Free Rocky Mountain Holiday (To Love Again Book 4) by Kate Fargo Page B

owe you one.”
    “You’ve owed me one for twenty years - I’ll add it to your tab.”
    “Loser,” Tray said, punching his shoulder. “Want me to bring them over?”
    Ken shook his head, and turned toward them, yelling, “Hey, any of you want to learn to drive the sled?”
    Beating clumps of snow off each other, the rest of the group walked over to join them. Tray watched Isabel laughing with her daughters. He was dying for a few minutes alone with her, but couldn’t figure out how to make that happen unless he dragged her into the woods.
    She’d asked him to keep a low profile for now. The girls were polite but distant. He hadn’t realized how Isabel knew about him picking up Chrissie, but when he saw the look on their faces when they got in the jeep this morning, it had all clicked into place. He had his work cut out with them.
    Ken gathered them around. “The dogs are calmer after the run, so it’s a good time to meet them.” They all stepped closer to the dogs. Valerie knelt in the snow, scratching one of the huskies behind the ear.
    “Do they have a special diet?” Kip asked.
    “We feed them a variety of things. A high-quality kibble for a base, plus lots of protein. They get things like sardines, hard-boiled eggs, chicken carcasses. Sometimes pork neck bones.”
    “Do they fight?” Jenny asked, stepping forward to pet one. “Or all get along?”
    “Depends. Some get along, others not so much. They’re a lot like people that way. But in general, they like to play together when they’re not working.”
    “How long does it take to train them?” Barry asked.
    “About eight months to get a team working together well. That’s after the individual training. And we run them even on days they’re not working. Most of the dogs can run twenty-five miles a day. We give them a rest, of at least an hour, after every 6 miles.”
    “That’s how long we’ve been here for lunch,” Barry joked. “So I guess we’re getting ready to go again.”
    Ken nodded. “Let me go through a few commands and you can each try leading a team. If you want to, that is.” Excitement rippled through the group.
    Tray shuffled nearer to Isabel while Ken explained when to use the commands. “You going to try it?”
    She glowed. “Absolutely. On my own, you mean?”
    “Normally the guide stands behind you. In this case, that will be me. Standing behind you. As close as I can get.,” he whispered. She blushed and if she hadn’t looked so adorable, he might have been sorry to tease her. He caught her glance toward the girls. He’d have to dial the flirting back a little. Good thing, it was making him hot and he was already over-heated from the fire.
    “The most important thing,” Ken said, “is to keep both hands on the handlebar, at all times. Your guide will be with you, standing behind you, but you’ll be in charge. This lever” - he indicated the bar at the bottom with his foot - “is the brake. You’ll use it for stopping, of course, but also for slowing down.”
    “You need to warn the dogs before a stop. To do that, you put one foot on the brake and say ‘Easy.’ Then, as they slow, you can put both feet on the brake and say ‘Whoa.’ Any questions?”
    “Yes, how do we steer?” Jenny asked.
    “Also with the brake. Good question. Light pressure with one foot as you’re going into corners. The thing to watch for,” he said, moving toward the dogs and picking up the rope they were chained to, “is to keep this rope in a straight line between you and the dogs. As long as it’s straight, and fairly taut, the dogs won’t get tangled.”
    He dropped the rope and moved back to the sled. “You’ll get the hang of it pretty quick.” He turned to Karin and Shelly. “Who’s first?”
    “Me,” said Karin.
    “Okay, folks. If you’re not driving, jump back in the sled and let’s get going. Daylight is wasting.”
    The first leg started with the women driving. Tray got Isabel set up and stepped on the