“How do you want to do this?” Wade asked, dangling next to him.

“I’m going to move closer and harness her in case that ledge decides not to hold,” he said as quietly and calmly as possible. “Then I need you to bring the litter closer. The right leg is broken and I can’t assess any other injuries right now.”

Wade nodded. “Copy that.”

Reed turned to Rebecca. “Okay. My friend Wade and I are going to get you to safety and I need you to be as brave as you have been out here alone, okay?”

She nodded. “And you’re sure my parents aren’t mad?”

He smiled. “Darling, believe me...if there’s anything crazy on your Christmas wish list this year, about an hour from now will be the best time to ask for it.” He winked at her and her frostbitten lips curled into a tiny smile.

Time to get her home.

CHAPTER THREE

SIX MINUTES IN Wild River and already Erika was regretting this impulsive move. Which was why she never did anything impulsive. Waiting on the train station platform, she felt more than a little out of place. Her thin-heeled, three-inch leather boots and dressy cashmere winter coat looked ridiculous among the ski suits and winter boots the other travelers wore. She didn’t own anything like that anymore. She rarely went outside in Anchorage.

Her large suitcase contained more of the same noncasual clothes, but she thought she’d packed at least one pair of jeans. She hoped.

She forced a breath, taking in her surroundings. She hadn’t been back to Wild River since she left for university. The town nestled between the Chugach and Talkeetna Mountains was small with only two thousand residents. It was breathtakingly beautiful with its snow-covered peaks and untouched wilderness, but it was also her past and already she felt slightly claustrophobic.

When Erika spotted her friend behind the wheel of a large SUV with the Snow Trek Tours logo on the door, Cassie gave an apprehensive wave, which didn’t fill Erika with confidence in her decision to come. As the vehicle stopped in front of her, Erika opened the back, put her suitcase inside, then climbed into the passenger seat. “Hi...”

“Hey!” Cassie went in for a hug just as she extended a hand. Her fingers poked her friend in the chest and Cassie moved away. “Oh...okay...we’re shaking hands.”

Erika pulled her hand back at the same time Cassie reached for it. “We don’t have to...sorry, that was dumb.”

Cassie nodded, turning her attention back to the road. “Shall we just go, then?”

“Yes,” she mumbled.

As Cassie pulled her vehicle away from the train station, Erika stared longingly at the departures drop-off zone in the side mirror.

She’d talked herself out of canceling a dozen times since booking the trip, and reaching out to Cassie the night before had required several glasses of wine. Her friend had seemed more than a little surprised when she’d responded to Erika’s Facebook message, but she’d invited her to stay for as long as she wanted. Erika hadn’t mentioned that this spur-of-the-moment vacation wasn’t her idea. In all honesty, she’d be back on a train headed home if the next train wasn’t scheduled to leave for Anchorage days from now.