Read Thunder Valley for Free Online Page A

unsuspecting businesses and cause enough unexplained accidents to make the owners want to sell. Until now we haven’t been able to prove anything. But thanks to you and your brother, I think we have them this time.”
    “Jason! They’ve got him!”
    “He’s fine. Hans has already seen to that. And we have Ryland and his buddies in custody.”
    “Hans?” Jeremy followed Tom down the hall.
    “He works for us. The day we received word that the Broken Tree was after the Thunder Valley Lodge, Hans applied for a job here.”
    Jeremy stopped on the front porch. “I don’t get it. How did you know I was at the house?”
    “We’ve been monitoring your actions for quite some time. When we saw you go into Ryland’s room we put everybody on alert. It actually worked perfectly, your getting away from them like that. It confused things long enough for Hans to move in.”
    A black car pulled up in front of the house. Jason jumped out. “This is so great!” he yelled. “There are cops all over this place!”
    Tom smiled again. “I’m glad everything’s worked out. I’ll be getting in touch with both of you as soon as I get these goons behind bars.”
    “Maybe then you could come back for a real vacation,” Jeremy said. “On the house, of course.”
    “I’d like that. But only on one condition—that you let me bring a friend along.”
    “Sure.” Jason nodded. “Bring anyone you want.”
    “Good. I’ve been telling Jean-Claude about this place. He’s been wanting to come up ever since he heard about the big race with Jeremyup on Sawtooth.” Tom stepped into the car. “I’ll be in touch.”
    Jeremy’s mouth fell open. He watched the black car pull out of the driveway and join three others waiting beside the road.
    Jason waved and then turned toward the house. “All this excitement’s made me hungry. Want a sandwich?”
    “You don’t think he meant
the
Jean-Claude, do you?” Jeremy asked.
    Jason shrugged. “Why not? As an undercover agent, Tom probably gets around. He may know a lot of famous people. Hey, where are you going? Aren’t you hungry?”
    “I’ve got more important things to do.” Jeremy jumped up onto the porch and ran inside the house.
    “Like what?” Jason yelled.
    When Jeremy reappeared he was smiling and carrying his skis. “Practicing. I’ve got a race to win.”



SKI GUIDE
    Who is Jean-Claude Killy? Jean-Claude Killy is mentioned in this story a couple of times. He’s a world-famous skier, born in France in 1943. He won all three Alpine skiing events—the downhill, the slalom, and the giant slalom—at the 1968 Winter Olympics. He also won World Cup titles in 1967 and 1968.
    Ski Safety Tips
    • If you’ve never skied before, you should take a lesson from a professional ski instructor.
    • Dress in layers of clothing to keep warm. That way, if you get too hot while you’re skiing, you can take a layer off. Don’t forget to wear a hat! Wear a waterproof or water-resistant layer over your clothes to keep dry.
    • Wear ski goggles or sunglasses with ultraviolet protection.
    • Make sure your boots fit correctly, your skis are the right length for you, and your bindings are adjusted properly.
    • Practice putting your skis on and taking them off before you start skiing.
    • If you’re cross-country skiing, always stay on the marked trails.
    • Be safe while you’re skiing by following these rules:
    Don’t ski too fast—you might lose control.
    Avoid other skiers.
    Don’t block trails.
    Yield when merging with other skiers.
    Observe all signs.

    Brrrrrr!
    If you don’t wear proper clothing while skiing, you might suffer from
frostbite
(loss of feeling in your body parts) or
hypothermia
(low body temperature). If you get frostbite, you should go inside immediately and seek medical attention as soon as possible. Tuck numb hands under your armpits beneath your coat, and cover a frostbitten face with dry gloved hands until normal color returns.
Do not rub
or use direct