But she was talking to no one. She couldn’t even see the top of his baseball cap anymore.
Uneasily, she darted a glance around the wrecked mill. It was almost completely dark, the snowflakes mingling with the ash that dropped through the gaps in what had been the mill’s roof. The only noise came from the leaves scuttling over the ruins. In the distance, the ATV was barely visible, and she felt every inch of the distance between her and the sleeping baby. Soon she’d have to hurry back and get Tot to the fire to warm her up. The solitude ate at her, and for a moment she considered what it would be like if Cullen didn’t come out of that tunnel, if he fell and died or got lost in a subterranean labyrinth.
Then it would be you and Tot and noway out.Terrorchurned her gut. “Kit, you have to keep it together,” she scolded aloud. For herself and for Tot and for Cullen, whom she prayed would appear any minute with a thumbs-up and a hopeful report.
Seconds ticked into minutes. She hadn’t heard a yell or thud. Surely he’d make noise if he fell, wouldn’t he?And then what exactly would you do,Kit? Climb down and carry out a six-foot man onyour back?
She jogged in place to keep her circulation going and the fear under control.
Something rustled in the logs outside. Maybe branches settling, wild creatures struggling to find their own shelter in the devastation, the wind tearing the remaining leaves from the fallen trees.
When she couldn’t stand it anymore, she thrust her head into the tunnel entrance to call out just as Cullen crested the top rung. Their foreheads bumped, and she staggered back.
“Sorry,” they both said simultaneously.
To cover her relief, she flicked on her light and held it steady while he crawled out. Her legs were rubbery. He stood, panting slightly, and she could not resist reaching up to brush a dry twig from his shoulder. The gesture turned into a tight hug, his embrace as needy as her own. She held him close, spilling out silent gratitude to the Lord that Cullen had returned in one piece.
“You were gone a long time,” she managed, finally letting him go.
“Middle-aged knees.” His tone was reassuring, as if he knew of the fear she’d tasted while he’d been below.
She steeled herself for his report, unable to read his expression.
“Good news. Tunnel was clear for the fifty feet or so that I explored. No indication it’s blocked. Air’s good too. Much cleaner than up here.”
She heard his hesitation. “What’s the bad news?”
He rolled his shoulders and exhaled. “Not bad, exactly. Cautionary. I mean, there’s a reason the tunnel was sealed off from the public. This is risky business, Kit. Very risky. Climbing down with a baby’s not going to be a picnic. If we manage that feat, we could travel for hours and come on a blockage we can’t breach. The passageway is old and unmaintained. The walls aren’t in great shape and there’s water pooling, which appears to grow deeper from what I could observe. No telling what will happen down there.”
“We’re going to die if we stay, Cullen,” she said flatly. “You know that as well as I do. We can’t hike out of this place, not with Tot, and no one even knows we’re in this area except Archie and a couple of killers.” She held her voice steady. “I know we’re both praying that Archie’s safe and on his way to get help, but he might be trapped too, or...” She closed her mouth, unwilling to say the rest. “No one is going to find us in time.”
“There’s another option, Kit.”
“Like what?”
“I can go alone. Try the tunnel by myself or trek out of the landslide area on foot.”
She felt as if he’d shoved her, as though she were falling down that dark and treacherous tunnel. “You’d leave us behind?” Her voice quivered. He tried to take her arm, but she pulled away.
He shook his head. “I would go for help, while you stay safe here with Tot.”
“Safe? Here?” She tried to moderate the shrill edge that crept into her voice. “Even if you do find someone crazy enough to be in the evac zone besides Nico and Simon, it might be weeks before you could get back to us. We’re already running low on water. We won’t survive until you return.”Ifhe returned.
His forehead furrowed. “It’s not what I want either. Rock and a hard place.”
She barely heard. “Plus there’s the poisonous ash, unstable ground, venting gasses, any or all of which could kill you before you ever clear the landslide area.” She ticked off the items on her fingers. “I hate your idea. It’s ... it’s ... silly.”
He chuckled, and that made her angry. “Don’t you dare laugh at me, you big galoot.”
He did laugh then, but his expression was pure tenderness, and it melted her rage away. She swiped at a tear she hadn’t realized had slipped down her face.
“I’ve been called a lot of things, but big galoot is a new one.”
She let him reach for her now, pulling her into the circle of his arms. He felt warm, his embrace strong and steady against her trembling. For a moment, she let her cheek rest on his chest, listened to the steady beat of his heart.
“I know this is scary,” he said.
She buried her face into his chest. “The only way we survive this is together.” She squeezed his biceps. “Together, do you hear me?”
