Page 90 of Beastly Mountain Man

The front door opened.

Cold air swept briefly into the entry before Lucky came inside with Bear beside him.

He unhooked the leash and looked at me.

He must have seen something in my face, because his easy expression shifted.

“How’d it go?”

I set my phone on the island.

“The talent situation has cooled down. The team handled the work. Some of it differently than I would have, and apparently the world continued turning.”

Lucky took off his coat but stayed near the door, giving me room to finish.

“They want me back.”

His eyes held mine.

“I figured they would.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re good at what you do.”

No hesitation.

No attempt to soften the fact that my career existed somewhere beyond this mountain and needed me in it.

I looked toward the windows again.

“The road isn’t open yet. Glenn knows that. He told me to wait until the resort says it’s safe.”

Lucky nodded. “Then we wait.”

“But once it is...”

The words caught for the first time.

Lucky crossed the room but stopped in front of me instead of reaching for me.

He let me choose that too.

I closed the distance and put my hands against his chest.

“I have to go.”

Chapter Six

Twenty minutes after Caprice told me she had to go, my phone buzzed with the road update I’d been waiting for.

The crews had finished the last shaded section below Upper Ridge. Packed snow was cleared, sand was down where it needed to be, and the route was ready for a final check before guest traffic reopened.

I read the update once more, although there wasn’t anything unclear about it.

Caprice’s Audi was going down the mountain today.

Eggs cooked on low heat behind me, and toast had just popped up. I’d changed into canvas work pants, a thermal shirt, and my heavier work jacket so I could check the road and dig out her SUV after breakfast. Caprice was in the bedroom packing. Every few minutes I heard a zipper, a drawer, or the soft thump of something being set inside her suitcase.