Sabotaged (3 page)

“
Don
'
t
you
always
?”
Reef's last words to her flitting, no stomped, through her mind.

Ugh!
Was there a more infuriating man alive?

She dropped the final pile of scrounged wood into the fire, praying it would last until sunup but knowing better. They were going to run out of heat before they could take the chance their attacker was not still outside searching for them and get moving.

“Man.” Reef whistled. “I really get under your skin, don't I?”

“Ha.” She bit the inside of her cheek as the flames flashed higher, devouring the newly added branches.

“Good comeback.”

She took a deep breath, expelling it in a rush. “Contrary to what you think,
you
have
no
effect on me whatsoever.”

“Your heartbeat skipping along the curve of your neck seems to suggest otherwise.”

She grabbed her neck, praying her face didn't redden. “If my pulse is elevated, it's because I'm worried about Meg.” It was a boldfaced lie. She
was
worried about Meg, but it wasn't
the cause of her infuriated pulse. It was
him
. They'd known each other since they were five and yet he still managed to rattle her. She despised him for it.

His smirk slackened. “I'm worried about her too.”

“Really? You worry about all your flings?” It was harsh, but she was flustered.

His bright blue eyes narrowed. “If I didn't know better, I'd say that's jealousy snapping.”

“Me? Jealous over you?”

He smiled softly, his eyes alight with playfulness. “I tend to have that effect.”

“Wow. You really think highly of yourself, don't you?”

“
This
has nothing to do with how I think of myself.”

“No?”

“No.”

“Then what does it have to do with?” She should have known better than to ask.

“What
you
think of me.”

“Why do you care what I think of you?”

He fidgeted with his jacket zipper. “I keep asking myself the very same thing.”

Meaning . . . ?
He
did
care what she thought? Well, that was interesting.

“Gage, you know the protocol,” the head of Iditarod Search and Rescue, Ben James, said. “I can't authorize a sweep with this storm still raging.”

“But Reef and Kirra are missing, along with a snowmobile.”

“They should have known better than to take off during the night.”

“Clearly they thought someone was in danger.”

“Or Reef talked Kirra into a joyride.”

“I wouldn't have put something like that past the old Reef, but he's changed. And Kirra is the last person I'd expect to take a joyride with SAR equipment.”

“Her uncle still hasn't checked in,” Ethan said.

Ethan Young had been paired with Gage and Xander Cook on race communications, and he, along with everyone else in the tiny cabin, was now wide-awake.

“Have you confirmed with the checkers? Perhaps he came in while we were sleeping,” Ben suggested.

The checkers were on duty 24-7 and were stationed out in the tents for ready availability.

“I'll go see.” Ethan slipped on his coat and boots.

Gage nodded. “Thanks, man.”

“No problem.”

“What's all the commotion?” Xander asked as he stumbled into the room, his hair mimicking Heat Miser's.

“Two SAR team members are missing, along with a snowmobile,” Gage said, quickly catching him up to speed.

Reef let Kirra's insults roll right off. He'd heard them his whole life. For the most part they were deserved, but from Kirra, they ached deep in his soul. He wasn't the same man he'd been—wasn't that same playboy, wasn't the reckless man intent on drowning his feelings in a world of distraction. What he felt was very real, and to his complete surprise and slight bemusement, what he felt was growing love for Kirra. God certainly had a sense of humor. Reef only prayed it wasn't the ruin of him.

What irony. He'd finally allowed himself to really feel, only to be consumed with genuine feelings for Kirra Jacobs—a woman who would never love him back.

He shifted in the dwindling firelight, the darkness closing in on them.

Kirra sat a dozen feet away, her knees hugged once again to her chest, her hood draped over her head.

“The fire's not going to last.” The cold was already swallowing its warmth.

“We'll have daylight in a few hours.”

“A few hours is more than enough time for frostbite or hypothermia to take hold.”

“So what do you suggest?”

“Body heat.”

“Nice try.”

“You really think I'd try to make a play on you—and under these circumstances?”

She gave him an are-you-kidding-me look.

“Fair enough.” The old him would have in a heartbeat, but he was working hard at being a gentleman. “But that's not what this is. We need to conserve our body heat.” He held out his arm. “Come here.”

She hesitated.

Was he that repulsive to her? “No funny business. I promise.”

After another moment's hesitation, she stood and moved to his side.

“Come on. I don't bite.” He tugged her to his good side, pulling her close.

She stiffened.

“Relax.”

“I've heard that one before.”

He arched a brow.

“Never mind.”

Ethan entered the cabin along with a frigid blast of wind. He kicked the door shut behind him, rubbing his arms.

“What's the word?” Gage asked.

“Frank Jacobs hasn't checked in.”

“We need to contact Finger Lake and see when he checked out.”

“On it,” Xander said. “I'm sure they're going to appreciate the middle-of-the-night call, especially since all mushers have no doubt at least arrived at that checkpoint.”

Gage laid out the grid map of the area.

“What do you think you're doing?” Ben sat on the corner of the desk. “You know I'm not sending you out in this. It's suicide. Wait until the storm passes and we have daylight, and I'll send one of the air force to take a scan.”

The Iditarod air force, as it was called, consisted of a dozen single-engine planes manned by expert bushmen who volunteered their time to help fly in supplies and pick up dropped dogs or seriously injured mushers. They also helped with searches and sweeping.

“We've still got two hours until sunrise. They could freeze to death in that time.”

Kirra lay gingerly beside Reef, trying not to enjoy the feel of his embrace, but it was a lost cause. She hadn't been held like this since before William, hadn't allowed herself to be close to any man, not like this, since William had . . .

She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping doing so would keep the nightmares, the gnawing fear that returned whenever she thought of William, at bay. This was Reef, not William, and he was only trying to help. He felt good. He smelled good—like evergreens and a crisp winter day. The dwindling fire crackled at her feet, Reef's body heat warming her. She was tired, but relaxing to the point of sleep seemed impossible—not while in a man's arms.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Fine. Why?”

“You're awfully tense. Like I said, I won't bite.”

She tried laughing it off. “I know. I just . . .”

He brushed back her hair from her face, careful to keep her hat in place. “You just what?”

“Will feel better when we're safely back at the checkpoint.” And around other people. Not that she believed Reef would do anything—but then again, William had been the last person she'd expected to . . .

“There you go. Tensing up again. Do I really make you that uncomfortable?”

She heard the hurt in his words. “No. It's just awkward.”

“Because it's me?”

She arched back to look at him. “What do you mean?”

“I know how you felt about me when we were growing up. I guess that hasn't changed much.”

No. His sister was right. He clearly was different. He was changing, growing, maturing. And, truth be told, there'd always been a part of her that had been drawn to Reef McKenna. Something about a moth to a flame. It was dangerous, but magnetic. In the past she'd been smart enough to keep her distance, to not pursue that attraction, but now . . . ?

Her attraction for him was only growing, and this time, frighteningly enough, strong feelings were growing right along with it.

“Gage, calm down,” Darcy said.

“How can I calm down when my brother is out there?”

“You don't have a choice until the sun's up.”

“I can go on foot.”

“And how is that going to help them? If anything, it'll just give SAR one more person to search for, taking away some of the concentration on finding them. We only have a couple more hours.”

“Why didn't he take a sat phone? Why leave in such a hurry? Why not wake anyone else up?”