However, the panic that he felt in that moment, when he recognized the ring and realized the state of mind that Samantha must have been in as she left the cabin, was nothing compared to the cold terror that washed over him when he dialed her cell phone and heard it start to ring from across the room.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Thirty minutes later, Luke was pounding at the back door of Justin and Amanda's house. Justin knew, from the several lunches that the guys had partaken of here over the past couple of weeks, that the walk from the cabins to Justin and Amanda's home on the far edge of the property was fifteen minutes at worst, even in the snow. However, the extreme wind and weather conditions on that morning doubled that hiking time.
By the time an astonished Justin answered the door, Luke's panic had reached a fever pitch. He pushed past Justin into the kitchen, calling for Samantha.
Justin shut the kitchen door with an effort and then put a hand on Luke's arm to focus him, saying, “Luke, Sam's not here. I mean...she's with you? Right?”
The commotion brought Amanda rushing into the kitchen, followed by Karina and Ryan, and then Lauren.
“Where's Sam?” Karina asked in a voice that edged on hysteria, “Why isn't she with you? Why are you calling for her?”
“I woke up this morning and she was gone,” Luke informed them grimly, “She left her engagement ring and her cell phone, so I have no idea where she is. I thought she must have come here, honestly, because it's the only place within walking distance, and there's obviously no chance of driving anywhere.”
“Why did she leave?” Amanda asked incredulously.
Luke shook his head, “I have no idea.”
Lauren looked skeptical, “She didn't leave a note? No clue as to why she was leaving, or where she might have gone?”
Luke shook his head again.
Ryan jumped in, “Maybe she sent you a text, did you check your phone?”
Luke pulled his cell out of his back pocket, “God, I didn't even think about that. Good idea.”
He scrolled through the options, accessing his text messages. His forehead wrinkled in consternation.
“This is odd,” he said, “There is one text I haven't seen, although it's not from Samantha, it's from her manager, Stephan, asking if I have any news about her. But it's not marked as new. Someone read it this morning on my phone. It must have been Sam.”
“Any 'news' about her?” Lauren asked hotly, “Are you spying on her? Is that why you're here? Did that slimeball send you here to befriend her and then spy on her?”
Luke was shocked, “What? No! If anything, just the opposite!”
“What do you mean?” asked Amanda.
“I mean that I'm not in some sort of conspiracy with Stephan. I don't even like that guy. The only reason I made it a point to get on friendly terms with him in the first place is because I wanted to use him to be closer to Samantha, not the other way around!”
“That makes sense,” conceded Karina, “But you know if Sam saw that, her mind probably went to the same place as Lauren's. I'm sure that's why she left. She probably was just in such a state that she forgot her cell phone. But that brings us to the next point – how are we going to find her?”
Luke moved to the closet where he had seen Justin stow his foul weather gear when he'd been in the kitchen before.
“I know what I'm going to do,” Luke said with grim determination, “I'm going to suit up in Justin's gear, and I'm going to get out there and find her.”
Ryan said, “Luke, you know, no one's supposed to be out in this. They've been playing warnings on the emergency broadcast system all night, that's why none of us left here yesterday. They were saying it wasn't safe to be on the roads. No one's supposed to leave their homes.”
Luke proceeded with his preparations as he said, “Well, be that as it may, I'm going out there to find her.”
Justin shook his head, “Luke, it's really noble of you to want to head out into the storm on your own. But, honestly, it's a miracle you even made it down here in one piece. You need to wait for the rescue team to go and search for Sam, after the worst of the storm clears up. The chances that you would find her, just one man on your own, with no equipment? Very slim. In fact, the chances that you would even survive the attempt are pretty slim.”
“SHUT UP!”
Everyone in the room turned shocked faces to look at the source of this outraged cry, which was the normally cool and composed Lauren.
Justin, taken aback, began to explain himself, “Lauren, I understand how you feel, but you need to realize...”
Lauren further surprised the gathering by flying across the room, rushing at Justin and pounding her fists hard into his arm and chest, yelling through her tears, “I do not have to realize anything! How dare you tell him to just sit in this room and wait for Sam to die! This is SAM we're talking about...our Sammi!
“Do you think that if I had the skills that he has, the skills necessary to navigate the snow and mountains, that I'd be sitting on my ass in here, just waiting for someone else to come and rescue her? If so, then you DON'T understand how I feel. Because how I FEEL is that we need to do everything in our fucking power to save her!”
Justin nodded and said quietly, “I know, Lauren. I know.”
Lauren's tone became uncharacteristically cutting and sarcastic, “Oh, really? So then, why, when Luke is willing to go, did you tell him not to? Because it's not safe? Seriously? Do you, even for one second, think that his life means ANYTHING to me when stacked up next to Sam's?”
Then, her anger seemingly somewhat spent as her rant died down, Lauren turned to Luke, wiping her eyes, and mumbled, “No offense. Nothing personal.”
Luke, who had never stopped strapping on gear throughout either Justin's or Lauren's speeches, and who looked equally unphased by both of them, said, “Of course not, don't worry about it. I feel exactly the same way. And honestly, Justin, there's nothing you could have said anyway to keep me from heading back out there to look for my girl, short of pulling a gun on me. Even then, I'd probably just tell you to shoot me.”
