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“Cooper’s Peak dropped its load,” she said.
    “I figured. So did Cutter’s Chute,” Reese said. “You got your wish. You’re stuck up there now. How’s the writing going?”
    “At a standstill,” she said. “I kinda have company,” she said quietly, although Jen did not appear to be listening. She was playing with the dogs, tossing snowballs up in the air and laughing delightfully as the dogs attempted to catch them. “Jennifer Kincaid,” she said. “She was on her way to Patterson’s Lodge when she got stranded.”
    “What the hell was she doing up there?”
    “She thought she would take the forest road across the mountain.”
    “In the winter ? That road’s been closed for two months.”
    “Yeah. We’ve been over all that already,” Ryan said. “Avalanche buried her vehicle.”
    “She’s damn lucky. Do I need to request a helicopter rescue?”
    Ryan glanced over at Jen who still seemed oblivious to the conversation. Six weeks? Maybe eight? It could all be over within a few days if the winds died down. Of course, they would charge Jen a fortune for the rescue. She stared at her, her cheeks red and glowing, her smile lighting up her face as she played with the dogs. Beautiful. “No,” she said, surprising herself with the answer. “No need for a rescue mission. We’ll wait until they plow the lower road, then hike down.”
    “That’s gonna be at least another six weeks yet,” Reese cautioned.
    “Yeah. I know. But I have enough supplies for both of us.”
    “Damn. What’s wrong with you? Let me guess. She’s young and pretty?”
    Ryan laughed, again looking over at Jen. This time, Jen was looking back at her. “Definitely. Once I get satellite back, I’ll shoot you guys an e-mail and let you know what happened and let you get in touch with her rental agency. In the meantime, can you call Ellen? She’s got her contact information.”
    “Will do. I’ll take care of it. Keep in touch when you can.”
    “Yeah. I’ll check in occasionally.”
    “Do that. I know Morgan is going to be pestering me for information. You might send a picture of this woman, huh?”
    Ryan smiled and nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”
    She disconnected, then held the phone out to Jen. “You want to call someone? Brad?”
    Jen shook her head. “My phone was in the SUV,” she said. “Like most people, I don’t memorize numbers anymore.”
    “Okay. Well, Reese said she’d call Ellen, the owner of the lodge.”
    Jen studied her silently for a moment. “So you’re friends with the sheriff?”
    “Yes.”
    “Did you...get into trouble or something?”
    Ryan laughed. “Yeah. I tried to hack up a tourist last summer.” She whistled for the dogs, and they both came running. “I met Reese and Morgan—that’s her partner—at Sloan’s Bar in Lake City. Real hermits aren’t supposed to go into town for burgers.”
    “So they’ve revoked your membership?”
    “Yeah,” she said, heading back down toward the cabin. “We became friends. Lesbians do tend to stick together.” Several steps later, she realized Jen was no longer following her. She turned back around, finding Jen stopped, staring at her. “What?”
    “You’re...you’re a... lesbian ?”
    Ryan shrugged. “You didn’t know?”
    “How would I know? You didn’t mention it. And you’re not wearing a sign.”
    “Sorry. I just assumed.” She continued on, shaking her head. Great, now you’ve scared the poor girl. Maybe she should reconsider the helicopter rescue.
    “We...we slept in the same bed.”
    Ryan laughed. “Yeah, but lucky for you, I’m not contagious.”
    “But—”
    Ryan stopped again. “What is it? Are you afraid of me now? You think maybe I’ll try something and if you don’t give in to my advances, I’ll actually hack you up into little pieces?” She smiled but knew it didn’t reach her eyes. “Trust me, straight women with fiancés waiting in the wings don’t excite me in the least. You’re perfectly