Ford hung up. “There’s no way the cat can get down in a bowl, but Tanner says he’s not far, and he can get them up the slope with ropes and a travois once he gets there.”

  “Should I go? Can I help? What can I do?”

  “You can help get Bleu’s cabin ready for him. Medical will set up here, but as long as he’s not badly hurt, he’ll just need to be warm and comfortable and hydrated.” Ford brooked no argument. “Then we wait together.”

  Mason, the party planner, and his huge Texan husband, Noah, walked up. “We’ve got the party handled. We’ll do the unveiling and all the ta-das, while you two deal with your men. I’m sorry about the chopper, but I’m lighting a fire under search and rescue. This can’t happen again.”

  “Thank you.” Ford shook hands with both of them. “I’m just—they’re on their way home soon.”

  “Of course. We can handle the business.” Mason and Noah disappeared as fast as they came.

  “I’m going to get hot tea and soup from the kitchen.” He started thinking about what Bleu would need. Warm towels. A bath. Maybe some whiskey.

  “Go for it. Keep your phone handy.”

  “I will.” He hustled, knowing it would take time to get Stoney and Bleu back, but needing to be busy. He detoured to find Dan and Phil in the great room, almost having forgotten them. “They’re on their way home.”

  “Good.” Dan stood up, came right to him. “What can I do?”

  “Can you see if you can get someone to change the sheets in his room and get some extra blankets? He’s going to need rest and warmth.” He knew Dan was frantic, and he understood needing to move.

  “I can do that.”

  “You’ll need to be Bleu’s mouthpiece at the party for the unveiling too. Please.”

  “Of course.”

  “Phil, can you pinch-hit for me? I know Mike was going to be looking for me.”

  “Of course I can. If there’s anything else I can do at all….”

  “You’ve been a huge help keeping me sane,” Dan said. “We’ll join forces at the party?”

  “Of course. I’ll go get dressed and meet you there.” Phil waited for Dan to go before searching Ryan’s eyes. “You’re okay?”

  “I will be. Stoney hit his head, but Bleu is fine, if bruised and cold. They’re rescued, so I just have to wait.” He gave Phil a hug. “Thank you so much for everything today.”

  “Of course. You know I’m your friend before anything else. Even before the work.”

  He’d known, but this time Phil had proven it.

  “I appreciate it so much.” He squeezed one more time. “Okay, off to the kitchen.”

  Tiny and Geoff were working their asses off, and he hated to bother, but it was for Bleu, so he’d interrupt. “I need to know where I can get soup for Bleu. I’ll do the work, just tell me where.”

  “There’s a thermos of chicken soup. A thermos of hot sweet tea. Here’s a bottle of brandy. Once they’ve been home a few hours, I’ll send cocoa.”

  Tears actually stung his eyes. “You’re like Santa Claus.”

  “Or a really smart Saint Bernard.” Geoff winked. “Have you eaten?”

  “Quartz brought me a sandwich.”

  “Well, take a piece of pizza with you too.”

  “Thanks, guys. Can I take anything to Ford?”

  “Quartz is on duty,” Tiny said. “Go on now.”

  He went, because he had all he could carry and then some.

  Dan had the sheets changed, a bunch of quilts on the beds, and the towel warmer going. Then he pushed Ryan into a chair and fed him pizza and a beer.

  The pizza filled his belly, and the beer relaxed him enough to just sit a minute.

  “I have to go hit the party,” Dan said. “There’s a lot of people to prep for Bleu not being there. You okay?”

  “I will be once he’s in my arms.” That was the God’s honest truth.

  “Text me when he gets in? I just—”

  “I get it.” He smiled at Dan, grateful that he was Bleu’s friend.

  “Thanks. I’m going to get on my monkey suit and be the fancy Santa Fe gallery owner.”

  “Gotcha.” He waved, then moved back to Bleu’s bedroom. He found warm pajamas and a chew bone for Floyd.

  Then he settled in to wait.

  They were found.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “I’M going to need your help, Bleu.” Doogie’s voice was rough as a cob, the smoking catching up to him in this frigid situation.

  “Sure. I can do whatever.”

  “We’re going to have to build a travois to get Stoney up the hill.”

