Cord came from the opposite side of the tree and interrupted her pacing. “Go lie down and rest. I’ll stay out here,” he ordered. The cold, wet air should effectively kill the last of his desire for her, he thought.
After a long, deep sigh she told him, “I’m fine now. Let’s just get some rest so we can start early.” Stacey ducked under the tarp covered branches and slipped off her jacket. She hung it from a branch to drip and pulled off her boots before sliding into her blankets. When Cord didn’t follow after several minutes, she called, “McConnell, if you stay out there I’m coming back out, too.” He must be cold. Even though it wasn’t cold enough to freeze, the temperature had to be in the mid-thirties. “Cord, please,” Stacey tried again. “I really don’t want to come back out in the rain when these blankets are so warm.”
“Stubborn woman. Why can’t you leave well enough alone?” Cord crawled in, shed his soaking sweatshirt, and brushed the water from his hair with his hands.
“It drives my mom and dad nuts, too. Mom says I have a ‘fix it’ complex.” Warmer, she listened as he slid into his bedroll. “Dad just says I’m a brat.”
“Tell me about them. They must be very patient people.” Maybe she would get sleepy from talking and then leave him alone for a while. He didn’t admit he liked hearing the sound of her voice and was glad she was over being mad at him.
“My mom and dad? They’re great. Mom is Lucy to her friends and she has bunches of them. She has short, curly, auburn hair and energy to burn. Dad teases her that she’s so slim because she doesn’t slow down long enough for the fat to catch up. Her eyes are blue-gray and can see deep inside you. I could never get away with anything with her.” Stacey yawned and snuggled deeper into her blankets. “Dad is Sam, short for Samuel Isaiah Parker. He’s quieter and less outgoing. He won a silver medal in cross-country skiing when he was nineteen. Except for hurting his knee, he would have won the gold. Mom says he has Scandinavian ancestors and he looks it. Blond haired, blue eyed, and almost as big as you. They own a lodge on Saddleback Mountain and business is pretty good. They bought it from an old couple who wanted to retire in Florida. At first it was just a ski lodge, but now it’s open year-round. People are really getting into hiking and white-water rafting. They’re almost as busy in the summer as in the winter. After Sammy died, they talked about selling, but they finally decided nowhere else would be any better. Mom says she feels close to Sammy there, anyway.” She was quiet for a few minutes thinking of her family. Then she asked, “What about your family?”
“All dead as far as I know.” Cord didn’t elaborate, hoping she’d go to sleep.
“When?” Stacey was curious about him.
“I was a kid. I grew up in foster homes until I was old enough to join up.” He really didn’t like to talk about himself. “It must have been rough.”
Not wanting her to feel sorry for him, Cord replied, “I did okay. I lived with some decent foster families.” And some were pretty rough, he didn’t add. That part of his life was over. He never thought about it anymore.
“So, how old are you?” Stacey would guess mid-forties from the lines in his face and his manner.
“Nosey, aren’t you? Thirty-eight, but at times I feel older.” He didn’t say she made him feel that way. “You’re what? Twenty-one, twenty-two?”
“Twenty-five, and don’t you dare say I don’t look it or I will smack you,” she threatened, sleepily.
“Stacey, the crack I made earlier—about the search team—I was out of line.” Cord didn’t want her to go to sleep without telling her that and he realized he didn’t want her to hate him. Now, maybe, they both could sleep.
“Yes, you were. Don’t let it happen again.” She said it matter-of-factly then went on, “It sounds like the rain stopped. What will you do when we catch up to them?”
“Whatever I have to do.” Cord didn’t want to cover what might happen and he especially didn’t want to tell her once they were close, she would stay behind.
“You must be very good at what you do,” she yawned.
“I usually get the job done,” he agreed.
“How did you get your scars?” Stacey thought instead of detracting from his appeal, they actually added to it. They made him interesting and dangerous.
