Chapter Six
The Hart familycabin was set behind a stand of trees, well off the road, in a foothill of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The winding roads were narrow and treacherous. Streetlights were nonexistent, and the shoulders were soft and sometimes crumbling.
Cait hated driving in the dark, especially in an unfamiliar area. If it weren’t for the navigation system showing her the curves on the road, she was sure she’d miss one and go tumbling off a cliff.
An attack of goose pimples prickled the back of her arms, and she shuddered as she rolled around a hairpin turn. If she wasn’t mistaken, the senator and his family had skidded off the road not far from here.
After miles of twists and turns, Cait drove her Toyota off the main road and bounced in the rutted dirt road leading to the gravel driveway.
The cabin was dark, and the carport was empty. Cait got out of her Toyota and blinked at the starry night. The moon was a tiny sliver, and the place appeared deserted. Wherever Brian was, he wasn’t here.
Cait pulled her cell phone from her purse and turned it into flashlight mode. There was no service here, and if she wanted to call Brian, she would have to go all the way back to Colson’s Corner, the last town she passed, which was little more than a place where two roads crossed.
The wind rattled through the swishing pine needles, and Cait felt a drop of rain on her face, followed by another, which soon became a steady pattering.
She was exhausted and the way up was stressful enough, even in dry conditions. She had no choice but to spend the night in the cold cabin. Hopefully, someone had stocked firewood because she had no clue how to turn on the gas from the propane tank out back and light pilot lights.
She dragged her roller bag over the gravel and bumped it up the porch steps. The rain was coming down in sheets by the time she got the stuck door open.
Pushing her way in, she tripped and fell in a heap near a stack of wood.
“At least there’s wood,” she grumbled to herself. “Must have been that slob Connor here last. Brian would never have left a pile of wood near the door.”
She crawled toward the doorway to retrieve her roller bag and something cold and wet touched her hand.
“Ahhh!” Cait screamed and jerked back, unable to see anything on the pitch black porch. She shined her cell phone at the half-open screen door. Four ghoulish green dots stared back at her. Wolves? She could smell them out there, lusting for her blood.
Cait dropped the phone and yanked her roller bag as quick as she could through the screen door, but she wasn’t fast enough. A pack of wet, furry creatures bounded over her bag, and when she tried to slam the door, she twisted her ankle and the creatures swarmed her, knocking her to the ground.
“Help! Help!” she cried, putting her fists up and batting at the attackers. She rolled onto her stomach to protect her jugular and crunched into a fetal position with her hands over her head. This was it. Her final moment, and her family, if they came to search for her, would find her remains eaten by wolves. They would be grief-stricken and blame Brian for luring her to her doom, but only she knew she’d come voluntarily, without invitation.
“I’m so sorry, Brian. I love you, Brian. I’m sorry I never told you.” She sobbed and rolled around, making it difficult for the wolves to finish their attack.
Lick. Lick. Lick.
Warm, wet tongues slathered over Cait’s exposed hands. Hot breath fanned her hair, and the wolves made grunting snuffling sounds. They sniffed and panted, salivating over their meal.
Cait cringed, waiting for the attack, but the licking continued, so she opened her eyes and peeked at the creatures. They were black and had short, bear like faces and their long fur was matted and wet.
Both of them shook themselves, splashing Cait with muddy water, then they wagged their tails.
Dogs!
A smile cracked Cait’s face, and she petted the closest one. “Whose puppy are you?”
They were awfully large puppies, maybe fifty or sixty pounds, and were fortunately friendly.
Her heart settling down from her near-death experience, Cait turned on the light.
Two black chow chows sat at her feet. Instead of collars and identification tags, they each wore a light blue kerchief with a snowman pattern. Of course, they were wet and dirty and cold.
“First thing is to get the fire burning, then I bet you two are hungry.” Cait shut the heavy wooden door and hauled logs to the fireplace.
She arranged the kindling and lit the fire, then led the way to the kitchen. “I wonder if anyone left dog food.”
Her family was quickly turning into a pet haven, despite their mother being allergic to fur and feathers. Connor had a Dalmatian named Cinder, Larry and Jenna had Harley, the basset hound, Nadine owned Greyheart, a plucky stray cat, and Rob and Melisa had a pair of lovebirds, Casey and Cassie.
Maybe these two lion dogs were meant for her and Brian.
