Love Inspired Suspense December 2013 Bundle: Christmas Cover-Up\Force of Nature\Yuletide Jeopardy\Wilderness Peril (63 page)

He glanced up and spotted her watching him. “I think you're good to follow me now.” He left out that talking too much had distracted him and led them on the wrong path.

Shay nodded, seeming content to end their conversation for now. He might ask about her family if they had a chance to rest. And there was her reference about something happening and her father teaching her to shoot. He'd like to know what that was all about, if she was willing to share.

Rick's foot slipped on a boulder.

He grasped at the rock, but he couldn't get a handhold on the surface.

Despite his best efforts, his body slid and he fell backward through the air, Shay screaming somewhere in the distance.

FIVE

O
h, my. Oh, my gosh....

Panic wrapped a tight cord around her throat. She gasped for breath, and finally sucking it in, she screamed.
“Rick!”

But he didn't answer.

Shay called again. “Rick! Are you okay?”

Without thinking about her footing, she made her way down the rocks. She had to get to him. “Rick, please answer me.”

Oh, Lord, please let him be okay. Let this be some kind of joke.
But she didn't think he would joke about something like that, especially at a time like this.
Shay chided herself. How many times had she been invited to go rock climbing? To go skating or jogging or to a workout class? She spent too much time cooped up in a warehouse just doing her job. Maybe if she had accepted those invitations, she'd have a better idea of what to do now. She'd be better equipped to climb down these rocks. She'd be in much better physical condition, too. She didn't know how to do anything other than work. And now she was paying for that.

When Shay made it to the point where she'd last seen Rick, she crawled on shaky hands and knees to the edge and peered over.

“Rick?” She injected a little hope into her tone.

There he lay, at the bottom of the pile of rocks. “Oh, no....”

Careful not to make the same mistake he'd made, she backtracked and made her way around the mountain of smooth and jagged rocks. “Rick Savage, don't you leave me here alone.”

Talk. Just keep talking. He'll hear you and be all right by the time you make it down.
“Can you hear me, Rick?”

Shay found herself staring at a drop of about five feet. Not that far, really, but if she didn't land just right, she might not be much better off than Rick. Or worse, she could be injured and in pain and with no way to get help.

Shay slid her gaze to all possible ways down, but there was nothing for it. She pressed flat on the rounded boulder and slid her body against it as far as she could.

She pulled in a breath.
Please, God, let me land right.

Releasing her slight grip, she allowed herself to slide and then drop.

Her feet hit the ground and she plopped back on her backside. So far so good. Still, she had a stretch to go to make it all the way down to Rick. He hadn't responded to anything she'd said. And
that
wasn't so good.

Fear like she'd never known—even when the killer truck had shoved them from the road—coursed through her. At least she'd been with Rick at that moment, and with that, she realized that despite the uneasiness she felt at the shadows in his eyes, she'd felt safe as long as he'd been there.

What if Rick never woke up?

No. She couldn't think that way. Careful to make her way to him cautiously and safely, she nevertheless hurried down the rest of the pile of rocks. Though descending hadn't been that easy, the stack of rocks had given them a path to the base of the mountain and into the gorge.

Her feet firmly planted on earth carpeted in pine needles, Shay rushed around the edges of the rock pile. “Rick,” she gasped, running.

There. He lay sprawled on his back. Motionless.

She fell to her knees next to him, wanting to touch him, jar him awake, but fearing she might hurt him more, depending on his injuries.

“Where are you hurt?” she asked, knowing he wouldn't answer. She ran her hands down his arms and legs, gently patting to make sure there wasn't an obvious break.

Then she rested her palms on his head and pressed her face near his. “Now, you listen to me, Rick Savage. I need you. Please wake up. I have no idea what to do without you.”

Her palms resting against his stubble-roughened cheeks, she felt the rush of warmth through her hands and up her arms. She'd had a thing for this man for the longest time, in spite of the gun incident. Seeing him like this sent shards of pain slicing through her core. “Please, please wake up.”

Brushing his dark hair from his forehead, she noted the sun-bleached strands, remnants of a summer spent outdoors. She ran her hands all the way through the thickness. “I've always wanted to do that....” She murmured the words to herself.

“If only you were awake, then I wouldn't have to feel guilty for doing that without your permission.” She sat back on her rear, thinking. Praying.

“If you don't wake up, what in the world am I going to do? Where would I begin to get you help? The sky's growing dark. I wanted to make it to the Jeep for our coats before making a fire, but maybe I should just make one here and wait for you to wake up. That's something I can do, at least.”

