Avalanche (A Stone Mountain Mystery Book 3) by Kristina Stanley

behind a register, handing out refunds due to the closed lifts. The smile on her face hid any anxiety or sadness she must be feeling.
    Behind her, three large windows faced the hill. The wind blew the snow sideways, and the snow cut visibility to three meters. A screen of snowflakes hid the ski lifts, and Ben had the feeling even though Kalin tapped icons on the till and handed out refunds, she was lost in a blur of thoughts.
    He stepped behind the guest services desk and nudged Kalin on the shoulder. “Can we talk?”
    She turned, and the look of expectation on her face crushed his heart. He held his toque in one hand, shifted it to the other and couldn’t say the words.
    “You found him.”
    She’d made a statement, not asked a question. Ben slowly shook his head.
    “Then what? You look frightened.”
    The next skier in line slapped his ticket on the desk along with his credit card. “Any idea when the lifts will open again?”
    “Not today, I’m afraid.”
    “But the conditions must be awesome.”
    Kalin processed the refund as she spoke. “I’m sure they are. The wind makes running the lifts dangerous. We need the weather to settle down.” She handed the guest his credit card. “Thanks for understanding.”
    Ben took a step toward her, and she grabbed the edge of the counter as if bad news might knock her over.
    “The wind hit forty kilometers per hour and has been holding steady for the last couple of hours,” Ben said.
    “I know that.”
    The space behind the till seemed to contract to the size of a gondola built for two.
    Kalin waved the next guest forward. “I can’t worry about that now.”
    Ben leaned close to her ear, speaking so only she could hear. “Since six this morning, another twenty centimeters of snow fell, and the dump’s expected to continue through tomorrow.”
    Kalin’s chest expanded and contracted in rapid succession. She stared at him without blinking.
    Ben had treated people who died while he performed CPR, he told a man who was paralyzed that he would be okay, but this, this was ten times worse. He was about to crush Kalin.
    “You know I have to consider the safety of the search and rescue team in every decision I make. I can’t risk anyone else getting hurt.”
    Kalin clenched her fists at her sides and stood motionless enough to be an ice sculpture. Frost had formed around the edges of the window, doing its best to block out the view, and Ben wished it would block out the way she looked at him.
    Unclenching her fists, she opened the till to get cash for the snowboarder who stood in front of her. “Thanks for your patience.” She missed the woman’s hand and several coins clanged onto the counter. “Sorry.”
    “The risk of another avalanche in the Dragon’s Bowl is high.” Ben took two deep breaths, cleared his throat and said, “I’ve called off the search.”
    Silence greeted him. He expected Kalin to say something. Her face drained of color, and he thought she might faint. He raised his arm to hug her.
    “Don’t touch me.”
    “Kalin, I had no choice.”
    “What did Oliver say?”
    Ben could tell Kalin the decision had been his boss’s. Or Turner had forced the issue. Anything would be better than admitting he’d been the one, but he couldn’t lie to her. “He agreed with me.”
    “Did you have to convince him?”
    “No one on the team wants to stop, but everyone knows we have to.”
    After processing one more skier, Kalin turned to the guest services supervisor standing beside her. “I need to close the till. Can you handle things?”
    Without waiting for an answer, Kalin stepped away from the desk, pulling Ben with her. “I’m calling Mom. And you should go tell Jessica.” She dialed, and the call switched to voicemail. Kalin hung up without leaving a message. “She must be on the phone.”
    “Turner is probably talking to her now.”
    “I need to go.” Kalin put her palms flat on Ben’s chest and shoved.
     
    * * *
     
    After getting bad