Reaching For Normal Read online

“Good news. We’re almost back at the ski trail.”

  Her head whipped around and she searched the woods. “Seriously? How can you tell? Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure. That ridge up there joins up with the 5k trail we were on when we spotted the wolf.”

  That had her head swiveling again.

  “If he was going to shoot us, he wouldn’t have any reason to wait until now. I think we’re safe.”

  “Or he might have waited this long to make us think we were safe. Wait until we’re tired and vulnerable. Then, Boom!”

  “Boom?”

  Myla waved her hands at the forest. “Who knows what Sir Cracker Jack Crazy Pants has in store?”

  He grinned. “Sir Cracker Jack Crazy Pants? That works. Okay, the fastest way home is straight up this ridge.”

  She groaned before clamping her mitten over her mouth then straightening her shoulders and handing him back the food bag.

  He forced her to eat another two handfuls before he took it back and pretended to take more himself. The fact that he fooled her wasn’t a good sign.

  When she started forward, he let her take the lead, guiding her to the least challenging route, which wasn’t easy in any sense of the word.

  Myla kept her eyes on the terrain and kept putting one step in front of the other.

  She was damn hard to resist.

  Maybe he wouldn’t. Once he was back in town, he’d check her out online. Should be easy enough to find out what kind of reporter she was. See if she was telling the truth.

  If she was, he might do some claiming of his own. She’d said no strings. And she was leaving soon.

  “You sure this is the easy way to the trail? I feel like we’re trying to climb a ladder through molasses.”

  Sawyer hurried to get in front of her, then made sure he stepped heavily. “Follow in my footsteps.”

  A grunt was his only answer. He slowed his pace as the angle steepened. The middle chunk of the slope had no trees for handholds. Myla’s steps slowed further and her breathing grew louder. As did her instructions to herself to suck it up and keep climbing.

  The angle was only getting worse. Time for a change in plans.

  “You keep checking over your shoulder like that and you’re going to fall on your ass. Maybe it’s time to trust me for a change.”

  Her testy tone repeating his own words back to him had Sawyer grinning as he pulled off his pack. Once she caught up to him, he’d use his rope to tie them together. If she fell, at least she wouldn’t go all the way down the hill.

  Myla was still about ten feet below him when the sounds of engines reached his ears. Sleds. More than one and heading in their direction.

  Could be Dave and his deputies.

  Could be the idiot with reinforcements.

  A three-sixty check showed limited options. No trees for a couple of dozen yards in either direction and those that were there were maples and birch. Nothing with any decent cover.

  Myla’s bright red jacket stood out like the sun. The only way they could hide that would be if they got to the nearest trees and he tucked her beneath him.

  “Company’s coming, Myla.”

  At his words, her head jerked up and she stumbled and started to slide backward. Before he could move her way, she’d thumped herself into the snow to stop the slide.

  He started down but she waved him away. “No way, no going backward. I’m fine. I’ll follow. Go.”

  He waited where he stood. “Come on. We should be able to make those trees. Then we’ll have to hide that jacket of yours.”

  Myla frowned at the trees up the slope. “I’m going to have to be on the bottom again, aren’t I?”

  Sawyer’s body reacted instantly to her words. It took Myla another few seconds to realize what she’s said. Her already-flushed cheeks darkened and her eyes popped wide. Her mouth opened until she thought better of it and clamped her lips together. It only took another couple of seconds before her lips twitched and her eyes danced.

  “You can be on top any time you like but I think the coat might be a bit bright.”

  Myla managed a laugh and took another step toward him.

  Sawyer gritted his teeth against the need to tell her to hurry. It was tough to judge distance and direction by sound but the sleds appeared to be arriving from the southeast, which made him hope for the police chief.

  The roar of the sleds rousted a flock of birds from a copse of trees further up the slope and they screeched as they flew off. The new noise startled Myla and she stumbled again. This time, she fell backward and Sawyer leapt down the hill to try to grab her.

