Archie slurped from a cup of instant coffee he’d prepared. “Much as I am loathe to admit it, seems you were right, Cullen. Ember’s gonna burst. I should have departed last week.”
“You and me both.”
“Make that three of us,” Kit said. “But if we hadn’t stayed...” Her gaze went to the sleeping baby.
“The Lord knows what he’s about, that’s sure,” Archie said quietly. “Planning time?”
“Planning time,” Cullen confirmed.
Kit exhaled slowly as they gathered around the checkoutdesk. “Our best chance of survival is to make it to the evacuation zone?” It was more a statement than a question.
“Because we’re on borrowed time here.” Cullen sought her gaze.
She nodded. “Everything I’ve been reading predicts that when the bulge fails, it will unleash a massive mudflow that will inundate everything downslope, including this town.”
“Now that’s a downer of a forecast,” Archie said.
“With the ATV we have a chance.” Cullen arched a brow at Archie. “Fuel?”
“Twenty gallons at best.”
“It’ll do.”
It would have to. Otherwise ... what? They’d die miles away from the evac zone? Stranded in poisonous gas clouds? Crushed by falling trees? She glanced again at Tot, so small in her fuzzy pajamas.
“Guess I should come along,” Archie said. “You all need a nanny, appears to me, or you might be dropping her from roofs again.”
Cullen grinned. “Yes, sir. We surely do.”
Archie went to a high, dusty shelf crammed with different-sized packets, selected one, and unfurled a brittle paper topographical map. Since they’d turned off most of the lanterns, Cullen held one out.
Archie slipped on a pair of thick glasses. “All subject to change thanks to Ember’s shenanigans, but the fire trails are our best bet to clear out with the ATV. Evac zone is where now?”
“Gideon said south, twenty miles,” Cullen said.
Archie pressed a calloused finger to the paper. “That’dbe here, Lodgepole Meadows. Three main routes to get there, ’cept one is already obliterated thanks to the earlier landslide.” He snagged a pencil and followed each route with the tip. “Which way you think?”
Kit absorbed the tiny lines and squiggles. She prided herself on being able to read a map since GPS wasn’t always 100 percent reliable. “This one looks fastest but closer to the fallout zone.”
“Right. Flame Ridge is a straighter shot, but parts are already obliterated.” Archie refocused on the second route. “Silver Canyon is our other option. Connects the town of Twinfork to the old lumber mill where Granddad used to work. I went with him a time or two. They built a tunnel from the town to the mill so the workers could have a shortcut underground. Used to pretend I was one of Snow White’s dwarfs when I’d pop out from behind the waterwheel and scare the workers.” He chuckled.
“Dad put the kibosh on that quick. Bad idea to be giving men a fright when they’re working with saws. Anyway, they bored that tunnel because otherwise it’d be a steep journey, so that’s what we’re in for. Steep.” He smoothed the map. “Key here indicates there’s four thousand feet of elevation change, forested mostly in the beginning, and there’s lava boulders.”
“Sounds like a good time to me,” Cullen said, rubbing at his elbow.
Archie peered at him over his glasses. “Does that sarcasm indicate you would like to disagree with Kit and myself?”
“No, sir. I’m not a hiker, and I’ve lived in these parts less than two years. If I’m gonna hare off into the mountains,it’s gonna be on a horse on a clearly marked trail. If you two think Silver Canyon is the safest way to the evac zone, I defer to your expertise.”
“All right, then. Silver Canyon or bust.” Archie yawned and checked the aged wall clock. “Almost two thirty.” He pointed to Kit. “You, lay yourself down in the break room and get a couple hours of shut-eye. I’ll take the first watch until four. Real nice view of the foothills from upstairs, and I got a sweet telescope up there.” He stopped suddenly, turning to her. “Blows my mind that I was watching out that window for looters and instead I found me a family of three.”
“Oh...” she started. Not a family, not them. Just ... united strangers.
“I know you aren’t a blood family, but people can be put together in unexpected ways.” Archie grinned. “Someday I’ll tell you how I met my late wife. She married beneath her and that’s certain. Cullen,” he called quietly over his shoulder. “I’ll wake you at four and you can take over watch. We can aim to leave at half past five.”
Kit opened her mouth to offer to take part of the watch, but in truth, she was fighting to stay conscious. And a suspicion was dawning on her that Archie was relishing his part in the mission to save her and Tot.
“I’ll get up around five and pack the supplies in the ATV,” she insisted.
