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Cold Pursuit

By Gayla K. Hiss

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FAITH CHANDLER STARED AT THE MAN walking in the distance. She couldn’t get a good look at his face, but something about him reminded her of Jake Mitchell. When he disappeared behind the lodge where she would be staying, she decided it must be her mind playing tricks on her. After all, what would Jake be doing in Moose Run, Montana on a Sunday night in mid-December?
Something pelted her on the back of the head. Spinning around, she glared at her friend, Shelly Dickerson, who was making another snowball.
Shelly laughed. “Just checking to make sure you hadn't frozen in place. What were you staring at anyway?”
Faith bent to pack a snowball in her gloved hands. “The ghost of Christmas past.” She raised her arm and aimed. The sudden ring of her phone caused her to miss, and the snowball landed at Shelly’s feet.
Eying her, Shelly put a hand on her hip. “I thought we agreed to turn off our phones when we got here.”
Faith shrugged as she pulled hers from her pocket. “Old habits—maybe it's about a job.”
A spark of skepticism flared in Shelly’s brown eyes. “Who are you kidding? You're addicted to that thing, and you know it.”
“Shh.” Faith checked the caller ID. No name, and a number she didn’t recognize. “Hello?”
“Faith, it's Tad.”
Despite the December cold, the sound of Tad’s voice stoked an angry fire. “Goodbye—”
“Wait! It's about Monica.”
Faith scoffed. “Let me guess. You two are engaged.”
“Engaged? No.” After a brief pause, his voice became oddly somber. “Monica is…missing. I was hoping maybe you’d heard from her.”
The phone slipped through Faith's fingers to the blanket of snow on the ground.
“What is it?” Shelly asked.
Faith managed a reassuring look. “Nothing. I'm fine.”
Tad's voice summoned Faith through the phone at her feet. “Faith, are you still there?”
She hesitated to pick it up. Was this for real or a sick ploy of Tad’s to get her to talk to him? He wouldn't dare call her now, unless it were life or death. Then again, this was the same guy who’d dumped her for Monica, in addition to beating Faith out of a promotion—while she got a pink slip.
When Shelly had invited her on the free trip to Yellowstone National Park, Faith jumped at the chance to get away from Tad and her problems at home. However, now that she’d arrived at the lodge, her problems seemed to be following her. Maybe she should have powered off her phone, but she needed to find a job and hoped to hear from the companies she’d sent résumés and applications to.
Tad’s voice called to her again. “Faith? Faith, if you're there, please answer.”
Finally, she reached for the phone, wiped it down, and forced it to her ear. “Yeah, I'm here.”
“You had me worried for a minute.”
“How long has Monica been missing?”
A brief pause. “Four days. It’s been on the news. I’m surprised you didn’t know.”
Despite her falling out with Monica, Faith hoped she was all right.
“Hey, are you at home? I was hoping I could stop by. You and Monica were friends and—”
“That friendship ended, thanks to you. Unless you have more news about Monica, do not contact me again.” She ended the call and punched the off button.
With a disgusted expression, Shelly shook her head. “That was Tad-the-cad, wasn't it?”
Faith was still steaming. “He must have a new number. Otherwise, I wouldn't have answered.”
“After everything he's put you through, he's got a lot of nerve calling you now.”
Faith’s heavy sigh emitted a vapor in the cold air. “He told me that Monica is missing.”
Shelly flinched. “What?”
“He thought I might have heard from her and wanted to come over.”
Her friend crossed her arms and gave Faith a pointed look. “You’d better watch out. I wouldn’t put it past that guy to try to worm his way back into your life.”
Faith stashed her phone in her pocket. “Don’t worry, I’m wise to him now. Besides, he’s in Texas and we’re in Montana. He won’t bother me way out here.”
“Let’s hope not.” Shaking her finger, Shelly scolded. “Maybe that will teach you to keep your phone off for the rest of this trip.”

