Page 90 of Thunder Pass

Now there was no stopping the melting. A watery smile spread across her face. “I may be going through a lot over the next few years. I realized that I have a lot to process.”

“That’s good.” Gunnar dropped a kiss on her head, and another on her ear. “I want you to be happy and work through all the shit you’ve been through, and yeah, I wouldn’t want it any other way. I’m all about honesty and openness.”

From the driver’s seat, Anthony snorted. “Is that a dig at me?”

“You mean, am I saying I wouldn’t just send a cryptic message, then ask a friend to break into both my kids’ vehicles, then turn up out of the blue in the middle of an international incident? I guess so.”

Anthony appeared to consider that. “Fair,” he decided.

Even though Anthony smiled, Ruth could see that Gunnar’s words had stung a little.

“Gunnar, I’m pretty sure your father saved your life up there. He also saved Sarah’s.”

Gunnar turned to his father. “You did?”

“Before I found Ruth at the cabin, I ran into Sarah and her little band of kidnappers. Dealt with them and put her on an ATV to safety. She’s probably back in town by now. But just for the record, she probably could have rescued herself from those guys. Tough girl.”

Ruth could see the exact moment that Gunnar relented. “You probably saved my life with all that sparring too. It sure came in handy. But it doesn’t mean you’re totally forgiven. You could have brought me into this whole thing much earlier.”

“Got it.” Anthony nodded a few times. “What if I restore order in Firelight Ridge, open the roads back up, and get all those Russian militia members out of town and maybe into handcuffs?”

“Will you get our cell service back? Such as it is?”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Then yeah. That’ll definitely help.”

As they all laughed, Ruth snuggled into Gunnar’s lap and rested her head on his broad chest. She knew him well enough to know that in that steady, strong heartbeat under her ear, there was nothing but love for his father. If she could count on anything in this life, she could count on Gunnar’s heart.

And, miracle of miracles, it was all hers. And her heart belonged to him. Just two ordinary kids who’d grown up in Firelight Ridge, reaching across an ocean of differences to find love.

As they reached the Fire Peak Trail, she realized it was their first chance to see the aftermath of what they’d left behind. She turned to look behind them.

The fire had spread across the ridge above Thunder Pass. Two helicopters approached, one carrying a container of water it had probably scooped up from Smoky Lake.

It released the water in a swift drop, then went back for more. The other helicopter hovered over the part of the pass where the Quonset hut was located. She hoped it was taking lots of pictures so everyone would know what was going on.

But what really took her breath away was the play of flames and clouds and light and smoke.

“Look, it really does look like firelight,” she said softly. Anthony paused the ATV in its headlong rush down the Fire Peak Trail. Gunnar and Ruth both jumped out. As they watched the spectacle of color and light, she leaned against him and he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

“Funny that it took a fire to save Firelight Ridge,” Gunnar murmured.

“No. It took people caring about it to save it.”

The sound of thunder rang from the direction of Thunder Pass. But no clouds could be seen other than smoke.

“Explosion?” Ruth murmured.

“My guess is that they’re scrambling to cover their tracks. They don’t want anyone else finding that gold.”

“Mm. Too bad they’re looking in the wrong place.” She turned to face him and slid her arms around him. He looked down at her questioningly. “This. This is gold. You and me. Love.”

A slow grin spread across his face. “We found the pot of gold at the end of the sixty-mile road.”

“Yes, but…” She stood on tiptoe so she could press a kiss onto his lips. They were warm and chapped, and they might have still had a speck of blood nearby, but they tasted wonderful, like firelight in the form of flesh. “One minor point. I’ve always thought of it as the beginning of the road, not the end.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “God, I love you, Ruth. You’re the beginning and the end. You’re it for me. Forever.”

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