cold and knowing she needed to check in with the ski patrol, Stephanie skied as far as the snow allowed before she stopped to remove her skis, leaving them in the middle of the parking lot. Not wanting to disturb the crowd gathered at the front door, she used the employee entrance. Inside, she hurried to her office, where she dialed the emergency number for the ski patrol. The line rang a dozen times before a recorded message told her to dial 911 if this was a true emergency. What the heck? Wasn’t someone supposed to be there manning the phones in case of an emergency? Wasn’t that the entire point of having a ski patrol? Were they out searching for the girls? She hit the END button on the phone, then saw her black leather, fur lined boots, which she’d tossed under her desk. She quickly pulled off her ski boots, changed out of her damp socks into a dry pair, and crammed her feet into her warm boots before heading to the front of the store, where dozens of people stood in a semicircle. She would ask Candy Lee if she’d heard anything, then she would go to the ski patrol office to see if there was anyone there with any news of the girls. This was beyond a nightmare. The girls should be enjoying their Christmas vacation. They’d been so excited about tonight’s tree-lighting ceremony. How could a day that started out so perfect turn into one so horrid? It actually caused her physical pain to think beyond the what ifs and the if onlys. She couldn’t even imagine life without her children.
She wouldn’t go there! She couldn’t.
Stephanie hurried to the front of the store, where she found Candy Lee and Melanie…smiling.
How could they even think about smiling at a time like this? She was about to ask that very question when she saw what or rather whom they were smiling at.
Her girls.
Sipping cups of hot chocolate.
Chapter 6
Stephanie was momentarily stunned when she saw Amanda and Ashley seated behind the counter. “Thank goodness you’re both okay! What happened? Where, who?” Stephanie cried out. She glanced around her, only to discover Patrick, along with several Maximum Glide employees, grinning from ear to ear. Apparently the two mischief makers had a story to tell.
Overwhelmed by the sheer relief of seeing her daughters safe and sound, Stephanie forced her way behind the counter. Not caring that she was being watched by several dozen strangers, she wrapped an arm around each of her daughters. Tears of relief streamed down her face, and her heart sang with delight as she breathed in the scent she knew and loved so well. The sweet smell of Johnson’s Baby Shampoo clung to their long, dark hair. Stephanie gloried in the moment as she recalled her vision of her daughters being alive and well. It had happened exactly as she knew it would. She would leave it at that. After all, it was Christmas, and she still believed in miracles.
Candy Lee handed her a wad of tissues along with a piping-hot mug of cocoa. “You’re gonna need this,” she said.
Stephanie wiped the tears from her eyes, then took a sip of her drink. “Okay, now I think it’s time I heard exactly what happened out on that mountain today.”
“Patrick saved us, Mommy! He really did, then he cried,” Amanda said. “Right, Ashley?”
Those were the last words Stephanie expected to hear. She caught Patrick’s gaze across the group that had gathered around the girls. He smiled. Sort of. Joy bubbled up inside her like an overflowing fountain. She smiled back.
“I don’t think he was crying. I think it was just the cold air,” Ashley stated matter-of-factly in the way that only a ten-year-old can.
Patrick edged through the crowd, stopping when he reached the girls. “Why don’t you tell your mother what happened out on that mountain today. I think she’ll be very proud of you two,” he added. “And it might help to keep you both out of trouble,” he went on, grinning from ear to ear.
Amanda spoke up, “Are we in trouble? I sure hope not ’cause I still want to go to that tree-lighting thing. We can still go, right, Mommy?”
Using a firm-yet-gentle tone, Stephanie explained, “A lot of people were worried about you two today. Right now, I want to know what happened, then we will think about the Christmas tree lighting.”
Ashley started to speak, then hesitated as the crowd gathered closer. Suddenly, she seemed bashful, almost as though she were afraid.
Patrick observed her hesitancy. In a boisterous voice, he spoke directly to the group. “I think Ashley feels a bit overwhelmed. If you’re not here to shop, why don’t we give the little lady a few minutes with her mother. As most of you know, these children have been through quite an ordeal.” Patrick paused as he waited for the crowd to disperse. At least two dozen people left the shop, but not before wishing the girls good luck and congratulating them on a job well-done. The remaining few were Maximum Glide employees. Patrick turned to Stephanie. “If you don’t mind, a few of my employees would like to stay and hear the rest of the story since they were part of the search party.”
Stephanie looked at Ashley. “Only if you’re okay with this?” If she didn’t find out soon what her daughters had been involved in, she would take them to her office, where they could have a few moments of privacy.
“I’m okay with it, Mom,” Ashley replied.
“Then spill the beans because I don’t think I can wait another minute. I’ve been beside myself with worry the past hour,” Stephanie said, in hopes that this would hurry along what was becoming quite a lengthy process.
“We were waiting for Melanie at the sign, but then me and Amanda heard this really loud crying sound. It was by that building where they keep those giant machines that smooth out the snow.” Ashley smiled. “Then we just followed the crying. It was inside the building, so we weren’t really cold, but Amanda had to use the potty in the corner.”
“And there wasn’t anyplace to wash my hands either, so I just…didn’t,” Amanda offered.
Laughter pealed from the employees as they listened.
“Go on,” Stephanie encouraged.
“We heard where the crying noise came from.” Ashley looked at Patrick. “She’s gonna be okay, right?”
“Thanks to you and your sister she is,” Patrick said. “Now don’t keep your mom waiting any longer.”
“Once we were inside the building, we just followed the cries. And that’s when we found the mommy dog. She was so sad, her eyes had that look you know? So we just waited for her to stop crying, but then I saw a little baby puppy, and there was another one that was trying to…get out of the mommy’s belly. That’s why she was crying ’cause it was hurting her so bad. Amanda covered the baby pup up with her ski jacket.”
“And I rubbed her head, too,” Amanda informed them.
Ashley laughed at her little sister. “And the puppy was fine. But the mommy was still crying, and that’s when I helped her out, sort of.”
Stephanie wasn’t sure what was coming next, but something told her it was about to make her day.
“I watched those little tiger cubs on Animal Planet. That man helped take the cubs out with his hands, so I just did what he did, and another puppy came out, and the mommy stopped crying. She licked the puppy, and we gave her our granola bars. Amanda and me melted some snow and gave it to her to drink. So once the mommy had both of her
