"You think I'm overreacting?"
"A little. Let's just watch the weather and wait for another update," she suggested.
"At ten," he said.
"Roger, you can't do this every time a storm comes up. You'll drive yourself crazy."
"I know. But it would really make me feel better if you went out and checked on the activity, see what's going on."
"Sure. I'll check the trailheads."
She grabbed a radio off of one of the chargers and left him as he flipped on the TV, searching out the Weather Channel.
She drove to the South Rim trailhead first. Skiers who would use this trail would normally start out early. She was happy to see only six names on the list, although two had listed the Nevada Trail instead of the loop that would take them back around by the Fire Lookout Trail. By the time she got to Ridge Trail, twenty-two skiers had signed in. It was seven miles to the loop and she thought that even if the storm hit early, they would still have enough time to ski down. She drove through town to where Lake Trail began. She didn't even bother checking the register. The parking lot was nearly full and she could see skiers across the lake as they made their way over the fresh snow. She assumed Elk Meadow would be the same.
The wind picked up suddenly, a gust shaking her Jeep as she drove back through town. She slowed, peering out the window at the low clouds, waiting for the first flakes to fall. The ringing of her cell phone startled her.
"McKenna."
"It's me."
"Jessie. Hi," Chris said, her voice softening. She had meant to call her this morning but that was before Roger and his storm worries.
"Bad time?"
"No, sorry. There's a storm coming. I'm just out checking trail-heads. How was your trip?"
"It was fun, actually. And I normally hate shopping, but Annie was like a kid out there."
"Good. I'm glad you had a good time." She paused, then said what was on her mind. "I missed you. A lot."
"I missed you, too," Jessie said quietly. "I came very close to pounding on your door at midnight."
"That would have been a nice surprise. Much better than the dream I had to settle for."
"Can I see you tonight?"
Chris grinned. She had to ask? Damn, she felt like a teenager, sitting here with a silly grin on her face.
"Want me to cook for you?" Chris offered.
"I'm not really in the mood for cereal, McKenna. How about a pizza?"
"Frozen?"
"No, I'll call the pizza place in Sacramento and see if they'll deliver, smart ass."
Chris laughed. "I love frozen pizza. Where and when?"
"My place. As soon as you can, okay?"
"Can't wait. I'll call you when things settle down around here."
"And McKenna?"
"Yeah?"
"Wear something that comes off easily."
Chris acknowledged the happiness that settled over her. Love? Well, even if it wasn't, it sure felt good. She glanced up and met the sparkling eyes in the mirror. Love.
It was just after ten when she parked the Jeep in front of the ranger station. There were skiers coming out with maps, and she hoped they were taking one of the short trails.
"McKenna, how was it out there?" Roger asked anxiously as soon as she came in.
"Busy. At least in town. What's new with the storm?"
"A wet one, for sure. They have torrential rains all along the coast. It's picked up speed. Could mean blizzard for us. They haven't posted warnings yet. They're going to let me know at noon."
She met his eyes and saw his concern. It was serious. "Have you checked South Rim? There were only six skiers signed in this morning," she said.
"Thirteen now."
"Lake Trail and Elk Meadow were packed," she said.
"We can get those closed if need be. We can get people out of there within an hour. South Rim though..." He shook his head. "Who knows? There are too many side trails from there. Not to mention the Nevada Trail. There were four skiers that listed that as their destination. Hopefully they'll know enough to turn around."
"Shit," she said quietly. "How long do we wait?"
"We'll wait until the next report to decide if we need to close the trails. My gut tells me we should do it now, but I don't want to overreact."
"Well, I've got a pack in my Jeep. I think I'll go out and see if I can round up Bobby and Greg. Just in case," she said. Bobby would be busy at the lodge, but she was certain Bill wouldn't mind her taking him for a few hours.
"Fine. Hatcher's on his way in. Matt was at Ridge Trail."
She tried calling Greg as she drove to the lodge. He didn't answer and there was no machine. She drove over to his shop before going to his house, but it was closed up. At his house, Greg's truck was there, but his snowmobile was missing. She left him a note to call Roger, then drove to the lodge.
She found Bobby in the rental shop.
"Busy?"
"Yeah, but judging by the weather, they'll be heading back in soon," he said.
"Storm's coming faster than expected. Roger's thinking we might have to close the trails. There are thirteen skiers out on South Rim," she told him.
She saw his eyes widen and knew he was remembering the three skiers they lost last season.
"Do you think it'll be a problem for you to leave if we need you?"
"Of course not. I'll tell Bill. Just let me know."
"Thanks, Bobby. I'll call."
She drove back to the ranger station, hearing on the radio that the winter storm watch had just been changed to a warning.
"Well?" she asked as soon as she walked in.
"Winter storm warning but we heard that on the damn radio. The weather service hasn't called and I can't get through," Roger said. "The guys?"
"Bobby's a go. Greg's out on his snowmobile, I think. I left a note." She looked into the concerned eyes of Roger and knew they were going to be in for a long day.
Just before noon, the call came from the National Weather Service in Sacramento and both she and Matt waited anxiously as Roger nodded into the phone. He hung up a short time later.
"ETA two o'clock. Blizzard conditions expected. He said we could see the first snow in an hour. They've got sixty-mile-an-hour gusts down there. It doesn't look good."
"Let's close the trails right now and get as many people off as we can," Chris said quickly.
"Yes, but what about South Rim, McKenna. What if they reached the Nevada Trail, there's not enough time."
"Matt, call Bobby and try Greg again. Roger, when Hatcher gets here, have him and Matt close Elk Meadow and Lake Trail. If skiers are on Ridge Trail, they'll have enough time to get back down, but you need to have someone ski the trail to make sure. I'll take Bobby and we'll head up South Rim," she said.
"Okay. It's a plan, at least. When Bobby gets here, you head out. There's only the four we're really worried about. Right?"
Chris gripped his arm hard and squeezed.
"Right, Roger. It's going to be okay."
"Damn, McKenna, I hate days like this," he said and he ran hands through his already unruly hair.
Bobby arrived with his full pack within fifteen minutes, but there was still no word from Greg. Chris thought how ironic it would be if they ended up searching for Greg as well.
She grabbed a fresh radio, then led Bobby to the back room to add ropes to their packs and get the folding aluminum rack. Just in case, she told herself.
"Keep in touch, McKenna."
"Don't worry, Roger. We'll be fine. Just take care of things down here."
They left, with Bobby strapping the aluminum rack to his pack and Chris taking the extra rope. Their packs weighed more than forty pounds with the added gear—no easy feat on skis. They posted the closed sign at the trailhead and checked the sign-in sheet. Of the thirteen, six had signed out.