Shay rubbed her arms, warming them against the cold. She had to make a decision. It might already be too late either way. “Maybe I should just leave you and find the Jeep myself so I can bring back our coats and anything else I can find. How far could it be from here anyway?”

A vise squeezed her heart. How could she save Rick?

“Maybe if you were a jerk, it might be easier to leave you. But no, you have to be cute and...” Shay sighed. “Cute and nice.”

There, she'd said it.

Rick groaned and slapped a hand to his head. “Did anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?”

“You're...you're awake. Oh, thank You, God.” Shay pressed her hands over her mouth. But how much had he heard? “And no. No one has ever told me I talk too much.”

Tears burned behind her eyes.

Rick sat up, rubbing his head, his hair a scruffy mess. He blinked a few times, then pinned her with his grays. “You're a sight for sore eyes.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. You made it down all by your lonesome.” Rick sat up, then pushed up to stand, a little unsteady on his feet. “I'm sorry to scare you like that.”

“Never mind about that.” Shay stood, too. “Are you okay? You think you have a concussion?”

Rick rubbed his face and then his neck. “Nah. I'm good to go. We need to make up for lost time.”

Shay started to move by him, though she didn't know where she was going. But the way he looked at her left her wondering just how much he'd heard. What an idiot she'd been to flap her trap like that, but talking kept her company, chased the fear away.

He stepped in her path, standing a little too near for comfort. “I'm glad you don't think I'm a jerk.”

* * *

And just a little too glad that you think I'm cute. Too glad for my own good.

When Shay's eyes widened, he knew she wondered what else he'd heard
.
Though he'd been unconscious for a short while and had a dull throbbing ache to show for it, he'd felt himself coming to and heard an ongoing conversation Shay was having with herself and him. Her soft, caring voice had brought him back from the darkness.

The problem was he couldn't stop thinking about her words and he had no business thinking about them now, in this situation. Or ever.

“Let's get moving.” Rick tore his gaze from the heat of surprise in hers and focused on surviving. “Stay close to me.”

After getting his bearings again, he headed due north in the direction where the Jeep should be. Evergreens and lush undergrowth had taken over the gulch they'd descended into, and maybe somewhere at the bottom they'd find a river or stream.

He shoved through the thick scrub, trying to make time while they still had the last of daylight to guide their path. The temperatures had long ago started dropping below comfort level. If they didn't recover their coats and make a fire soon, they were done for. The full brunt of winter wasn't on them yet; still, the temperatures could vary from extreme cold to extreme heat during the spring and fall months. Today had been a relatively warm day, but he had a feeling that warmth was on its way out if the temperatures so far were any indication.

Behind him, Shay was breathing hard, and he wasn't doing much better.

He paused and turned to face her. “You okay?”

“Sure,” she said, a shiver to her words. “Keep moving.”

Of course she understood the danger they'd face if they didn't find what they were looking for. They hiked on for a few more minutes, darkness finally closing in on them.

“How much farther, Rick?” Her teeth chattered a little. “You sure we're headed the right way?”

“It has to be around here somewhere. I know this is the place.”

Rick gazed up where the moon shone above them, illuminating a familiar cliff, but he hadn't exactly seen this side of it from the top, making it hard to gauge their position. “Recognize that?”

“You mean the ledge of death?”

“Is that what we're calling it?” He almost chuckled at the name she'd given it.

“No. That's what we're going to call it if we end up dying because we can't find the Jeep.”

“We're not going to die. We'll build a fire and stay warm tonight, then look for the Jeep tomorrow if we have to. But for now, stay close. Let's work our way over and hope to find the Jeep. If Providence is on our side, we might even be able to turn on the lights.”

Shay huffed. “I know my stuff, but that doesn't mean I could get that thing running again.”

Forcing his way through the brush in the light of the moon with Shay remaining near, Rick smiled to himself. “I bet you could get it to start even if it sank in the river.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Savage.”

Mr. Savage.
He liked the sound of her voice when she said it.
What an idiot. Now he was a jerk for thinking along those lines. Shay didn't deserve damaged goods.

When Rick took another step forward, he kicked something that had a metallic ring to it. They both froze.

Clouds had momentarily slipped over the moon, leaving them in darkness. He leaned over and pressed his hand against the cold metal, sliding it until he came to the end. “The bumper. Or one of them. It must have come off.”

“We're close, then.” Shay's voice rang with hope.

“Yeah, close.” Faced with the prospect of finding everything they needed with only intermittent moonlight to guide them and the cold grip of an Alaskan night threatening them, Rick started to think maybe they'd made a mistake. This wasn't going to work. “Wait here.”

“No. I'm coming with you.”

