A Kiss in the Snow (Kindle Single) (Fool's Gold) Read Online Free PDF Page B

looked like dozens of dots moving in different directions.
    “It’s all computerized,” Gladys told her. “They have GPS trackers and everything. Very high-tech. Eddie and I volunteer, but they wouldn’t let us go through the training.”
    Eddie grimaced. “They said we were too old, if you can believe it. So we stay home with the womenfolk and bake cookies.”
    Nancee did her best not to smile. The two friends were pushing eighty. She wasn’t surprised that they weren’t allowed out in subfreezing temperatures to trek through the mountains.
    Large tables had been set up along the back wall. The food that could sit out at room temperature was set out. Other dishes were either put in the refrigerator or in a surprisingly large warming oven.
    Her aunt introduced her to Kipling Gilmore, the head of HERO. He showed her how the various dots on the map represented different searchers. She located Shep’s tracker. He was moving east, higher into the mountains.
    No wonder she hadn’t heard from him, she thought anxiously. He’d been out in the cold for close to twenty-four hours. So had the teenagers.
    She and Gladys sat with the other volunteers. Various teams called in their locations. The map shifted, colors filling in to show areas that had already been searched. About an hour later, she heard a familiar voice over a speaker.
    “I’ve got ’em,” Shep said, his voice low and strong. “They’re cold and hungry but conscious. There might be some minor frostbite. We’re bringing them in now.”
    Everyone in the office cheered. Nancee inhaled as relief filled her.
    “Let’s get this food heated up,” Gladys called. “Everyone’s going to be hungry.”
    Within a half hour, the first of the search teams started to arrive back at headquarters. Nancee helped set up a buffet line. As each group arrived, she checked the door to see if Shep was back, but it was almost two hours until he walked in.
    He looked tired, and his jacket was covered with snow. Kipling greeted him and the two men went into Kipling’s office to talk. Nancee’s gaze followed as she did her best to see if he was okay.
    She heard people say that the teens were being taken to the hospital to be evaluated. That Shep had been the one to find them. That they probably wouldn’t have survived another night.
    He’d always been someone who got the job done, she thought. Strong and brave—except when it came to staying in one place. Although she knew why he found it difficult to settle down, she’d always had trouble accepting that his past meant he would always leave her.
    He’d told her that this time was different. That he’d made peace with his demons. She desperately wanted to believe him but wasn’t sure she could. Still, after nearly ten years of loving Shep, she didn’t know if she had a choice.

CHAPTER SIX
    “A RE YOU SURE there wasn’t a bigger one?” Nancee asked, doing her best not to laugh as Shep wrestled a giant Christmas tree into her great-aunt’s living room. He and Gladys had gone shopping for the tree while Nancee had finished up a cupcake order. Now the three of them would decorate the tree together.
    Nancee was, she had to admit, excited about the evening. She hadn’t spent any time with Shep since their day at the Christmas bazaar. He’d been out on the rescue, then had slept for nearly twenty-four hours straight. While they’d texted since then, something always kept them apart. But he was here now, and they would have a nice evening together.
    She’d already helped Gladys get the lights and decorations out of a back bedroom closet. The totes were stacked by the fireplace. Christmas carols played on the small ancient stereo. She had a spicy chicken casserole in the oven, a pie cooling on the counter and a tree to decorate. What could be better?
    Despite the size, the tree fit in the living room perfectly. Gladys wanted it set up in front of the big picture window. The 1940s craftsman-style house had high ceilings