vehicle. He glanced at Heath. “But you’re going to give it anyway, aren’t you?”
Liam grinned to take some of the sting out of his words. Even if he hadn’t, Heath was his brother. Nothing would ever change that.
Heath studied him. “No, little brother. Not this time. I already know you’ll do the right thing.”
Liam hadn’t decided if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He’d spent so many years trying to disconnect himself from his dysfunctional family that fitting back in and trying to make it work seemed out of reach, though he’d tried over the last several months. Granted, living with Heath and his new wife wasn’t anything like the past they shared with their troubled parents.
“Will you be home for dinner tonight?” Heath crossed his arms. “We’re all heading out tomorrow early. I know Austin will want to say goodbye before he goes.”
“But not you?” Liam teased.
“I don’t like to say goodbye. Besides, I’ll only be gone a week.”
Liam needed to talk to Heath about their living arrangements. Since Harper had moved in, the house seemed to grow smaller for Liam every day. But he could do that later. “I’ll see you tonight, then.”
Liam shut the door and started the truck. He steered from the parking lot to follow the woman he wished had stayed in his past and far from this valley.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Wednesday, 12:30 p.m.
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Rae followed the instructions the female GPS voice delivered and steered toward her destination. She’d entered the address Reggie had texted while she was still at the resort. Though mostly plowed, the road had spots that were slippery. Why, oh, why had she thought to approach Liam?
He certainly hadn’t needed an apology from her. For months now her conscience had eaten at her about everything that had happened. It hadn’t ended well. Somehow, Liam seemed to have misunderstood everything. For certain, Rae’s motivations. Never mind that she’d failed to make it right. But no time to think about that now. She needed to prepare for her next surprise visit.
This time of day, she might have better luck if she tried Zoey’s mom—Samara Davidson—at her place of business. Rae had learned that she owned Mountain Valley Adventures, a heli-skiing company that was founded years ago. Rae struggled to picture the Zoey she’d known working alongside her family in this kind of endeavor. Nothing about Zoey ever said she enjoyed skiing. But heli-skiing—helicopters delivering tourists to fresh, undisturbed powder on mountain peaks no one could otherwise reach?
Zoey was tough but brainy and bookish. Had that been part of the new persona she’d put on when she’d escaped her life here? Now that, Rae could believe.
Why so many secrets, Zoey?
Rae came up behind a snowplow and slowed. Another car behind her honked, then passed them both. Rae would stay behind the plow for now, thank you very much. Even though she’d rented a four-wheel-drive SUV, it was on the smallish side and she wouldn’t press her luck. Considering her treacherous drive to Emerald M Guest Ranch earlier to find Liam, she was glad she’d opted for this model. Still, she could appreciate cleared roads.
She turned onto another road, then it hit her—would Zoey’s mother be distraught over her missing daughter? She might not be working today. Rae should have thought of that to begin with. But some people preferred working through a crisis. Rae would start there and then head to the home address if Mrs. Davidson wasn’t at work.
On the one hand, Rae hated the thought of intruding. Then again, searching for Zoey was better than sitting at home. Giving her absolute best to find her sister-in-law had been behind her reasons for eliciting help from both Reggie and Liam. In Liam’s case, she’d hoped to open the doors to a conversation. To mend what had been broken. But that was a no go. She’d just do this on her own since he had rejected her in a much more spectacular display than she could have imagined.
He obviously thought she deserved his reaction.
The GPS interrupted her thoughts, letting her know she was now at her destination. She was relieved.
Rae steered into the parking lot of an upscale log-cabin lodge and took in the majestic and peaceful scenery—mountains and snow-covered peaks all around her. A wide rushing river curled around the base of the mountains.
She spotted a helipad but not helicopters—the guides had taken the tourists out. She didn’t know much about how it worked. Did the helicopters drop them off and