Lucas, please be waiting for us at the highway.
Smoke became thicker. It was blowing from the direction she was headed. Now what? She would have to change her plans.
She clicked her tongue. “Come on, girls. We need to move faster!”
Would Lucas worry when she was not waiting at the road as she had said she would be? Would he come in search of them? She hoped so. She would greet him with a hug and a kiss if only he could help them reach safety.
* * *
“Rafe, Luke Denton here. I’m seeing smoke up near Iron Horse Pass. Any reports?”
“Yeah. Looks like two separate fires.”
“Cassie López called. She evacuated about an hour ago. I missed the call, and the message was a little garbled, but sounded like she’s headed south from her place.” The fear in her voice burned his gut. If only he hadn’t left his phone on the kitchen counter. He tried to call her back, but could only leave a message on voicemail. “I’m going to load up Pic and try and see if I can meet up with her, but watch for them to come out along the state highway south of the pass. That’s most likely where she’ll come out.”
“Got it. Listen, we have teams headed there now. If you don’t see anything on your way up the hill, meet us at the staging area at the pass’s parking lot, and we can assess the situation better to make sure we cover as much ground as possible.”
“On my way.”
He disconnected the call and headed for the door, grabbing his Stetson and gear by the doorway.
“I’m coming, Sweet Pea. Just hang on.”
Inside the barn, he headed straight for Pic’s stall. “Sorry, boy. No rest for the weary. Cassie needs us.”
The horse pricked his ears and pranced. His saddle and bridle were already inside the trailer. Luke kept them there to be prepared in case of another SAR call. He hadn’t expected the next one to be for Cassie.
Ten minutes after talking to Rafe Giardano, he was tearing up the state highway to the pass. The smoke grew heavier the closer he drew to the source of the fire. He wasn’t sure exactly where her cabin was in relation to the highway, but thought she was on the opposite side of the mountain. That meant one of the fires was between her and escape.
Damn.
He floored the new Chevy Silverado 2500 until he remembered he was hauling Pic and forced himself to take it easy. Wouldn’t do to injure his horse. That horse might be the only thing enabling him to find Cassie.
Hang on, darlin’.
Luke reached a roadblock turning drivers back at the last county road turnoff. He showed his SAR credentials to the police officer, who waved him ahead. Good thing. No one was going to keep him from reaching his wife this time.
No one.
Maybe she assumed she was his wife in name alone, but he meant every word he’d spoken in front of that justice of the peace. He had no intention of breaking those vows as long as he lived.
No sign of her on the way to the top of the mountain. At the fire department’s staging area, he turned into the parking area for tourists and pulled out again on the side of the road with the front of the truck facing toward home. Somehow, he didn’t think Cassie would still be at this elevation if she’d started out nearly an hour ago. Most likely, she’d already started her descent. But it would be easier to follow her trail than to try and guess where she might come out of the woods. He’d try to ride Pic to her point of origin—the cabin—unless fire blocked his way.
After parking and easing Pic out of the trailer, he saddled and bridled him quickly. Mounting, Luke rode back up to the staging area. A scan of the lot, and he zeroed in on Angel’s oldest brother, Rafe. The fire squad leader out of Aspen Corners studied his aerial maps and discussed strategies with two other firefighters. One looked like Angel’s youngest brother, Tony.
Drawing near, Luke dismounted and led Pic by the reins as he approached the men. “Any word from Cassie?”
Rafe, a rugged Italian with weariness in his eyes that belied his years, shook his head. “We’ve attempted phone contact, but there’s no connection. Any idea which way she might’ve gone down the mountain?”
Luke shook his head. “Is the road to her place blocked?”
Rafe nodded.
“I know another way around to her cabin. My SAR horse and I will make it through okay. Once I make sure she’s escaped, I’ll let you know which way she’s headed.
Rafe glanced at the horse standing almost at attention and awaiting orders. “Have your sat phone?”
