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Chapter Nine
It was an unexpected trilling sound which roused them from their intimate explorations.
Jericho cursed and his fingers stopped their eager examination of all the sensitive places on her body. He was definitely the hands-on type.
Shyla frowned, still half dazed and unable to place the very modern and insistent noise which interrupted their passionate enthusiasm. It sounded out of place in their somewhat antiquated circumstances.
Lazarus grunted and scrambled for something, bringing the unwelcome noise closer. Shyla just burrowed closer into Jericho and Dante who had stepped up to join them along with the interruption.
Then she heard Antony’s name mentioned and the real world came crashing into her.
She straightened, clutching the blanket to her, and the other two copied, touching her with gentle hands and surrounding her with their support as they all waited for Lazarus to tell them what was going on, since it was impossible to tell from his occasional one-word responses.
“Thank you for letting us know,” Lazarus said into the mouthpiece and switched off the satellite phone before he turned to look at their three expectant faces.
Shyla braced herself for the bad news. She hadn’t been overly fond of Antony by the time their ill-fated hiking trip had been cut short, but she didn’t want any harm to come to him. And no matter that he’d lied about his experience, it wouldn’t stop her feeling guilty if it came to the worst.
His gaze landed on her, and Shyla clutched the blanket to her chest and was grateful for Jericho and Dante pulling her closer.
“Anthony is safe, well, and uninjured,” Lazarus declared.
Shyla went limp with relief, all of the adrenaline draining out of her, and she suddenly felt completely wrung out and emotionally exhausted.
She wanted nothing more than to lie down, close her eyes, and sleep until she regained her equilibrium, but there were still questions that needed to be asked.
“What happened to him?” It was Jericho who asked the obvious one.
“I’m not sure. They were too busy calling off the search for him and concentrating their efforts on the youngsters, since he presented himself at the mountain rescue headquarters to report Shyla as injured and stranded. They were just contacting us with an update and to let us know he’s safe and accounted for.”
“They’re still looking for the kids?” Shyla’s voice wobbled as she said it. The conditions were dire out there and last night the temperatures had dropped well below freezing. It didn’t bode well for anyone caught out in them, especially if they weren’t prepared.
“Not all of them.” Lazarus was quick to reassure her. “Of the eleven kids that were out there, eight have been found safe. They’re mostly okay. There are a few little issues. The stuff you’d expect like frostbite and exposure, but nothing more serious. They were all very lucky.”
“And the other three?” Dante asked the question Shyla couldn’t bring herself to voice.
“Two boys and a girl are still missing. Seems they got separated from the rest of the group, but the rescue effort has a good idea of where they were last seen, thanks to the others. They’ve diverted the teams that were searching for Antony to that search. I told them not to worry about us since we have food, warmth and shelter.”
Shyla nodded her head. “Jeez, I hope they find them safe. The weather out there…” She couldn’t finish. She didn’t need to. They all knew the risks. Just like they all knew the consequences.
And as much as her heart craved for the welfare of the three who were still lost, so too did she realize how fortunate she was to have been found by these three men. And how different things might have been if they hadn’t.
She resolved to live her life to the fullest. You just never knew what fate had in store.
Whatever happened here in this cabin. However long she got to enjoy the attention of these three men, she decided, there and then, that she would embrace every moment and leave with no regrets.
* * *
Since the rudeinterruption had pulled them all out of their hedonistic head space and put a damper on things, Shyla put the finishing touches to the soup and guided Dante in how to make a basic flat bread from just flour and water. Well, that wasn’t completely true. They could have done it that way, but since they had salt and dried milk, she also added that for a bit of extra flavor and depth.
Using the heavy frying pan on the top of the wood burner was a bit more of a challenge. Despite using plenty of oil, the mixture took forever to cook, and the first couple were hard and dry. When Lazarus added extra kindling to increase the heat, they tended to burn on the bottom instead. But Shyla had never been more aware that beggars couldn’t be choosers, so she ate her meal and appreciated every bite. And the soup was surprisingly delicious.
When they were all done and cleaned up, evening was setting in and the cabin was shrouded in shadows.
Dante and Jericho sorted out the bed and pulled the sofa up close so they could all snuggle up under the covers and lean against it.
They chatted into the night, forgoing the hurricane lamp in a bid to save what little oil they had for when it was really necessary. Instead, they kept the door to the log burner open and that threw out all the light they needed.
“It seems completely nuts that we can all know each other so intimately; have shared life changing experiences and yet we know nothing at all about each other past our names,” Shyla commented reflectively as she stared at the dancing flames of the fire.
