Wilde Thing. Jannine Gallant

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СКАЧАТЬ she see what happened?”

      “She confirmed another boarder was riding the lift behind her, but he wasn’t anyone she knew, and he flew by her on the way down. Brown jacket, no helmet, dreadlocks. He wasn’t around when she reached the bottom. Carrie also mentioned she glanced back once when she was approaching the top of the mountain and saw a skier quite a ways down the line of chairs.”

      Hannah’s pulse beat a little faster. “Skier, singular?”

      “Yeah, it must have been after the other guy—”

      “Or woman.”

      “I suppose so.” Tripp blew out a breath in the cold air. “Anyway, it must have been after the other person had already fallen.”

      “Did she see the skier after he got off the lift?”

      “Just from a distance. He wore a black jacket and helmet. She was pretty sure it was a guy from his height and the way he moved, but she wasn’t close enough to make out any details. He didn’t pass her on the way down.”

      Hannah glanced around at the few remaining skiers still on the snow. Two women and a man laughed together near the gondola. A lone man wearing a rust-colored jacket headed toward the parking lot. Two employees in uniform called back and forth as they glided toward the children’s ski center.

      “If the man in black came down off the mountain, he didn’t hang around. Who knows, maybe he went to report the incident.”

      “There’s no one in a blue jacket, either, if that’s what you saw up there.” Tripp snapped out of his skis. “I guess we should head over to the patrol office. Maybe it was just a backpack.”

      “What was?” Hannah pushed down on the binding release then stepped out of her ski.

      “The object we saw fall. Maybe the guy in the black jacket dropped his backpack. He could have been struggling to take it off while he was on the chair. That could have been what caught my attention, but I could swear…”

      She straightened, holding her skis. “It sure looked bigger than a backpack to me.”

      He met her gaze. “Nothing else makes any sense.”

      A little shiver worked its way down her spine. “I’d rather believe that than think we saw someone die.”

      “No kidding.”

      He headed across the snow. Resting her skis on her shoulder, Hannah fell into step beside him. “After all that drama, how do you feel?”

      “My shoulder aches a bit, but not too bad.”

      “I hope you didn’t reinjure it. Damn, I was an idiot to agree to this.” She huffed out a breath. “You made me feel sorry for you, so I shelved my better judgment.”

      “I…” He stopped and pointed. “Over there. Do you see them?”

      Hannah squinted through the gloom toward the parking lot. Headlights flashed, briefly illuminating two men at the rear of a van, one in a black jacket, one in royal blue.

      “Shit!” Tripp took a few running steps then stopped.

      Doors slammed, and an engine started. The van moved through a scattering of cars, taillights gleaming red before it turned toward the road out of the valley.

      Hannah caught up to Tripp. “The man in blue had a beard. I didn’t get a look at the other guy. Did you recognize either of them?”

      He shook his head. “No. I didn’t see the second man’s face. There’s no way to catch them now.”

      She pulled her phone from her pocket. “We can call 9-1-1. Maybe a patrol car could stop the van.”

      “For what reason?” Tripp turned away as the taillights vanished. “We saw something fall off a chairlift. That’s it. No dead body turned up, so there’s no crime to report.”

      She tucked her phone back into her pocket. “When you put it like that…” A long sigh slipped out. “Let’s go talk to ski patrol then head home. All of a sudden, I’m exhausted.”

      “A few hours ago, I was bored out of my mind and looking for a little excitement. I guess I got more than I bargained for.”

      Hannah stared into the dark night as a chill shook her. “You know what they say. Be careful what you wish for.”

      Chapter 4

      Tripp leaned back in the booth with a chilled mug of beer and studied Hannah across the table. She pressed her lips together in a tight line. Those strong hands that could knead muscle in the most painfully wonderful way fidgeted with her napkin, twisting and folding it into squares. Not exactly a kickoff to the intimate evening he’d hoped for when he’d suggested dinner out. That option had been shot to hell when she refused to consider anything but a quick burger at the Bridgetender on their way home. As usual on a Friday night, a crowd of locals packed the bar. At least a dozen people had hailed them while they walked to their table in the back. Nope, romance definitely wasn’t on the menu tonight.

      “What’s worrying you?”

      She glanced up from mutilating the napkin. “I keep seeing that dark figure falling through the air. Ugh, how awful would it be, knowing you were going to die for the few seconds it would take before hitting the ground?” Golden eyes darkened. “Don’t you think the person would have screamed or yelled or something? Surely we would have heard them.”

      “Maybe it really was just a snowboard or a backpack or a ski bag. No one reported an accident, and ski patrol seemed to think we’d lost our collective minds since they found absolutely nothing up on the hill to substantiate our story. Their theory is some other skier picked up whatever fell. If we didn’t imagine the whole thing.”

      “I guess…if that something was a dead body.”

      Tripp laid his free hand over hers and squeezed. “Don’t think about it.” He glanced up as the waitress approached carrying two plates then pulled back his arm. “Just enjoy your burger.”

      The pretty brunette set down their dinners and gave him a slow smile. “Anything else I can get for you, Tripp? Just name it.”

      Hannah rolled her eyes.

      He took a sip of his beer. “No, I think we’re good. Thanks, Mindy.”

      “You’re welcome.” She strolled away, hips swaying.

      “Does every woman in Tahoe under the age of thirty know you?”

      He popped a fry into his mouth. “Maybe not all the married ones.”

      Hannah picked up her burger. “Why did I even ask?”

      “Dare I hope because you care about me…just a little?”

      She took a bite and chewed, obviously giving his comment due consideration before she swallowed then spoke. “Sure, I do. In the same way I care about Griff and Sawyer. You’re my best СКАЧАТЬ