Chapter Sixteen

Despite her suggestion, when Mitch took off after lunch Audra felt deserted. She watched him striding into the woods without a backward glance and instantly missed him. He could have asked her again to go with him.

Not that she would have gone. The path still looked slick after the rain and she was in no mood to be challenged today. She truly wanted to get some rest.

Going to her room to lie down, she drifted to sleep, but woke when the baby held a dance-a-thon. She read until the baby settled down, her eyes constantly closing despite her interest in the book.

It was dark when Audra woke and rain hammered the roof. She looked through the open doorway and saw the rest of the cabin was in darkness. Had Mitch returned and then gone to the lodge for dinner because she was asleep?

Unlikely. He would have told her if he wasn’t going to be there for dinner. And wouldn’t he have left a light on?

Unless he’d gone before it got dark. He might have left another note.

She got up and went downstairs. Switching on a lamp in the living room she shivered. It was already cool in the cottage. The rain smeared the window, blown against it by the wind.

She looked for a note. Found none.

A tinge of worry pricked her. Where was Mitch?

Searching the cottage took less than two minutes. No sign of him.

She looked outside. He couldn’t still be on his walk. It was after eight and already dark. He’d probably gone to the lodge and lost track of time.

Audra went to the phone to call the lodge. She’d have him paged.

Silence met her. The phone to the lodge was dead. She tried her cell, but had no service. The rain beat against the window, adding to the gloom of the night. Surely he was fine. At the lodge dry and enjoying a hot meal.

She went to the window and looked out. Except for the rain on the window, nothing was visible but swaying trees. There were no stars showing tonight.

By ten, Audra was truly worried.

She went to the door and opened it. Cold damp air swirled around. So much for the balmy weather they had been enjoying. A person could get sick staying out in this kind of weather—especially with no shelter or warm clothes.

The memory of Mitch striding away that afternoon surfaced. He’d been wearing a cotton shirt, jeans and running shoes. And carrying a backpack with some snacks and water. No jacket, no hat, no rain gear. Had he gotten caught in the storm?

Or worse, become dizzy and fallen, injuring himself further?

Audra slammed the door and looked around. What should she do? Grabbing a jacket, she dashed over to the Carmichaels’s cottage. Maybe their phone was working. Or maybe they’d seen him come home and then head for the lodge.

The cabin was dark. Knocking on the door, Audra waited impatiently, hoping for an answer. No response. She tried the handle. The door swung open and she stepped inside. The cottage had the same layout as hers, so she quickly located the phone to the front desk. The line was dead.

She almost ran back to her cottage. Closing the door to lean against it, she spotted his laptop, on the floor beside the sofa. He wouldn’t have gone to the lodge without it.

She had two choices: try to find Mitch or drive to the main lodge to summon help.

When the baby kicked, she patted her hand gently against her tummy.

“The cavalry to the rescue. It’s up to us, babykins. We’ve got to find your daddy.”

In less than ten minutes, Audra had stuffed a backpack full of blankets and a change of clothes for Mitch, a jacket and a first-aid kit. She prepared hot coffee and put it in a thermos. Grabbing a handful of snacks, she was ready.

Donning her warmest clothes and a heavy jacket, she covered herself with a large plastic bag and crammed on an old hat. She was as sheltered as she could get. Rain gear had not been high on her priority list when she packed for her vacation.

There were several flashlights around the cabin. She gathered them all. Leaving a note in case Mitch returned before she did, she set off.

Not five minutes into the trek Audra realized the trail was much more difficult to follow in the dark and the rain than on a sunny afternoon.

The floppy hat kept the worst of the rain from her face, but the wind dashed water every which way. The flashlight didn’t offer much illumination. The soggy needles and spongy mud seemed to soak up what little light it gave. But she pushed on.

“Mitch!”

Audra called his name frequently. Stumbling once, she slowed down to cautiously find her way. She dare not allow herself to fall but urgency drove her on.The rain seemed unrelenting. The swaying trees appeared threatening. Yet Mitch was somewhere out in the night, and she knew he’d come searching for her. How could she do less?

“Mitch!”

How far was the meadow where they had shared a picnic? Had he gone all the way to the caves? Surely he would have started for the cabin when the rain threatened.

Or had he thought the storm would pass quickly and was waiting it out safely in a dry cave?

