Mountain Secrets by Elizabeth Goddard (good books to read for teens txt) 📕

Both of them had targets on their backs. Now that the smugglers knew they were being watched, the whole investigation was tainted. “Maybe we should just focus on getting down the mountain.”

“I appreciate the offer.” He detected warmth in her voice.

They trudged ahead. He tuned in to his surroundings, listening for the sound of the snowmobile.

The warming hut was right where he remembered it. They slipped inside out of the wind. It had benches on three sides and a fire pit in the center that was usually lit on cold days when the ski hill was operating. They sat down on one of the benches.

“If we could just build a small fire.” Isabel sounded like her teeth were chattering.

“We’d be spotted, Isabel.”

He took his down coat off. She was wearing a wool dress coat. “Here, come closer. We can wrap up in this, use our body heat to get warm.”

She slipped out of her wool coat, wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed close to him while he formed an insulating shell with the two coats.

“Better?”

She nodded. “I’m only doing this because I’m freezing.”

“Oh, come on. You like me a little bit.” He hoped she picked up on his joking tone.

“I like you more than a little bit.”

“Really?” She had given a forthright response to his half-joking comment. He felt like he was glowing all over. Isabel liked him.

“It’s just that after Nick, I decided maybe dating wasn’t my thing. Something inside me died after him. I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Yeah, I watched my dad get burned real bad by my mom. He never dated after that.” Watching his father in so much pain had made him conclude that maybe love was not all it was chalked up to be. The little bit he’d dated had only confirmed that. It seemed he attracted women who only knew how to take and to hurt.

He drew her closer until she stopped shivering. Even if there couldn’t be anything between them and despite these trying circumstances, there was something really wonderful about holding Isabel.

“You warmed up?”

She nodded. “Maybe we should try to get to that chairlift. It would be faster.”

Riskier too. Since Nick and his friend weren’t chasing them down, they were probably watching the lift. “I don’t know. Once that lift started to move, it would be like a red flag if they’re anywhere close by.”

“Jason, I know I was against it before, but I don’t know if I can make it hiking down.” She held up her hands covered by the leather gloves. “I can’t feel my fingertips.”

He weighed their options. It would take twice as long to walk down and that was if they weren’t chased. They’d have to move from one cluster of trees to another, and even then they’d be out in the open some of the time.

“Let’s get over to the lift. We can figure out if it’s being watched.” They both rose to their feet, facing each other. He reached out and squeezed her hands. “Try to keep your hands in your pockets.”

She nodded. “I really messed up. Nick had his suspicions about me from the start. Otherwise, why would he have asked someone to figure out if he was being tailed?”

He pulled his glove off and touched her cold cheek. “Don’t blame yourself. The Bureau could have been more careful about their tails.”

“The investigation is going to fall apart because of me.” Her voice faltered. “And Nick won’t go to prison.”

He gathered her into his arms, holding her close. “We don’t know what is going to happen.”

The best-case scenario was that the FBI would have to lie low with the investigation and hope the smuggling would resume once the thieves thought the heat was off. They’d been so close too, one person away from identifying the mastermind behind the whole thing.

He drew Isabel even closer. All he could think about right now was comforting Isabel and giving her some hope.

He spoke into her ear. “We’ll get off this mountain and we’ll get it figured out.”

“We. I like the sound of that.” She stepped back, swiped at her eyes and tilted her head. “Thank you, Jason.”

“No problem.” He pressed his hand against her cheek, wishing they could stay in the warmth of this moment forever...but that wasn’t possible.

The wind gusted and swirled around them when they stepped outside. They ran in the general direction of the chairlift, using the trees for cover and shelter whenever possible.

The silhouette of the chairlift came into view. They crouched low by the trees. A moment later, the lights of the snowmobile appeared at the top of the hill and traveled in a circle. The motor hummed as it whizzed past them. They pressed back even deeper into the trees.

Once the snowmobile was some distance from them and headed back up on the other side of the lift, Isabel spoke up. “I guess that’s it, then. We go on foot.” He detected the fear in her voice.

“Let’s do this.”

They sprinted around the trees and wove through the forest until there were no more trees to hide them. Jason glanced up the hill where he could see the headlights of the snowmobile. He and Isabel were some distance from the top of the run, but it would be just a matter of minutes before they’d be spotted. They were dark figures on a field of white—easy targets.

He prayed they had enough distance between them to get to the next cluster of trees before they were caught and killed.

FOURTEEN

Isabel’s heart pounded. She willed her feet to pump faster. The buzz of the snowmobile grew louder as her boots pressed down the crunchy snow. They came to a steep part of the run.

Jason plopped onto his behind. She stared down at the incline below, which dropped off at a steep angle. It would be easier to slide than walk. She sat down beside him and pushed off with her hands.

The snowmobile would