  “I c’n walk,” Stoney muttered.

  “Shut up, boss.”

  A travois? What the fuck? “Sure, Doogie. I can help. Just point me and shoot me.”

  “Good man. I tried the sled, and it won’t start. Might have a fuel leak. So basically a travois is a fancy word for two long poles tied with a knot at one end and a piece of hide stretched between them. We got these blankets, and I got some long branches. I’ll rig a piece of blanket under Stoney’s arms to hold him on, but I need you to help assemble.” That was more words than he’d ever heard Doogie utter at one time.

  “Like this?” He drew a shape in the snow, a vee with an indention in the middle to represent the blanket.

  “That’s it exactly.” Doogie chuckled. “Look at us, all speaking the same language. I need to go get more rope out of the cat.”

  “Okay. I’ll get the blanket fastened.”

  “I can fucking walk up the goddamn hill!” He’d never seen Stoney so mad, so out of control. Too bad he couldn’t even sit up without puking.

  “Hey, can you get on the radio and talk to Quartz? Ry says he’s a little stressed out.”

  “Shit. Yeah, of course.” Stoney fumbled for the radio, hand shaking madly. “Ford? Can I talk to Quartz?”

  That gave Stoney something to do while Bleu tried to be a functional adult and make a travois. Did they give badges for this? They should. Functioning blind in emergency situations. Creating tools that heretofore he’d never fucking imagined. Not having a screaming meltdown in the snow.

  “View hallooo!” A rush of snow came down the hill, and along with it came what he thought was Tanner, landing next to him. “Hey, good job, Bleu. Doogie is gonna stay up there and coordinate ropes.”

  “Thanks. Uh, he’s a little touchy.”

  “Y’think? Hey, boss, you ready to let me haul your skinny ass up the hill?”

  “Fuck off.”

  “Excellent.” Tanner grunted, and Stoney groaned and panted, so he thought Tanner must be rigging the thing under his arms like Doogie had said.

  Bleu started putting things into the emergency kit. “Will we leave the snowmobile here or bring it back with us?”

  “We’ll leave it for now. I’ll come back with the cat and winch it out later.” Tanner was just really pleased to be there, he thought. “This storm is a bitch. It’s because we have the big party, you know. It’s like a thing. We hold a shindig, the entire fucking world loses its collective mind. The ski resorts ought to pay us to hold parties.”

  “Tanner….” Stoney’s voice was almost gone.

  “I got you, boss. Okay, Doogie! Slow and sure! Bleu, I will be back for you. Stay put.”

  The winch wasn’t whirring, so he thought they were using Tanner’s horse to pull Stoney up.

  Floyd stayed with him, solid and sure. He thought maybe Floyd would be with him for the next month, solid. “Hey, boy. Let’s get this shit in the bag before the snow gets any deeper.”

  It sure felt like it was unstoppable, like no matter how much he brushed off his face and head, there was still more.

  He finished packing the stuff they could still use in the emergency pack, then slung it on his back. Floyd wasn’t wearing his harness, so he waited until Tanner slid down to join him.

  “Okay, buddy. The rope is down. The easiest way up is to walk and pull ourselves up holding it. How are your feet?”

  “Cold, but I’m okay.” The ankle would hold fine, at least until he got his boot loose. Then all bets were off. “Let’s do this. I need to get Floyd warmed up.”

  “I hear you. Doogie says he’s a trouper. Like he knew he was looking for you.” Tanner helped him get ahold of the rope. His gloves had enough grip that he left them on. Tanner came up behind him, shoulder kinda in his butt.

  It was harder than he’d imagined it would be. He was frozen and exhausted, and his stores were spent from fear and stress. Still, he made himself pull his knees out of the snow, over and over.

  He was shaking and breathing so hard, he was light-headed by the time the ground leveled out. That surprised him so much that he staggered and went to his knees. Floyd yelped and came right to him to lick his face.

  “Good man,” Tanner told him. “Let’s get you in the cat.”

  “Okay.” He couldn’t move. Not another inch. Not even for the promise of being out of the snow.

  Tanner lifted him up with surprising strength for such a pocket cowboy, and Doogie was right there too, helping him into the vehicle. The warmth was shocking, and he felt as if his heart damn near stopped.

