“That is the first piece of good news I’ve had today. That animal is in dire need of training, that’s for sure, and no one has more experience with Siberian huskies than my cousin. Fasten your seat belt.”
“She said if I go over there she’ll teach me about sledding. That would be so cool. I’d love to take the team out in the forest. Have you done it before?”
“Yeah, but it’s too slow for me. When they breed a turbo-charged husky, I’ll try it again.”
“But a whole team of dogs pulling you through the forest—that’s so cool. Tourists pay a fortune for it. If Dana’s your cousin, and she’s your grandfather’s sister’s granddaughter, what relationship is she to me?” Jess sprang into the seat next to him, and the dogs piled in after her, smacking Tyler in the face with wagging tails.
“Probably second cousin or—I have no idea. Don’t ask difficult questions. Save them for Grandma. And get those dogs in the back. Last time I checked, neither of them could drive a car.” Shaking his head, Tyler reversed out of the space and drove down the track. The snow had accumulated during the day, but the roads that ran through the resort had been plowed and the snow was piled thick and deep at the side of the road.
Jess whooped with delight. “So much snow. Will I still be able to race tomorrow?”
“Yes, providing the visibility is good.” He pulled up outside Forest Lodge.
Through the huge glass windows, he could see a lone suitcase sitting in the middle of the floor.
“Brenna obviously hasn’t finished packing, so let’s get inside and help her.” He sprang from the car and the dogs followed, sending snow flying as they bounded up the steps of the lodge.
Opening the door without knocking, Tyler walked in, and the dogs pushed past him.
“Sit. Sit.” He grabbed Ash by the collar and pushed the dog’s rump down onto the wooden floor. “Stay. If you mess this place up my brother will kill me, and then I’ll kill you.”
Jess unwound her scarf from her neck, sending snow flying. “If Uncle Jackson killed you first, you wouldn’t be able to kill Ash.”
“Then you’d have to kill him for me. Stay with them and make sure they don’t jump on the sofa.”
“It says on the website that well-behaved dogs are allowed in the lodges.”
“Exactly. Ash and Luna are the worst-behaved dogs on the planet. That’s why they’re living with me and not Grandma.”
“Because they played rough with Maple?”
“Yeah, well a miniature poodle and two bruiser huskies aren’t a good mix. They treated every game like football, and Maple was the ball. Brenna?” Where the hell was she?
He knew she was upset, which was why he hadn’t fought against Kayla’s all too obvious manipulation of the sleeping arrangements. He didn’t want Brenna upset.
“I’m up here.” She finally appeared above him on the sleeping shelf. “What are you doing here?” Her face was partially in shadow, but he thought her eyes looked a little red.
Had she been crying?
No. He’d never seen Brenna cry. Not once. Not when she’d fallen and broken her ankle skiing, nor when those idiots who she refused to name had pushed her into a ditch.
But he knew how much she loved living in this particular lodge.
He remembered how excited she’d been when she’d first moved in. She’d chosen to sleep on the shelf, rather than in the master bedroom, and that decision hadn’t surprised him. Brenna would have slept on the forest floor if that had been a practical option.
“Thought you might need some help packing up the rest of your things.”
“It’s done.”
“Great! So tell me where the cases are, and I’ll get them loaded up. Room’s all ready for you.” He’d given her the room that was farthest from his, and he’d put Jess in charge of making up the bed and making the place welcoming.
“That’s it. That’s the case. You’re looking at it.”
Tyler stared at the single small suitcase standing forlornly on the hardwood floor. “Everything you own is in that?”
“Well, not everything. Not my sporting equipment obviously. I keep that in the Outdoor Center.”
He thought of the Canadian ice skater he’d been dating at the time of his accident. Her makeup case had been bigger and heavier than this suitcase. When they’d traveled, they’d needed a separate car for her luggage.