Amanda approached Lauren slowly, with trepidation, uncertainty in her eyes as she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She said, “Sweetie, I wish I knew what to say to you right now...but I'm at a bit of a loss...”
Lauren looked up, turning her gaze on each face in turn.
“What do you mean? Why are you all looking at me like I have two heads?” she sniffled.
Karina barked out a short chortle, bitter and tense, “Because we've never seen you so much as raise your voice before, let alone completely lose your shit. You're the glue that holds us together. The ice pack that keeps our heads cool, so to speak. I...think we're just kind of...scared?”
The rest nodded in agreement.
Lauren's tears flowed again, but when she spoke, there was no malice left in her voice, “That's not because I'm so level-headed or 'cool, calm, and collected' or whatever it is you guys think of me. It's just because I understand perspective. I understand consequences, and stakes.
“Most situations, what's the most you can lose, even if the worst case scenario plays out? Money? Dignity? Peace of mind? Maybe your heart gets broken? Maybe you go to jail, even? Who gives a shit? All of those things can be overcome. Those aren't real stakes.
“This is different. This is Sammi, this is her LIFE,” Lauren's voice became choked with emotion, “We could lose her, do you get that? We could literally never see her again. That's a real consequence, those are real stakes.
“So it's not that I just, as a person, don't get freaked about anything. Far from it. It's just that this is the first thing that's happened that was worth freaking out about.”
As Lauren finished speaking, she buried her face in her hands and began to quietly sob.
Luke walked over to her and put one strong arm around her shoulder, then leaned down and spoke to her intensely, his voice thick with conviction, “I do get it, Lauren. I swear to you. I get
it 100%. I want you to know that.
“I wish I could promise you that I was going to find her, and that I would walk back through that door with her. I can't. But I will promise you this, and I'm committing it to you, totally and completely. If I don't come back here with Samantha, alive...then I won't be coming back here.
“I am going to bring her back, or I'm going to die trying.”
--- ~ ---
Luke trudged through the snow and unforgiving wind, calling for Samantha, the only thing keeping him from giving in to despair being an iron will to never give up and never give in, not until he found her. And if he wasn't able to find her, then not until he dropped from exhaustion and exposure. Giving up was never going to be an option.
However, two hours into his search, he was beginning to have doubts. What if she hadn't headed toward Amanda's house? What if she had taken off on the slightly longer trek to their offices instead?
He paused for a moment to consider his options. He had been over the trail between the cabin and Amanda's four times now, so that was a point in favor of going to check the trail to the offices. But, on the other hand, it really didn't make sense that she would flee his presence by taking shelter in the office space that they shared, did it? Especially since it was a space that he also had a key to. No, it made no sense at all.
Besides, even though he knew that Samantha was unique among women in many ways, he had to believe that any woman, believing themselves to be betrayed as badly as Samantha had thought, would definitely seek the comfort of their girlfriends' company over the cold solitude of a closed-up office.
He shook his head, deciding that it wasn't worth the risk of taking off down the less likely trail. Not yet. Not until he had searched the main trail at least once more.
It did occur to him, though, that if she had been waylaid on the way to Amanda's, it was likely because of a slip or fall from the path. So, this time, he would laser-focus his search on the most slippery edges, the most likely places she might have met with a mishap, and then search the ground below.
He turned and, with renewed vigor, set back off toward Amanda and Justin's home. About 300 yards into his trek, he saw something that made him widen his eyes and trudge over to it as quickly as he could. A broken branch.
God! He didn't know how he hadn't seen it before! He must have just never laid eyes on it at the right angle to realize that it was broken off. But now, examining the end closely, he could see by the fresh, unmarred wood interior showing at the end of the branch that it had certainly been broken off recently, most likely that very day.
“Samantha!” he screamed frantically as he began to scramble down the mountainside as quickly as was safe. It took every bit of will he possessed to keep himself focused on the ground in front of him, taking steps only after testing them, rather than scanning the landscape for any sight of her as he rushed ahead pell-mell. He knew that was a certain recipe for a broken neck in these conditions, still...the urge inside him was strong. It took everything he had to control it.
Suddenly, he stopped, standing straight up at attention, cocking his head. Was he imagining things? Did he want to hear her voice so badly that he had hallucinated it on the wind?
He pulled his North Face ear gear band and beanie back from his ear so that he could hear more clearly. Even after having been out in these wretched conditions for two hours, the wind hitting the newly exposed flesh of his ear was shockingly cold.
The pain was worth it, however, because there it came again, no mistaking it this time. It was Samantha's voice, calling to him, “Luke! Over here!”
The wind and the mountains made tracking the direction of the noise difficult, but he turned his gaze to where he thought it came from. He forced his breathing to slow and his mind to focus. Rather than giving in to the urge to desperately scan all that was within his view, he forced himself to go achingly slowly, examining each inch of the landscape for the tiniest thing that might be out of place.
There! He saw it, and almost collapsed from sheer relief. It was her bright red glove, and she had stuck it onto the end of a tree branch. From this angle, he could only see a corner of one finger, but he recognized the shade and shape.