  Myla hit the snow at an angle that started her rolling, then her jacket acted like a toboggan and she zipped out of his reach in a couple of heartbeats.

  Sawyer swore as she bounced off a couple of rocks, arms and legs flailing out of control on the way down.

  The revving of the sleds had him glancing back up to the ridge and pulling out his gun.

  He hurried down the hill, watching as Myla slid all the way down and landed in a group of pines. Her jacket wasn’t as obvious from his position so it would be harder to spot from above.

  On the flip side, she wasn’t moving.

  Sawyer twisted as a sled eased into view at the top, forcing him to make a choice. Moving backward toward Myla, he kept his eyes on the ridge as three more sleds pulled up to the edge.

  His only advantage was that the slope was too steep for the machines. They’d topple over if they attempted the descent.

  The riders watched him as he continued to move, checking over his shoulder for any signs of movement.

  None.

  Picking up his pace, Sawyer didn’t see the rock behind him and it tossed him right on his ass. His snowshoe stuck beneath the rock but the momentum had him falling at a bad angle. His head bounced off another rock as he heard the snowshoe snap. At least it was the snowshoe and not his leg.

  Sawyer rolled behind the rock and took another peek at Myla. No change. Swearing, he turned back to the ridge.

  The four riders stood in front of their sleds and every one of them was armed.

  #friendorfoe

  Myla tried to hold in the groan as she rolled onto her belly. She must have hit every rock and bush and tree on the way down the hill. All at the top speed of her suddenly silky jacket.

  That’s The Way The Clumsy Girl Bounces.

  The white noise of panic filled her ears and she gulped in frigid air to push away the wooziness. She’d landed in the middle of a bunch of scratchy pine trees.

  Twisting to look up the hill, she spotted Sawyer lying on his back, leg twisted at an awkward angle. Her throat tightened up and she breathed out his name. He had to be okay.

  Way at the top of the hill, four men looked down at Sawyer.

  Panic kept her light-headed and it took precious seconds to level her breathing and ease the trembling. She had to help.

  Myla debated calling up the hill to Sawyer. If he heard her, he’d be able to join her and they’d find a place to hide. Or run. She needed her voice to carry to him but no further.

  Sawyer moved stiffly and shifted around until his leg looked normal. Now or never.

  Myla called out his name but he didn’t react. The wind whipping in her face probably swallowed the words. Two more tries didn’t produce any results, so Myla crawled forward until she left the safety of the pine trees.

  The only good thing about her descent was that she’d fallen down at an angle and landed well off to the side. She’d be able to use the bushes and rocks she’d bounced off as protection. Hopefully, she could reach Sawyer before the men spotted her.

  Sawyer hadn’t looked for her and he wasn’t moving away from the men. He’d probably hit his head or his leg was broken and he was trying to hide it.

  He’d told her he had two guns but the one he held was pointed at the ground and the other nowhere in sight. Had to be a concussion. She ignored her knee and pushed herself faster. She’d never shot a gun at a
human but she’d do it to protect him.

  Every few steps, she tried calling his name but he didn’t turn.

  The wind swirled around her but she caught snatches of the words the men were throwing back and forth at each other. And their laughter.

  “...mighty Sawyer Banks...”

  “...lost his sled...”

  They were taunting him.

  This time she’d figure out a way to be useful, to be the one who helped instead of making things worse.

  When she was almost parallel to Sawyer, Myla sat behind a bush and looked up the hill. All of the men were on their way down, guns drawn as they descended.

  Myla’s heart nearly stopped. She’d been too slow and had lost any advantage she might have had. “Sawyer. This way. Hurry.”

  He might have heard her words but he turned in the other direction, looking down the hill. Frowning, he turned his back on the men and searched the trees where she’d landed.

  Sawyer didn’t look injured. No blood and he was standing on both feet. Time to take a chance and make him run for it.

  Myla shoved upright out of the bushes and moved as quickly as she could, calling Sawyer’s name and gesturing at him to run toward her and the bushes where they at least had a chance.

