I guess I ought to give up promising quick updates, eh? I know other authors have that same problem: life just keeps getting in the way. This chapter and part of the next are meant to be transitional chapters.

Parts of this may be hard for some of you to swallow, but just bear with me. This story was written over a period of about 1-2 years, and even though it is completely written, I find myself still being critical with it as I update the chapters. So please don't review and complain about how unrealistic this may be, or how you can't see the three going to such extremes. If you think I'm not thinking this through and really trying, think of all the times our detectives have escaped nearly unharmed, even at the hands of terrorists and murders in the actual books. :)

And thanks Roswalyn as always!! I miss you! Come back!

Avoidance by Death
by lightwarai
Chapter 7

October 19th
(six months after the accident)

Cassidy Hussmann smiled as she helped six-year-old Kimberly off the horse. "You did great today!"

Kimberly grinned from ear-to-ear as her mother came up. Mrs. Johnson nodded. "You've done well learning the first two gaits! I'm so proud of you!" She turned to Cassidy and held out her hand. "All she ever talks about is how much she loves Jasmine."

Cassidy shook Mrs. Johnson's hand and winked at Kimberly. "Jasmine's a great horse, and I think she likes Kimberly as much as Kimberly likes her."

As Kimberly and her mother walked away, hand-in-hand, Cassidy couldn't help but laugh at the child's bubbly chatter. She had picked up walking and trotting fast, and she had the calm demeanor one needed when riding and leading a horse.

She led Jasmine back to the stable to feed and groom her. She loved working as a riding instructor. She taught classes twice a week to a small group of students, and spent the rest of her time with private lessons or taking care of the stables and the horses. It was a fun and relatively-peaceful job, and she loved every minute of it.

She still missed her old life at times, and some days were harder than others, but she couldn't deny this new life.

Cassidy felt her cell phone vibrating in her pocket. She didn't normally carry it with her during her work hours, but the guys were picking her up in the early afternoon and were supposed to call when they were on their way. They had planned a weekend skiing trip to Bend, Oregon, at the Mount Bachelor Village Resort. And she couldn't wait.

She smiled when she saw Greg's name pop up. "Hey! Are you guys on your way?" she asked.

"Well, mostly," came the warm voice on the other end, followed by a snort. "Don Juan over here took forever to decide exactly which cologne to pack."

Cassidy laughed as she heard Eric protesting in the background. "Figures. But then again, I guess we are going to Mount Bachelor resort!"

She could almost hear Greg rolling his eyes. "First Eric, now you," he groaned good-naturedly.

"Aw, don't worry. I plan on finding some romance of my own this weekend. I promise I won't crack a bad joke. It might scare away the gorgeous men I'm guaranteed to meet." Cassidy grinned to herself, knowing that would catch Greg off-guard, which was her exact plan. She hadn't had fun in the dating realm in a while, and she could feel her excitement growing at the thought of flirting without danger. Especially with one particular single guy.

On the other end, Greg frowned to himself, but didn't get a chance to respond with Eric grabbing at the phone. "Hey! You better be ready when we get there!"

Cassidy laughed. "Don't worry, I'll be ready in about thirty minutes. That should give you guys enough time to get here and me enough time to finish up here." As she spoke, she saw her manager, Andrew headed her way.

Cassidy quickly said goodbye and hung up. She slipped her phone back into her pocket as she greeted Andrew. "Hey! How'd the meeting go?"

He shrugged. "Looks like we'll continue to get the funding, so it's business as usual." He grinned. "And who was that on the phone?"

She blushed. "Greg and Eric. They're on their way here, but don't worry, I'll get everything cleaned up before then."

Andrew laughed. "I think I might join you guys on this trip. You know. Chaperon and all. I'm not sure I'd trust anybody else with you."

Cassidy blushed but smiled. Andrew had treated her like his own niece since she began working for him. And he had met Eric and Greg a few times, but continued to tease Cassidy about them. As did everyone else she knew.

"I appreciate the offer, but you know I can take-"

"Yeah, yeah. You can take care of yourself. I know." He winked and waved before turning on his heel. "I have to get back to the office and make phone calls. Take care and have fun! See you Tuesday!"

Cassidy couldn't help the smile on her face as she thought about the two guys who were as close as family. One, she definitely shared a sibling-type bond with. The other... she wasn't sure what to call it. Definitely closer than siblings, and definitely better than best friends... she just couldn't decide. One thing was sure; she planned on having fun this weekend.