Final Resort by Dana Mentink

place up in the mountains until he died about ten years ago. Did your uncle mention anything about him?”
    Ava sighed. “No. I hadn’t spoken to UnclePaul much in the last few months. I moved away, and he stayed on to look after Whisper Mountain, work on some investment opportunities as he called them.”
    “He met with a real estate agent six months ago,” Stephanie said. “The same agent my father...”
    Luca shot her a warning look, but she ignored him.
    Ava quirked an eyebrow. “I didn’t know that, but it makes sense. He finally realizedhanging on to Whisper Mountain was a lost cause.”
    Stephanie cocked her head. “Could be, but that agent handled the sale of Danson’s estate. I think Paul was tracking the pearl, trying to find out what happened to it.”
    Ava crossed her arms. “If you want to go hunt for a treasure, it’s all yours. I don’t really care about this pearl or whatever he was after. I’ve got other priorities.”
    Luca tried to rein in his flash of irritation. He was not in this thing for his own personal gain. “You may not care, but someone does. Find the treasure, and the truth comes out.”
    Checking her watch, she sighed. “My uncle is missing. I’ve got to go. I’ll let you know if I hear anything that might help you find the pearl.”
    “Where are you going?” Luca called as she scooted by himout the door.
    “Tate, can you take care of Mack Dog until I get back?” Ava tossed over her shoulder, ignoring Luca’s question.
    “Sure.” The dog sat contentedly, tail swishing, at Tate’s feet.
    Luca stalked after her outside.
    His feeling of unease grew as he saw her grab the skis from the porch as well as an old set of snowshoes and head for her car. She thought she could fix thingsherself, and she would listen to reason about as well as a bull charging for the red cape.
    Let her go.
    It’s what she wants.
    “Strong women,” he grumped to himself, “can be a real pain.” With an exasperated sigh, he grabbed his own spare skis and snowshoes off his own trailer porch and ran after her.
    * * *
    Before she got the car reversed down the walkway, Luca appeared behindthe bumper making it impossible for her to leave without running him over. When she stopped, he joined his skis and snowshoes to hers in the back before climbing into the passenger seat, his big frame crammed into the small vehicle.
    “It’s a bad idea,” he said. “Police are searching. They don’t need civilians getting in the way.”
    She didn’t bother to feign innocence. “I don’t need yourpermission.”
    He huffed. “I wasn’t trying to be your boss. I was trying to get you to see reason.”
    “Why is it that ‘seeing reason’ means agreeing with your viewpoint?”
    “Because my viewpoint is correct.” He clamped his mouth closed with an audible click.
    Even though she kept her gaze riveted out the front window, she could feel his eyes on her face, the green of them glitteringin her imagination. Those eyes, she’d spent many a teenaged daydream wishing those eyes would turn on her with admiration. “This would be easier if I went alone.”
    Luca buckled his seat belt. “I never do things the easy way. Just ask my brother and sister.”
    Because she could think of no reply and Luca was not going to budge from the passenger seat, she pulled onto the road heading forthe ridge where the police were concentrating their search and rescue efforts.
    Luca examined the terrain. “Going to be dark in a couple of hours. They’ll suspend the search until morning.”
    Suspend the search. So businesslike. She kept her voice as level as she could manage. “You don’t think he’s alive anyway, do you? You think this is a recovery, not a rescue.” She glanced at him inspite of herself. She wanted to see hope there, some glimmer that would keep her desperate desire alive. Instead, she saw the hard kernel of truth.
    “Ava,” he said quietly, “it’s been more than twenty-three hours. There was a storm