Cord never expected her to come up with that. Women usually shied away from the topic and kids were often afraid of him at first. He got used to it over the years. “The one on my cheek was from a knife fight and the other I got in an explosion. Do they bother you?”
“Only if I think of how much pain they must have caused you. I think they give your face character.” Her voice was very drowsy and she turned onto her side.
“Well, that’s a new one,” Cord chuckled softly. “Ugly, fierce, even mean, I’ve heard. But not character.” She always surprised him. Even the kisses she returned wholeheartedly stunned him. They almost ripped the heart from his chest they were so sweet and giving. This was a woman who could make a man do crazy things and he would need to watch his step. She had already softened him up again and wriggled her way in.
As if she heard what he was thinking, Stacey suddenly whispered, “Cord, I liked it when you kissed me. Wake me up when it’s time to go.” Her even breathing told him she was at last asleep.
“I liked it too, Stacey,” he whispered back, knowing she wouldn’t hear him.
* * * * *
The birds were chirping when Cord woke Stacey and shoved a cup of coffee into her hands. He tossed her a power bar then began rolling up his blankets.
“Don’t you want some coffee?” she asked, tearing into the instant food bar. Already dressed in his damp sweatshirt and boots, he seemed to be in a hurry, once again.
“I’ve already had mine. Sit over there and I’ll pack up your bedroll. I trust you don’t mind that I got the coffee out of your pack? I thought you could use the extra sleep.” Cord rolled up her blankets almost before she moved.
“No, I don’t mind. Thanks for fixing it.” Stacey sipped the hot liquid while watching him gather and pack their things. “We need to leave as soon as you can see the trail,” Cord reminded her.
“I know. We’ll have to see how much damage the rain has done,” she warned. “It will be harder to stay on their trail at first. When we catch up to where they waited out the rain, it will get easier.”
“Are they still headed in the direction of the pass?”
“Yes. Lolo Pass is in this general direction,” Stacey answered as she took another bite of the power bar. “I still don’t know why they would come this way.”
“Beats me. Maybe they’re just certain that north is toward Canada and farther away from Denver. Or maybe they do have some plan in mind.” Cord took down the tarp and shook the water off. “Once we have the boys, what will be the safest route for us to take?”
“It depends on where we are when that happens, but all we have to do is find a clearing and send up a signal at regular intervals. The chopper will eventually come in and pick us up won’t it?”
“Let’s hope it’s that simple,” he agreed. He didn’t want to tell her he might have to dispose of three men to make it that easy.
Stacey finished her food and coffee, rinsed her cup and her teeth then packed everything Cord had not reached yet. She took out her pick and tried to straighten the tangled mess of her hair. The damp weather made it curl even more and she longed for a good shampoo and a cut. Giving up, she tugged it back and pulled it into a ponytail.
Their breath turned into a visible mist in the cold morning air as the sky began to lighten. Stacey was sure it snowed in the higher elevations, possibly near the crashed plane where they began their trip. Streams and creeks already filled with run-off from the melted snow and ice would be running higher and faster due to last night’s rain. They needed to cross a few of them today. She prayed that the boys they were after wouldn’t get swept away as the criminals were forced to find a way across.
Motioning to Cord as the first rays of the s
un filtered weakly through the trees, she moved toward where they left the trail the previous night. Even after the rain, Stacey was able to pick up the trail signs and hike steadily forward. Water dripped onto their heads and shoulders from branches and lower vegetation soaked their boots and pants as they followed the trail.
Cord insisted they take only short, necessary breaks for water and rest. It was Monday and the boys had been in the wilderness for the fourth night without proper gear and with little or no food. He knew the men holding them captive would have no qualms about saving whatever meager supplies they scrounged from the plane for themselves.
