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Grandpa’s offer. “And the only available room for rent is taken up by some photographer fellow. So you’d better take your luggage with you and stay the night there with Grandpa. Maybe it will give you some time to work whatever it is out. There’s no need to resort to divorce quite yet. Everest is an upstanding man. He’ll make whatever it is right with you. You’ll see.”
    “What a splendid idea, Gladys.” Grandpa nodded in approval. “Everest has plenty of room in that cabin of his.”
    Chloe gave a smile that she wasn’t sure she meant. She didn’t like the idea of spending the night in the mountains, let alone a log cabin. People disappeared all the time in the mountains. Anything could happen to her. Chloe shivered as she imagined being attacked by a hungry bear or getting bitten by a diseased tick. And if the wilderness didn’t do her in, her husband just might. Either way, the prospect of roughing it in nature didn’t hold too much appeal. She liked the relative safety of the city. Sure there was crime, but she knew how to protect herself against that. How did one convince a bear not to eat?
    Seeing Grandpa’s smiling face, it appeared as if a night in the mountains was going to be her only option. It’s not like she had the time to be choosy about her accommodations.
    “Fine, when do we leave?” she asked quietly. She tried not to let her apprehension show.
    “I close up here in about two hours. Why don’t you go grab something to eat at the diner until then? It’s across the street. Can’t miss it.” Grandpa winked at Gladys.
    “Very well.” Chloe nodded with a sigh as she left the store.
    “What are you up to, Grandpa?” Gladys gave him a suspicious look. “Did you know about this?”
    “Not at all, Grandma.” Grandpa leaned over and kissed his wife’s cheek. “But, I’ll find out tonight.”
    “I like her,” Gladys put forth. “I wish there was a way we could get her to stay up there longer. Everest has been alone for too many years now. It isn’t good for a man his age to spend all that time by himself. He should get out more.”
    “I quite agree.” Grandpa smiled mischievously as he whirled his wife around in a dance. For a moment they swayed to a song only they could hear. Pressing his cheek to his wife’s, he breathed heavily in contentment. “I’ll take care of everything. Now, help me round up some extra supplies to take to Everest. We only got two hours and your old bones don’t move like they used to.”
    “Oh, you!” Gladys swatted his arm and laughed as he chased her playfully into the back room.

Chapter Six
    C hloe stared out of the diner window as she waited for her hamburger. It was about the only thing on the menu that the waitress seemed to know was in stock. She lifted her cup of coffee to take a drink and noticed everyone was staring at her.
    “Hi.” She nodded and tried to smile. “Nice town you have here.”
    A few of them nodded back. A few others grunted.
    Chloe guessed that this was the place everyone in town got together to visit—only they weren’t visiting. They were staring at her as if she was a political speaker ready to make an important announcement regarding the town mining company. And they didn’t anticipate her speech to be good.
    “So is it true?” her waitress asked with a cock to her hip. She gave a sly smile to the man at the counter she had been flirting with. His teeth were slightly bucked and stuck out when he smiled.
    “Pardon me?” Chloe looked at the attractive woman. She wore too much makeup and hair spray, but was comely nonetheless. Chloe guessed she was one the few women her age in the town and from the looks of her bored expression she seemed to resent the fact that there weren’t more men to choose from. “Is what true?”
    “That you’re married to Everest Beaumont.” The waitress was chewing loudly on a piece of gum. Chloe wanted to snatch it from her.
    Chloe took another drink of coffee, not knowing