Page 25 of Thunder Pass

“Why do you think Dad left here?” he asked abruptly.

Bridget shot him a sympathetic look as they passed the gas pumps out front. “He must have had a really good reason. Like, life or death. I know he really loved you.”

He knew that. That wasn’t why he was asking. “If he was here because of the Chilkoots, maybe they did something to him.” An ATV passed them, kicking up a plume of dust. It was so dry, unusually so. They needed some rain. “You know Dad warned me never to trust any of the Chilkoots.”

“Well, you’re going to have to trust one of them. Ruth is our best bet to find out anything.”

“I don’t know.” He thought about Bridget’s trip to Florida, and the man in her rental car. “Seems like Dad doesn’t want to be found.”

“Well, too bad. I want to find him, and so do you.” She peered at him. “Don’t you? You’ve been hanging out here in Firelight Ridge ever since he left, just in case he came back. This is your life, Gunnar. Aren’t you curious?”

A wild mix of emotions swept through him. That open question mark that had hovered over his life for so long…it hurt. And now all this information from Bridget was casting certain memories in a new light. Like all those long skis his father had taken all the time. Had he actually been spying on the Chilkoots? If so, why?

“Yeah. I’m curious.”

After all, the world was upside down these days. His father was a spy and Ruth was on a date with a college boy.

Meanwhile, he’d been celibate the entire summer. Go figure.

Ruth didn’t show up at the garage until later that afternoon, which made Gunnar wonder just how long her date with the college boy had lasted. Bridget had baked a chocolate cake for a little goodbye party for Nelson—Charlie had come, as had Elias and Hailey, who’d taken Nelson under their wing.

“I’ll come another time,” Ruth said, backing away when she saw the group gathered around the sawhorse that held the cake.

“No, it’s fine,” Gunnar reassured her. “Bridget and Nelson are leaving tomorrow, that’s all. Want some cake?”

She was shaking her head “no” when Bridget spotted her and came striding over, a paper plate with a giant slice in her hand.

“Really glad you came. Come on. Let’s talk. Gunnar, you too.”

That big sister energy was really something, Gunnar thought as the three of them trooped outside into the sunshine. The air was bright and filled with fireweed fluff that drifted through the air like tiny tumbleweeds. Hard to believe that summer was almost over, but in Alaska it always went by so fast.

“We need your help,” Bridget said, planting her hand on Ruth’s shoulder. “Or should I say, Gunnar does. I’m leaving, and I hereby appoint you as my successor.” She made a hand motion as if anointing Ruth with a sword.

Ruth shot Gunnar a bewildered glance. She wore blue jeans that hugged her hips and a soft gray cardigan over a t-shirt with a neckline lower than anything he’d ever seen her wear. A locket nestled against her skin, which was dusted with summer freckles. It was hard to keep his eyes from straying that direction. Damn hard. He gave her an apologetic smile.

“Just humor her. She’ll be gone tomorrow.”

Bridget ignored him and kept her focus on Ruth. “Don’t listen to him. We have a mystery on our hands, and it’s very important to both of us, and you might be able to help. You’re our only hope, Obi Wan-Kenobi.”

He could have told her that references like that would go right over Ruth’s head. But he was wrong. Her eyes lit up. “We just watched that DVD last week. Am I really your only hope? Do I need to hop on a spaceship immediately?”

“Ha. Nothing so exciting,” said Bridget. “We just need your memories. That sounded weird, didn’t it?” She glanced at Gunnar for help.

“This is about our father. You remember him, right? I’m sure you saw him around.”

“Yes, Mr. Anthony Amundsen. I remember him. I was sorry when…well, I’m sorry you went through that.” Her gray eyes settled on him gently. “Is there some news about him?”

Very diplomatic. Gunnar knew that some locals believed Anthony was dead. After he’d disappeared, there had been wild rumors that he’d been attacked by a bear or gotten lost in the mountains. No one ever said that when Gunnar was around, but he’d caught the whispers.

“Gunnar will explain it all to you later,” Bridget said briskly. “I just wanted to officially bring you into our little huddle and let you know that I’m leaving my little brother in your hands.”

“I’m about twice your size,” Gunnar said dryly.

Bridget ignored that. “I’m asking, woman to woman, for whatever help you might be able to give him.”

Even though Ruth looked more confused than ever, she nodded. “Okay.”

“I’m trusting you. We’re trusting you. And neither of us is a trusting kind of person due to our abandonment issues.”

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