Page 7 of K-9 in Pursuit

“No. I thought you might enjoy having something to do. And I’d pay you.”

“I already have things to do. And I have money. Mom tops up my account every week.”

Of course she did. Darinda might exile her daughter, but she wouldn’t leave her without money to buy whatever her heart desired. “Think about it,” she said.

Sharee shrugged. “I’ll think about it. But it won’t keep me from seeing Brian if I want.”

Brian again. Chloe wasn’t going to make the mistake of letting this infatuation go one step further. “Sharee, if you don’t stay away from that man, I’ll cut up your ski pass,” she said.

Sharee whirled on Chloe, her face full of such fury Chloe took a step back, fear jolting her. “You can’t do that,” Sharee said. “Mom and Dad bought me that pass.”

“I can and I will take it, if it means keeping you from getting arrested.”

“No one is going to arrest me for talking to a guy.”

“Don’t talk to him. Don’t go near him. Or I mean it, I’ll take your pass, and I’ll make sure the resort doesn’t issue a new one.”

Sharee stared at her, cheeks red, eyes too bright. “Fine. I’ll stay away from him. It’s not like there aren’t other guys who like me.”

“You’re supposed to be studying,” Chloe said.

“Just because you live like a nun doesn’t mean I have to.” Sharee shoved past her. Seconds later, the door to her room slammed.

Chloe sagged against the counter. Sharee’s parting shot had drawn blood. Chloe hadn’t set out to lead such a solitary life, but between running her business and looking after her sister, she hadn’t had much time to meet Mr. Right—or even Mr. Right Now. Relationships took time and attention—two things in short supply at the moment.

OVER THE NEXT three days, Brian did his best to avoid Sharee and to forget about the underwear tucked away in Connor’s desk drawer. He devoted extra time to working with Daisy, a three-year-old golden retriever and certified avalanche rescue dog. After the lifts closed on Friday, he and Daisy and patrollers Lily Alton and Anders Iverson stayed late with Lily’s Belgian Malinois, Shelby, and Anders’s black lab, Darth, to run drills where the patrollers took turns hiding and the dogs had to find them. Though all the dogs were well-trained and certified, it was important to regularly reinforce their training.

When Brian returned to patrol headquarters at dusk to retrieve some gear, he was surprised to find Connor waiting for him. “We need to talk,” Connor said, in a tone that made Brian’s stomach knot.

“Has something happened?” Brian asked.

“Take a seat.” Connor indicated the plastic chair across from his desk.

Brian sat. “What is it?” he asked. Daisy came and nudged his hand, and he began rubbing her silky ears.

“There have been a couple of complaints about you from resort guests.”

Brian stared, confused. “What kind of complaints?”

Connor picked up a piece of printer paper. “One said you failed to pick up after Daisy on a ski run.”

“No way. I always pick up after her. I mean, that would be gross not to.”

“The second complaint says you were rude to a guest.”

“How was I rude?”

“This says you shoved her out of the way and called her by a derogatory name.”

Brian shook his head. “Come on, Connor. You know me. I don’t do things like that.”

“I know.” Connor set the paper aside. “So who have you ticked off enough to make them call in false complaints?”

“Who are the complaints from?” Brian asked.

“One is from Jane Smith. The second is from Gertrude Cavendish.”

“Those don’t sound like real names. Are they real names?”