“That’s a good idea. Jared or Ben can scout around for a water source after I leave.”
“Leave?” She pressed a hand to her chest.
Ben rose up from where he squatted near an open suitcase and turned. “You’re thinking of hiking out to find help?”
“Someone needs to, and I’m the logical choice since I’m not injured. I assume your priority is to stick close to Walton.”
The man’s eyes darkened. “Jared and I aren’t leaving him alone for a minute. Not when there’s even a remote possibility someone sabotaged the plane. If that’s the case, whoever did it could show up to make sure the crash killed him.”
Devin rubbed her arms and shivered. “Why does anyone need to go? Surely search parties will spot the plane and be here soon to rescue us?”
“They will in time, but there’s a lot of rough terrain to cover.” Sawyer’s eyes were sober. “If I can hike out to a road or even to a spot with cell service, I can possibly get help back here sooner. Every hour might make a difference to Gary. He’s in pretty rough shape.”
Ben nodded. “Agreed. Your plan makes sense.”
“You aren’t going alone!” Devin tried to control the whiny edge to her voice and failed. Visions of Sawyer stumbling around in the dark and falling off a cliff filled her mind. “It isn’t safe. What if you got hurt?”
“I won’t.”
“You don’t know that!” She drew in a deep breath. “I’ll go with you. Weren’t you ever a Boy Scout? Don’t you know you’re supposed to use the buddy system in the wilderness?”
He frowned. “You’ll slow me down.”
“Not by much. I’m in excellent shape.”
His gaze slid over her filthy shirt to even dirtier slacks with a rip at the knee then stopped at her feet. “I can’t argue with that, but those slip-on shoes aren’t designed for hiking.”
Her lips firmed. “I have running shoes in my bag.”
He let out a sigh. “Fine. See if they survived the fire.”
Devin sorted through the pile of blackened luggage until she found a bag the right size. “I think this one’s mine.” She jerked on the zipper, but it wouldn’t budge. “Damn it!”
Sawyer leaned over her and braced a closed fist on the suitcase to give the zipper a tug with his other hand. His body heat encompassed her. Devin couldn’t resist leaning back against him, needing just a moment to absorb his reassuring presence. It was over all too quickly.
“Maybe the heat melted the teeth a little.” Straightening, he pulled a folding knife from the pocket of his jeans and cut through the canvas bag to rip it open.
“My clothes don’t look too bad.” She sorted through the case. “God, they stink of smoke, but probably not any worse than the ones I’m wearing. Ha, here we go.” She held up pink and orange minimal running shoes. “Maybe not perfect for hiking, but they have decent tread.”
“If you’re coming with me, change into something warmer. You’ll also need a jacket for tonight.”
“Okay.” He certainly didn’t sound thrilled to have her along on the hike. Devin drew in a ragged breath and searched for jeans, a thick cotton sweater and a short jacket, glad she’d packed for cooler temperatures on the coast. “These should do.”
“Get ready while I go check on Gary. I want to leave in about ten minutes.” He forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I suppose it could be worse. At least it isn’t raining. The storm we were getting in Cody must have moved through this area earlier since the ground is still a little damp.”
“A small mercy, I suppose.” Taking the pile of clothes, she headed behind some bushes to change while the two men carried the suitcases over to the wooded area where the others waited. Tears smarted. Sawyer couldn’t make it much clearer he didn’t want her around. Too bad. She wasn’t going to let him go anywhere alone. No way in hell.
She wrinkled her nose as she pulled the sweater over her head. Ugh. Not that smelling like the inside of a chimney was her worst problem at the moment. Sitting, she tied her shoes then gathered her pile of filthy clothes and headed back to the group.
Sawyer glanced up from sorting through his suitcase. “Ready?”
She nodded.
He rose and knotted a mid-weight jacket around his waist by the sleeves. “Too bad my daypack didn’t survive. We could have carried a few more layers. It’ll drop below freezing tonight, but I’m hoping we’ll make it to civilization before then.”
Jared came out of the woods with an armload of dead branches. “I’m going to get a bonfire ready to light. Thanks to Ben’s nasty smoking habit, we have a lighter to start the fire.”
Sawyer hunched down beside the injured pilot who was propped up against one of the larger suitcases. “How’re you doing?”
Gary’s lips were pinched tight in a pale face, the splinted arm resting awkwardly across his lap. “I’ll survive.”
“I don’t doubt that.” Sawyer straightened after checking the man’s pulse. “A little steadier now. That’s encouraging. I wish I had something to give you for the pain.”
“I have ibuprofen in the shaving kit in my bag.” Walton spoke up from behind them.
Ben rose to his feet. “I’ll get it. You two had better move out soon. You can’t have more than three hours of daylight left.”
Sawyer surveyed the lengthening shadows, his fists planted on his hips. “You’re right. Let’s go, Devin.”
She followed him into the woods, heading north. For the first half hour, they didn’t talk much. Watching her feet while trying to avoid branches across the face took all of her attention. When the trees thinned and the ground rose toward a distant peak, she took a few running steps to catch up.
He glanced her way. “You managing okay?”