  His tears were frozen on his cheeks, which was funny, because he didn’t remember crying, not even once.

  “It’s okay, man. You did good. You just breathe for a minute. I can’t give you a blanket yet. We have to warm you up in stages or too much blood will rush back to your heart and boom. I have a towel. Let me clean the snow out of Floyd’s paws real quick.” Tanner still sounded ridiculously happy.

  “You need anything, Tan?” Doogie asked.

  “How much tea do you have? I could use some.”

  “I got enough to give you another thermos. You want to ride or drive?”

  “As if I would let you ride Mollie back in this mess, you crazy old man.”

  Bleu stopped listening to the negotiations. Instead he curled around Floyd and held on, both man and beast shaking like they’d taken earthquake pills.

  “I’m coming home, son,” Stoney said. “You hold on. I’m on my way.”

  He nodded against Floyd’s ruff. Right. They were on their way.

  Chapter Twenty

  IT seemed like hours before Ryan heard the hum of the little snowcat’s engine. Maybe it was.

  He heard it, though, and he hopped up from the chair he’d been dozing in and ran out into the yard in front of the main house.

  The party was in full swing, sleighs running people up and down, music ringing out, but for him, Quartz, and Ford, the only thing that mattered was the headlights buzzing toward the main house.

  Ford clapped him on the back, grinning this crazy smile, as if his face was completely out of his control. “They’re here.”

  “They are. Into your living room?”

  “Yeah. The medics are waiting.”

  “Good deal.”

  Doogie pulled up and killed the engine, and Ford ran up, gathered Stoney in his arms, and ran with Quartz to the house. Bleu stood there, covered in blood, a vicious bruise swelling one eye closed, pale as milk.

  “Ryan?”

  “Right here, babe.” He strode over to take Bleu in his arms. “Let’s get you and Floyd inside, huh?” He wrapped an arm around Bleu’s waist to support him and hustle him into the house.

  Bleu stumbled forward, but he walked, so Ryan let him. Hell, he wasn’t sure if he could carry Bleu if he had to.

  The house was warm and bright, and the medics whisked Bleu away from him almost too fast. He stayed close, wanting Bleu to know he was there, but he also knew Floyd needed attention, so he got a towel and dried the big shepherd off, then wrapped him in a blanket.

  “Floyd—”

  “I got him, babe. He’s gonna be fine.” Water and a snack next. For the dog.

  Floyd honestly didn’t seem worse for wear. He kept his eyes on Bleu and whined to get closer.

  “I know, buddy. Soon.”

  The EMTs barked out things like blood pressure and oxygen levels. There was no sign of frostbite on either man, which was a blessing, though Stoney was prehypothermic.

  “I’d like to take him down to Aspen, just to have a CAT scan on his head.”

  “No way,” Stoney snarled. “I’m fine.”

  “Baby, we need to make sure.”

  “If I still feel bad tomorrow, we’ll go.” Stubbornness colored Stoney’s voice.

  “You were out a long time,” Ford countered.

  “Tomorrow. We have the party.”

  “Fuck the party!” Ford’s veins were popping out in his neck.

  “Uncle Ford!” Quartz was scandalized.

  “If you start vomiting, have any slurring of speech or motor control issues, you need to go down to the ER, okay?” The EMT seemed unfazed.

  “Mr. Bridey, are you having any pain in your head?” Bleu’s medic was probing the area around that poor eye.

  “Well, that don’t feel great, but no. I’m just tired and cold.”

  “You have some pretty amazing contusions, but I don’t think you injured the eye socket. I think you need rest and fluids, but if you have any headaches or dizziness, head down with Mr. River tomorrow to the hospital, okay?”

  “Fair enough. Can I go? Please? I need a shower.”

  “Lukewarm at best. Are you staying with him?”

  Ryan nodded firmly. “I am. What do I need to do?”

  “Just keep an eye on him. Lukewarm shower, fluids, make sure he eats a light meal in the next few hours.”

  “I got it.” Ryan unbent enough to smile. “Thank you.”

  “Glad we could help.”

  Ryan rose, going to Ford for a moment. “If you need any help….”