He slipped his hand into hers and squeezed. She didn't try to pull away as he led her in search of the body of the vehicle. He hoped everything they needed remained intact inside what was left of the vehicle.

As they pushed through a thick stand of bushes, Shay's gasp reflected his own morbid thoughts. The Jeep rested overturned and on its side, the front end and right side collapsed. Shay had been sitting on the passenger's side. Now that seat no longer existed, having been crushed by the toppling two-ton vehicle.

They should have been ecstatic to find it—at least in the face of their circumstances—but instead, Rick and Shay both stared in shock. The next thing Rick knew, Shay was in his arms, trembling. When had he tugged her to him? Or had she simply stepped against him and wrapped her arms around him?

He shook his thoughts free. “This time I need you to stay here. I'm going to shove it over so it won't be unstable, and then we can search inside, okay?”

She nodded her agreement, taking a few steps back. “Be careful.”

Rick marched around the Jeep, watching where he stepped so he wouldn't twist his ankle or stumble. He wasn't exactly sure he could right the thing, but it appeared to rest at an awkward angle, looking as though even the slightest nudge would push it completely over. The sound of pebbles trickling down the cliff face drew his attention up, though he couldn't see much. He hoped any rocks loosened by the Jeep's tumble didn't decide to slide while he stood here.

“Shay? You out of the way?” he called.

“I'm good. Go ahead.”

Rick pressed his foot against the crumpled roof and shoved. Hard.

The Jeep rocked back and forth, the sound of twisting metal resounding through the gorge. Okay. This would take a little more than a mere shove on his part. He pressed his back against the roof and heaved with all his strength. While the Jeep teetered, Rick stepped back and kicked it hard.

It toppled onto the tires, and the driver's-side door, already dented from the first collision, fell off, clanking through the night. Dust rose while steam spewed from the radiator. Rick's shoulders rocked with an incredulous laugh that the radiator was only just now ejecting its contents.

Shay jogged up to him, her cloudy breath visible in the moon's illumination. “The door light went on a little. You see that?”

She grinned. Funny how such a small thing in the worst of circumstances could bring a smile to her lips.

He'd always liked her smile. “Yeah, I see it,” he said, but he wasn't talking about the light that had come on when the door had fallen off.

Then her attention shifted away from him, a look of alarm spreading over her face as she angled her head, listening.

Somewhere in the distance, an ominous sound echoed.

SIX

W
hat was that?

Unmoving, Shay stood in the night, listening. Next to her, Rick did the same. A few seconds passed, but it seemed more like an eternity as Shay strained to hear the noise again. But she heard nothing except the trickle of a stream a few yards away.

And that noise still rang in her mind.

Rick exhaled. “Let's stay quiet, just in case.”

“Just in case what?” She kept her question to a whisper. “Those men aren't coming back, are they? You aren't planning to head to the mine now, are you?” She knew Rick was still worried about his brother, as was she, but surely he planned to go back to town and regroup before going out to find Aiden again. Clearly it would take more than the two of them to figure this out.

“Shh.” Rick gave her a funny look. “You're not helping.”

What was the noise they'd heard? Mountain lion? Or the whine of an ATV? If she could hear it again, maybe she could tell.

Rick said nothing as he crawled carefully into the Jeep. Shay wanted to help and moved to the other side, but she could hardly get through the mangled metal that used to be the passenger side. She peered through the small opening that was left. Rick wasn't looking for their coats—that was obvious—so Shay made her way to the back.

The hatch was gnarled and bent, and she doubted she could get it open from this side. The sliver of moonlight, along with the small door light that flickered on and off, afforded Shay enough illumination to spot a blanket and their coats.

“Rick, I see them,” she said. “Can I get a little help here?”

He eyed her from the driver's side, then squeezed between the seats. He grunted as he crawled through the mangled vehicle to the backseat. He searched all the crevices and every inch of the floorboard that he could reach but never looked over the backseat.

“What are you looking for? Didn't you hear me?” she asked. “The coats are back here.”

In the moonlight, she could see that he had that look on his face again.

Then she realized—he was looking for his gun.

She didn't say anything. She didn't want to think about it. Didn't want to remember that day he'd aimed a gun at her, but the images accosted her anyway. She squeezed her eyes shut, hating the memory that swept over her.

On that evening several months ago, Rick had crashed on the leather sofa in the Deep Horizon office, and Shay had been the last one out. She didn't know if he planned to sleep there or what. Maybe she shouldn't have tried to wake him, but she nudged him in case he hadn't intended to fall asleep at the office.

In a flash he was on his feet, aiming his weapon at her as if she'd come to kill him. As if he was only defending himself. It took her a few seconds to coax him from his startled daze. To convince him of who she was. And the fear of that moment had tapped back to another fateful day years ago, a day Rick knew nothing about but that she could never forget.

