“The blood-” My savior’s eyes show signs of shock.
“Is hers, not mine.” Even though I’m quite sure it’s pointless, I scoot my butt over until I can check the pulse of the woman who tried to kill me.
“Is she?” Danni starts to shake.
After closing the deceased’s eyes, I cup my gal’s cheeks, and lift her chin. “I need you to focus. I left Jeff under a trunk, covered in leaves. Take my dog and go find him.”
“How far?” Biting her lower lip, her eyes glaze over, and I fear she may break down.
“Toby. Go with Danni.”
“Woof.” Tail wagging, he cocks his head, and as she moves, he races forward.
Chapter 21
Danni
I grab at pine boughs and ground cover, anything to keep from tumbling down the steep incline. Toby beats me to the bottom, whimpers, and digs with both paws under a rotten tree trunk.
Kneeling next to him, I clear away the moldy debris to uncover Jeff’s face. I have never seen skin and lips so blue. My index finger feels nothing on his cold neck so I put my cell phone over his mouth.
When condensation fogs the screen, I shout up the hill. “He’s breathing but barely.”
The mountains echo lee-lee-lee while I think. There is no way I can get the unconscious man out of the woods without help, which I doubt is coming soon. It could be dusk before friends and family start to worry. While I ponder my options, my injured lover slides down the hill on his ass.
“Ouch.” One leg won’t bend so he rests on his side next to Jeff and inspects the wound.
I squeeze my lids tight to prevent unwanted tears. Later, I can fall apart. Right now, I must be brave.
“We need to go.” Cole’s face distorts in pain and after helping him to his feet, I realize I’m on my own.
“I got this.” Eyes glued to his, I cup his cheek and will him to let me be the strong one because if he doesn’t, we’re all going to die.
He scrambles over to a bump in the snow, uncovers his knapsack, and pulls out a set of keys along with two chocolate bars. “Here.”
I hand one back. “Share.”
“No. You need it more, babe.”
“Please, let’s not argue.” After I finish chewing the peanut nuggets, he relents, and I kiss his cold, chapped lips. “Promise not to die?”
“Promise.” He whistles and Toby’s ears twitch. “Want to go for a ride, boy? Huh? Huh?”
The dog tilts his head and barks.
“Good boy.” Cole pats his head and eyes me with so much heat, my heart overflows.
Instead of kissing him, I stomp my frozen feet and shed all emotions. The life of these two men hangs in the balance and it’s up to me to summon some courage.
“There’s a broadband radio in my truck. Press to talk, let go to listen. Don’t touch the frequency. The sheriff will be monitoring my band. Tell him to contact Greg. We’re at the cross trails where he shot the buck.”
“I got this.” Wrapping my arms around his waist, we share a fierce hug, and I let go. “See you in a few.”
For what seems like hours, I trot behind the dog. My thighs burn and my legs feel like lead as I focus on Toby’s tail. At some point, I lose all sense of up and down in the swirling snow. If he runs off like he did before, I’m toast.
As my feet grow heavier, walking becomes an insurmountable task. It’s a relief when my toe slides under a root and I go down hard. With stars behind my eyelids, my ankle throbs. I don’t dare put weight on it. Shivering on the ground, I roll to my bloody, wet knees, and picture Cole’s last kiss. He’s depending on me. I can’t stop.
“Woof.” Toby rushes to my side and licks my face.
