It was frozen shut, so he put his foot into it and nearly went down the steps when it just shuddered. But he’d managed to break the ice free, and when he tried the latch again, it opened.

He stepped inside.

The place had been recently visited. There was an ancient hint of smoke in the frigid air. Clean and dry firewood was stacked next to the potbellied stove. A small table in the corner was clean of any debris. Near it a small sink stood next to an icebox, a few condiments in baggies on the counter.

A handmade sofa with denim cushions faced the stove. And in the back, two bunkbeds, no mattresses.

But it was safe and would be warm, and here they could spend the night.

“Is she here?” Echo stood in the doorway, such a broken expression on her face that he thought, for a moment, she’d suggest pressing on.

“No, and it’s too dark now. We can’t keep going.”

“I thought for sure she’d be here.” Her jaw tightened. “She’s out here, somewhere, freezing to death.”

He refrained from reaching out to her again because, well, his heart was already breaking promises, and he didn’t need any more catastrophes. “I know. We’ll find her. But we need to stay.”

She sighed.

“I’ll unload the sleds.”

She followed him out.

They unpacked their gear in silence. He was turning toward the cabin with his pack when he spotted something out of his periphery.

“Echo, look.” He pointed toward the end of the lake.

A grizzly meandered out of the woods, trekking across the lake, as if it knew where it was headed. Dodge hoped it wasn’t toward them.

He would have gone inside, but Echo dropped her pack, then pulled a monocular from the side pocket and trained it on the bear. He stepped up to her. “What are you looking for?”

“A little white spot between the ears.” She lowered the eyeglass. “I can’t tell.”

“Lemme see.” He took the monocular from her, closed one eye, and trained the view onto the bear.

Big son of a gun. Well over a thousand pounds, probably. It didn’t look like the grizzly he’d chased from Spike’s place, but he couldn’t be sure.

“Let’s get inside,” he said and picked up her pack too.

She let him. Inside, she turned on a flashlight, then dug out her cookstove and unscrewed the top pot. She went outside and filled it with snow.

When she returned, she set it on the table, and closed the door behind her. Night filled the windows beyond their cozy enclave.

It struck Dodge that this might be exactly the opposite of saying goodbye to Echo Yazzie.