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ChapterSeventeen
Rick sat in the shade of an olive tree, writing up his notes from the day’s survey. He was so engrossed in his work that he startled at the sight of TJ, Alisha, and Marisol standing over him. “What’s up?”
“It’s close to one,” Alisha said. “And we haven’t seen Olivia.”
“We’ve been waiting for twenty minutes,” TJ added. “I’m worried something happened to her. I tried to call her, but I couldn’t get a signal.”
Rick’s heart constricted. Olivia hadn’t slowed them down for over a week. There was no reason for her to be this late. He stuffed his notebook into his pack and got to his feet.
“Maybe she found a site,” Marisol said. “That would explain why she’s not here yet.”
It would, except the hilly area they’d been covering had barely yielded any pottery. His pulse spiked, but he kept his voice calm so as not to alarm the others. “I’ll go look for her. TJ, keep an eye on things here. If she shows up, try to call me, even if you have to drive down the road to get reception.” He tossed him the car keys.
TJ put them in his pocket. “Got it. Should we do anything else?”
“Nope. I’d rather have the rest of you in one place.” Rick grabbed his topo map, scanning it to see where Olivia’s transect should have taken her. The ravine or the terraces could have thrown her off, but her GPS should have worked, regardless. Something was wrong. His stomach twisted as he imagined her in pain, felled by a broken ankle.
He took off running, occasionally stopping to call out her name. When he came upon the crest of the ravine, he yelled again and got a weak reply in return.
Scrabbling down the incline, he reached the bottom and jogged alongside the stream. Olivia sat beside it, hunched over and gasping for breath.
“Olivia!” He ran toward her. “What happened? Are you hurt?’
She shook her head and clasped her chest, like she was too winded to speak.
He squatted beside her. “It’s your asthma, isn’t it?” She’d had an attack at Clear Lake once, but she’d gotten it under control. “Do you have your inhaler with you?”
“Lost…fell out.” Still straining to breathe, she clenched her hands into fists.
He brought out his phone and tried calling Dr. Roth. Nothing. He felt so fucking useless.
“You had your inhaler earlier, right?” When she nodded, the tension in his shoulders eased. “I can go look for it. Did you lose it in the first transect or the second?”
“The second.”
“Okay.” He took a deep breath. At least he had a plan of action, providing Olivia could hold out a little longer. “If I retrace your steps, will I be able to find it?”
“Not sure. I was…off track.”
“That’s okay. I’ll comb the general area. It shouldn’t take me too long.” Offering her a reassuring smile, he stood up. He didn’t want to leave her alone when she was scared and vulnerable, but her asthma wouldn’t go away on its own.
He scaled the ravine quickly and headed toward the terraces, half walking, half jogging, as he kept his eyes on the ground.
She’ll be fine.
But if she couldn’t get enough oxygen, she might pass out. The thought of her lying unconscious was more than he could bear.
How was it that she’d captured his heart again in such a short time? That day when they’d been alone, excavating her newly discovered site, the pull between them had been too strong to resist. It had only strengthened as they worked together each day. Sharing stories during the drive, bantering and flirting, using the smallest excuses to touch each other. At night, he fantasized about whisking her off to a hotel room and making love to her all night.
But as much as he wanted her, he hated the thought of hurting her. After this gig ended, he didn’t know where he’d end up. Even if he went back home, he couldn’t make any promises. He hadn’t committed to anyone in over four years.
You could if you wanted. Why not let someone in for once? What’s stopping you?
Catching sight of a large flock of goats, he reared back abruptly. Enough brooding. He needed to focus.
Below the edge of the terrace, something gray and plastic caught his eye. He knelt and scooped up Olivia’s inhaler. Rather than stash it in his pocket, he clutched it tightly as he turned and ran back to her.
When he returned, she was still bent over. He placed the inhaler in her hands, then waited as she took a puff. After two minutes, she followed it up with another. No matter how long her recovery took, at least now she was out of danger. Relief washed over him like a tsunami.
