Page 90 of Keep On Loving You
Kat: Could you just call me?
She sounded sad the last time she called, the anger from the previous message gone. More than anything, he wished he could pick up the phone and call her back the way she wanted. But he knew that even if she had her phone with her, there was no cell service up in the trails. And he had no intention of leaving a message. Not when talking to her face-to-face would be so much better.
Time moved painfully slowly. Andy did the math in his head. If she woke up with the sun and had a simple breakfast before packing up, she should be on the trail around nine at the latest.
According to Kane, with a lighter pack it should only take a few hours to make her way back down the trail, which meant that even if she got a late start, Kat should be back to her vehicle by around two o’clock at the latest.
Which was a good thing because the storm was forecasted to start blowing in around five. They should be down the mountain and with any luck, wrapped up in each other’s arms and cozy in bed by then.
Just in case she moved faster than he expected, Andy was waiting at the trailhead by noon. But by two, when there was still no sign of Kat coming down the trail, he started to worry.
Overhead, the clouds were starting to close in and the wind was picking up.
By reflex, Andy started to hike up the trail but stopped himself. He was wearing running shoes and he didn’t have so much as a sweater with him. Even if Kat was hurt on thetrail somewhere, he wouldn’t be any good to her if he wasn’t even a little bit prepared.
But he couldn’t sit around and do nothing. A decision made, he drove as fast as he safely could on the gravel mountain roads as he raced back to the town and ran through the plaza to get to Kane’s shop moments before the man was locking up for the day.
“We close at?—”
“She’s not back.”
“What?”
Andy shook his head. “She’s not back. She should be back by now.” He pointed to the sky. “The storm.”
Without another word, Kane reopened the store and went inside.
Andy followed him. “I need shoes. Size twelve. A pack and a first-aid kit. And maybe a rain jacket.”
Kane shook his head. “You can’t go up there.”
“The hell I can’t.”
“Not now. It’s not safe. Not with the storm. I’ll get Search and Rescue?—”
“Give me the shoes, Kane.” He held the other man’s gaze until finally, Kane looked away.
“Fine. But I’m still calling in S&R. You’re not equipped, Andy. It’s going to turn into a two-man rescue.”
“It’s not. I’ll get her.”
Kane moved quickly and helped Andy with shoes, a jacket, and a pack that included a handful of food rations, a first-aid kit, and even a change of clothes.
“I owe you.”
“You sure as hell do.”
“For the record, I know it’s not a good idea.” Andy lifted the pack. “But I can’t not go, Kane. I need to go.”
“I get it, man.” Kane nodded and handed him a small device. “This is an emergency locator and communicator. It works on satellite signals. I should have insisted Kat take one.” He shook his head. “You can communicate with text just like a phone, and that button there is a direct line to Search and Rescue. If you push that, they’ll know exactly where to find you, okay? And if I don’t hear from you by nine, I’ll call them myself.”
“Thank you.” Andy nodded his appreciation and tucked the device safely away before taking off. He needed to get to his woman.
She spent her day exploring the shoreline, but not straying too far from her campsite. She’d grown bolder, for sure, but she still wasn’t completely comfortable out there alone. The sun was out and it turned into a gorgeous, hot summer day. With no one around, Kat stripped her clothes off and danced around the shore naked before diving into the glacier-fed water to cool off.
Herswimonly lasted seconds before she ran out of the water, laughing and shrieking, having vastly underestimated how cold the water would be. It didn’t take long for the hot sun to warm her again and lull her into an afternoon nap.
A cold breeze woke her hours later. She didn’t know howlong she’d been sleeping, but long enough for the weather to have changed completely. The wind was howling and the once completely still lake had whipped up into whitecaps over the surface.