  “Your man saved Stoney’s life. I’m grateful.” Ford nodded at Bleu. “Go on and get him settled.”

  He didn’t need to be told again. Bleu’s one foot was all bandaged, and they’d told him not to put weight on it. “You want to do a three-legged race, babe, or try Ice Capades in the wheelchair they brought?”

  “No wheelchairs. I want to go now.” Poor Bleu was at the end of his thread, tremors rocking him constantly. There was a storm coming, and Ryan knew his lover didn’t want that to be a public display.

  “Come on, then.” He helped Bleu bundle up in a huge coat that belonged to Tiny, and half carried, half dragged him to the cabin. Someone was digging out crutches, he thought, and would deliver them later.

  The fire was going already, and he didn’t even ask. He just bundled Bleu into the bathroom and started stripping his lover down as the water warmed.

  Bleu shook, clinging to his shoulders.

  Ryan undressed too, then stepped into the shower with Bleu, helping to hold him up. Tomorrow there would be hot tubbing if Bleu felt up to it. He had wraps to redo Bleu’s ankle, and God knew Ryan was used to foot injuries.

  “I’m sorry,” Bleu whispered. “I missed the party.”

  “You did. So did Stoney.” Ryan chuckled. “He’s kinda peeved at the world.”

  “Yeah. He’s angry.” Bleu took one shaky breath after another. “It all happened really fast.”

  “I bet. Snow and ice can be vicious.” He washed the grime off, letting Bleu lean on him for balance. “You did good, though. You didn’t panic.”

  He couldn’t begin to imagine opening his eyes and not seeing anything. Much less being blind and lost with no way to wake up the person you were with. He would have lost his shit.

  Bleu had held it together like it was nothing.

  “I did panic, but only inside.” Bleu laughed, then hiccupped out a tiny sob.

  “You did so good, babe. You did. And you’re here and safe, all of you.” Ryan stroked Bleu’s back, holding him up with the other arm. He would let Bleu get it out.

  Bleu hid his face in the curve of Ryan’s shoulder and shook, and if there were tears, well, they got washed away by the spray of the shower, so no one would ever know. No one.

  By the time the storm inside was over, Ryan turned off the water to dry Bleu with the warm towels. Then he took Bleu to bed and wrapped his ankle in dry wraps, bundling him up with blankets and, yeah, Floyd.

  “I’m going to bring you some tea, and you’ll need to drink it. The cold takes it out of you.”

  “You’re staying?” Bleu reached for him, holding on to his wrist. “Please?”

  “I am. The thermos is in the main room, is all.” Ryan brought Bleu’s hand to his mouth to kiss it.

  “Oh. Sorry. Right. I just… I don’t want to be alone right now.”

  “I know. I got you.” Ryan grinned. “Two minutes.”

  “Right. Two minutes.”

  “Stay awake.”

  “I will.”

  “I’m serious…,” Ryan warned.

  To his pleasure, Bleu started laughing for him, the sound a little thready but real and honest.

  “Be right back.” The tea had sat in the thermos long enough to be less than piping hot, so he popped it in the microwave. He did the same with the chicken soup.

  Then he headed back to make sure Bleu was awake, though really, he’d managed to stay awake in the freezing cold for hours, so the head injury was minor.

  Mostly he just wanted Bleu awake and talking to him, proving that everything was okay.

  “Hey. Tea. Unless you want the chicken broth.”

  “Tea first.” Bleu sounded like he’d been on a three-day bender.

  “Right on, babe.” He put the mug in Bleu’s fingers, but they were shaking too hard to hold on. Poor baby. “Here, don’t get mad.” He held the cup to Bleu’s lips.

  Bleu held his wrists and drank deep, almost gulping the tea down.

  “Hey, easy. There’s more, I swear.” He knew how it felt, though. After a long day on the slopes, he was dying of thirst, so Bleu had to be crazy with it. “I got you.”

  “God, I’m dry. Like July in Santa Fe dry.”

  “Yeah, it will wear you out and freezer burn you.” He poured another cup of tea from the stuff he’d warmed up and poured back in the thermos. “Have a little more, but don’t make yourself sick.”