“I’m fine. Not slowing you down too much, I hope.” She couldn’t quite keep the edge of sarcasm out of her voice.
His eyes narrowed when he met her gaze. “I wanted you safe with the group. Nothing more or less.” He pointed toward the mountain dead ahead. “That isn’t going to be easy to climb. I’d say adding a few miles to our trip by skirting around the lower slopes is probably the smart move.”
“Whatever you think is best.”
He let out a sigh. “Argumentative one minute and docile the next. What’s going on, Devin?”
“Nothing.” She stepped carefully through a section of loose rocks. “I know you’re angry with me and don’t want my company, despite what we both said when we thought we were going to die. I really don’t want to hold you back because I know time is a huge factor in getting help.” She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “But I care too much to let you go off alone when there’s a very real possibility of injury. You could fall down a cliff or get bitten by a snake or attacked by a mountain lion or—”
“Enough with the morbid scenarios. Jesus.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I care about you, too. More than I should. I’m not going to pretend spending time with you doesn’t hurt. That wound hasn’t exactly had time to scab over.”
She did her best to keep the emotion out of her voice. “I can’t drop everything and put my life on hold to spend the winter at your ranch. When next summer rolls around, what am I supposed to do while you’re travelling from one location to the next on rafting trips?”
“Carolyn frequently travels with us.”
Frustration simmered, and she clenched her fists at her sides. “I assume Jon’s wife is retired.”
“I’m not sure she ever worked. She just raised their kids.”
“God, you’re a chauvinist. Raising kids is probably harder than paddling a damned raft.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“I know what you meant. Still, Carolyn and I are at totally different places in our lives. I want a career.”
He glanced over, his expression sober. “Do you want a family?”
“Sure, but I can have both once I get my life on track and settle down again.
I’m not saying it’s going to happen tomorrow, but eventually I do want a husband and a couple of kids and a career that’s fulfilling…not to mention one which will pay the bills.”
“I guess that’s fair.”
She kicked a rock then winced. “You guess?”
“My mom has always been pretty happy on our ranch.”
“Good for her. I’m not your mom.”
His lips curved upward. “No, you’re definitely not my mom. So, how’s the job search going now that you’re committed to leaving Washington?”
“I have three interviews coming up. The first one is in Carmel on Monday after the party. I thought it might be nice to be near Ainslee again after all these years, and she says the town has an eclectic feel I’ll enjoy. The next interview is in Denver the following week, and a final one is scheduled in Boston shortly before the election.”
“Denver isn’t that far from Wyoming…”
She stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets. “I initially had the same thought, but do you really want a long-distance relationship?”
“No, I guess not. A few weeks here and there in the summer wouldn’t be so bad, but not as a long-term solution.”
“That’s the conclusion I came to before I called you the other night.”
They walked in silence for several minutes before he spoke. “I’m sorry I dumped all the blame on you. Disappointment messed with my reasoning, but I know the situation isn’t solely your fault. I guess I should have listened to you before I became so invested in the outcome.”
“I didn’t argue my point as hard as I could have because I wanted our relationship to work. Logic told me it wouldn’t.” She sighed. “But my heart wanted to find a way.”
Sawyer focused on the rugged terrain and didn’t respond. Another hour passed with clouds building over the ridgetop. The wind velocity increased, whistling down the slope and blowing Devin’s hair around her face.
He untied the jacket from around his waist and slipped it on. “The temperature is dropping. Are you warm enough?”
“I am as long as we keep moving, but it’s getting pretty dark.” She stopped. “Do you want to check your cell again?”
He pulled it from his pocket. “No service. I’m down to less than fifty percent battery, and I don’t want it to die on us.”
“I haven’t heard any low flying planes. Do you think someone is looking for the crash site?”
“Probably, but there’s a lot of terrain to search. Unfortunately, we haven’t covered as much ground as I’d hoped. My guess is we’re still about seven miles from the highway.”
When he started walking again, she hustled to keep up. “We aren’t lost, are we? I mean, you know where we’re headed—not in circles, I hope?”
He smiled. “I check the compass on my phone periodically. Just one more reason I don’t want to kill the battery. Even without it, though, I could get us out of here. I have an excellent sense of direction.”
“Good to know.” She hunched her shoulders against the wind. “Are we going to be able to make it to the highway tonight?”
“Not without risking a broken leg—or worse. Keep an eye out for a good place to camp. Having water would be nice, since I’m sure you’re as thirsty as I am, but we don’t have any way to purify it even if we do find a stream.”
“An old boyfriend of mine got giardia on a backpacking trip once. It wasn’t pretty with all the vomiting and diarrhea.”
“Personally, I’d rather not risk it.” He glanced up at a hawk circling a dead tree. “I bet it has a nest up there. Dare I hope the boyfriend was Porter the asshole?”
Her gaze dropped as the hawk settled on a branch. “Huh?”
“The guy who picked up parasites drinking from a stream.”
She smiled. “No, he was someone I dated in college. Porter doesn’t rough it.”
“Oh.” He let out a sigh. “Being jealous of that idiot isn’t rational, but I can’t help it. The guy is everything I’m not from his expensive suit to the city lifestyle, which makes him just about perfect for you. Obviously, you saw something you liked in him.”
