He was carrying her daughter. A park ranger was carrying her daughter. Her dad would be having a conniption right about now. This unexpected liaison with a park ranger was the most rebellious thing she’d ever done. Then again, Laura had never really had a rebellious phase. It was kind of hard to rebel when you lived alone on a mountain with a man who refused to get angry. She actually smiled at the thought of her father’s face if he could see this.
“Mommy!”
Laura almost stumbled as she stopped and spun around. She should have known better than to place Abby in the hands of a park ranger. And then she had turned her back on them, not even watching what was going on.
The tension in her body evaporated as Abby blew her a wet-sounding kiss, Duckie clutched in her arm. “Wuv Mommy! Mwah!”
Abby wasn’t hurt. She wasn’t in danger. She was cradled in Seth’s arms, grinning with those chubby little cheeks, and then sending big kisses to her mom. Seth’s huge smile faded as he looked at Laura. That handsome joy was replaced with an expression Laura couldn’t name. Defensiveness? Disappointment? He had surely read the accusation on her face when she had turned around.
Whatever it was, it made Laura look away from Seth’s face. She focused her gaze just above Abby’s head as she forced a smile.
“I love you, too, baby.”
Her face felt too tight, and it was hard to maintain the upward curve of her lips. Abby seemed to buy the act, however, as she turned back to Seth and started babbling. Something about leaves and rainbows.
Laura chanced a glance at Seth. He was watching her, his face impassive. Unable to maintain his gaze, she turned to face forward again, navigating the path almost subconsciously as she thought about the man behind her. She couldn’t figure him out. No, that wasn’t true. Laura couldn’t figure herself out.
“How far away do you think the shelter is?”
His voice was conversational, almost as though he was asking how she liked her coffee. Laura kept walking, trying to keep her pace steady. She was grateful for his effort at normalcy, but she didn’t want to see that look in his eyes again.
“If I’m remembering right, it should be up here about three miles or so.” Laura was proud of how evenly she answered him. She felt like a little girl playing dress up with a neighbor boy—both pretending to be mature and sophisticated. Two grand adults having a lofty conversation in adult voices about adult things.
A confident adult was the last thing Laura felt like right now. She might not physically be a child anymore, but right now she was scared and confused. But she knew she wasn’t alone, no matter how much it felt like it.
Laura swallowed hard as a smile fought with the impulse to cry. She had God. She had Abby. And she had a park ranger.
They walked. And walked. Laura thought the forest fire had maybe moved to the muscles of her legs, concentrating its burn there.
“It’s pretty up here.” Seth’s voice was still conversational, as though they had been talking the entire time. Two people out for a stroll, enjoying the scenery. Laura wanted to thank him for his effort, but that would kind of defeat the purpose of making this situation seem ordinary.
“Yes, it is.” Laura didn’t have to try too hard to infuse her words with warmth. It was the truth. “I love this mountain. I’m sure part of that is because it’s home. But really, who wouldn’t look at all this and fall in love?” Laura took a second and gave the scenery the respect it deserved. She had been focusing on escape. On next steps. On routes and plans and maps that existed only in her memory. Now she was focusing on the masterpiece that God had created. The one she had missed desperately when she lived in Denver.
The trees had brown, textured trunks and lush green leaves and sharp, precise needles, and they burst with life. The forest floor was covered in leaves and plants, a soft carpet. Moss looked soft and inviting. Rocks seemed to pop up here and there, little chunks of sculpture decorating the land.
The wind was blowing away from them, and Laura tried to find the familiar scent of the forest. She wanted to smell pine and wood and that musty, tangy, thick mountain smell. It was there. Along with the faintest hint of smoke, unfortunately. But she couldn’t see smoke yet, and that made her feel better. The sky was a color that, if she painted it, would probably be called unrealistic.
Laura’s pace had slowed considerably. She felt herself begin to blush as she stopped her staring and resumed their original steady pace. She hadn’t meant to get so caught up, but she also didn’t want that horrible silence to return. She turned and gave Abby a big smile. “The mountain is pretty, isn’t it, Abby McDabby?”
Abby looked at her and smiled right back. “Pretty! Pretty mountain.”
Laura looked at Seth. His eyes were warm. Happy. Not wanting to ruin the moment and lose the feeling of hope that was growing in her chest, Laura faced front again. She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.
Thank You, God. We needed this.
Feeling reassured and rejuvenated, Laura checked her surroundings to make sure that they were still on the right path. The break from reality was nice, but getting lost was the last thing they needed. Seth must have noticed her change in demeanor.
“Um, we’re not lost, are we?” He sounded hesitant. That made Laura smile. He seemed afraid the question would anger her. And scared that they might, indeed, be lost. Still basking in the relief of the carefree atmosphere they had created, she tried to make her voice as serious as possible.
“Lost? Umm...noooo. I just don’t see the tree where we need to turn.”
Silence. Then, still hesitantly, “Tree?”
Laura was glad she was still in front of Seth. There was no way she would have been able to maintain a straight face. “Yeah. When we see this tree, then we need to make a hard left.” She made of show of slowing her pace and looking at the nearly identical trees that surrounded them in the forest.
This time, his voice held a hint of dread. “What does the tree look like?”
