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When fleeing Firelight Ridge, there were only two options. Well, three, if you counted rafting down Snow River. You could either fly in one of the single-prop planes that made regular trips from Blackbear to Firelight Ridge. Or you could drive.

If you wanted to drive, you could only do it until the first major snowfall hit. After that, the road was impassable. No one was going to plow a sixty-mile road to a town that shrank to barely two hundred residents in the winter, especially when it would have to be plowed over and over again, as more blizzards swept through.

But the first big snow hadn’t yet fallen, so a week after that dream about Allison Casey, Lila bought one of Gunnar’s old beaters with the money she’d saved from The Fang. She agonized over telling her friends, but in the end, decided to call them once she’d achieved escape velocity. It would be too hard to go through with this otherwise, and besides, they were all happily snuggled with their new loves. So she packed up her fishbowl and her two suitcases and left town just before daybreak.

She only made one quick stop at The Fang to leave a note for Bear. Bear had been unendingly kind to her, and her heart ached at the thought of abandoning her bartending job there. But with the summer season ending, he didn’t really need her anyway. She suspected he would have laid her off already if he didn’t know she needed the income. Of course she’d cleaned both The Fang and the hardware store thoroughly before she left. She always did that. It helped with the emotional transition.

The gravel road to civilization was lined with tall spruce and cottonwood trees, many of which had lost most of their leaves. Only a few flashes of golden-yellow leaves peeked through the dense prickly evergreen forest. She’d been so looking forward to watching the spruce branches load up with snow. She’d even picked up a pair of cross-country skis from Eve Dotterkind, who’d been clearing out her barn.

Was she doing the right thing? She didn’t want to leave. Ever since she’d first arrived in Firelight Ridge in April, she’d longed to see what it was like in the heart of winter. She’d been determined to stick around after all the summer visitors left.

But she couldn’t ignore the feeling that had swamped her when she’d put her hands on that old dress. Danger. The urge to flee had overpowered her. Trust your intuition. She’d learned that lesson early on and never ignored it.

She glanced down at Goldilocks, who was strapped into the passenger seat with a special lid on her tank to keep the water from sloshing.

“Are you ready for another move? You must be getting tired of relocating at your big age. How old are you, anyway? In human years, I mean? Are you more of a teenager or in your golden years? Maybe I should have left you behind like I did in New York. But I swore I wouldn’t do that again, so you’re stuck with yet another move. Sorry.”

Maybe some people might side-eye talking to a fish, but Lila didn’t mind talking to any living being, and even the occasional rock or mountain. Everything had an energy, and she felt that energy, and liked to engage with it. So what if it wasn’t a two-way exchange? And maybe it was, who knew?

The farther she got from Firelight Ridge, the sadder she felt. She was going to miss everyone, from the retired miners who hung out at The Fang to her friends who had followed her to Alaska.

Most of all…

No, she couldn’t think about Bear. That would make it too hard to leave. Bear was like a guardian angel and a thirst trap rolled into one. Sometimes she caught herself staring at him while he did something innocuous like wiping off the bar counter. She’d realize that her mouth was open and her lower belly was fluttering and she’d completely forgotten whatever it was she’d been doing.

But Bear had never given any hint that he saw her as anything but his employee. Which was a relief, really. So many bosses or managers had made passes at her throughout her checkered employment history. That was one of the reasons she’d left so many jobs. She couldn’t tolerate that sort of energy around her—always watching her back, guarding her smiles, making sure she wasn’t “flirting.” Co-workers always told her to “block it out,” but she didn’t have that ability.

Bear … I’m sorry. I wish I could explain. But where would I start?

Her hand shook as she set her Thermos of coffee between her thighs so she could unscrew it. Bear didn’t know about her weird intuitive streak. No one in Firelight Ridge did except for her friends, and they’d been sworn to secrecy. She’d loved being able to start fresh in a place where she didn’t sense things quite so intensely.

Well, until the other night.

The sky was turning pink and the morning light haloed the treetops on the eastern side of the road. Up ahead, the road changed. It was about to widen out into an overlook. There was a turnout up there where you could park and take pictures of Snow River and its braided channels and shifting gravel bars. That overlook marked the end of the Firelight Ridge road. A few miles beyond, there was Kursk, where the paved road began. After that, Blackbear, and beyond that, the rest of Alaska.

In other words, after that overlook, her Firelight Ridge adventure would be over.

Tears sprang to her eyes. With her vision blurring, she swung the steering-wheel to the right and brought the old Saab to an abrupt stop facing Snow River. The sun was rising to the east, over mountains that traced sharp bright edges against the sky. The river flowed from the ice fields all the way to the Gulf of Alaska. Along the way, it branched into various streams and offshoots, one of which flowed through the town of Firelight Ridge.

Snow River said goodbye to Firelight Ridge all the time. And it also said hello. Lucky Snow River.

For long moments, Lila watched the sunrise light sparkle on the river’s surface, turning the water shades of silver, purple and even emerald green. Goodbye, Snow River. Goodbye, Firelight Ridge. Goodbye, hardware store. Goodbye, Fang.

She let out a long breath. Time to go. She could do this. She was used to leaving things and people and places. So many times, she’d had to do this exact same thing, leaving before she was ready, because an overwhelming feeling told her she had to.

Her hands were resting on the steering wheel, but when she tried to move her right hand to turn the key in the ignition, it wouldn’t go. It simply would not budge.

Come on , she urged it. You can do this. Let’s get on the road.

Finally, her hand inched off the wheel and settled on the key. It felt like dragging her hand through concrete sludge. I don’t want to leave. I can’t leave.

Winning the battle, she finally managed to turn the key. The engine sputtered to life, then promptly died. She tried it again. This time it didn’t respond at all. Dead.

She looked at the gas indicator. It had read over halfway full when she left Firelight Ridge. But as she watched, it glitched and dropped like a stone all the way to empty. Faulty gauge. Great. What were the chances that an old beater car that had been sitting around Gunnar’s lot would have issues? She should have seen that coming.

Now what?

Sinking back in her seat, she unscrewed the lid of her Thermos. She took a long sip of coffee. Someone would pass by soon enough. Maybe they’d have a spare gas can in the back of their truck. Maybe they could give her a lift to Kursk, where there was a gas station. People around here helped each other out; that was how they survived. Maybe somewhere else she’d be freaked out by running out of gas. But not here.

Her eyelids felt heavy. She hadn’t been sleeping well ever since that dream, and she’d gotten up early to hit the road. Before she knew it, she was dozing off. It felt like stepping onto a piece of driftwood being carried downriver. So soothing. So sweet. So dreamy.

A tap on her window had her jolting awake. Her eyes opened to see it was broad daylight, perhaps even afternoon. Had she really slept that long? Her Thermos lay sideways in her lap. Fortunately, she’d tightened the lid before drifting off. Her neck was cramped. She winced as she turned to see who had appeared to rescue her.

Of course it would be Bear.