“Maybe in the beginning, but his smooth veneer is just that…skin deep with no substance. You have a good heart, which matters a whole lot more to me than expensive haircuts and designer clothes.”
“Maybe not in the long run.”
Devin frowned. “What do you mean by that?”
“When push came to shove, you dumped us both.” His voice was flat. Final.
She opened her mouth to protest then shut it. She couldn’t argue with the truth.
Chapter 18
Since Sawyer could no longer see more than a few yards in any direction, they needed to stop. The highway was probably still five miles away, and cell service was nonexistent. But the chance of injury if they continued in the dark was too great to risk.
“Those big rocks over by that pine tree should block the wind. I think we have to quit for the night.”
Beside him, Devin nodded. “Should we try to start a fire? It’s cold, and the flames might keep animals away.”
“I’m not too worried about predators. We don’t have any food to attract them.” Bending, he tossed a few loose rocks away from the boulders they would use as a wind shield. “Nothing but dirt to sit on, but that can’t be helped.”
“We’re food to a grizzly bear.”
He grinned. “Point taken, but they won’t come looking for a fight, and we aren’t going to do anything to antagonize one.” He straightened. “There isn’t enough fuel around here to maintain a fire for long, just a few dead branches, and I don’t want to go searching for more.”
Her eyes were wide in the near dark. “If you’re sure we won’t get eaten…”
He patted her arm. “I’m sure.”
“Okay, now what?”
“We rest. Try to get a little sleep.” His gaze held steady on hers. “Body heat along with our jackets should keep us warm enough to avoid hypothermia.”
Holding her in his arms all night wasn’t exactly a chore—but it sure wouldn’t make walking away after this weekend was over any easier. He pressed his lips together in a grim line as he settled on the ground with his back to the rocks.
She dropped down beside him, keeping a few inches of space between them. Leaning forward, she wrapped her arms around up-drawn legs and rested her chin on her knees. “How did this happen?”
“The crash?”
He felt more than saw her nod.
“Do you think it was deliberate sabotage and not just a mechanical failure?”
Sawyer frowned. “When you couple the crash with the previous attempts on Walton’s life, not to mention the threatening letter you received, I have to believe someone intended to take down the plane.”
“Then we must have been wrong about Liam Kennedy. He was nowhere near the Cody airport. If someone did slash the fuel line, there’s a pretty short list of suspects.”
“If that’s what actually happened.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You’d think the pilots would have noticed the fuel level dropping immediately after it was cut. I’m sure an investigation will reveal the cause of the crash.”
She turned to face him. “Duct tape?”
“What?”
“Could someone have cut the line then slapped a piece of duct tape over the puncture, knowing it would peel off eventually?”
“I’m no mechanic. How the hell would I know?”
“Do you think someone paid the guy manning the fuel truck to do it? Maybe the same person paid Liam to try to kill Walton on the raft trip.”
He let out a long breath. “You’ve obviously given this a lot of thought.”
“Haven’t you?”
“Honestly, I’ve been more concerned with getting everyone out of these damn mountains alive.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Seems like a pretty convoluted plot to me. Let’s say the person who wants Walton dead is connec
ted to an opposing candidate. Wouldn’t it be a lot simpler to hire someone to take a kill shot while my godfather was still in DC?”
Devin nodded, the movement just visible in the starlight. “Yes, which is exactly why I think the crash was a fluke. Nothing more than a crazy coincidence.”
“I’m not buying it. I don’t believe in coincidences, at least not when lives are at stake.”
She hunched farther over her knees. “So, you think Roman did it?”
Sawyer reared back. “What? I never said that!”
“Who else could it be? The only people on the tarmac other than the guy gassing up the plane who had opportunity and didn’t get back onboard the jet were Cathy, Charles and Roman. If we rule out a suicide mission, then it had to be one of them. Since I’m pretty sure Walton’s wife wouldn’t know a gas line from a boa constrictor, the other two have more potential.”
“Now who’s being sexist?”
“It isn’t sexist if it’s a fact. I know Cathy pretty well, and she isn’t exactly mechanically minded. Anyway, she loves Walton to death…not literally.” Devin blew out a breath. “Charles has no motive I can think of—”
“He and Walton have a few issues…not that I believe he’d murder a planeload of people, for Christ’s sake. But what possible reason could Roman have for wanting Walton dead? To my knowledge, they’d never even met before the rafting trip.”
“Maybe we need to look into his background more closely.” Her voice was sober. “I like the guy, but that doesn’t mean he has no hidden agenda.”
“I’m sure the authorities will do just that if they determine the cause of the crash was sabotage and not a mechanical failure.”
“Not much we can do until we get back to civilization…and a computer. Thank heaven I didn’t bring my laptop on this trip.” She held her head in her hands and moaned. “I need to get a new phone and credit cards, not to mention going to the DMV to replace my driver’s license. God, what a total pain. When I find out who tried to kill us—if someone tried to kill us—I’m going to personally take the bastard out, just for the inconvenience he’s causing me.”
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