“Check on Winnie,” she said and hurried into the great room. The cabin seemed intact, but when she peered toward the large window that overlooked the front of the place, she saw an orange-yellow glow through the slats in the blinds as though the sun had set in the yard. She yanked open the door, a blast of cold rushing in while flames engulfed the Jeep nearby in the still-falling snow.
Gun up, she moved out onto the porch. When she stepped into the snow blown up against the cabin, she glanced down and realized she had no shoes on. In spite of the biting cold battering her, she scanned the white terrain. Although night, it was light and eerie. The storm had died down some but still raged, as did the fire where the Jeep was.
From behind a hand clamped on her shoulder. She jerked around, her gun automatically coming up.
Colt’s eyes grew round, his hand falling back to his side.
“Don’t ever come up behind me like that, especially after something like this.” Using her weapon, she gestured toward the flames. “I could have shot you.”
With her toes freezing and the sensation spreading up her legs, she hotfooted it into the cabin and shut the door, locking it. “How’s Winnie?”
“I’m fine.”
Ellie glanced over Colt’s shoulder. Winnie hovered near the hallway, wrapped in a quilt. “You know what this means.”
She nodded. “Mary Ann didn’t send those threats.”
“Possibly. Or someone was working with her and maybe killed her to keep her quiet. It’s possible to make a murder look like suicide. That’s what the police wanted to determine when her body was discovered.”
“The Jeep couldn’t have exploded on its own?” Winnie came farther into the room.
“Not likely.”
Colt parted a few slats on the blinds and peeked outside. “The fire is dying down with all the snow falling, and the wind has, too. We need to call the sheriff.”
Ellie marched to the phone and picked it up. “No dial tone. This is definitely not an accident.”
“So we’re trapped in this cabin with no way to get help.” Colt strode into the kitchen and peered out the window. “I see nothing on this side.”
Ellie checked the other sides of the cabin, calling out from her bedroom, “Clear here.” For the time being.
“What do we do? Who is behind this?” Winnie’s voice quavered.
Ellie reentered the great room. “At the moment the who isn’t important. We need to come up with a plan. If he blew up the Jeep, he could try something with the cabin and we can’t guard all four sides 24/7. He might have destroyed the Jeep to get us out of the house.”
“How can we leave?” Winnie pulled the blanket closer to her.
“The snow is starting to let up,” Colt said. “Maybe I could make it down the mountain and get help. You could stay here with Winnie and guard her. I know these mountains and have the best chance of getting out of here.”
Ellie faced Colt. “How are you going to walk out of here? Over a foot of snow was dumped on us in the past twelve hours.”
“We have snowshoes I can use. Or I’ll get to the snowmobile in the shed and use that.”
“What if he’s out there waiting to shoot anyone who leaves?” This was a situation where she wished she were two people and could stay and protect but also go and get help.
He clasped her arms. “I’ve fought off pirates. I can do this. Besides, the visibility isn’t good because it’s still night and snowing.”
“Exactly. It won’t be good for you, either.” Thinking about what could happen to him knotted her stomach.
“But I know this area well. I doubt the person out there does. This is Winfield land. Not much else is up here. This isn’t debatable. I’m going. You’re staying.” A determined expression carved harsh lines into his face.
She nodded. She didn’t like the plan, but they didn’t have a choice.
Colt started for his bedroom.
Winnie stepped into his path. “Colt, don’t do this. I don’t like you being a target for this person. You’re my only family left.”
“I have to go. I’m taking Granddad’s handgun with me.” He looked back at Ellie. “I’m leaving his rifle in case you need it.”
“Fine. Bring it out here with ammunition. I’ll keep you covered for as long as I can.” The helplessness Ellie experienced festered inside her. Protection was her job, not his.
Winnie turned large eyes on Ellie as Colt disappeared down the hallway. “I’m glad Thomas taught Colt to shoot. At that time it was for him to protect himself if he came upon a bear or cougar in these mountains—not a person bent on killing me.”
