Alaskan Ambush. Sarah Varland

would think that would make what you’re doing right now easier.”

      “Sure, yes, it does.” Kate tried not to laugh but failed. “But I can’t believe you’re not hypothermic. You’re from here—don’t you remember how to dress in the woods in the winter?”

      “I wasn’t planning to be in the woods for this long.”

      “No one ever is. Be more prepared next time.”

      She felt his gaze without meeting it. She knew she’d sounded too serious, given away too much, betrayed the terror that still lurked inside at the idea of being unprepared.

      “This is going to hurt a little.” She cleaned the wound the best she could, thankful that while it was worse than a graze, it was just on the edge of his arm. She didn’t have any experience doing first aid for gunshot-wound victims, but this seemed like it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. She handled it the best she could, then looked over at Micah. Hopefully he wasn’t planning to use this time to catch up, because she was exhausted, and while part of her wanted to know what he’d been up to for the last decade, she reminded herself that keeping him at arm’s length was the best idea. He was here temporarily, just until he closed this case and then he’d be back to Anchorage. And the life she was living was in Moose Haven.

      “We should get some sleep. At least one of us.” Her shoulders sank with relief at his words. No small talk.

      “Sure, go ahead.”

      “You can’t sleep?”

      Couldn’t? Or wouldn’t? In addition to the fact that someone shooting at her didn’t do wonders for her ability to wind down, she didn’t want to sleep in a room with Micah. The nightmares didn’t come every night. They were down to just a few times a month. But she didn’t want to risk tonight being the night she had one.

      She shook her head. “Not yet anyway,” she said to soften her words.

      “Okay, you take first shift. Wake me if you hear anything off.”

      Her eyes widened. “You’re seriously going to sleep?”

      “I’m going to catch a nap, yeah. This cabin is secure, you have a gun and you know how to use it and I have no need to play hero and stay awake when it’s not necessary. Wake me in an hour.”

      “Okay.” Kate didn’t argue, just sat there and watched him as he closed his eyes. His shoulders fully relaxed seven minutes later, not that she’d been staring at those broad shoulders.

      Micah Reed was back in Moose Haven. Someone had shot at her.

      Both improbable situations chased each other around her mind, like the irritating black miniature poodles her neighbors had. Eagle bait, she called them when no one was listening. If only the issues facing her now were as innocuous as those annoying dogs.

      Neither made sense, unless one of the avalanches she’d worked recently had been caused by humans. In that case, though, why target her? She’d been the first one to the scene, but not the only one. Moose Haven Police Department had come too and as far as she knew, none of them were being threatened. She’d double-check with Noah to make sure, but that explanation didn’t seem right to her at the moment.

      Having thought through that subject, she moved back to Micah.

      Yeah, she had nothing there either.

      He was tall, handsome and all grown up, but still very much the same as he’d been from everything she’d seen in the last few hours. He didn’t take himself too seriously, but he was sure of himself. Enough so that it didn’t threaten his masculinity or his legitimacy as law enforcement to let Kate take the first shift while he napped.

      She liked that kind of attitude in a man.

      Or would, if she let herself spend any time thinking about men. About anything, really, besides work. Search and rescue had become her existence, the entirety of it. It was easy to justify. They needed her; it was her paying job; so many of the workers were volunteers... Blah, blah, blah. Her siblings usually addressed those issues when they tried to convince Kate to have a life outside it.

      But that wasn’t the reason she was a workaholic. Only Kate knew the truth—that saving lives was all she deserved to give her time to doing now. She owed it to Drew, for not being able to save his. And she had to stay focused.

      The hour dragged on, and the quiet, usually something Kate appreciated, only magnified the thoughts in her mind that she’d rather not be wrestling with right now. When sixty minutes had finally passed, she set a hand on Micah’s upper arm, feeling the firmness of his muscle beneath her hands. His eyes immediately opened.

      “Your turn.” He grinned at her.

      Kate shook her head.

      “Come on, close your eyes. Humor me.”

      “You’re not the boss of me,” she returned with a smile, but she closed her eyes, just to make him happy. And to make him stop talking...

      Kate blinked her eyes open, jerked out of sleep and realized she’d nodded off. She stole a glance at Micah, who was looking around the cabin, seeming fully awake and watchful.

      She trusted him to keep them safe, she realized as she blinked her eyes, more slowly this time, and let sleep claim her again.

      * * *

      Micah didn’t know what surprised him more—the fact that he’d been able to catch a short nap while Kate was awake, or that she’d trusted him enough to nod off and sleep for almost two hours. She’d trusted him when they were kids, and there hadn’t been this awkward distance between them, but years had passed. He hadn’t earned her trust yet as an adult, something he felt the truth of deep into his heart.

      She’d downplayed her own level of exhaustion on that run, or he just hadn’t picked up on it, because she seemed drained in an extreme way.

      “Ready to go?”

      But she was in control again this morning, no hint of the shaking she’d experienced when she first realized she couldn’t use her satphone and the reality of someone being after her had sunken in. Micah was pretty sure she’d be mortified if she realized he’d seen that; she appeared that committed to the strong, brave front she liked to put forward.

      But she’d let it drop last night, just for a little while, even if it had been unintentional, maybe from exhaustion. There was something in her eyes that hadn’t been there years ago, and it was more than just evidence that she’d grown up. She was different. It was as if she was more cautious inside. Eager to be prepared.

      He glanced over at her, where she stood now without a trace of hesitation on her face.

      She’d always been one of the strongest people he’d ever known but even she had a breaking point. He just hoped she was aware of that. Wondered if she was trusting God to help her or just powering through alone.

      “I’m ready.”

      Taking one last look at the cabin that had been shelter when they needed it so badly, he sent up a quick prayer of thanks and then followed Kate back into the outside.

      And almost ran into her. She’d stopped right outside the door.

      “What—”

      “Shh.”

      He stopped talking. Listened like she was doing but heard nothing.

      “Let’s go.” She started walking and he followed.

      The woods were easier to navigate in the daylight, but Micah was still thankful he had Kate with him because she took several turns down trails so narrow he’d never have seen them. Some of them were already packed down by animals, which would keep them from leaving tracks.

      “How much longer to town?”

      “We’re close.”

      They walked for another hour in the