  A grin split his face when he spotted her but he didn’t move. Damn head injury. “Come on, Sawyer. Hurry up. We’ve still got time to get away.”

  Sawyer pointed up at the men stalking him and called something back to her but the wind made it impossible to hear. He turned toward her but didn’t take a step. Maybe he was hurt after all.

  Sawyer turned and called up the hill. The wind chose that moment to settle and she heard his words. “Screw you LaChance.”

  He knew them. People he knew had killed that wolf, blown up his equipment. That would break his heart.

  Almost there. “Move, Sawyer. Now.”

  “Relax, Myla. It’s fine.”

  Fine? Not even close. “We’ve still got time. Run, would you?” She’d have to shove him, make him slide down the hill. Use the big lug’s momentum against him to save him.

  “Myla. Stop. They’re friends.”

  Was he serious? And more importantly, was he right?

  Myla turned her attention to the approaching men. All wore winter gear, including hats and neck coverings, making identification difficult. Not that she knew more than a handful of people in town.

  One of the men angled toward her, making her twist away. The movement buckled her knee and she went down. Before she could slide down the hill—again—two sets of hands grabbed her. Sawyer hauled her to her feet. “You okay?”

  Maybe one day she would go an entire hour without him having to ask that question. Today was not the day.

  “Honey? Are you okay?”

  Honey? “You’ve got a concussion.” Which meant the men might not be friends after all. Taking care not to fall, Myla shifted to put herself between Sawyer and the other men. “Who are you?”

  The man blinked at her a few times and smiled. Another devastating example of testosterone. The tourism board was missing out on a hell of an opportunity not targeting single females by showcasing these men.

  “I’m Dave Belanger. Chief of police. You must be Myla.”

  Chief? A glance over her shoulder showed Sawyer nodding and exhaling a dramatic sigh. Maybe he hadn’t banged his head.

  “Hey, Myla. You look a little roughed up. Looks like Banks isn’t doing a great job at this whole wilderness guide thing.” Myla recognized Quinn Charters from CharterGear.

  Her protest at his words was drowned out by Sawyer’s curse and the laughter of the other men. Gage LaChance, tracker extraordinaire, and Deputy Scott Anders introduced themselves and made jabs at Sawyer.

  Sawyer ignored them all and turned his attention to Myla. “Did you lose consciousness when you hit the bottom?”

  Sawyer’s words had all the other men jumping to alpha-male alert. They fired questions at her, tried to turn her to check her out for injuries, patted her arms and shoulders. It was ridiculous enough to have a laugh bursting out of her. “I’m fine.”

  They all snorted their disbelief, which was completely insulting. Sawyer hoisted her up and sat her on a snow-covered rock before she could protest. He lifted her leg and rotated it gently. “It’s not broken. I’m fine.”

  His grunt told her exactly how much he didn’t believe her. “Myla needs to have Nick check her over.”

  Time to get his attention elsewhere. “So, any of you guys see a crazy guy with a big knife out here?”

  Sure enough, the men’s attention drifted to their surroundings and the questions started. “Fill us in Saywer. What the hell is going on?”

  Myla let herself zone out as Sawyer laid out the details. She’d never been so worn down. Too many emotions. Too much adrenaline. Too much fear. Shoving past the pain to hurry up the hill hadn’t helped.

  Whoever was behind the chaos couldn’t be entirely sane. People like that were hard to figure out. Hard to catch. She wasn’t sure they’d be safe even when they got back to town. Still, it was tempting to imagine moving into her cozy room at the B&B permanently.

  She’d be leaving Bloo Moose in a week. That alternative didn’t hold as much appeal as it should.

  Damn man.

  He didn’t like her much. Certainly didn’t trust her. Especially because she was a writer. He’d obviously been burned by a reporter before. A lover?

  Her tired brain couldn’t push aside the thoughts or the desires. Having Sawyer’s full intensity focused on her and their pleasure would be incredible. Was it worth asking again for what she wanted?

