TWENTY-SIX
As anxious as he was to get away from the downed aircraft, Bran kept his pace slow, not wanting to press Jessie too hard. The uneven ground was rough and taxing, the temperature dropping by the minute.
They were both cold, tired, and hungry, their bodies battered and bruised by the brutally hard landing. No choice but to keep going. There was nothing behind them but trouble.
Relief trickled through him when he spotted the highway up ahead, only to discover it was nothing but a two-lane road with almost no traffic.
It was nearly dark, just a thin line of purple on the horizon, and ball-freezing cold as they stood bundled up at the edge of the pavement waiting for a ride. Bran hated the thought of Jessie having to spend the night out in the elements, especially with a concussion, but it was looking more and more likely.
He’d already spotted a place to make camp, off to the west at the base of a granite outcropping. He’d have to check for snakes denned up out of the cold, but at least the rocks would provide a decent windbreak. He’d give it another fifteen minutes before heading over. Then he’d dig out the survival gear he’d taken from the plane.
Resigned to the cold night ahead, he glanced down the road, his adrenaline spiking when he spotted two distant headlights bumping over the uneven asphalt. As the lights grew near, he stepped into the lane and started waving his arms, but the vehicle wasn’t slowing. Then Jessie stepped out and started waving.
The ancient Chevy pickup slowed to a rolling stop and pulled over to the side of the road a little ways in front of them.
“Nice work,” Bran said, smiling.
Jessie smiled back as she hurried along beside him. “There are definitely some advantages to being female.”
He nodded. “A universal truth.”
As they approached the pickup, a white-haired, white-bearded Hispanic man leaned his head out the window, his face as wrinkled as the truck was battered. “Where are you going?” There were three other men inside, crammed tightly together.
Bran eyed the bed of the truck—it was better than a night in the cold. “We rolled our car. My wife and I are going to the first town where we can get a room.”
The old man’s eyes took in the bloodstained bandage on the side of Jessie’s head and the cuts on Bran’s face. “Sí,senor.I will take you. Get in the back.”
Bran loaded the duffel and carry-on into the truck bed, which was stacked with old furniture and several crates of chickens. He pushed one of the crates aside enough to make room for them, ignored the smell, and helped Jessie climb in. He settled an old wooden dresser in front of them to help block the icy wind and sat down as the pickup rolled off down the highway.
“I apologize for the accommodations,” he said with a smile, squeezing in beside her. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and find a Four Seasons in the next town we come to.”
Jessie rolled her eyes. There wasn’t a town of any size for miles in any direction. “At this point, a Motel 6 would be a luxury.”
“You got that right.” He settled her more snugly against him, his arms around Jessie, her head on his shoulder. “How are you feeling?”
She sighed. “I’ve been better, but I’m okay.”
“How’s your head?”
“Still hurts, but my feet hurt worse. New boots, remember?”
“Yeah, they never feel good the first day. We’ll work them over when we get into the room.” Assuming they could find one.
The truck rattled and bumped along the road, the chickens occasionally flapping their wings and squawking. Jessie dozed for a while and he let her, waking her occasionally to make sure she was okay.
They’d been on the road for an hour when the pickup made a turn onto a smaller paved road, and he spotted a sign that read Walsenburg. He knew where it was on the map, knew it wasn’t far off I-25, which he would have preferred, but at least they would be out of the cold.
When the pickup pulled into the parking lot of the Sands Motel, he breathed a sigh of relief. He tossed out their gear, helped Jessie out of the truck, and spoke to the old man through the window.
“Gracias,senor. We really appreciate the ride.” He’d been deployed to South America, spoke fluent Spanish, but sometimes it was better not to show all your cards.
“Sí,senor, no problem.Buena suerte, amigos.”
Bran waved goodbye, didn’t offer to pay for the ride though he would have liked to. Letting strangers know you were carrying cash was never a good idea.
“I’ll go get us a room,” Jessie offered, spotting the Sands’s front office.
He glanced around. “Hold on a minute.” There were three motel signs he could see along the road. He hated asking Jessie to go any farther, but his survival instincts were something he never ignored.
