After gently moving a dazed Maya off her lap, Artie scrambled to her feet and grabbed both flashlights, waving them above her head. Distant shouts indicated that they’d spotted the beams of light.
“Dad!” Zoe yelled, jumping to her feet.
“Zoe? You okay?”
“Yes!” Her voice broke mid-word.
“Maya, too?”
“Yes, Daddy!” Maya shouted, standing up and grabbing her sister’s hand.
“Hang on!” Steve sounded jubilant. “I’m coming, babies!”
The voices quickly grew louder and more distinct as the searchers drew nearer. Artie and Derek had to hold the girls back when they tried to dash into the darkness toward their father’s voice.
“Whoa!” That sounded like Ian Walsh. “Springfield, you can’t go that way unless you’ve turned into Spider-Man.”
Either Steve discovered he had some latent superhero skills, or the searchers found another, more mortal-friendly trail, but Steve barreled toward them just minutes later. Falling to his knees, he scooped both girls into his arms and hugged them against him. Maya and Zoe wrapped their arms around his neck as all three of them cried.
“My babies,” Steve rasped, kissing first one head and then the other. “My sweet girls. Are you okay?” He pulled back to check them for injuries. Zoe nodded, tears tracking down her cheeks, but Maya just sobbed. Wrapping them into another hug, Steve squeezed them tight to his chest. “Ian!”
“Right here, Steve.” The firefighter standing behind them pulled a medical kit out of his pack. “Hey, princesses. I’m glad a bear didn’t eat your faces.”
“Watch your mouth,” Steve growled. If his arms hadn’t been full of little girls, Artie was pretty sure Ian would’ve gotten smacked upside the head.
“We didn’t see any bears,” Zoe said. “Just a mountain lion.”
“A mountain lion, huh?” Ian’s voice was amused, his disbelief obvious. “That must’ve been scary.”
“It was.” Maya turned her head so she could talk, although she kept a tight grip on her father. “But we turned into a four-headed giant, so it ran away.”
Zoe made an impatient noise. “We weren’t a giant; we were superheroes.”
“Agiantsuperhero.”
Exchanging a “kids have the best imaginations” look with Steve, Ian chuckled. “Well, giant superheroes, mind if I make sure you’re healthy after your big adventure?”
Shifting closer to Derek, Artie whispered, “Should we tell them there reallywasa mountain lion?”
“Later,” he said out of the side of his mouth. “Steve’s heart probably can’t take one more shock right now.”
“Good idea.”
Despite her exhausted, sore, and cold body, Artie couldn’t stop grinning. The searchers, buoyed by relief and residual adrenaline, joked and laughed as Ian gave the girls a quick check over. Derek slung his arm around her shoulders, and she leaned against him, taking her weight off her sore knee.
“Hey, Rob.” Derek waved at the sheriff. “Come here a second.”
Rob carefully picked his way over the snowy trail until he was in front of them. “Glad you’re okay.” His gaze flicked over to Maya and Zoe. “All of you.”
“Me too.” Lowering his voice, Derek said, “You might want to check out who’s been stashing fire accelerants in the remains of that old Forest Service cabin.”
The sheriff’s eyebrows rose. “Accelerants?”
Derek nodded. “Rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover, linseed oil, and some other things right next to a big box of matches and across the cabin from recently smoked cigarette butts. Maybe it has nothing to do with the wildland fire this past summer, but it seems awfully suspicious.”
Rob’s expression darkened. “Agreed. Thank you for telling me.”
Clearing her throat, Artie added, “Someone else was out there while we were searching, too. We saw a fresh footprint.”
