“Of course. And what about your cleaning? Would you like me to send someone else over to do it.”
“No.” He didn’t like strangers in his house. He only wanted Lucky. “Let’s hope Lucky returns soon and I can reschedule with her then.”
“Okay. Please let me know if you change your mind and we’ll make arrangements to make this right.”
“I understand. Sometimes people just need some space. Let’s hope that’s all this is and she comes back soon.” He could relate to that. He’d done it enough times himself. He was about to get lost in the woods right now just to get his head straight again and blow off the excess energy building up in his system.
“Thank you for your patience, Mr. Gunn. I’ll be in touch.”
He ended the call and ten minutes later pulled into the hiking trail lot at one of the less popular trail heads. He climbed out and went to the back of his Range Rover, lifting the back, and pulling out his heavy gear. The SAR rucksack with all his supplies weighed about thirty pounds. He’d carry it and a few extra bottles of water, just in case. Last he grabbed the SAR baseball hat he wore for their softball games. Before he put on his rucksack, he did some stretching behind his car, loosening up his muscles. He’d learned with his extensive injuries, though recovered, he needed to take the time to warm up or he’d seize up later.
The sun was high. He’d get in a few miles of hiking before he had to head back to the bar to check in with the manager and go over inventory. Right now, he just wanted to get lost among the trees and nature, so he could let his muscles work and his mind rest.
He started down a trail that usually challenged him. Three miles in, he hit the fork and decided that he’d been going easy on himself a lot lately and needed to push himself with some rougher terrain to build up his stamina. He turned right down a lesser used trail, and really worked his legs as he traversed the winding hillside that brought him up to another plateau and around to another narrow gap between two hills. The trail was a little overgrown, but he could still navigate it. If he kept going, heshould make it to another fork and yet another trail that wound back to his starting point.
The wind whispered through the valley and trees. He stopped at a large boulder and sat, taking out a bottle of water and downing all of it. He pulled off his ball cap, held it up, and wiped his brow on the crook of his elbow and arm.
“I’m here. Help me! I’m here. Help me!” The words were barely discernible, so much so that for a second he thought he’d imagined it as the wind’s whispering picked up again.
But something in him wouldn’t let him dismiss it as nothing. He pulled on his ball cap and headed deeper down the path, calling out, “Is someone there? Can you hear me?”
He waited, holding his breath, but didn’t hear anything more. He kept moving forward, slowly scanning his surroundings, looking for anything, anyone, out here.
“Hello. Can you hear me?” He thought he heard a soft groan. More whispers.
Suddenly, a small rock landed five feet away and tumbled toward him. He turned his head to the hill up ahead of him. It took his eyes a second to register what he was seeing. Someone’s bare feet. Whoever it was, he couldn’t see the rest of them from his vantage point.
He ran to the slope where the trees grew out of the hill and jumped up to see if he could spot the person above him. All he caught was a glimpse of long blonde hair, dried blood matting some of it down as the breeze blew other strands, tangling them in a branch. “I see you. I’m coming up. Just hold on.”
He didn’t get a response and his gut knotted with dread. He studied the terrain leading up and figured out some handholds and footholds for him to haul himself up the seven foot rise. The second he braced himself at the top with the two trees as support, he gasped at the nearly naked woman lying face down, athick stick sticking out of her shoulder, blood covering her back, her head, and dried and pooled beneath her.
Fuck!
He pulled off his pack and set it aside, then kneeled beside her, and gently brushed the hair away from her face.
“Help. Me.” The words puffed out of her chapped and cracked lips so softly he’d barely heard them.
But then he pushed the last of her thick hair back, leaned down close, and really looked at her. Shock rocked him. “Lucky.” It couldn’t be. What was she doing way out here? How did she get here?
Why the fuck is she naked?
He looked up the hill from where she lay and could practically see the entire path she’d slid down by all the disturbed plants, dirt, and debris.
She didn’t answer him, just groaned.
“Lucky. It’s me. Hawk.” His voice trembled. His heart thrashed in his chest. “I’m going to help you.” He pulled out his phone and cursed. No signal. Of course not. And he hadn’t brought his SAR satellite phone. Damn.
Stupid.
At least he was prepared to tend to her injuries and try to get her stable. First he needed to figure how bad she was hurt. Right after he called for help. “Lucky.” He patted her cheek gently, trying to rouse her. “Hey. I need to head back down the trail a little ways so I can call for help.”
“Staaayy.” The word wheezed out of her.
He leaned down so he could hear her better, but he didn’t like what she said at all.
“Don’t. Want. To. Die.” She sucked in a ragged breath and let out the next word on her exhale. “Alone.”
“You’re not dying. I’m going to get you to the hospital. But I need you to hold on. Can you do that for me? Please,” he begged.
