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Elation surged through him and he hugged Merci. “It’s them. They’ve made it.”

Merci bounced up and down and started waving.

Even as the driver put the huge machine in idle and jumped out of the cab, Nathan half expected to see one of the thieves. They had been pursued so relentlessly that he couldn’t imagine being in a safe place where the thieves couldn’t get at them.

He breathed a sigh of relief when the plow driver removed his hat revealing a head of salt-and-pepper hair. They ran out to meet him.

Nathan recognized the man. “Joe, you have no idea how glad we are to see you.”

“Nathan, good to see you.” Joe sauntered toward them. “Deputy Miller has been looking for you. Where is the other girl?”

Miller must have informed the whole town when he didn’t show up at the police station.

“It’s a long story,” said Merci.

“I don’t have room in the cab for you, but I can radio out, and we can get a vehicle to come from the direction I’ve already plowed.”

Nathan didn’t like the idea of having to wait around too long with the thieves’ whereabouts still unknown. “How long is that going to take?”

“We’ve got a truck out on the highway that can be here in twenty minutes,” Joe said.

Nathan glanced up the mountain. “Tell them we’ll be waiting in the car.”

Joe nodded and returned to his plow. Through the window of the cab, they saw him pick up the radio. A moment later, he gave them the thumbs up.

They stood to one side as the plow pushed snow off the road, swerving around Lorelei’s car. They watched the plow until it disappeared around a corner. “We got a little bit of a wait. Why don’t we try to stay warm?” Nathan brushed more snow off the back window so they would have a clear view of the rescue vehicle coming up the road without getting out of the car. The blowing snow had reduced visibility by quite a bit, but they should be able to spot the headlights with time enough to jump out of the car.

As he opened the driver’s-side door, Nathan glanced one more time up the mountain. He could see even less than before.

“I wonder what happened to them.” Merci climbed in the backseat to retrieve the other boot and a pair of socks.

Had the cold and hunger finally become too much for them. Had they returned to the ski hill and hurt Elle and Henry? Or had they simply lost their way down the mountain and come out at a different spot?

The minutes ticked by. He caught Merci glancing up the mountain and down the road almost as often as he did. He half expected to see the trail groomer charging toward them or hear gunshots shattering the windows.

Nathan struggled to come up with something to say to break the tension. “Maybe you should have those antique buttons appraised. They might be worth more than you think.”

Merci fingered the buttons. “I guess. I just wish I knew what they were looking for.” Merci shook her head as a tightness came into her features. This wasn’t easy for her.

Nathan placed his hand over hers. “It still bothers you what Lorelei did?”

“I just hate being the chump all the time. And I hate that my father might be right. He says that I am too trusting to ever succeed as a businessperson. My father can be kind of ruthless in his business deals, but he’s really successful. I didn’t major in business to be like him. I chose that career path to be different from him. I think that managing or owning a business should be about people, not about making money at any cost.”

“I don’t think what happened with Lorelei is any indication of how you’ll do as a manager,” Nathan said. “Sometimes when you give people a chance even if you have doubts, they blossom.”

“I suppose you’re right.” When she looked at him, the gratitude he saw in her eyes sent a charge of electrified warmth through him.

Merci turned and looked out the back window. “He’s here.”

They jumped out, bending forward to cut through the blowing snow. The driver left his headlights on, opened his door and walked toward them.

The big ear flaps of his furry hat covered most of his face. He leaned close and spoke to them in a loud voice. “Hop in and we’ll get this thing turned around.”

Once they settled inside the warm cab of the truck, the driver removed his hat, revealing a mop of coppery hair. “I’m sure you folks are glad to be getting off this mountain.”

“You have no idea,” said Nathan. He glanced over at Merci whose green eyes communicated a sense of relief. “We should probably go to the police station and give a description of those men.”

The sensation had come back into her frozen foot. At least that wasn’t a worry anymore. “I’m dying for a hot meal and shower, but you’re right, that should be our priority.” She turned to face the driver. “As soon as we have cell service, can I borrow your phone? I need to call my aunt. I’m sure she’s worried sick.”

The driver nodded.

