Page 1 of K-9 in Pursuit

Chapter One

“Hey, Brian.”

“Morning, Brian.”

“Brian, my man!”

Ski patroller Brian Weeks acknowledged the greetings as he moved through the Monday morning crowd in the ski plaza, but didn’t stop to talk. He was due to relieve another patroller at the top of Lift Two after lunch and was running late.

“Brian, wait!”

With a spray of snow, a blonde in a form-fitting pink ski suit skidded to a halt beside him. She shoved her goggles on top of her helmet and grinned at him. “Let me ride up the lift with you.”

“Hey, Sharee.” Brian smiled. “I’m kind of in a hurry.” He started to move toward the lift, but she clutched his arm.

“It’s not going to take you any longer if I ride up with you,” she said, and slid past him to the entrance at the head of the line designated for ski patrol and ski instructors.

Brian shrugged, then followed her and took his seat beside her as the chair slid up behind them. After all, he had to get up the mountain. He glanced at the woman beside him, who had only recently turned eighteen. A sweet kid, with a pretty obvious crush on him. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but he didn’t want to encourage her, either. “Are you skiing by yourself today?” he asked as the lift carried them up the mountain.

“I thought I could ski with you.”

“I’m working,” he said. “You can’t ski with me.”

She pursed her lips in a pout. “Then I’ll ski near you.”

“Shouldn’t you be in school?” he asked.

She laughed. “You sound like an old man.”

“I am old, compared to you.” He kept his tone light. Teasing.

“You’re not that old. Anyway, I’m done with school.”

“You graduated?”

“I’m going to get my GED. High school is a waste of time.”

“You should be with friends,” he said.

“You’re my friend.”

“Someone your own age,” he said.

“I’m much more mature than they are.” She waved a hand in the air. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed.”

He looked away. He should tell her once and for all that he wasn’t interested. But for all her bravado, he sensed something fragile in Sharee Anderson. At the slightest rebuff from him, he’d seen her eyes fill with tears.

Instead, at the top of the lift, he skied away as fast as possible. “Have a good day,” he called over his shoulder.

Thankfully, she didn’t follow him to the ski patrol outpost. He stashed his skis, stomped up the steps and pushed open the door. Patroller Lily Alton, a green-eyed brunette who was always the first to pitch in to help, looked up from where she’d been adding a log to the woodstove that was the shack’s heat source. “Sorry I’m late,” Brian said, and took off his jacket.

“No problem.” Lily reached for her own jacket. “Is everything okay? You look out of sorts.”

Brian shook his head. “Sharee Anderson insisted on riding up the lift with me. She doesn’t get the message that I’m not interested in her, uh, romantically.”

“She’s another Patroller Brian fan.” Lily laughed at his sour expression. “Face it, Brian. Everyone likes you. I don’t think you could make an enemy if you tried.”

“I don’t want to be Sharee’s enemy. I just want her to turn her attention elsewhere. To someone her own age.”