Taming His Montana Heart(25)

The snow here was unspoiled, virgin and pure, nature’s gift. The close-growing pines insulated them from the outside world and made her believe she could start life over. She occasionally wondered if the man seated behind her was having the same thoughts but mostly she existed for herself. There was only this forest, these trees, boulders, and shrubs buried under powder, snow spraying up like waves on either side of the machine, the sky a narrow ribbon overhead. Maybe animals and birds watching.

Despite what she’d told Shaw about needing to go fast enough to stay on top of the snow, she traveled as slow as she dared because she was determined to collect and hold onto today’s memories. It was her and Shaw, a man and a woman alone in the wilderness.

Not entirely alone. A wolf might be out there, maybe studying them, wondering about the invaders, wanting them gone but patient. The creature might even know what had brought the humans here, their need for a deeper understanding of what this land was about, their desire to feel as if they belonged in the backwoods.

“Let’s stop,” Shaw said after long silence.

His request pulled her out of her philosophical thoughts, and she let up on the throttle. When the machine was no longer moving, she killed the motor so nature could truly speak to them. There was more of a breeze than she’d realized. It sang to her, spoke of seduction.

Shaw had removed his helmet and dismounted as soon as she stopped. It took longer for her to trust her legs to support the rest of her body. By the time she got off, he’d tried to move forward but kept sinking into untouched snow. Powder clung to his pants-legs. He seemed to be blending into his surroundings, becoming part of this special place. Laughing, he made his way back to her. The fact that he was her boss barely registered. Today they were equals, and if she let that thinking prevail, she risked telling him everything.

“So much for thinking I could do the frontier explorer thing,” he said. “This snow’s like cold quicksand, not that I’ve ever been in quicksand.”

“We’ll need to make sure the trail’s a lot more solid than this before the dog teams take off.” He was standing maybe twenty feet away with snow all around and evergreens bending low as if trying to embrace him. She knew she looked the same way but only he mattered.

And the pristine silence that was their world. Only theirs.

And maybe a wolf’s.

“How far have we traveled?” He was studying what little he could see of the sky, maybe being hit with the reality of their isolation.

“About five miles. According to people who’ve worked here for a long time, it’s pretty much like this all the way to Grizzly Peak. Nothing too extreme.”

“Is there a deer trail the whole way?” he asked.

Their voices stood in contrast to the muffled thud of a nearby branch dropping its load. There was another sound, a faint sigh as if something was sinking into the snow. The wolf’s paws maybe?

Even though she knew it couldn’t be that, she stepped closer to Shaw thinking to ask if he’d heard the sound. When it wasn’t repeated, she decided to dismiss it. Her imagination never got away from her. In fact, she didn’t have much of one—except for contemplating what might happen if he touched her.

“Not just deer,” she told him. “Hikers use this route in summer. What we’ve been following was created by both humans and animals.”

“Coexistence.”

“Yes.” She longed to reach out to him. “Henry—he used to work for Fish and Wildlife—told me there’s a black bear den near Grizzly Peak. Before he retired this fall, he periodically checked on a hibernating sow and her cubs. Hopefully Echo can determine if it’s still being used. If it is, we need to make sure the dogs don’t get close.”

Hands in his pockets, Shaw scanned their surroundings. “Now that’s something I haven’t considered. What was that like for Henry? To get close enough to…”

Maybe Shaw and she had made a mistake by coming to where humans hadn’t been for months and there might be a protective mother bear. She’d told Daron where they were going, but maybe he wouldn’t get alarmed in time if they didn’t return.

What was she thinking? This wasn’t the day her mother had—





Chapter Nine




“I’ve never experienced the forest like this,” Shaw said softly. “I spend an incredible amount of time focusing on bringing the resort into the present. Maybe…”

“Maybe what?” Hopefully talking to him would keep her firmly rooted in reality. The last thing she wanted was to be drawn into the past.

“I’m engaging in wishful thinking,” he said. “Wouldn’t it be something if we spotted the sow and her cubs? Sure they’re probably hibernating, but I’d get a kick out of taking pictures and sending them to the club members. I’d ask if this is the wilderness they’re looking for.”

“I wonder how they’d react?”

“Not sure. I’d love to blow up some shots of where we are and put them on my office walls.”

His cramped office sported a photograph of Mount Lynx lit by a full moon. She thought he would be content with that but maybe he was after memories of the time they’d spent together.

It can’t mean that much to him. Get a grip.

“I don’t know if we’ll be able to see Grizzly Peak,” she said. “There might be too many clouds around it.”