“Guess I can take a bus to Aunt Celeste’s house after we’re all done with the police.” She bent her head and gazed at Nathan.

His heart fluttered when she looked at him that way. Then, an unexpected sadness descended on him as she offered him a smile. After they talked to the police, they would have no reason to stay together. They had been through so much in such a short time, he felt as if he knew her better than he’d known any woman. He admired her strength and her optimism. And the memory of his impulsive kiss still lingered, but would she ever want to see him again under less trying circumstances?

The ride down the mountain was a white-knuckle affair even with the roads plowed. The truck jostled from side to side and slid on the road. They passed by the thieves’ car where it had blocked the mountain road. The snow plow had pushed it out of the way and buried it even deeper. No way could the thieves use it for their escape.

When they were at the base of the mountain, the driver checked his cell phone. “Still no good.”

Merci folded her hands in her lap. “I can call from the police station.”

“That sounds like a plan.” Nathan shuddered and drew his hand up to his shoulder where he’d been cut.

“Actually, could you take us to the hospital first?” She patted Nathan’s hand. “I think you should have that knife wound looked at.”

“I’ll be all right.” Even as he spoke the pain had returned.

“I don’t mind stopping there.” The driver glanced over at Nathan. “I’d be glad to wait while you go in.”

“Please, Nathan, at the very least, they can give you something for the pain.”

He didn’t like the idea of the thieves having an opportunity to get away. “I still think we should go to the police station first.”

* * *

Merci rolled her eyes at Nathan’s objections. Why was he being so stubborn? What a guy thing to do. “You can’t talk to the police if you pass out from the pain,” Merci insisted.

“I’m not going to pass out from the pain.” He sucked in a ragged breath and turned his head, probably trying to hide how much he was hurting.

Guilt washed through her for having pushed so hard. She softened her tone and rested her hand on his arm. “I’m just really worried about that cut. I can tell it’s hurting you again. Maybe the wound got reopened.”

He pulled away his coat. His shirt was already so bloodstained it was hard to tell if it was bleeding again. “Okay, for you, I’ll stop and have it looked at. But you’ve got to let them check out your foot and fingers, too.”

“Okay, I will…for you.” She was pretty sure her foot would be okay, but whatever got him to the hospital.

A spark passed between them when she met his gaze. They had traveled a thousand miles emotionally in less than three days, faced death over and over and gone from being strangers to being two people who could depend on each other. What would they be to each other now that they were in a safe place?

As they drew nearer to town, Nathan said to the driver, “You can just take us around to the emergency room. I know everyone there. They’ll get us looked at quickly.”

The driver dropped them off in front of the emergency room doors. “I’ll just be waiting over there in the parking lot. Take as much time as you need.”

Nathan grabbed Merci’s hand as they walked toward the emergency room. Nurses, doctors and EMTs cheered and clapped when Nathan stepped through the door.

A slender blond man in a paramedic uniform rushed up to Nathan and slapped his back. “You made it out alive. My church group started praying for you the moment we figured out you were trapped on that mountain.”

“Thanks, Eddy. You have no idea what that means to me.” The tremble in his voice suggested that Nathan was genuinely moved by the gesture.

Eddy turned toward Merci. “Is this one of the ladies you rescued?”

The deputy Nathan had talked to must have informed the whole town about what had happened before the storm hit.

“Actually, we kind of rescued each other a couple of times.” A warm glow came over Nathan when he looked at Merci. “This is Merci Carson. She’s got some toes and fingers with frostbite, and I’ve got a bad cut that needs looking after.”

Nathan was ushered into an exam room, and a nurse led Merci to the room beside his. Petite and with her brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, the nurse was about Nathan’s age.

“So you’ve got some frostbite?”

“It doesn’t feel numb anymore.” Merci sat down in a chair and pulled off her boot. “My fingers were exposed, too.”

The nurse cradled her toes in her hand. “Definitely did some damage there.”

“Not too bad I hope,” Merci said. “Nathan said it looked like just the surface skin got frostbitten.”

