Maybe he was right. They just needed to stay away from each other. Besides, hadn’t he said he was leaving?

Despite how she felt about him, the last thing she needed was to find her way back into his arms, only to have him walk away.

Her dad picked up his spoon, blew on the soup, then took a bite. “I should have known, even in the beginning, that your mother didn’t want this life. I wooed her into it. I told her we’d only be here for three years, on my research grant. Sure, she liked the woods and hiking, but she never expected to live rough, out in the bush, with the nearest neighbor three miles away by snowmobile.”

His voice dropped. “She never expected the hardships.” He sighed. “But then she got pregnant with you, and three years turned into five and then nine, and she sort of forgot all that, at least for a while.”

He left out the part where they were happy. Where Effie grew her garden and made herbal remedies, and he studied bears and ran guiding trips. And in the deep of winter, they kept each other warm, entertaining their daughter with games and stories and so much love it still pained Echo to think about it.

No, she wouldn’t have wanted to hear from her either.

“Why didn’t you go with her?”

He took another sip of soup. “I was made for the bush. What was I going to do in the city? Drive a snowplow?”

“You were a professor once.”

“I hated teaching.”

“Maybe you could build houses. You built this one.”

“Now you tell me.”

She laughed.

“Do you still think about leaving?” Her father’s voice turned quiet, almost fragile.

“Dad. C’mon. Two against the world, you and me. I’m not going anywhere.” She put her hand on her dad’s.

He ran his thumb over her hand. “I’m so glad you weren’t hurt in that grizzly attack. Even if it were George, I would have put the animal down.”

“It wasn’t George. And thanks.”

He pulled away and picked up his spoon. “It was a pretty windy night. Rough for a chopper. Dodge took quite a risk for your dog.”

She didn’t suggest that he’d gotten faulty information.

“You left Peyton with the dogs?”

“Yes. She’ll be okay. She has three more cameras to check—we planned to be out in the bush for at least ten days, so I don’t expect her back for a while.”

He made a face and nodded, not saying what she was thinking. She should have stayed with Peyton. Or maybe, head back out to find her.

“She’ll be okay,” he said, repeating her words. “Eat your soup.”

She picked up a piece of bread.

“By the way, did you talk to Hank?” he asked. “He said that mama sow had given birth.”