“Yeah.” He had the ringer on now, too. He could kick himself for missing her call. She’d had a signal then. He could have at least discussed her evacuation plan.
“Rafe, Cassie’s very special to me.”
He scrutinized him. “You know we aren’t going to leave anyone in danger. I don’t care if they’re the governor’s wife or a homeless person.”
“You might as well know that Cassie’s my wife. I’m not coming off this mountain until I find her.”
Rafe narrowed his eyelids. “Don’t do anything stupid, Denton. If you can’t keep your head on straight and follow protocols, you aren’t leaving this staging area.”
“My head’s never been straighter.” Nothing is going to stand between me and my wife.
After scrutinizing him a few seconds more, Rafe searching Luke’s eyes for something, the man seemed satisfied and nodded. “Show me on this map which quadrants you’ll be covering and then move out. Wish I had another man on horseback to go with you. Report when you know something.”
“Yes, sir.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Cassie!” he called out again, but heard no response. Damn! Which way did she go? Her place clearly had been deserted except for her Tahoe and trailer. She couldn’t drive them off the mountain with fire blocking the only access road.
He’d learned that you didn’t assume someone had left an area without a thorough search, but seeing the alpacas gone, he was pretty damned sure they had left together. Absently, he rubbed the black leather wristband. When he realized what he was doing, he reminded himself that Cassie wasn’t a scared little girl. She would know to find a safe route down the mountain, away from these wooden structures that would go up like matchsticks if the fire reached here.
The fire he had skirted raged less than half a mile away. Thank God she evacuated when she had. But her message said she was heading toward the highway, which would put her in a direct path with the fire.
“Trust your instincts, baby girl.”
She hadn’t left any note or map inside the cabin. On his way out again, he grabbed the poncho hanging in the mudroom. She’d worn it enough that her essence would be strong on it, enough for Picasso to zero in on her trail. After giving Pic a good whiff of the woolen cloth, he folded it and placed it inside a plastic bag to try and preserve as much of her scent as possible if Pic needed to refresh. The smell of smoke would obliterate all other scents.
Wait. She had the animals with her. He went inside the shed and saw that their food bins had been left nearly empty. He took the discarded feed scoop and gathered some dried manure pellets. He carried that to Picasso, too. The pungent manure would be even easier to track. “Sniff, boy.”
Picasso did so and nodded, fully aware now of his mission. Luke remounted. “Find Cassie. Help me find my girl.” Swirls of smoke drifted up the mountain. What if she had headed down that way and come face to face with the newest outbreak of flames?
Luke pressed his thighs against Picasso’s flanks and set off. Going downhill slowed him, but he saw visible signs of tracks near the seasonal stream. The water would find the fastest and easiest path to the foot of the mountain.
Good thinking, Sweet Pea.
A half-mile down the mountainside, Pic alerted on a ragged trail that must have been used by deer. Maybe even bear. The horse veered off the path they’d followed near the stream, snorting to let Luke know he was on to something. The smoke was thicker here. Luke coughed as he doused his kerchief with water fr
om his canteen and tied it around his nose and mouth to act as a filter.
Luke reported his coordinates to Rafe then gave his horse free rein to follow his keen sense of smell. The ground became more even, and Pic was able to work up to a lope. Smoke billowed around them, and he prayed Picasso really was onto their scent and not some false lead. The tracks were less obvious here where the ground was packed dry. He’d seen some occasional droppings from what he hoped were the alpacas, but they had to slow down when the undergrowth grew thicker.
Had the sight and smell of smoke scared her or her animals? They seemed to be heading toward Iron Horse Falls now. The terrain quickly became steeper and rockier. Thoughts of Picasso slipping made him slow the horse down, but Picasso soon alerted again with a flicking forward of his ears. “What do you hear, boy?” He whinnied and took off through the trees and brush. Luke ducked to avoid being thrown off the horse by a stray limb, but trusted him. Pic knew something was wrong and that they needed to get there fast.