As Shay pushed the thoughts away, her legs trembled from more than the frigid temperatures.

“Here you go.” Rick wrapped the coat around her.

When had he climbed from the Jeep? The forbidding thoughts had temporarily imprisoned her, keeping her from noticing.

She slipped her arms into the coat. “Did you find it?”

“Find what?”

“Your gun.”

“No, but I'm going to make a fire first, and then I'll look some more.” He shrugged into his own jacket.

“Aren't you afraid we'll signal to someone that we're here?”

He eyed her. “You have to view it in terms of risk versus benefit. We could die without that fire, depending on how low the temps dip tonight. This is Alaska. I doubt anyone will be out in the middle of a cold Alaskan night looking for two people they already believe dead.”

Shay didn't add what else the guy had said—even if they survived, how could they make it out? They sure hadn't come prepared to survive the night or a hike out.

Shay blew out a breath. “Why don't you let me build a fire while you look?”

Rick paused and stared at her hard and long.

“What? Can't a girl know how to build a fire?”

He grinned and stuck his hand into a pack he'd tugged from the Jeep. “Go ahead, if you're up for it.”

Shay caught the water bottle he tossed her. “There anything else in there?”

“You mean like something to start a fire with besides two sticks?” He chuckled and dug around in the bag. “I didn't bring this, by the way. Was already in the back. I saw it when I stashed our stuff.”

He tossed her a plastic bag holding a couple of lighters and some other stuff. Must be a homemade survival kit.

“Actually, I was thinking about food,” she said. “Is there anything to eat in there?”

“I'm looking.”

“On the fire, I wasn't joking. I can do it. Another thing my dad taught me.”

Along with how to aim and shoot a weapon. And to be self-sufficient.

“Good man, your dad. Never know when something like that is going to come in handy.”

“You mean like now.”

“Yep. Like now. And you never know when something like this—” he held up a buck knife “—is going to come in handy.”

Holding the few supplies they'd found, Shay backed away from the Jeep.

“Let's do the fire together,” he said, and continued to forage around in the gnarled vehicle. “We need to find the best place, gather kindling and fuel. Together we can make better time. And to help power you through it, here you go.”

He held something out to her.

Sustenance.

Shay reached for the nutrition bar, but he didn't release it. When Shay looked up at him, he held her gaze. “You did good today, Shay.”

Heat warmed her insides and crawled up her neck. A compliment from him shouldn't have been such a big deal. “I should be saying that to you. You're the one who saved us both from the fall. Thank you for what you did. For saving my life.”

“You know that we're not out of it yet. Maybe you should hold on to those words and hopefully you can thank me later. Or maybe I'll thank you later. You might have to return the favor at some point.”

Shivers crawled up her spine at his reminder of their predicament.
I hope not.

“Is it even possible for us to make it back to Tanaken without those men discovering that we survived?” Somehow Shay didn't imagine that was likely.

“Once we make it through the night, that'll be our next goal. Make it back up to the road. Somehow. We can't make it to the village without that road, but we'll stay hidden if we hear a vehicle until we determine it's safe.”

“Then what?”

“Hopefully I can get help from the local authorities to figure out who attacked us and find Aiden. Find out why someone attempted to murder us to keep us away from a mining claim. I'll call Connor to help, too, of course. And you, Shay, you're going back to Fairbanks, if not all the way home. The plane isn't worth it anymore.”

Near the banks of the stream, they found a bare patch of ground.

“Okay, this looks good, but...” Rick paused.

“But what?”

“Shh. I'm listening.”

Shay tensed, understanding he feared being discovered. If only they didn't need the warmth of a fire.

“I'm going to walk the perimeter, just to be sure there's no one around. Okay?”

“You saying you want me to stay here? Alone?”

“I'll be quicker and quieter if I do this myself. You'll be fine. Just sit against that tree trunk over there. I won't be long.”

Then Rick disappeared into the night.

Shay tried to shove away the fear as darkness surrounded her, closing in. The old fallen birch Rick had indicated lay a few feet away. Shay leaned against the trunk, but she remained stiff and alert to danger while she waited on Rick.

Whether or not they could find a way out of the gorge remained to be seen, but she kept her spirits high with the reminder that they'd found food and water. If they couldn't find a way out, maybe the Jeep could serve as a modicum of shelter if they needed to wait it out for a rescue that wouldn't come for days. Shay sighed. So much for her efforts to think positive. Some optimist she was.