“Samantha! Baby, I'm coming!” he called, summoning reserves of strength and vocal chords that he hadn't been sure he even still possessed.
He powered down the hillside, through wind and snowdrifts, until he finally reached the tree with Samantha's glove on its branch. He eagerly rounded it, and a cry of relief tore from his throat when he saw her there, smiling up at him, leaning up against a rock.
The emotion he felt at seeing her there safe and sound was so great that it brought him to his knees. He pulled her to him, holding her tight, murmuring, “Baby, I found you. Everything's OK now. It's all OK.”
When he was finally able to let her go and draw back, it occurred to him that he should examine her. “Are you hurt?” he asked anxiously, his eyes and hands running over her extremities.
“Twisted ankle and busted shoulder,” she said with regret, “I'm so pissed at myself for slipping. And for leaving in the first place, actually. But I guess now you can tell Stephan definitively that there's no way I'm coming back any time soon.”
Luke looked into her eyes, “Samantha, you have to believe me – I was in no way involved with your slimy manager.”
Samantha smiled, shrugging through tears, “Yeah, I kind of realized as I was sitting down here facing the very real possibility of, you know..death...that it wouldn't be that big of a deal even if you were. The point is that I love you, and I believe you love me, and I was really scared that I'd never get to tell you that again.”
Luke leaned down and kissed her hard on the mouth.
“I wasn't going to let that happen,” he said firmly.
She touched his face, “I can't believe you really risked your life for me by coming out here to search. I've been sitting here, listening to you call for me, trying to call back. I think because of the wind and the angle of the mountainside, my voice was being carried away. I kept thinking to myself, surely he's going to have to go in soon. Surely he'll have to call it a day. It's too cold and horrible out. He can't stay out here much longer. But you did!”
Luke framed her face in his hands tenderly, looking into her eyes.
“Oh, Samantha,” he said softly, “Don't you know that I'd rather die looking for you than live with the knowledge that you were out here alone?”
They kissed again, desperately, and then Luke picked Samantha up, slinging her over his shoulder.
“I know it's not sexy or romantic,” he said regretfully, “It's certainly not the way I'll carry you over the threshold. But for now, I think the fireman's carry is the safest way to transport you.”
Sam patted him with her good hand, “I think it's the most romantic thing I can imagine anyone doing for me, actually.”
Luke trudged up the hillside slowly, making absolutely sure that his grip and step were 100% sure at every juncture. It was a tedious, torturous process, but Luke knew that to cut corners could mean a fall. Tumbling down the hillside at this point could mean either one or both of them being maimed, even killed, and he certainly wasn't taking that chance, no matter how much his spirit wanted to sprint rather than pick his way along.
When they finally climbed back onto the trail, Luke set Samantha back on her feet.
“It's only for a moment,” he assured her, “But now that we're on the trail, I should have cell service again, and I need to call Justin and Amanda and everybody. They're beside themselves with worry.”
He pulled out his cell phone and put it on speaker, dialing Amanda's number.
“Hello?! Luke?! Did you find her?!” Came Amanda's panicked voice. Even with the noise of the wind, Luke could tell she had the phone on speaker at her end as well.
“Hey, guys,” Samantha said, emotion thickening her voice, “Sorry I scared you!”
“Oh, God! Oh my God! Thank you! Sam, you're safe!” cried Ama
nda, breaking down into grateful weeping. In the background, they could hear the others crying and exclaiming in relief and gratitude, as well.
“Luke, Sam? Where are you?” came Lauren's brisk, authoritative voice.
“On the trail, about a quarter of the way to Amanda's,” Luke replied.
“OK,” they heard her say to the rest of the group, “They're about twenty minutes away. We need to pull ourselves together. Fill the tubs with warm water. Get some towels together, we're going to need to wrap them in hot compresses, any parts of their bodies that won't fit in the water. Also, make hot tea and cocoa for them to drink in the tub. We don't want them developing frostbite.”
To Luke and Sam, she said, “OK, we're prepping for your arrival. Go slow, be careful. We'll see you soon.”
“See you soon, Lauren,” Sam said with affection, “Love you!”
When they had ended the call, Sam said, “Man, that Lauren...she has such a cool head under pressure. I don't think I've ever seen her crack. I envy that about her.”
Luke smiled. Now was not the time, but one day soon he would tell her the story of when he had seen Lauren crack in a big way, and that her Achilles heel had been her love and worry for Samantha.
Sam smiled back at him asked, “What's that grin for?”
“Oh, nothing,” he teased, “Just that all the times I've pictured getting you naked in a bathtub, the circumstances were certainly nothing like this.”
She winked, “This won't be your last opportunity.”
He laughed and kissed her.
“God, what would I have done without you?” he said thickly.
“You'll never have to find out the answer to that question,” she assured him lovingly.
He smiled.
“OK, now that we're back on solid ground, I can carry you normally. No more being slung over my shoulder,” he said and scooped her up, setting off down the trail.
“Talk about sweeping me off my feet,” she cracked.
He laughed. God, she was so funny!
Samantha buried her face in his neck and Luke smiled.
Sweet Victory Page 26