“Lily!”
“Ethan!” The sound was faint, and he half wondered if he had imagined it. He stood still, straining his ears, but all he could hear was the sound of the trees rustling from the wind.
He continued down the trail after a beat of silence.
“Lily!”
“Ethan!”
His eyes widened. That was definitely her. He picked up the pace.
“Lily! Where are you?”
“Ethan! I’m on the trail.”
He shined his light ahead and just made her out, hugging herself in the middle of the trail. He jogged up to her and immediately tugged her into his arms. Her skin was cold to the touch, and she shivered against him.
He sighed in relief as his hand came up to the back of her head and held her against him, trying to convince himself she was real. That he had found her safe. The emotion that overcame him frightened him. It was unlike anything he had felt before, and he wasn’t sure if it was her, or just the fact that someone got lost out here.
But deep down, he knew it was because it washer.
After a moment, he pulled back and leaned down to her level, his eyes roaming over her in the little light given off from the flashlight. “Are you hurt?”
She shook her head. “No. Just cold.”
He set his backpack on the ground next to hers and pulled his coat off. She didn’t argue as he had expected, only slipped her arms through it. Then he reached into the backpack and tugged out an emergency blanket, draping it over her shoulders to add an extra layer. Next, he grabbed his satellite phone and called Jackson.
Jackson sighed in relief and told him he’d call the rest of the group to call off the search. Ethan thanked him before ending the call and dropping the phone back into his pack and retrieving an additional flashlight for her. He took her pack and strapped it to his own before securing them both to his shoulders.
“Ready to head back?” he asked.
“Yes. Please get me out of here.”
He took her hand in his and led the way while they each also held a flashlight to light their path.
“You must think me stupid,” she said.
He glanced back at her. “Not at all.”
“How did you know I was out here?”
“Your friend called the front desk, concerned she hadn’t heard from you.”
Lily let out a long breath. “Thank God for overprotective friends. I need to find her the most amazing thank you gift. What do you think I could get her that would say, ‘Thank you for not letting me get mauled by a bear’?”
He chuckled. “Don’t forget the cougars and wolves.”
“Oh no. We can’t forget those.”
He remained silent for a beat as they came to the fork and he maneuvered them onto the path that would take them back to the resort.
“I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
“That fork is where I went wrong.”
He nodded. “I suspected as much.”
“Perhaps a sign would help. Then maybe you wouldn’t have to search for a lost tourist in the middle of the woods at night.”