“You won’t die as long as I have a breath in me.” Ellie’s hands curled into fists.
Nor Colt. I won’t let him die, either. He means too much to me. That realization stunned her for a moment, then because she had no choice, she shoved it into the background. She couldn’t risk her emotions getting in the way of whatever she had to do.
When he reemerged from the hallway, dressed in a heavy overcoat and wool beanie, carrying snowshoes, thick gloves, goggles and the rifle, he thrust the latter into Ellie’s hand then dug for a box of shells and laid them on a nearby table. “More ammunition is on top of my bureau.”
He put on his goggles, wrapped a scarf around his neck and lower face, donned his snowshoes and gloves, then eased the back door open. Cracking a window that overlooked the back of the cabin, she took up guard as Colt trudged his way toward the shed two hundred feet away.
Her nerves taut, she shouldered the rifle, poised to fire if she needed to. Ellie scoped the terrain for anything that moved. All was still. Not even the branches of the pine trees swayed from wind now.
“What’s happening? I don’t hear the snowmobile,” Winnie said behind Ellie.
“Nothing. He’s inside the shed.” But is he safe? What if the assailant was waiting for him? Ellie couldn’t leave Winnie. That might be what the person wanted. But what if Colt needed—
The side door to the shed opened, and Colt hurried back toward the house, his gaze scanning the area.
“What happened?” Ellie asked at the same time Winnie did when Colt reentered the cabin.
“The snowmobile won’t start. Someone disabled it.”
“Are you sure? Does it have gas?”
“There’s a hole in the tank. The gas leaked out all over the ground. The ski equipment and anything else we might use to leave here is gone. He’s cut us off.”
Trapped. She’d been trapped before and gotten out. She would this time, too, with both Colt and Winnie. “Okay. For the time being let’s fortify the cabin, find places to watch our surroundings while we figure out what we should do.”
“I still think I should try leaving here on foot,” Colt insisted.
“Maybe. What’s up in the loft?” Ellie pointed to a narrow staircase.
“Storage mostly, but it might be a better vantage place to watch the area from,” Colt said.
“I’m going to fix some coffee. We need to stay alert. I don’t think there’s going to be any more sleep tonight.”
“Thanks, Winnie. I could use a whole pot.” Colt kissed his grandmother on the check.
When she left, Ellie moved toward the stairs. “Keep an eye on her while I look at the loft.”
Colt stepped closer and whispered, “Ellie, I don’t think Winnie could make it out of here, so all three of us going is not an option. She might have power walked around the perimeter of the estate, but sloshing through the deep snow even with snowshoes is totally different. It’s exhausting after a few hundred yards. And snowshoeing can be treacherous going downhill over rough terrain, especially with her weak knees. Not to mention leaving her exposed for the person to shoot.”
“And you don’t think you’ll be.”
“What’s the alternative? Waiting until we’re missed? That could be days. No telling what would happen in that time.”
“I’ll be back down in a few minutes. Check the windows and doors to make sure they’re locked. Put some heavy furniture up against the two doors. Shutter the windows we won’t use for a lookout.”
“What are you two whispering about?” Poised in the entrance into the kitchen, Winnie planted her fists on her waist. “If you’re worried about me, let me inform you I’ll do what I have to. I won’t let this person win. Any planning and discussions need to include me. Understand?”
Ellie exchanged a glance with Colt before he pivoted and headed toward his grandmother, saying, “We were just discussing our options.”
Ellie clambered up the stairs. The whole loft was one large room with boxes and pieces of furniture stored along the walls. Two big windows overlooked the west and east part of the landscape. One person with little effort could keep an eye on over half the terrain. That could leave Winnie and Colt covering the north and south. That might work. But then as she started back down the stairs, questions and doubts began tumbling through her mind like a skier who lost her balance going down a mountain.