It was increasingly difficult to make it through the night with Stacey sleeping only an arm’s length away. Cord got up before her this morning because of a dream that almost made him crawl into her bedroll. Walking in the cold, wearing his wet sweatshirt were the only things saving her from him. After their kisses, he knew he could easily get past her resistance and it was even harder to hold back. But, he knew he couldn’t survive being with Stacey then carry on as he had before. She would change things forever and he needed to keep his hands off. A pity they couldn’t just enjoy each other then get back to their normal lives, Cord thought, as he watched her enticing figure move ahead of him through the trees.
CHAPTER 6
As Stacey predicted, the stream they came to ran fast and wide. They could definitely add wet feet to their other problems. The water would rush in over the tops of their boots while wading across. She was shocked when Cord picked her up, pack and all, and began carrying her to the other side.
“What are you doing?” she squealed. “Put me down, right now!” Stacey struggled and he almost dropped her in the middle of the stream.
“Stop it and be still,” Cord snapped back. “No use both of us getting our feet soaked.” He continued to wade across the eight-foot wide, icy water that almost reached his knees in spots. As he let her slide to the ground on the opposite bank, she punched him hard in the stomach.
“Don’t you ever pull your caveman tactics on me again! I won’t be treated like a—like a—damsel in distress or whatever,” she raged. He made her so mad she sputtered. Her hands firmly planted on her hips, her bright blue eyes shot sparks at him.
Rubbing his stomach where the little minx hit him, Cord couldn’t hold back a smile. She was a sight, all indignant and angry, standing up to someone who could break her in half without trying hard. “At the risk of sounding corny, I have to say you’re beautiful when you’re angry.”
Stacey actually growled through gritted teeth and stomped off looking for the trail. “A big stick. A really, really big stick is what I need,” Stacey muttered to herself. “That would make an impression on that rock hard head of his.” Not looking to see if he followed, she continued along the signs left by the group ahead of them. Clouds occasionally blocked the weak sunlight and a stiff, chilly breeze kept the temperature colder than the previous days, but she didn’t feel it.
Just before noon, still angry and moving fast, Stacey located the spot where the criminals and the boys spent the night. They stayed under the shelter of a thick fir tree and pine needles were disturbed as if they had been used for cover. Sneaker prints were faint, but visible near the deepest pile. The boys evidently knew to snuggle together under the pine needles to stay warm and relatively dry.
“Looks like we’re about five and a half or six hours behind them,” Stacey reported to Cord.
Pleased to hear they were catching up, he said, “Let’s break now for a quick lunch and then we’ll push on. I want to get closer to them before dark.” He glanced at her to see if she was still mad.
Stacey took off her pack, unhooked her canteen, and searched out a bag of trail mix without saying anything. She found a fairly dry spot and sat down to eat her lunch.
Cord located a power bar and his own canteen, before crouching down across from her. “I’m not going to apologize for keeping your feet dry,” he finally told her.
“Nobody asked you to.” She snapped as she tossed a handful of raisins, nuts, and seeds into her mouth.
“What do you want then?” He was running out of patience.
“I want to be treated like everybody else. No special favors. No allowances for being a woman. I pull my own weight. Just fair, equal treatment.”
“But you are a woman. Plus you are very important to the job I need to do.” Cord spoke slowly and with feeling. “If I can spare you even a small amount of discomfort it might help you concentrate or perform just a little bit better. Sometimes a small edge can make the difference between success and failure. I don’t intend to fail.”
After a deep sigh, she asked, “Could you at least warn me next time?” Stacey forgot he was probably used to making split-second decisions and acting on them. As she began to view his actions in a calmer frame of mind, she realized it never occurred to him she might get upset. Cord simply did what he could to help. That inescapable, macho, all male thing again.
Smiling wryly at herself, she decided she couldn’t get mad at a rabbit for hopping or a leopard for having spots. Being mad at McConnell for doing what came as naturally as breathing would be just as useless.
“I’ll try to remember,” he told her, glad she was over the worst of her anger. “You may have to remind me if we get in a tight spot, though. I tend to act first and think later. Want a candy bar?”
“Yes, please.” She smiled at him as he tossed it to her. “And if we get in a tight spot, just do whatever you have to and we’ll make up later if I get mad.”
