“Yep.” She shook out her arms. Why was she so jumpy? She was doing exactly what the stalker wanted—letting him terrorize her.
“Let’s see if we can find any firewood, flashlight batteries, kerosene lamps, kerosene...” Joel said, moving about the space.
“Right.” She nodded, her thoughts pinging all over the place. “How about I start on the far end and work my way over?”
“Good plan.”
She hobbled for the dark recesses of the cellar, wondering why she’d volunteered for this section.Lovely,Cass.
Joel moved in the opposite direction. “I’m going to check thebreaker. The lights may have tripped after being dormant so long.” He shrugged a shoulder. “It doesn’t really make sense, but it’s a nice thought and worth a shot. Everything is worth a shot, right?”
Like they were still worth a shot? She swallowed, praying so.
Joel flipped switches.Click. Click. Click.“Breakers all look okay. Must be the storm. I’m surprised the lights came to life at all.”
“Yeah.” Her gaze tracked over each cubby drawer behind the workbench—screws, nails, washers, and so on—her fingers trailing over the odds and ends left strewn across the countertop—the smooth wood of a hammer, the cold metal of a wrench, and the lightweight plastic of a doohickey. “Running water and electricity seem odd for a lodge no longer in use.”
“It’s a heart project for Stan,” he said, leaning back against the bench.
He was so handsome, his strong arms resting behind him on the bench, his deep brown eyes fixed on her. She longed for nothing more than to rush over and kiss him, to run her hand through his tousled hair—he’d always loved when she ran her hands through his hair.
“Something caught your attention?” he asked with a smile.
Man, she loved that smile—so full of life.
And that’s how he had to stay. Full of life. Her heart wrested inside her—confliction eating away at her. She shook her head. “Just daydreaming,” she said, telling the truth.
“Gotcha. Well, back to work.”
“Right.” Back to work. Her hand tracked over the next item, and she paused. A dial? She angled the flashlight back down to what her hand was clasping. “Hey, it’s a radio.” Hope blossomed inside. Maybe they’d get help or, at the very least, could know someone had their position and would be on the way as soon as the dangerous elements settled.
“Let’s see.” Joel strode to her side, his strong shoulder brushing hers, but it was his inner strength and fortitude that she admiredmost. So stalwart in an emergency—always had been, and today was no different.
“I haven’t worked with one of these since I was a kid, but they’re fairly easy. You flip this switch—” He did and nada. He flipped another while she stepped closer. “Probably requires electricity. Some can work on batteries, but—”
“Thank you,” she said, leaning sideways against the bench inches from him, shifting the weight off her hurt knee.
He stopped with the switches, his gaze meeting hers.
The rest of the cellar disappeared.
“For what?” A soft smile, a hopeful smile, curled on his lips.
How could she crush a man she loved so?BecauseI love him so. She blinked back the tears burning her dry eyes. “For saving my life today.” Hot tears slipped loose, trailing down her cold cheek.
“Hey,” he said. His hand moved to cup her cheek, but he paused and pulled it back to his side. “Of course.”
Her heart dropped. “Joel, I...”
He stepped an inch closer. “Yes?”
“I need to tell you something....” She had to. She’d promised herself if she survived the avalanche, she’d tell him. “Look, I should have told you long ago, but—”
Creeeeakkkk.
Her gaze jumped behind Joel’s shoulder at the noise, peering into the darkness.
Evil fled the light. If her stalker was here, if he was one of them, he’d be in the shadows.Her shadow. Hadn’t he said that all along?