  Undoubtedly. As long as his answer was yes. A rejection would burn deeply.

  She’d have to wait until she smelled and looked like a woman again.

  “Come on, Myla. Time to go.”

  Go?

  Sawyer shook his head as he held out his hand to help her slide off the rock. She winced as her weight landed back on her knee.

  “I’ll carry you.”

  Her head whipped around. He was serious. “Absolutely not.”

  He frowned while Quinn slapped him on the back and wrapped other his arm around Myla’s shoulder. “Let us help you up the hill.”

  How bad did she look?

  Glaring at both men, she shoved off their help and started walking. They eased in on either side of her but were smart enough to keep their hands off.

  It took forever and maybe a little bit more but they finally breached the top of the hill. Four snowmobiles waited for them. For a moment, she considered kissing the closest machine. Then she stopped and whirled at the men. “Someone want to let me in on why we climbed up Mount Vertical when we could have ridden up?”

  They all looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. Sawyer reached out and tugged at her arm but she refused to budge. “The machines would have flipped if they’d tried the slope.”

  Well, then they could have gone around and picked them up at the bottom. While she hadn’t said the words out loud, she suspected they all heard her anyway. Sawyer shook his head and this time she let him tug her into motion.

  Sawyer led her over to where the deputy was putting on a helmet beside one of the machines. He handed her a second and smiled. “Ready?”

  Ready? For what?

  Sawyer tugged his hat off her head and took the helmet. “Scott’s taking you back to town. He’ll get the doc to check you out.”

  “I don’t need a doctor.” She’d had enough doctors to last a lifetime. All she needed was a soak in the tub and then a bed. Preferably one with Sawyer tucked inside.

  “Yes, you do.” He plopped the helmet onto her and did up the strap while he eyed the deputy. “Don’t let her talk you out of it. She needs to see Nick.”

  Scott grinned and got on the machine. “I’ll take care of her, Sawyer, relax.”

  Which meant Sawyer wasn’t going with them. He was staying out in the woods with the crazy guy. And they’d have one less person w
atching their backs because of her. “I’m not going back if you’re all staying out here. I can help.”

  “No.” All five men spoke at once, making her stumble back. Sawyer reached to steady her but she brushed his hand away.

  “I can help.”

  Sawyer leaned in, no smile now. “You’re going back with Anders. No arguments. We’ve got this covered.”

  In other words, she’d be in the way. They didn’t want her, didn’t need her. Instead of protesting again, Myla buried the hurt and turned to the sled.

  Reluctant to lean on the deputy, she took a deep breath but Sawyer lifted her lightly and eased her down to the seat. Too embarrassed by everything, she nodded her thanks but didn’t look up or speak.

  Scott started the machine and she grabbed the sides of his jacket, unwilling to wrap herself around him as she had with Sawyer.

  Tears threatened and she willed Scott to pull away. Sawyer patted her helmet. “See the doctor.” He stepped back as they moved off.

  Myla couldn’t resist a final peek—the man had some serious magnetism—then wished she hadn’t because all she saw in his eyes was relief.

  SAWYER watched until the sled carrying Myla disappeared into the trees. Annoyance that she was wrapped around the deputy mixed with relief that she was heading out of danger. If only he could believe she would be safe. He had to shake her out of his thoughts and focus on figuring out what the hell was going on.

  Without his own sled, Sawyer was forced to ride with Gage but at least LaChance was serious about his toys. The machine easily carried them as it sped through the bush. The man was also fearless and the best tracker in the state.

  “You paying attention back there?” Gage’s voice carried easily through the headsets in the helmets. “Or are you focused on that pretty little package who rode out of here with Anders?”

  “About a half-mile to the site. Dead ahead.” Sawyer answered as if he’d been paying attention all along.

  Gage’s laugh told him he didn’t believe it for a second.

  When they neared the site, Sawyer pointed Gage to head up to the top of the ridge in case of a trap. He motioned to the other two sleds to spread out.