When the horse’s hooves came to an abrupt stop, Luke had to grab onto Pic’s mane to keep from flying over the neck and head.
Luke sat up and scanned the area, but his eyes burned from the thick smoke, blurring his vision. A soft clicking noise caught his ear at the same time Picasso snorted. Sounded like one of the alpacas.
“Cassie! Where are you?”
Please, God, let her be okay.
Silence.
A rustling of leaves caught his attention, and he turned to his left. He still saw no source of flames, only thick smoke. The rustling sound grew louder until he saw a long black neck poking up over the side of a hillock.
Millie! Damn. What was she doing here without Cassie or her momma?
“Come here, baby girl!”
He dismounted and ran toward the cria as she scrambled through the brush to reach him. She rubbed her face against his chest, body shaking and emitting noises that sounded like she was crying.
“Where’s my Cassie? And your momma?” The baby nuzzled him some more, leaving Luke even more worried. Pulling a rope from the saddle horn, he tied it to the cria’s halter. She must have strayed away from the group, but Cassie wouldn’t have allowed any of the alpacas to wander far—unless she’d been injured.
His heart jumped into his throat. He remounted and, using pressure from his knees, sent Picasso in the direction from which Millie had come. They traveled another eighth of a mile down the mountainside before Picasso alerted again.
“What is it, boy?”
Before he could figure out what the horse had seen or heard, Graciela raised her head from a resting place a couple hundred yards away. She let out a distressed cry, and Luke dismounted again. Why didn’t the alpaca stand up? Had she been injured? Still no sign of Cassie. As he drew closer, though, he saw a familiar turquoise jacket on the ground. No, not just the jacket.
“Cassie!” God, no. She sat hunched over a rock, coughing. He knelt beside her, and she looked up, squinting as if she didn’t believe he was really here.
“Lucas?” Good. Her voice didn’t sound too raspy. She coughed and tried to draw a deep breath, but only coughed some more.
“You okay, darlin’?”
She nodded. “Just resting.”
Luke pulled out his satellite phone and called the station. She seemed disoriented. He wanted to have the EMTs standing by to check her out when they reached the highway.
Cassie coughed again and struggled to stand up, but swayed.
“Whoa! Sit down until we’re ready to hit the trail.”
“Trail? Where are we going?”
“I’m going to get you and your alpacas off this mountain.”
Her eyes opened wider, and she looked around. “Millie! I started to go after her, but became short of breath and had to sit down.”
“Don’t worry. Millie’s fine. She found me a little while ago and led me over here. She’s tied to Pic.” Luke pointed to her, and Cassie visibly relaxed when she saw the cria was safe. “Let me do a quick assessment before we move out.”
“Please, I’m fine.” She tried to push herself to her feet, but his hand on her shoulder stopped her.
“Did you fall?”
She seemed confused. “No. At least I do not remember doing so.”
“Tell me today’s date.”
“I do not remember.”
Damn. Maybe she had hit her head or the carbon monoxide from the smoke had messed with her head.
She blinked and stared at him, annoyed. “I do not pay much attention to the calendar unless I have an appointment. If I had to guess, I would say it is the twentieth. I think.”
He shook his head and grinned. Cassie lived in her own little world up here, cut off from everything and everyone.
“Tell me where you were born.”
“Lima, Peru.”
“Who’s the president?”
“Humala.”
“Who?”
“Oh, sorry. He is the president of Peru. You were asking questions about my homeland. May I sit up now or are you going to keep playing twenty questions?” She glanced around. “We need to get off this mountain.”
Okay, she was back to her old feisty self. He relaxed a little. “Before you move, tell me where you’re feeling any pain.”
“Really. I am fine.”
Cassie craned her neck and scanned the hillside, and his gaze followed. For the first time, he noticed the other three alpacas were laden down with bags of feed, jugs of water, and a rectangle of some kind covered in a tarp.