The scent of coffee lured her toward the kitchen. She poured a mug and joined Winnie in the great room before the dying fire. She gave the older woman a smile, hoping to cajole one from her.
But Winnie’s frown deepened. “I’ve been trying to figure out who would go to such lengths to get me. I honestly can’t imagine anything I’ve done to cause this kind of hatred. I feel so helpless.”
Ellie remembered that exact feeling a little while ago. It never sat well with her. “I’ve been thinking.”
Colt suddenly came from the hallway with his arms full of warm clothing, snowshoes and other items. “If we need to leave suddenly, I want this on hand. I’m separating it into piles for each of us.”
“I say we have two options. All of us leave and try to make it down the mountain. Or I go by myself and bring help back.” Ellie sat on the edge of the sofa, every sense attuned to her surroundings.
“Those aren’t two options in my opinion,” Colt said. “I’m going it alone. I can move fast. I should be able to get back with help by dark if I leave right away. The best place for me to try and get to is the estate. I think that’s the best—”
“No, Colt. You’re not going by yourself. I won’t have you get killed because of me. There is a third option. We stay here. That’s what I want.” Winnie pinched her lips together and pointedly looked at each one of them.
Colt surged to his feet. “Sorry. I love you, Winnie, but the longer we spread this out the more this person has a chance to accomplish what he wants to do. Kill you and in the process take us all out.”
“I agree with Colt about us all waiting, but I’d rather be the one going for help. I know how to avoid being a human target. I was trained in that.”
“Winnie is your client and first priority.”
“I know. That’s the dilemma I—”
Thump!
“What was that?” Ellie rose and started for the window by the front door. She motioned Colt to check the back area.
Again she heard the sound—like something striking the side of the cabin. Ellie parted the blinds to peer outside. Nothing unusual but the sight of the charred Jeep.
Thump!
“That’s coming from the north side.” Colt rushed down the hallway.
Ellie helped Winnie to her feet and followed him. “Do you see anything?”
He whirled from the window. “We’ve got to get out of here. He’s firing flaming arrows at the cabin.”
Ellie stared out at the evergreen forest, which afforded a lot of cover along the north area of the property. Another arrow rocketed toward the cabin, landing on the roof. “He’s burning us out. Either we leave or die in a fire.”
Colt ushered them out of the room. “Let’s go. If we can get away, I think I know a place you two can hide. It’s defensible, only one way in. We need to dress as warm as possible.”
“He’s on the north side. We’ll use the window facing south to get out of here. He can’t watch all four sides at once.”
Winnie halted before her pile of garments. “Unless there is more than one.”
“We have to take our chances and pray the Lord protects us.” Ellie quickly dressed, then stuffed useful items into a backpack—flashlights, a blanket, matches, weapons, some bottled water and food.
“He’ll be able to track us, but the cave system isn’t too far away and it’s beginning to snow again. I hope the conditions worsen after we get to the cave. The way I have to go is down. I can do that even in less-than-favorable visibility.” Colt prepared his backpack then slung it over one shoulder.
The noise of the arrows hitting the cabin increased. The scent of smoke drifted to Ellie as they hurried into the laundry room. A three-by-three window four feet off the floor beckoned her. She pulled a chair to it and opened their escape route. A blast of cold air and snow invaded the warmth of the small room.
Ellie stuck her head out the opening. It was at least six feet to the ground. “I’ll go first, then you, Winnie. Colt can help lower you to me.”
After tossing her backpack out the hole, Ellie leaped up and shimmied through the small space, diving headfirst and tucking into a ball. The snow cushioned her tumble to the ground. She bounced up and positioned herself to guide Winnie, breaking her fall. While Colt wiggled through the opening and followed Ellie’s example, she and Winnie put on their snowshoes. Colt donned his as fast as he could.
The thumping sound thundered through the air.
Winnie started to say something. Ellie put her finger up to her mouth. Colt’s grandmother nodded that she understood.