“Deal. Do you think we can catch them before dark?” Cord tried hard not to think about the making up part.
“We might not catch them, but we should get close. It depends on how fast they keep traveling. The guy with the injured leg and carrying the weight of their packs is slowing them down some. The terrain and their lack of proper supplies are also to our advantage. And it looks like the boys are either hanging back on purpose or they’re getting tired. Would you rather overtake them in the dark or during daylight?” Looking at him, she finished off her chocolate.
Cord grinned and replied, “I do some of my best work in the dark.”
Stacey licked at some melted chocolate on one of her fingers and murmured, “I bet you do.” She remembered the expert way he kissed her. Their eyes met and she saw instant heat change his dark brown eyes to molten chocolate. It surprised her to learn he still wanted her.
He almost groaned and jerked his gaze from her wide blue stare. Standing quickly, he reached for his pack. “We need to go. I want to know as soon as we get within a mile of them.”
When she didn’t respond while pulling on her own pack, he moved nearer and caught her arm. “Stacey, you do understand, don’t you?” Cord insisted.
“Yes. You want to know when we are within a mile of them.” She repeated what he said, but sounded preoccupied and distant.
The desire he felt must frighten her, he told himself. Cord knew she saw it in his eyes before he could control it. Not that he did such a great job controlling it. Wanting her hit him fast at unexpected moments. Like when she raged at him by the stream and just now when she licked her finger. Stacey was definitely too young and naïve to understand the need he felt for her, in spite of her gutsy attitude. Still more reasons to back off and leave her alone.
Leading the way along the trail left by the three men and the two teens, Stacey set a quick, steady pace. Before long, they came to a larger creek flowing down the mountain to eventually empty into the Lochsa River system. It ran faster and deeper than the last one. The men ahead of them hiked uphill and stayed near the bank looking for a safer place to cross, according to their tracks.
“Do we follow the trail or cross and hope to pick it up on the other side?” Stacey asked Cord.
“Stick to their trail. We don’t want to take a chance on losing it.”
“Okay. This way,” Stacey pointed up the bank. She followed the footprints and Cord followed her. After almost an
hour of twisting and climbing, she stopped to indicate where the others crossed. By using boulders as huge stepping stones part of the way and then a fallen log near the other bank it would have been possible for them to keep everything above their knees dry.
“Makes sense. They would want to keep their weapons and the bonds dry.” Cord jumped to the first large rock and looked back. “Do you need help? I’ll take your pack if it will make it easier.”
“I can manage thanks.” Waiting until he jumped to the next boulder, she leaped gracefully to the one he left. At least he asked this time. She followed him from rock to rock until they reached a shallow pool between widely spaced stones. They were forced to wade for several feet and the cold water flooded into their boots. Stacey almost wished she had let him carry her. She hated wet boots.
Cord walked the fallen log and jumped to a flat stone at the edge of the opposite bank. He waited for Stacey to catch up to avoid stepping on any signs she needed to see. The stone was small enough that they touched as she joined him and leaned to study the muddy ground at the edge of the creek. When she almost lost her balance, Cord reached out and caught her waist to steady her.
As if burned, Stacey leaped quickly to the bank.
He stood and watched as she knelt to study the impressions further up the bank. Finally, he bent down to fill his canteen, put in a purifier tablet then jumped to the bank. “Does your canteen need filling?” he called to her.
“Yeah, thanks.” Stacey tossed it to him and studied the tracks while he took care of it. When he carried it to her, she pointed at deep tracks in the soft dirt of the creek bank. “The man with the limp isn’t carrying anything now. He’s having more trouble walking and he’s lagging behind. See, right here.” She pointed to a specific set of prints. “He’s dragging his foot and he’s taking smaller steps. The boys are carrying loads. They’re still taking good strides, their prints are deep, and aren’t smudged at the edges.”
Surviving With Love Page 5