Jake Mitchell waved the tour group roster in the face of his older cousin and employer, Chip Reynolds. “Tell me this isn't who I think it is.”
Seated at his desk, Chip shrugged. “Okay, it's not who you think it is—who are we talking about anyway?”
“Faith Chandler. What is she doing in my tour group?”
“Oh, that.” Chip leaned back in his chair.
“Yeah, that. So what's up?”
“That's what we do for a living, Jake. People pay to go on a tour of Yellowstone. I assign them to a tour group. You lead the tour group…”
“But you assigned her to my tour group.”
“You had openings. Besides, it's been ages since you two broke up. Aren't you the least bit curious to see her again?”
“No. That ship sank a long time ago.”
“Good. Then there shouldn't be any problem with her being in your group, right?” A smirk escaped Chip’s serious expression.
Jake clenched his fists, resisting the urge to give his cousin a fat lip. “You did this on purpose.”
A knock at the door interrupted them, followed by the soft footsteps of a person entering the office. “Excuse me. I wonder if you could help us.”
The familiar woman’s voice stopped Jake cold. He didn’t bother turning around. He didn’t need to.
“We're here for the Yellowstone Christmas Tour. Do you know where the orientation is?”
Chip jumped from his chair and came around the desk. “Well, well, well, look who's here.”
Jake kept his back to her, glimpsing Chip from the corner of his eye.
“Chip?” the woman said. “Is it really you?”
He rubbed his thinning short hair. “Minus a few hair follicles.”
“Wow, it’s great to see you. What a nice surprise.”
“You too. Life must be treating you well, Faith. You haven’t changed a bit.”
She laughed. “I don’t know about that. You always did exaggerate. But it is good to see you again.”
Jake slowly rotated his body. He couldn’t put the inevitable off any longer.
Faith had finished giving Chip a hug. When she glanced at Jake, she froze.
For the first time since his freshman year in college, he stood face-to-face with the only woman who had ever stolen his heart and broken it. He regarded her now as he would a jagged fragment of stained glass—captivating, yet dangerous to the touch. From the anxious way she fidgeted with a long lock of brown hair, she was equally ill-at-ease.
Chip was wrong. She had changed. Her eyes appeared even bluer than Jake remembered—and she was like a stranger to him now.
She broke the ice with a tentative smile. “Hello, Jake.”
He kept his distance. “Hello.”
When she approached, he drew back.
Chip put a firm hand on his shoulder, blocking his retreat. “Jake's going to be your tour guide.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widened with surprise—and possibly horror—as the color drained from her face.
Jake took solace from her reaction. After all, why should he be the only miserable one on this tour?
She cleared her throat and gestured to the shorter, dark-haired woman with her. “This is my friend, Shelly.”
Extending his hand, Jake greeted her with the graciousness he’d withheld from Faith. “Welcome aboard, Shelly.”
She grinned excitedly. “Thanks. I couldn’t believe it when Chip called and told me I won the contest for a free tour.”
Jake shifted his gaze to Chip. “A free tour?”
He shrugged. “It’s a new promotion. I was going to tell you about it.”
After aiming a quick glare at his employer, Jake addressed Shelly again. “Well, congratulations. It appears your friend isn’t quite as excited as you are.”
Faith spoke up, her tone indignant. “On the contrary, Jake, I’m happy to be here.”
He glanced her way. “Really. If this is you happy, I'd hate to see you ecstatic.”
Shelly slanted her head. “So how do you two know each other?”
Chip slipped in between Jake and Faith, putting his arms around them. “We’re all from the same hometown in Colorado.” He eyed Jake. “It’s like old times, isn’t it?”
Amusement flickered in Shelly’s eyes. “Small world, huh?”
“Yeah,” Jake said. That and Chip giving away free tours when he can’t afford it. As his cousin returned to his desk, Jake noticed Faith’s tense expression.