Colt pointed in the direction he would take, then set out in a slow pace with Winnie mirroring his steps, then Ellie. The less snow they disturbed the faster the falling flakes would cover their tracks.
When Colt reached the edge of the forest that surrounded the cabin, Ellie paused and glanced back. The stench of smoke hung in the air, but she couldn’t see any wisps of it coming from the cabin because of the heavy snowfall. Even the indentations they’d made were filling in, though still evident.
Then the sound of the arrows striking the cabin stopped. Ellie searched the white landscape but saw no sign of the assailant. She turned forward and hurried as fast as she could to catch up with Colt and Winnie.
Fifteen minutes later, the wind began whipping through the trees, bringing biting cold to penetrate their layers of clothing. Even with so little skin exposed to the chill, Ellie shivered and gritted her teeth to keep them from chattering.
A cracking noise reverberated through the forest, followed by a crash to their left. Ellie looked up at the snow- and ice-burdened limbs on the pines and realized the danger of being beneath the heavy-laden branches. Winnie barely picked up each foot as she moved forward. Her pace slowed even more.
When Winnie stumbled and fell, Ellie whispered, “Colt,” and rushed toward the woman.
The wind whisked his name away. He kept trudging forward.
“Colt,” she said a little louder as she bent over to help Winnie to her feet, one snowshoe coming off.
He glanced back, saw his grandmother down and retraced his steps as quickly as he could. He assisted Winnie to her feet while Ellie knelt and tied the snowshoe back on Winnie’s foot. Snow-covered, the older woman shook.
Another crack, like a gun going off, resonated in the air. A pine branch snapped above them and plunged toward them. Ellie dove into both Colt and Winnie, sending them flying to the side. The limb struck the ground a foot away from them.
Dazed, Winnie lay in the snow, then pain flashed across her face.
“What’s wrong, Winnie?” Ellie asked, pushing up onto her hands an
d knees next to the woman.
“I think I did something to my ankle,” she murmured, her voice barely audible over the howl of the wind through the trees.
Colt knelt next to Winnie. “I’ll carry you the rest of the way. The cave isn’t far.”
“I’m so sorry, Winnie.” Ellie peered at the large branch on the ground.
“Don’t you apologize. I could have been hurt a lot worse if that had fallen on me.”
While Colt scooped up his grandmother, Ellie used her knife to cut a small branch off the big one. She used the pine to smooth out the snow behind them as much as possible and hide their tracks.
Ten minutes later, Colt mounted a rocky surface, went around a large boulder and stooped to enter a cave. Ellie stayed back to clear away their steps as much as possible, then went inside the dark cavern, reaching for her flashlight to illuminate the area. A damp, musky odor prevailed.
Colt set his grandmother on the floor, took a blanket out of his backpack and spread it out, then moved Winnie to it. Kneeling, he removed the boot from the injured foot and examined it. “The ankle’s starting to swell. I don’t think it’s broken. But a doctor will have to look at it when we get home. The faster I leave, the faster you’ll get the medical care you need.”
Ellie slung her backpack to the ground near Winnie and sat on it. “We’ll be fine. I’ll make Winnie comfortable then stand guard near the entrance.”
“I should be back before dark. If I can get to the house, I can get help. It’s a little out of the way, but I think it would save time in the long run. I know I can find help there.” Colt started to stand.
Winnie grabbed his arm. “I love you. Don’t you dare take any more risks than you absolutely have to. If you have to take your time to be safe, then you’ve got to do that.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He kissed her forehead. “I have a good reason to make it safely down the mountain.”
Ellie rose and walked with him a few feet. “Ditto what your grandmother said. I have food and water. We have a couple of blankets. We’ll be fine.” She tied his scarf, which had come loose, back around his neck. Suddenly emotions jammed her throat. She knew the dangers in store for Colt. Not just the rough terrain in a snowstorm but a maniac bent on killing them.
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