“Mitch!”

Audra sloshed on. Her hand holding the flashlight trembled with cold. Blown rain seeped down the neck of her jacket despite her attempts to keep it dry. Twice she slipped and ended up on her knees. But she kept at it. Her fear for Mitch rose with each step.

“Mitch!”

“Audra?” His voice was faint. From which direction?

She almost burst into tears.

“Where are you?”

She struggled on a little farther. She saw nothing beyond the small circle of light in front of her feet.

“Mitch, where are you?”

She raised the flashlight and turned in a complete circle, hoping he could see the light.

“I see you. Be careful, it’s slippery. Head a bit to your left.”

She climbed the pathway, sliding, moving to the edge of the clearing where rocks and gravel gleamed in the faint light, rain running between them in rivulets.

“You’re getting closer,” his voice called.

In another five minutes she stopped. Rocks and boulders were strewn around like a careless toss from a giant hand.

“Mitch?”

“I’m to your right, Audra. But be careful. It’s slick.”

Sweeping the flashlight around, she saw him.

“What happened?” she asked as she began to scramble over the rocks, using both hands from time to time to steady herself.

“I had a blasted dizziness attack, lost my footing and fell spraining my ankle.”

He looked beyond her. “Are you alone?”

The pent-up worry exploded into relief. She felt almost giddy hearing his voice.

“Of course I’m alone, who did you think I’d pick up?”

“What the hell are you doing out in this weather in your condition? You could have been hurt!”

Picking her way gingerly through the rocks, she hastened toward him. The flashlight caught him in its beam.

“I was worried sick.”

“Why didn’t you get help from the lodge?”

“I tried to call, but the phone was out. I thought if you’d gone to the lodge, you would have left a note. So rather than drive there only to drive back in this downpour, I took a chance of finding you myself.”

“Blast it, I can’t believe you came out in this.”

She knelt beside him and threw herself into his arms.

“What was I supposed to do? The Carmichaels are gone and the other cabin is still vacant. All I could think about was you out here in this weather—without a jacket.”

He held her tightly. “Darn fool thing to do.”

“Are you sure a sprained ankle is all? Did you hit your head again or anything? Are you freezing?”

“I’ll manage. You could have fallen and been hurt. You risked the baby’s well-being, too.”

“I’m a little cold, but fine otherwise. Truly. I was careful. I couldn’t leave my baby’s father out here, to get sick or worse. Come on, we’ve got to get back to the cottage. If you lean on me, can you walk?”

“Not far.”

He put on the jacket she’d brought and rose and balanced on his left foot. Slowly he leaned on Audra. She braced herself for his weight. With the rocks to cross, then the slippery path and the pouring rain, there was no chance they’d make it back without further mishap.

“What’s in here?” Mitch asked nudging her backpack.

He wasn’t through with chastising her for her irresponsible behavior, but would wait before arguing the point with her. The deed was done and truth to tell, he’d been struck by her fierce determination to rescue her baby’s father. She’d always been loyal.

“A blanket and some hot coffee, snacks.”

“I’ve been fantasizing about a hot meal for hours. We aren’t going to make it back tonight, Audra. The caves are nearby. We can find shelter from the rain and the wind at least. And if we have an ounce of luck we’ll find a dry stick or two for a fire.”

Winding through the rocks proved difficult. Mitch knew how to get to the caves he’d spent that afternoon prowling. Slowly they made their way to the nearest one.

Once beneath the overhang, he released his grip on Audra’s shoulder and sank down to the earthen floor with a muffled groan.

“Are you okay?” she asked, kneeling beside him, her hand touching his arm. If he wasn’t, she hadn’t a clue what to do about it.

“I will be soon. How about some of that coffee? I’m freezing!”

“I have more than that,” she replied smugly, unzipping the backpack. Blankets spilled out, the thermos and socks. She handed him the thermos first then gathered his clothes.

“I brought you a change of clothes.”

“You are a wise woman, Audra Wells.”

“Hypothermia is dangerous—even in the summertime. And it’s downright cold today.”

He shrugged out of the jacket and his wet shirt, tossing them to the side and pulled on the dry one.

Even as he was buttoning it up, she struggled with the laces of his shoes.

“Don’t bother, I’ll just toe them off.”

“The injured foot, too?” she asked, working diligently.

