Feeling Diva’s weight next to her a second later, she opened one eye and peered at the dog. Her pink sequined leash was in her mouth and she danced in a circle, wiggling her fluffy tail.

A walk it was.

“I can’t believe you let her make you wear this,” she said, attaching the blinged-out leash to the matching collar. “Don’t you have any self-respect?”

Diva licked her face.

“Gross. We’ve talked about the licking,” Erika said, standing. In the last few days, she and Diva had silently come to some sort of understanding. The dog was adorable—especially when she fell asleep at the oddest times—but they still weren’t at the licking phase yet.

Excited paws danced around Erika’s feet as she slid into her coat, hat, scarf and mittens. She nosed her pink booties hanging on the bootrack to dry and Erika shook her head. “No. You’re a dog. Let’s go.” She opened the door and followed her down the stairs. “Lead the way.”

The dog headed right...in the opposite direction of The Drunk Tank.

Good. Not like she could go into the pub with Diva anyway, even if she did want to see Reed. Which she absolutely didn’t. Nearly two days without a sight of him wasn’t bothering her at all. Reed and his kiss had been the farthest thing from her mind. She and Cassie had been bonding, and she looked forward to her friend’s return so they could continue rebuilding their friendship. She hoped for more shopping on Main Street, night skiing on the slopes, dinner at the Meat & More Grillhouse—Erika’s treat—and more peppermint fudge and chick flick marathons.

But while Cassie was away, how could she stay busy enough to avoid the temptation to visit the bar?

Reed was impressed by her. It was the only thought on repeat since the night before. Weird. He had an odd way of showing it. She wondered if he’d noticed they weren’t at the bar last night. Or cared.

She shook her head and sucked in a big, fresh, cleansing breath, hoping the icy chill entering her lungs would cool her body from the heat flowing through her thinking about her friend’s brother.

Turning her attention to the mountains in the distance, which surrounded the village, she stopped to appreciate how beautiful they actually were. She could see them from Anchorage, but rarely in her day-to-day life did she get an opportunity to stop long enough to take in the beauty around her. Her body and brain were constantly shifting from one thing to another. Here, things were different. Still early in the morning, the stores were just opening and the village was starting to come to life.

Watching as Diva gracefully dodged every puddle as she strolled along Main Street made Erika laugh. The husky had a serious complex—she really did believe she was a six-pound poodle, not a forty-pound beast.

Only her friend would adopt a pet as unique as this one.

As they rounded the corner near the coffee shop, she saw the search and rescue cabin across the street. The small structure attached to the fire department was painted red and yellow, and the Wild River Search and Rescue logo was painted above the door. The fire station’s garage door was open and inside were fire trucks, the S & R van, several snowmobiles and rescue equipment. About twenty kids lined up outside the cabin door.