Page 2 of Mountain Challenge
Ry loved women, and women generally loved him right back, which made it easy enough to find one who was looking for the same thing he was looking for—fun without fuss or commitment. Because the one thing Ry loved more than women, was his freedom. He’d emigrated from Australia to Europe looking for adventure, and he’d found it. Adventure, and a job with Chamonix’sPeloton de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne. He wasn’t about to risk that freedom by tying himself down to any woman.
“Come on, Ry, or we’re going to be late,” Hugo said. “We’ll see you tomorrow, Alex.” Ry nodded a goodbye and followed Hugo out the door. “You’re welcome, man,” Hugo said, once they were settled in the car. They could have walked to thegendarmerie, but it’d be nice to have the car in the morning, when their shift was over. Night shifts could be hard.
“For?”
“For getting you out of there before you dug yourself further into that hole. Next thing you know, Yvette will have a friend or cousin or something, and she and Alex will try to set you up with her.”
“Nope. Not happening. I don’t date where I shit.”
“I’m surprised you date at all, when you use such elegant language.”
“Give me a break, Hugo. You know what I mean.”
His friend barked out a laugh. “I’m with you, man. I’m with you.” His look went unexpectedly wistful. “But you have to admit, it’s good to see Alex so happy.”
“Sure,” Ry agreed. “It’s great.”It’s wonderful, so long as it’s him and not me.
They parked the car in the underground parking and made their way up to their first-floor office. Ry knew immediately that something was wrong. There were too many people and too much movement, when evening shifts were usually quieter, at least at the start.
Their boss,CommandantBeau Fontaine, strode up to them. “Ry, Hugo. Don’t bother taking off your jacket. You’re with me.”
Ry shouldered his backpack. “What’s happening, Beau? Do I need to pack anything special?” Though his large medic backpack contained an impressive array of emergency medical equipment, thegendarmeriehad a medical facility with additional kit for when it was needed.
Beau’s lips curled in an unexpected smile. Ry’s tight shoulders relaxed a notch.Whatever’s happening, it’s not that bad.
“No. Your regular pack is fine. I assume Dr. Davies will bring anything else she needs.”
Ry’s eyebrow went up in surprise. “Dr. Davies? But she’s?—”
“A vet. Yes. Come on, I’ll update you along the way.”
“Itell you, Valentine’s day sucks,” Ry said, taking in a deep breath.
Beside him, Hugo cracked a rare smile. His friend hadn’t even broken a sweat on the way up the mountain. “It’s not my favorite day. But at least,he’s not complaining.”
Ry turned to face the enormous labradoodle lying down a few meters away, his snout leaning on his paws. He stared straight at Ry, his expression clearly broadcasting his intentions.I’m not moving, so what are you planning to do about it?
Ry turned around so the dog wouldn’t see him smile. He didn’t think that would help them get him off the mountain.
The view from up here was magnificent. One could see the entire Vallée des Chapieux—wild and remote. The sun shone fiercely for this time of year, bathing the valley in a golden glow. Ry couldalmostsee what the man had been thinking when he’d planned the hike.
Off to the side, Beau and Dr. Trista Davies conferred with the dog’s owners, a man and a woman in their late twenties. Trista was a vet, and she was also part of the PGHM family since she was engaged to Hiro, one of the search and rescue specialists in their sibling PGHM unit. She’d been called in for support, given the unusual nature of the problem they faced.
“He was fine on the hike. I swear. He was happy and energetic the whole time, but when we got to the top, he suddenly lay down, and he justwon’tmove.” The man’s voice grated, stress making it an octave or two higher than it should have been.
Ry almost felt sorry for the guy.
Almost, but not quite.
The man had prepared this elaborate proposal, involving their dog, a ring tied around the dog’s neck, and a hike to the top of the Croix du Bonhomme. The idea would have been sweet, except the round-trip distance of eighteen kilometers was way too much for a city labradoodle without prior training to manage comfortably. Trista had been very clear on that from the start. They were lucky the dog had made it all the way here without getting hurt, and that they’d been able to call for help.
The dog cocked his head sideways and closed his eyes, as if getting ready for a nap.
Only on Valentine’s Day.
It’s not like people didn’t do stupid things on other days of the year. Hell, he and his colleagues from the ChamonixPeloton de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagnedealt with mountain rescues every day, so they saw plenty of stupid ideas gone wrong. But on Valentine’s Day … it seemed like all the idiots came out to outdo one another.
“Is Popeye hurt?” the woman asked in a shaky voice.