The smell of wood burning reminded him they weren’t safe to remain here much longer.
She sniffed the air. “How close is the fire?”
“I haven’t seen any flames, but don’t want to, either.”
“Do you think it will reach my cabin?”
Fire tended to rise, so chances were likely this one or one of the others probably would unless the fire crews could put out the flames first. But he needed to keep her calm. “No telling. But everything that’s irreplaceable is right here.” She’d done the right thing to try to remove herself and the alpacas from the path of the approaching fire. But they weren’t safe yet.
“Let me help you up.”
He took her hand and pulled her slowly to her feet. When she began to sway again, he wrapped his arms around her waist to steady her. Damn, how many times had he dreamt of having his arms around her?
Too soon, she pushed him away, averting her gaze. “Let us round up the alpacas.”
“You stay here. Hold onto Pic. He’ll steady you. I’ll round them up.”
He roped the animals together so he could lead them out of here without worrying about any of them straying or becoming spooked if they came too close to the fire. When he came back to her, he saw a wary look in her eyes he hadn’t seen since those early days when he’d been stranded at her cabin after the avalanche.
Damn.
Then something changed. Without warning, she placed her hands on his biceps and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you for rescuing us.” Just as abruptly, she pulled away.
He had no clue what had prompted her, other than gratitude, but he didn’t even try to hide his grin as he attached the guide rope to his saddlebag before picking up Picasso’s reins.
“Okay, darlin’, let’s get you mounted.” He reached for her foot while holding the stirrup steady. She grabbed onto the pommel and swung her right leg over the horse’s back.
“Now, scoot as far forward as you can.”
She glanced at him a moment before her eyes widened. “We will both ride Picasso?”
“Your alpacas already have enough weight to carry. Having either of us on foot will just slow us down and be more dangerous. Pic is very sure on his feet.”
“I do not think we both will fit.”
He removed her foot from the stirrup. “Trust me. Sit forward.” Without waiting for her to follow his command, he swung himself up onto the horse, as well and she scooted as far forward as she could wit
hout sitting on the pommel.
Luke grinned. “See? We fit just fine.”
Feeling her ass against his crotch set off all kinds of feelings he needed to suppress—for the moment, at least. No sense spooking her. The last thing he wanted was for her to jump off the horse in an effort to put distance between them.
This could be yet another way he showed her she could trust him. Even if it killed him to try and curb his erection. He allowed graphic images of what might happen to them all if they didn’t reach safety to put a damper on his libido. Their main order of business now was to find the highway and the EMTs.
He’d programmed the GPS for the coordinates for where he’d left his vehicle, so at the push of a button, he’d know which way to head. He just hoped the fire wasn’t anywhere between them and the truck.
Cassie sat rigidly upright, trying not to let her back touch his chest. He grinned.
“You’re going to be awfully sore tomorrow if you don’t relax. You know you’re safe with me, darlin’.”
* * *
Cassie refused to give in to the weariness in her body. Yes, she trusted Lucas—as far as she could trust any man. He could have taken advantage of her anytime during their weeks together at her cabin, but he had always been a gentleman.
He sighed and whispered so close to her ear he sent a shiver coursing down her back, “Lean against me, Cassie.” His words wrapped around her and lured her in to do as he said. She was so tired, but had to fight the temptation to give in. “Darlin’, you’re making my muscles ache just watching you. Don’t you worry about falling. I have you.”
The way his arms braced her as he held the reins, that was not what worried her. Falling for this kind, gentle man who had somehow wheedled his way under her once-ironclad shield of protection scared her much more. All her adult life, she had stayed strong and handled what life threw at her without having to lean on a man. So why did she have to fight the desire to melt into this man’s strong, secure arms. Doing so would give him the wrong impression… Sometimes men read a woman’s intentions all wrong.
Nobody's Dream (Rescue Me Saga #6) Page 31