Gage attracted women with the ease of a snake charmer, but the relationships never lasted. Unlike Ben, he didn’t deny it. Though she might be fun for a while, Abby wasn’t sure she wanted to be just another one of Gage’s women.
Mateo appeared out of nowhere and walked up beside them. “Storm is coming,” he said. “Big thunderclouds. It looks bad. I will go ahead, see what kind of shelter I can find.”
“All right, but don’t go too far,” Gage said. “This is brutal country. Be worse once it starts to rain. We need to stay together.”
Mateo nodded, moving the thick black hair he’d tied back with a strip of rawhide. He took off walking, following the narrow path that showed on King’s map, a steep winding trail that dropped down into a canyon.
Gage laid King’s map next to a topo map and compared the two. “Rough going ahead. You ready to get started?”
“I’m ready.” She picked up her backpack, but Gage took it from her hands and hefted it a couple of times. “You’re overweight but not by much.”
“I can carry it.”
“I’m sure you can—for a while. Once we reach shelter, we can sort through it, redistribute some of it.”
She bit back a disagreeable comment. She had pared her stuff down that morning, kept only the basics, and sent everything else back with Smiley and the horses. But as Gage held the canvas pack up so she could stick her arms through the straps, then settled it on her back, it did feel a little heavier than the twenty-five percent of her body weight—less than thirty pounds—it was supposed to be.
And as they headed up the narrow trail beneath an ominous sky and the pack began to weigh her down, she figured Gage, as usual, was right.
Today he walked up front. Following King’s map, they had left the main trail, so this was new territory for Kyle as well as the rest of them. With Gage taking point, Abby in the middle, and Kyle leading the mules behind her, they set off under ominous skies and a strong, steady wind. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and a light mist began to fall.
They donned their rain slickers and kept walking. The wind picked up while the temperature dropped. Gage kept moving, the mules plodding along, Mort in front, Snickers behind him, their heads down and their long ears drooping.
By the time they caught up with Mateo, they were hiking into a steady, driving rain.
Mateo pointed toward a dark spot in the side of the mountain. “We go up there. It is a good climb but worth it. The cave is deep, but open. No creatures. I gathered some firewood, enough to keep us warm.”
“Good work,” Gage said.
“I’ll tend the mules,” Kyle said.
Gage turned to Abby. “I’ll go up first and drop my pack, come back for yours and help you up.”
She wanted to argue. If she couldn’t carry her weight, she wouldn’t have come. “Fine,” she said, taking the easier route.
Gage frowned at the hint of irritation in her voice, turned, and started climbing, his powerful arms and legs carrying him effortlessly up through the rocks. Abby waited until he was halfway to the mouth of the cave and started up behind him.
The path was steep and rocky, but not impassible. She kept her eyes peeled for snakes and scorpions, placed one hiking boot carefully in front of the other, watching for solid footing and hand holds, and just kept climbing.
Gage was swearing when she reached the cave, ducked inside, and dropped her pack.
“I thought I told you to wait.”
Abby propped a hand on her hip beneath her rain slicker. “I don’t want special treatment, Gage. I’m a member of this team. I wouldn’t be here if I thought I couldn’t keep up.”
His jaw tightened. She could tell he was holding on to his temper. Then his shoulders relaxed. “You’re right. You’re obviously in good physical condition. If your pack gets heavy, let me know and we’ll adjust it. We can fit a little more on the mules.”
Pleasure at his words slipped through her. “Itisa little heavy,” she conceded. “I’ll go back through it, see what I can do without.”
Their eyes met, and a moment of understanding passed between them. Then Mateo arrived, and right behind him, Kyle stepped into the cave. He slung his backpack against the wall. “Good spot. I’ll have to remember where it is if I come back this way again.”
The cave was really more of a windblown, scooped-out depression in the side of a rock wall, not too deep, with a wide opening in the front. Mateo built a fire, which warmed the cave without being too smoky, and the place was dry enough that they could shed their slickers.
They ate bagels, hard salami, and cheese for a late lunch. Gage went over the maps again and checked his gear, while the rest of them sat back and watched the rain beating down, so heavy at times it was difficult to see outside.
By late afternoon, when the downpour hadn’t lessened, it was obvious they would be spending the night. Kyle went down to check on the mules and bring back more wood, and Mateo volunteered to cook supper. Clearly, he wasn’t fond of freeze-dried beef stroganoff.
As Abby watched him work, she felt Gage’s presence beside her. His Aussie soft-brimmed hat was gone, his thick brown hair still damp from the misty air. She wanted to reach up and run her fingers through it, push it back from his forehead. A little curl of heat slipped through her. She wanted to lean up and press her mouth against his.
