Alix felt a flash of panic. She hadn’t expected them to move so fast. She couldn’t remember any of the instructions. They were all going to die. And then she realized two things. First, that the dogs seemed to know what they were doing, and second, that she could in fact remember the instructions and was doing fine. Better than fine. This was fun!

The air was freezing. Her cheeks stung, but she couldn’t remember ever feeling more exhilarated in her life. Or maybe the dogs’ excitement and enthusiasm was contagious as they ran fast along the trail, their cute, furry behinds wiggling. All the stress and hurt she’d been grappling with disappeared, and she resisted the temptation to give a loud whoop, in case that turned out to be a verbal command she hadn’t yet been taught.

The trail wound through the forest, the snow so thick on the trees that they bent and bowed under the weight of it, their branches transformed into mysterious shapes.

Robyn had been right, she discovered: the dogs didn’t howl when they were running. The only sound was the swish of the sled as it traveled over the snow and the rhythmic panting.

They reached a cabin in a clearing, where Erik was waiting with hot drinks and food.

After making sure the dogs were comfortable, they sheltered from the cold in the cabin and ate suovas, reindeer meat that was dry-salted and smoked and served in flatbreads with a dollop of lingonberries.

They all pronounced it delicious, apart from Holly, who was going through a picky phase.

Christy sat next to Alix, both of them enjoying the heat from the stove. “I’m envious of your trip tonight. It’s going to be perfect.”

Seb stood up at that moment to take a look at the dogs and the scenery, and Alix shot to her feet and followed him, unable to take another conversation about the romance of the planned evening.

It wasn’t only about avoiding Zac and Christy, she told herself. This was a conversation she needed to have.

Seb was crouched down in the snow, giving attention to one of the dogs, but he turned when he heard her approach.

“Hey there. Having fun?”

“Yes.” She knelt down on the snow next to him and rubbed her gloved hands through the dog’s fur. She didn’t really know what she was going to say, but she wanted to make things right with Seb.

“Something on your mind?” Seb stood up. “You and Christy are good, yes? She was happy last night. More relaxed than she’s been in ages.”

“Yes, we’re good. We had a good conversation.” Alix stood up, too. “Long overdue. And there’s something else that’s overdue. My apology to you. I’m sorry about the things I said that day.”

“Forget it, Alix. You did it for her. I understand that. You thought you were helping her.”

“That’s true. But I also did it for me. I was scared. Unsettled. It was a whole new world for me. I’d never had to share Christy before. I was...” She clasped her hands in front of her. It was bitterly cold. Maybe she should have had this conversation indoors. “I was jealous of you.” It made her feel ugly saying the words, but he gave a faint smile.