She glanced down, twisting her hair around her index finger, a habit from her youth whenever she was anxious or disturbed.
Why was she upset? She was the one who broke it off with him, and that was seven years ago.
When she lifted her gaze, the color of her eyes had darkened to a deep shade of indigo.
Concern broke through Jake’s hardened shell. “What’s wrong?”
Stiffening, she looked away. “Nothing.”
Shelly filled in the awkward silence. “She just learned that her friend is missing.”
He rubbed his face. “Oh…sorry.”
Crossing her arms, Faith stared at the floor. “She’s not my friend. It came as a shock, that’s all.”
Jake cleared his throat uncomfortably. “It’s really none of my business.” Not that she would care what he thought anyway. She’d made it clear when she walked out of his life that she wanted nothing more to do with him.
Chip nudged Jake, interrupting his thoughts. “The orientation will start pretty soon. We should be going.” His cousin turned and addressed the women. “Let me get my jacket, then Jake and I will walk with you next door to the lodge.”
Jake followed him into the back room and closed the door so the women couldn’t hear. Alone with Chip, he spoke in a low growl. “This isn’t going to work. You need to move them to a different tour group.”
“Relax. It isn’t going to kill you to be nice to her for a few days. Besides, the other groups are full.”
“What’s this about a contest and a free tour? Since when do we give tours away?”
“It’s all part of my new marketing campaign. If Faith and Shelly have a great time, maybe they’ll give us a testimonial for our website and some of our ads. We need the publicity.”
Jake scoffed. “So now you’re giving away free vacations?”
“I’ll admit it was a bit of a gamble, but you can make it pay off. You’re the best guide I have.”
“I wouldn’t bet on Faith for an endorsement. I doubt spending a week with me is her idea of a dream vacation, even if it is free. You could have at least given me a heads-up that she was coming.”
“I didn’t know myself until Shelly sent me an email last week that said Faith would be accompanying her on the tour. To tell you the truth, I thought it must be someone else with Faith’s name.” Chip used his most persuasive tone. “You know, there was a time when you two wouldn’t have minded being together for a whole week. Maybe you can recreate a little of that magic now.”
Jake rolled his eyes. “You’re dreaming, Chip. We’re not kids anymore. Why don’t you swap the two of them with a couple in a different group?”
Chip shook his head. “It’s too late. The rosters have already been printed along with the other handouts, and they’ve all been delivered to the lodge for the orientation.” He glanced at his watch. “We’d better hurry. I want to get there a little early.”
Jake crossed his arms, not budging.
After a brief pause, Chip sighed. “All you have to do is treat her like you would any customer. If you won’t do it for me, do it for Beth and the girls. Money’s tight and Christmas is coming. They’ve had to make sacrifices for this business too, and they deserve a better Christmas than I can afford this year.”
At the mention of Chip’s wife and kids, Jake eased up.
“By the way, Leslie Turner and her cameraman will also be in your tour group.”
“The reporter from the cable news channel? Did she win a free tour too?”
“Not exactly. I invited her to do a special feature about Yellowstone in winter. It’s all part of my—”
“Marketing campaign,” Jake finished for him. “What other surprises do you have in store for me on this tour?”
Chip held up his hands. “That’s it. Honest. So what do you say? Are you in?”
Jake scratched his head. He almost regretted that he’d let his cousin talk him into working for him as a guide two years ago, though he had always paid him on time even when money was tight, plus the tips were good. “Do I have a choice?”
“I knew I could count on you.” Chip gave him a hearty pat on the back and turned toward the door to the main office.
Though Jake wasn’t happy about the arrangement, he decided he would make the best of things. After all, he was a professional. Faith, on the other hand, was the wild card.
He strode ahead of Chip and blocked the door with his hand. “I’ll lead the tour, but if this publicity stunt of yours backfires, it won’t be my fault. Faith is the one you should be worried about. The way things are going, she won’t last a day, much less a week.”

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