Treasuring His Thanksgiving by Dawn McGraw

Author:Dawn McGraw
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dawn McGraw

Chapter 5

Fresh from the shower, Jemma headed to join Myla and Tinsley. When Hagan paced across the window in front of the lodge, she paused. How was she supposed to get to the ranger station with him out there? She didn't want a repeat of the last time they were alone, since it was a mistake to let him get so close. Course decided, she headed for the back of the lodge. A hike sounded like the perfect distraction. Besides, she still hadn't taken the miner's loop yet. She wrapped her scarf around her neck and pulled her gloves on. As soon as she was out of earshot, she'd call Myla and Tinsley and have them join her on the trail.

The brisk air swirled around her as she shut the door and crunched across the snow covering the deck. Checking her watch, she verified there was plenty of time to make the two-mile loop before they had to leave for the council meeting. As she took the last step off the back deck, she remembered her hiking bag. She turned back around and contemplated returning to the building. If she went back, she could get the bag, but she might run into Hagan. Her bag was overkill for such a short hike, and he'd demand to accompany her.

Nope.

She'd be fine without it. The risk was too great if she returned. Turning back toward the forest, she hurried to the trailhead. This brief break was exactly what she was looking for. She was already feeling better. Each step forward had her feeling lighter, less encumbered.

The late morning light reflected off the snow crystals and scattered through the undergrowth. The pine trees were perfect in their majestic beauty. They contrasted with the white and black skeletons of aspen trees. A stark difference from the autumn colors that had painted the Grove when she was first here.

It wasn't very far down the trail when the snow became deeper, coming up to the top of her boots. She felt like a kid on adventure, and each step took twice as much energy now. Her phone couldn't find a signal, but she'd learned the first time she visited the park not to give up, just keep trying. Service was spotty along the trails. She put her phone away and walked on for a few minutes. When she came to a deeper section of the trail, she tried to find the trail markers again. Somehow along the way, she'd missed one. It couldn't be that hard to find her way since she was so close to the lodge still.

Turning around in every direction, she looked for a sign of which way to go. By the time she finished walking in circles, she couldn't even find the tracks she'd come in on. Every direction looked just as plausible as another. She pulled out her phone, still no signal. No worries, this wasn't a time to panic. If she didn't make it back soon, somebody would come to find her.

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