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Hopefully, Dad will understand that my current situation constitutes an emergency.Jordan laughed at herself for needing her father’s blessing to seek cover in competition with wild animals, as though he watched over her. It was more likely that thirst, hunger, and fear were her only companions.And don’t forget goosebumps!
The temperature had dropped at least ten degrees since she left the burning shack with the snow and higher elevation. The wet snowflakes melted as soon as they landed on her, leaving her hair and clothes soaked and hands chilled.
Jordan searched the landscape below her each time she stopped to catch her breath, committing more landmarks to memory and reassuring herself that no one followed. The trail she left was clear as day, but there was nothing she could do about that. After locating a suitable cave, she’d worry about hiding her tracks. Until then, her only concern was distance.
The sound of dirt and rocks sliding as though someone else scrambled up the slope below her position startled her. Her heart pounded as she scanned the thick timber for movement. She saw nothing, and the sound died away to an eerie silence that made the hairs stand up on her arms. When she began climbing again, she moved at a quicker pace with renewed urgency.
Jordan tried to stay focused on finding shelter, but her mind wandered. Had Katie and Liz reported her missing when she didn’t show up for work today? Was Jake okay? The dog had obviously followed her from Halstead’s house. Would he be able to detect her scent leading away from the burned shack? Would Travis follow Jake and find her before she froze to death? So many questions and no answers.
She should have trusted Travis from the beginning. Everything he’d told her had proved true. He’d also said he liked her and wanted to see her again. Why was that so hard to believe? Of all the crazy, far-fetched stories he’d sworn were true over the past two days,that’sthe one she had trouble believing?Probably because that’s the one I’d like most to be true.
“Pfft!”I barely know the man.
But he was an excellent kisser.
He’s not from around here. He’ll leave.
Since her dad had died, only Liz, Katie, a mediocre job, and fear of the unfamiliar kept her from leaving the only home she’d ever known. Who’s to say she wouldn’t find the courage to go someday?
I’m tired of being afraid.
Jordan brushed a tear from her eyelashes.Enough of feeling sorry for myself.
She’d done all right. Why did she feel something was missing from her life after meeting Travis?
Because his good looks and charm did a number on me. Or maybe it had simply been too much alcohol.
She didn’t believe in love at first sight. Such nonsense resulted from romance authors’ overactive imaginations or wishful thinking. Either way, it was a poor basis for a relationship.
Yeah? Maybe, if I repeat that enough times, I’ll convince myself.
“Crap!” Arguing with herself was almost as bad as arguing with Liz. Jordan could never win against her friend, either.
The forest ended a few feet from the base of the rimrocks, which rose steeply for about ten feet before shifting to a perpendicular wall that towered above her like a ten-story apartment building. Loose rocks and boulders littered the ground around her, proof that the stone wall wasn’t as solid as it looked. Weather and time left their marks on everything. The good news was the snow had let up, turning to a cold drizzle that would soon melt any footprints she’d left and wash away her trail.
Taking one last look behind her, Jordan noted her exit from the trees near a large boulder that looked a little like a dinosaur's head. While pausing to rest, she studied the forest for movements and listened, but the only sound was the wind murmuring through the branches and the screech of a hawk somewhere above.
After examining the rock face as far as she could see, Jordan chose to go right. With no sun to mark the time of day, she had to guess that it was at least mid-afternoon. If she didn’t find a cave in a couple of hours, she would still have time to explore in the other direction before dark.
Who am I kidding? I’m cold and soaked through.
If her core body temperature dropped by only a few degrees, she would become confused and unable to make good choices. A few degrees lower, she would stop shivering and start to feel warm, at which point all her decisions would be wrong. She would eventually lose consciousness, her internal organs would shut down, and death would follow.
I'll die if I don’t find shelter from the wind soon.
Jordan picked her way through the field of loose rocks and boulders, hopefully making it harder for Brody to spot her if he was still searching. Stopping every ten to fifteen steps, she scrutinized the vertical face for clefts or cavities that might mean the soft sandstone beneath had eroded. Twenty minutes into her search, Jordan noticed a dark shadow beneath an overhang that might be what she sought. Best of all, it was right at the juncture where the steeply sloping ground met the vertical rock face.
She slid down a step for every two strides gained on the incline until she stood a few feet from a good-sized entrance to what appeared to be a cave. There was no way to tell how deep it went without exploring inside, and Jordan wasn’t looking forward to disturbing any current residents. With little choice, she grabbed two rocks and began pounding them together as she stepped closer to the black hole.
She heard something that sounded like a voice calling from a distance, but it couldn’t be Brody—not now when she’d finally found a hiding place. Whipping around, she lost her footing on the slippery slope, dropping her rocks as she scratched for leverage to stop her slide. Digging in the heels of her hiking boots, she finally brought herself to a halt and scrambled to her feet just as a fawn-colored blur hit her in the chest, knocking her down again.
It took a couple of seconds to realize what had happened, but it all became crystal clear the instant she focused on the mountain lion stalking toward her. The cold, drizzle, and wind receded from her thoughts, no longer critical. Everything faded in this new reality except her and the big cat.
Jordan crab-crawled backward as fast as she could, but the slope and shifting rocks weren’t helping. Desperately, she grabbed stones and hurled them at the cat, which merely growled and drew closer as though playing a game of cat and mouse, with her as the mouse. The animal was almost on her when gravity took over. A mini-avalanche carried her down the slope as the mountain lion leaped for firmer ground above her. Jordan didn’t see the boulder in her path until it was too late to do anything except fling up her arms to protect her face. On impact, pain burst through her head and neck, and though her eyes were open, the world around her faded to black.
*****
TRAVIS PACED WHILECoop sprinted back to where he’d left his pack, begrudging every second, even knowing there were supplies in the backpack they might need when they caught up to Jordan. He was almost as impatient as Jake after calling back the dog and telling him to chill.
