The dog looked at her his tail wagging, his gaze moving from her to the wall.
“Oh, come on. You remember this.” She shined the light on the wall until she found where he’d peed the day before. Moving closer to the spot, she pointed, her finger only inches away. “Here. Smell this.”
Copper licked her hand before his nose sniffed. Once he caught the sent, he immediately lifted his leg.
She stepped back quickly as he sprayed the wall with a strong steady stream. Shit, the little guy had a big bladder! When he finished, he nosed around and promptly squatted.
She moved out into the tunnel.
“Everything okay?” Garrett called out.
She moved the light to see him. He leaned against the tunnel wall, his arms folded, his feet crossed. In the dark, he looked like the perfect cowboy. “Yeah, just waiting for Copper to finish.” She waved her hand in front of her face to indicate the smell.
His chuckle was back.
Inordinately pleased with herself for bringing back his good mood, she swung the light back into the room to find Copper trotting toward her, obviously quite pleased with himself. “You done?”
The dog sat at her feet and pawed at her leg.
Her heart sank. “I don’t have anything for you.”
Copper pawed again. This is why she didn’t own a pet. She sucked at taking care of them. “Go see Garrett.” She pointed her hand in Garrett’s direction and lit up the area.
Copper’s eyebrow rose. He looked at Garrett and back at her.
“Go ahead.”
After another double take, the dog finally headed off. She reached into the ore cart and grabbed a carbide can of dirt and brought it back into the room to cover the dog’s poop. Returning to the cart, she scooped another can of dirt. For a little dog, he had a large digestive system.
After taking care of her own needs, she headed back to where Garrett waited, Copper sitting beside him. “It’s all yours.” She handed him the phone. “I’m going to go back and have a mint. I wish I had something to give the dog.”
“You can give him one of your mints. You did say they were from a natural store, right?”
She glanced at the dog. “Yes, all-natural ingredients. I guess it couldn’t hurt.” Feeling better that she could at least offer the dog something, she moved to the left side of the tunnel. She’d laid her finger tips on the wall before realizing that wouldn’t work. She’d have no fingertips left if she did that.
“Would this help?” Garrett held out a piece of rotten wood that had fallen off the ore car.
“Definitely. Thanks.” She took the wood and held it against the wall of the tunnel and started forward. “Come on, Copper.” The light dimmed as Garrett walked in the opposite direction. She was almost at the fork when it finally went completely black. All she had to do was move forward, staying in touch with the wall and being careful how she stepped.
She counted her steps as much to know how close she was to where they had camped as to keep her mind on her surroundings. When she reached five hundred, she stepped across the rail. As her foot sunk in soft dirt, she knew she’d either stepped in Garrett’s bed or she’d hit the cave-in.
Crouching, she felt around. When she touched the towel that made his pillow, she grinned. She’d never thought she’d use the skills she developed while trapped in that cave, but they were coming in handy. Carefully, she rose and stepped over to her bed and reached into her back pocket. Taking out a mint, she broke it in half with her teeth. Moving the mints to her front pocket, she sat down. “Okay, Copper. Try this.”
The dog jumped on her lap, almost causing her to lose the half a mint. “Whoa, there. I’m not a horse to ride. Here.” She held his head and stuck the mint in his mouth. Immediately there was a crunch and then a smacking of his lips. The next second he had jumped off her and barked.
The sound sent loose dirt cascading down the new pile.
“Shh. If you don’t like it, I won’t give you anymore. Sorry.” She sucked on her half. Having Copper with her made her anxious. Knowing he depended on her to survive whittled away at her confidence.
And Garrett? Strangely enough, she wasn’t worried about him. He obviously knew a bit about survival and didn’t try to pull the macho, “I’m in charge” shit. She respected a man who recognized strength in others.
Her stomach growled, her body reacting to the mint, thinking it was time for breakfast. Hopefully, it would stop before Garrett returned. Working on empty stomachs would make it slow-going for them. She had to figure out how to make her hands useful. There was no way she’d let him do all the work.
It was bad enough she’d slept on the man. It had been far too comfortable, and he was far too nice to look at. For being buried alive, he was the perfect teammate. It had been a long time since she’d been interested in a man, and it hadn’t happened once since she’d returned from her second deployment. She just hadn’t been around anywhere long enough to get to know anyone.
That was probably why she’d been at Last Chance so long. All the men were taken and she worked alone most days. It was easy to keep separate. She did have a certain fondness for Annette though. The older woman was what she’d hoped for in a mother, not what she’d had.
She hadn’t expected to get to know Garrett either. Then again, what did she really know about him? He could be engaged for all she knew. The thought bothered her. If he was with someone, he shouldn’t be letting her sleep on his chest. But if he didn’t, he would one day soon. He was the full package. If she wasn’t determined to be alone, she’d be interested.
