His father was at the helm.

What?

He ran to the ridge and watched as his bird came around for landing and settled perfectly on the glistening surface of the lake. The plane’s massive tundra wheels rode the snow and ice to the shore.

Dodge couldn’t breathe. What was he doing?

Except maybe he knew.

Risking everything for someone he loved. Dodge’s chest tightened, heated. “Let’s get Charlie,” Dodge said.

They loaded Igor onto the back of the ATV, tying him to the backrest and footpads.

He drove his prisoner back to the cabin, Echo behind Nash.

Idaho was gone.

Peyton came out onto the porch on makeshift crutches, a blanket over her shoulders, as they drove up. “Where did you say they killed that moose, Echo?”

“And shot my father? At the far end of the Cache River basin. Near the hunter cabin on Kayuh Lake.”

“I have a camera there. It’s a wide angle, on an old wolf den.”

“You can run, Idaho, but you can’t hide!” Echo yelled into the woods.

“Let’s get your dad,” Dodge said and headed to the front porch. He passed Peyton as he went inside, Nash right behind him. “Why didn’t you contact us, Peyton? Let us know you were okay?” Dodge couldn’t help the edge to his voice.

“The radio is out,” Nash said.

Dodge turned to him. “But you went down to the mine a few days ago—why didn’t you say anything to Jude, or call in then?” He walked into the bedroom.

Nash followed him in. “I didn’t realize anyone was looking for her.”

Dodge gave him a look. “You didn’t think that the dogs showing up would have alerted Echo to trouble?” He cast a look at Nash, then Peyton, who had limped to the doorway.

“I didn’t realize Granite was gone until the day after the storm,” Peyton said. “I thought he was sleeping with the pack. I should have turned back then, but I thought he’d find his way home, and I was worried about the wolves with that grizzly around. So I kept going to the next cabin, stayed there, and then the next day took off for the hunting cabin, before the storm could set in.”

Nash and Dodge bundled Charlie up again as she spoke.

Echo came into the room to grab his stuff. “How did you end up here?” she asked.

“I’m not sure what happened. All I remember is the sound of a gunshot—I’m not sure if someone was shooting at the dogs, but they panicked, and I lost control. We ended up going over a ledge.”

Dodge looked at Echo, his mouth a tight line. He’d bet Idaho and his sportsmen had something to do with that.

Or maybe he was just jumping to conclusions. Again.