“Quick!” Tess yelled. “Get anything that might blow away and put it in a tent.” As they scrambled around the campsite, she hurried to save the fishing poles Ashton and Carter had abandoned by the lake.
Everyone instinctively, but needlessly, ducked as the bird set down in the clearing. Two paramedics ran to where they huddled, loaded Joseph onto a stretcher, and slow-jogged him back to the chopper, which took off as soon as he was strapped in.
As the noise faded into the distance, everyone stood, shell-shocked, staring at the spot the helicopter had vacated.
“Things just got real,” Grayson said.
“It’s not called ‘ultimate survival’ for nothing,” Tess said.
“Dibs on any food Joseph left behind,” Carter said.
“We’ll divvy it up fair and square. Logan and I picked a few berries. Don’t suppose you guys caught any fish?”
Ashton and Carter bowed their heads.
“That’s all right,” Tess said. “We’ll try again tomorrow. Let’s get a fire going, and I’ll show you how to make ash cakes.”
“No idea what that is, but it sounds delicious,” Grayson said.
She showed them how to mix flour and water into a play-dough-like paste, flatten it, lay it on a stone by the fire, and flip it until it was baked through.
“Played a little fast and loose with the term ‘cake,’ didn’t ya?” Ashton said, nibbling on his first attempt.
“I don’t care,” Grayson said. “It’s not granola. I love it.”
“It’s incentive to catch some fish tomorrow,” Tess said. “For now, I’ll go pack up the doc’s things and bring back his food.”
She returned with Joseph’s rations, which they split evenly.
Joseph and Grayson had only collected one load of wood before the accident, which meant they barely had enough to keep the fire going through dinner. And since sitting around an empty fire pit wasn’t very inviting, everyone opted to turn in early.
Unable to sleep right away, Tess replayed the day. Could she have done more to prevent Joseph’s fall? She’d warned them about the cliff multiple times. And other than never letting them out of her sight, what more was there?
Another worry was that Joseph might be the litigious type. She’d upped the store’s insurance specifically for these campouts, but was beginning to have doubts as to whether the extra cash flow was worth the hassle.
Her thoughts shifted to the other men. Campers rarely tempted her, but both Carter and Logan were dang good-looking.
Carter was confident, bordering on cocky, but had every right. Logan was mysteriously elusive, but had really kept his head during the emergency. He also didn’t seem as annoyingly rich as the others, and for some reason, that was a plus for Tess.
Once she pushed all the random thoughts from her mind, sleep came hard and fast.
CHAPTER SIX
Logan
At the crack of dawn the next morning, Logan was wide awake and, unable to fall back asleep, got up and went off to gather firewood. Tess might get mad that he didn’t take a buddy, but she’d be happy to have a warm spot to sit.
By the time everyone else emerged from their tents, Logan had collected wood, started a fire, and had the coffee going.
“I could kiss you,” Grayson said, plopping down on the ground and warming his hands by the flames.
“Pass.” Logan held up a hand.
“You get a gold star for initiative,” Tess said. “But don’t think I’ve missed that you broke the buddy rule.”
“Won’t happen again, ma’am.” He wasn’t brown-nosing, just figured it was in his best interest to stay on Tess’s good side.
Like the day before, breakfast was only protein bars and coffee. Logan broke down and ate one of his extras from Joseph’s cache.