“He’s probably right. Doesn’t look like deep tissue damage. The doctor will have to have a look. I don’t think you will lose the toes or anything. I’m Beth by the way. I went to high school with Nathan.” She scooted back in her chair and looked right at Merci. “We dated for a while.”

“Oh.” Merci wasn’t sure how to respond to the information. Was Beth just being friendly or had her comment been to let Merci know Nathan was off-limits?

Beth smiled as she examined Merci’s fingers. “We’re just friends now. I’m pretty serious with the guy that owns the hardware store downtown.”

An unexpected sense of relief rushed through Merci. She must really care about Nathan if even the slight indication that he was dating someone else sent a twinge of panic through her.

“I just brought it up because I have known Nathan most of my life. He’s had some relationships in the past, and I’ve never seen him look at a woman the way he looked at you when he came in here.”

“I think I like him, too.” Merci placed her hand on her heart. “I hope it’s not just because we were in such a life-or-death situation.”

Beth sat in the chair opposite Merci. “That’s true. I’ve seen it before. Sometimes a relationship can’t be sustained when life becomes ordinary again.”

The suggestion was like a blow to Merci’s stomach. What was she to Nathan now that their lives didn’t depend on staying together? “That’s something to consider.” Doubts tumbled through her head even as the memory of his kiss made her feel warm all over again.

Beth rose to her feet. “The doctor will swing by in just a minute. I’m glad to have met you.”

After the doctor gave her the same diagnosis Beth had, Merci slipped her boot back on and stepped into the reception area. Nathan’s face brightened when he saw her.

Beth’s words echoed in her head. She liked Nathan. But was it an attraction nurtured by extreme circumstances?

She walked toward him. “Did you get a clean bill of health?”

“I got some painkillers and pills to keep it from getting infected. The doctor was impressed with your dressing.” Nathan offered her a crooked smile.

“Maybe I have a future as a nurse,” Merci joked.

“I don’t know if I could have made it off that mountain if I had had to deal with an open and bleeding wound alone.” His expression grew serious. “You saved my life.”

She searched his deep brown eyes. “I was only returning the favor.” The look in his eyes was like a magnet. She stepped toward him and tilted her head.

Who are we to each other now that we are safe?

Though it was foremost in her mind, she couldn’t bring herself to voice the question. As he leaned toward her, she stepped free of the force field of attraction.

He dropped his gaze to the floor. “Guess we better get to the police station.”

They walked back to the truck where the driver was waiting. As they drove through town, she dreaded having to relive their encounters with the thieves, but it had to be done. The sooner these guys were in jail, the safer she would feel.

SIXTEEN

T
he driver dropped them off in front of the police station. The high walls of dirty snow that surrounded the lot revealed that almost as much snow had fallen in town as on the mountain.

Deputy Travis Miller came out to greet them as they were climbing out of the truck.

“Man, am I glad to see you.” He offered Nathan a big bear hug.

“Right, who would you have to beat at racquetball if I wasn’t around?” Nathan joked, but a sense of gratitude toward God for getting them out alive rushed through him as he hugged his friend. Everything seemed more precious to him. His throat tightened. He loved his life here. He loved the people. Though he still didn’t know what he was going to do with the mountain acreage, facing death had clarified what really mattered to him.

Deputy Miller looked at Merci and then back at Nathan. “Where’s the other girl you told me about when you phoned in?”

“Long story,” said Merci.

“We now think she was involved, and the robbery wasn’t random,” said Nathan.

“Let’s get some descriptions of these guys you had a close encounter with.” The deputy led them into a small office that had three cubicles. Nathan recognized Officer Amy Fernandez sitting at her computer. She offered him a tiny wave.

“We’ve got a computer program that will help us put together a sketch.” Travis offered Merci a chair by Officer Fernandez. “Amy, you want to help Merci get started on that? Nathan, we have to take your statements separately if you want to come this way.”

Nathan nodded. As Travis led him into a separate room, he glanced over his shoulder. Merci looked so vulnerable as she sat down in the chair beside Officer Fernandez. It wasn’t going to be easy for her to relive the past days. He would prefer that she not have to do it alone. He longed to sit beside her, to be a support to her.