“If we had scissors, you could cut the laces.”

“You’ll walk out of here tomorrow more easily if you have shoes that stay on your feet,” she murmured. “There. One done. I wish the light was brighter.”

He held the flashlight while she unfastened his other shoe and gently slipped it off. Lightly touching the cold, damp sock, she frowned. “Your ankle’s swollen.”

“But not much. Probably the cold wet sock helped to keep the swelling down.”

“Get into the rest of the dry clothes while I look for wood,” she said briskly, flicking on a second flashlight and scanning the interior of the cave. Rising, she shed the plastic bag, then wandered around, picking up a stick here and there, a twig, a handful of pine needles. She heard the rustling of his clothes and longed to offer help. But somehow she knew Mitch would insist he could manage by himself.

“I’m decent now. Did you find any wood?” his amused voice called.

She looked up, he was quite a distance away. The cave was much larger than she realized. Carrying her bounty, she hurried back to the dim circle of light where he sat.

His wet clothes were piled to the side. He was already huddled beneath one of the blankets.

Dumping the wood, she piled it up, then sat back on her heels.

“There are matches in the backpack. In the first-aid kit.”

“A Girl Scout, prepared for everything.” Mitch looked up and met her gaze. “Thanks, Audra, I owe you. But I still can’t believe you risked your own safety and the baby’s.”

“You’d have come for me,” she said simply.

“Yeah, but I’m not eight months pregnant.”

“I was careful.”

She caught the matches he tossed to her and quickly lit some of the pine needles. They flared instantly and in only seconds a cheery fire was blazing before them. The light and the warmth were most welcome. For the first time since she realized Mitch was missing, Audra began to relax.

“Come sit here.” Mitch patted the dry dirt beside him.

She crossed over and sat, hip to hip. He opened the blanket and draped it over her shoulders, then unscrewed the thermos of coffee.

Suddenly exhausted, Audra leaned against him.

“I was so scared,” she said softly.

“I would have made it come morning. You knew I could have managed.”

She nodded, not believing it for a minute. People died from hypothermia. Looking out into the black night she shivered. The rain continued to fall. Even with the fire the air was cool. Mitch in just a wet shirt and jeans overnight would have had a tough time.

“Will you be able to walk back in the morning?” she asked after he’d finished the hot coffee.

“Depends. I’ll see how the ankle is. If not, at least I’m warm and dry. You might have to hike back and get help.”

The baby moved. When Audra instinctively placed her hand over her baby, Mitch’s hand covered hers to feel the movement of their child. For a split second Audra was content.

“You never said what you wanted, Mitch,” she said softly, “a girl or a boy?”

“A healthy baby will suit me perfectly. I’m more concerned about its parents—I think kids need both parents. I had my father, but no mother.”

“And I had no father after I was nine. At least in a divorce, mothers and fathers stay in contact with their children. You had the bad luck to have a mother who didn’t for some reason. But that doesn’t mean we can’t work something out—if you want to be a part of the baby’s life.”

“Of course I do. I—”

He fell silent.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

He withdrew his hand, and stared at the fire. “It’s safer all the way around to never take a chance. That way, there’s no heartache.”

“That might be safer, but don’t you think people would miss a lot?”

He shook his head, looking at her.

“Are you happy with the way things turned out? If you had it to do over, would you still marry me?”

“I wish desperately that things had been different for us, but yes I would not have chosen to skip it. What if we’d been one of the lucky ones? What if we could have celebrated fifty years together like the Carmichaels? That’s what I was hoping for.”

The familiar ache settled in her heart. She’d had such high expectations when they married. How had they lost their way?

She yawned.

“I’m tired, too. Can you sleep?”

Audra nodded. “Let me make another sweep of the cave for more wood. What we have now won’t last all night. And I expect it’ll be even colder before morning.”

In ten minutes she had scoured the cave for every bit of flammable material. Some they fed to the flame, the rest they stacked to the side to feed the fire during the night.

Urging her to lie down by the fire, Mitch lay down beside her on one of the blankets, with the second covering them for warmth. Audra soon dozed off.

She awoke in the night to find herself wrapped in Mitch’s embrace. He’d opened his jacket, and drawn her right in against his heart. She felt toasty warm and comfortable. If only the dirt floor was a bit more forgiving.

Snuggling closer, she drifted back to sleep.