He saw the EMTs spin around and kick up snow. Other people were jumping up and down excitedly, and at first, Dex thought it was in celebration.

And then he felt it. The handlebars were shaking in his grip.

Because the ground was trembling.

Glancing briefly over his shoulder, he saw the second avalanche descending the mountain, gaining on their tail. His heart dropped out of his chest and hit the bottom of his stomach with a sickening thud.

“Shit. Hang on,” he shouted, knowing Chris probably couldn’t hear him. He pushed the speed, silently chanting, Come on…come on.

He was so close to safety, but he could feel the cold air at his back, the leaden snow reaching out for him. So he took a deep breath.

And waited for impact.

Chapter 24

When Hunter got the call, it felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to his gut, making him want to hurl.

The second thought that raced through his head was Allie. Did she know?

At a full run, Hunter rushed into her office. She looked up from the paperwork littering her desk, much like she had the first time he’d seen her, only this time Hunter was there as a friend and nothing more.

“Allie…”

“Hey, aren’t you waiting on an incoming trauma?”

“Yeah, but Allie, you should know—”

“Actually, if you got a minute, I should go first. I am so sorry, but I think it should come from me—”

His voice boomed in frustration. “Shut up and listen!”

Her jaw dropped in surprise, and while she was speechless, he finished. “There was a second avalanche while Dex was bringing in one of the patients.”

The blood drained from Allie’s face. “Oh, my God. Is he okay?”

Allie stood in the middle of the intake door, waiting for Dex, her whole body quaking with adrenaline.

Two ambulances carrying the injured teenagers pulled up, and as they unloaded them, wheeling them in side by side, Allie overheard one tell the other, “Man, that guy was a fucking badass. You should have seen him.…”

The doors closed behind them, so she didn’t catch the rest of the conversation, but she didn’t need to. She knew enough about what happened to know exactly what she was going to do to said “badass.”

Dex’s truck pulled into the parking lot and he climbed out, all six-foot-plus feet of him perfectly healthy. Allie couldn’t decide what she wanted to do to him more: kiss or kill him.

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