Shimmering colors splayed across the night sky—what she could see of it down in the gorge—and seemed to belie her morbid thoughts. Shay gasped and sat up, taking in the northern lights. She'd never seen the aurora borealis except in pictures. How she wished they weren't down in this gulch so she could watch the display across the whole sky. Where was Rick? Was he watching, too?

She heard footfalls in the brush and stiffened, but Rick's form soon appeared. True to his words, he'd returned in only a few moments, and his arms were filled with kindling and wood. “Okay, I didn't see or hear anything suspicious. I think we're good to build that fire. Let's pray I'm right.”

With those words he knelt down, and while he positioned the kindling, he also prayed. That took Shay by surprise—she hadn't thought he'd meant what he'd said literally—but it was a welcome surprise. Shay listened to this man as he prayed, revealing a quiet but strong faith. His prayer for God to lead them through this, to be with them, touched her in a deep place in her heart.

The kindling positioned, she was the one to coax the flame from the lighter into a small but adequate campfire. Enough to keep them alive through the night. With her coat on and the blanket, the fire thawed her cold extremities and reheated her core enough that she could almost fall asleep, especially knowing that Rick was there.

Shay sat against the log, getting as comfortable as could be expected, preparing to spend the next few hours resting before their hike back to the village. Resting—and praying they could stay hidden and out of sight long enough to make it back to town.

Rick stood near the fire, holding a stick into the yellow flames, the reflection dancing in his eyes. He looked vigilant to their surroundings. He wanted to keep them safe, and Shay appreciated his efforts, but she couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking.

The moment when the men shoved them toward the ledge played across her mind, as it had almost constantly since it happened. “I've been trying to figure things out. What do you think, Rick? Why did those men try to kill us?”

“Try, Shay? They
think
they successfully killed us. We've been over this already anyway. I'm no closer to an answer now than I was before.”

“Come on, Rick. We've been dancing around this conversation all afternoon. I think I deserve the truth. You don't have to protect me.”

“I'm not keeping information from you. You know as much as I do. They followed us to kill us. Somehow the mining claim is involved, and I can't imagine that it's unrelated to Aiden.” Rick's face contorted, revealing his pain, and then he looked away.

Shay knew he was trying to be strong for her, but in moments when he thought she wasn't looking, like now, she'd caught the apprehension etched across his features. She wanted to get to her feet and reach for him, comfort him. Let him know it was going to be all right.

They could even comfort each other. Except saying that it would be all right would be a lie. There wasn't anything she could do or honestly say to make things better. That men would kill them because of Aiden had to mean the absolute worst for Rick's brother.

And the question still remained... “Why would anyone want to harm Aiden or go out of their way to try to murder us over a stupid plane? Without repairs, it's not like he could even take the plane.”

He shook his head slightly, staring into the flames. “There's obviously something much bigger going on. But it doesn't really matter. We're not in a very good place to do anything about it.”

Shay sighed. Even if she could convince herself to go to him, that it was the right thing to do, she didn't have the energy.

“Shouldn't you sit down for a while since we have a lot of hiking to do?”
Come sit next to me. Keep me warm.

“Yeah, sure. In a minute.”

She hid her disappointment at his answer. Odd how she felt about him. She was still wary of him, yet there were so many other emotions she was struggling with, as well. He was the man to get them through this. No doubt there. She was attracted to him; no doubt there, either. He was strong, kind and gentle—qualities she already knew about but had never experienced from Rick in quite this way before. And the fact that he was a man of faith... She'd known he was a Christian, but seeing him in action, hearing his words, made something shift in her heart.

It was like a tug-of-war, a battle she shouldn't even have been fighting.

She could never let herself act on those feelings. Loving someone was too risky, too painful. And even if she wasn't afraid to love, there was a hazardous side to Rick. He couldn't be trusted.

He was dangerous.

But right now this dangerous man was the one she had to trust with her life.

* * *

Watching the fire consuming the wood he'd gathered, transforming it into glowing embers, could mesmerize Rick if he let it. He wished he could give in to it, but his senses were on high alert in case they were discovered. His mind ticked through the list of things they'd need to do to get out of here.

He hated they'd had to make a fire that could signal anyone with mal intent looking for them, but freezing to death was a greater risk to them at the moment. They had to warm up, get some rest then be on their way. Those killers thought he and Shay were dead, so maybe they'd catch a break and no one would be looking for any signs of life from them, like a fire.

He felt Shay watching him. He tried to hide his anxiety about their circumstances. Getting back to town would have been a challenge even if they'd simply broken down on the side of the undeveloped road. But down in this gorge, just getting back to the road might be a notch above his skill and pay level. He certainly hadn't bargained for any of this, but neither had any of them. And Shay. She understood just how dire their circumstances were.