Laura had to swallow quickly to keep the laugh inside. She waited a second until she thought her voice wouldn’t give her away. Trying to sound as confident and nonchalant as possible, she responded, “It’s tall. It has green leaves. The bark is a sort of brownish color.”
Laura wished she could see Seth’s face right now. He wasn’t saying anything, and her mind was supplying all kinds of ideas about what his face might look like. His voice was decidedly thicker when he finally spoke. “Is there anything else? Anything that would make the tree stand out?”
Laura pretended to think for a second. “Oh! It does have some distinctive things on it.”
“Distinctive? What are they?” Seth sounded relieved.
“It has moss on the trunk. Toward the bottom. And there are bird nests in the branches. And these squirrels. These certain squirrels live in it. They have bushy tails.”
Laura heard Seth stop walking behind her. She put on her best poker face and turned to face him. “Is something wrong?”
Seth was looking at her with an expression that was probably half suspicion and half frustration. “Are you messing with me? We’re looking for a tree that looks exactly like every other tree in this forest?”
Laura had to face the front and start walking again. She couldn’t help but smile at how disgruntled Seth was. “I mean, they look different to me. But, then again, this is my mountain.” Laura continued her pace. She hoped that Seth would follow.
“Mama!” Laura turned to see Abby pointing at her. Abby wasn’t upset, but she clearly wanted Seth to keep up.
With a huge sigh, Seth started moving again. “You’re messing with me. You have got to be messing with me.” He sounded like he was trying to convince himself. “You are messing with me, right?”
Laura’s tone was probably giving her away, but she was enjoying this too much to stop now. “Messing with you? Oh, you mean about what the tree looks like?”
Laura heard a humph from behind and almost giggled. “I’m not messing with you. I mean, how else would I know where to go? There aren’t any street signs or anything like that.” She wasn’t exactly telling a lie. Laura’s dad had taught her about finding her way on the mountain, and part of that involved looking at the trees. Knowing the forest by sight.
Though he never put stock in memorizing where the squirrels with bushy tails were.
“So, we’re looking for a special tree that is somehow different from all the other trees because it has bark and leaves and moss and nests and squirrels, even though every single tree I look at has all these things?”
Laura turned her laugh into a small cough. “Well, I don’t know that I would call the tree special. I mean, isn’t all of nature special?”
When Seth didn’t respond, Laura’s curiosity was too strong to ignore. She turned to see him muttering to Abby. He looked exasperated, but whatever he was saying was making Abby smile.
They rounded another tight clump of trees, and Laura realized that her fun was over.
“This is it. We’re here.”
Seth looked around, but “here” looked like every other place they had been since they got out of that tunnel. He was fairly certain that she was making fun of him. She had to be. She couldn’t really be looking for a special squirrel tree. No. She was playing him. Probably.
Seth didn’t normally enjoy being the butt of other people’s jokes, but he found that he wasn’t really upset with Laura. For one thing, he had seen her smile. Just for a second, but it was enough. Her cheeks had been pushed full, her eyes had seemed to come out from the shadows and she’d looked ten years younger. Seth had felt better, too.
Putting Abby down, he tried to discern where the shelter might be. He failed.
He looked to see Abby picking a flower that was growing near her feet and Laura standing there with her hands on her hips. The smile was still in place, though. So was the amused expression she had been wearing and trying to hide for the last ten minutes.
Seth threw his hands up in the air in a gesture of defeat. “Okay, okay. I give. Tell me your terms, and I’ll surrender.”
Laura looked like she was pressing her lips together, and the corners of her mouth were slightly curved upward. Oh, yeah, she was teasing him. She walked over to a group of bushes and pulled some vines away.
There was a door.
In the middle of the forest.
There was a door in the middle of the forest.
Seth was stunned. Yet, he had known somehow that Laura would come through for them.
The door looked old and rickety. As he walked toward it, Seth realized that the clump of bushes was not really a bunch of bushes growing together. Instead, it was a building of some sort. The shelter.
Seth walked inside, pulling out a flashlight from his belt as he did so. The interior of the cabin was similar to Laura’s rustic cabin, though much smaller. It was basically just a room. The fireplace surprised Seth because he definitely didn’t remember seeing a chimney outside. Of course, he didn’t see the building, either. Seth spotted two windows, both with interior shutters closed over them. Seth guessed that if he opened the shutters, he would only see the dense brush that was covering the cabin. He noted a bed, a table with chairs and a kitchen that looked like it belonged on a campsite.
“Secret fort!”
Abby’s excited voice drew Seth’s attention to the door. She was pulling against Laura’s hand, trying to get inside while her mother just stood in the doorway and watched Seth.
“It sure looks like a secret fort, doesn’t it, Abby?” Seth was glad Abby was excited instead of scared. So far, she seemed to be calm or acting like she was on a grand adventure. Seth hoped it could stay that way. He didn’t want the little girl to be afraid.
“Well, it’s not much.” Laura sounded resigned, like she had expected the worst and the worst is what they had gotten.
“It’s perfect,” Seth said. “It’s hidden. It’s dry.” He opened cupboard and closet doors as he walked around the room, noting the precious supplies they held. “And it’s got supplies.” He was relieved to see a rifle with ammunition. He’d take that with him when they left.
Laura looked behind her, out into the open forest and then closed the door. “Do you think they are tracking us?”
Seth considered it for a moment. “I’m sure they will, eventually. But those men had a very urban look, Laura. I doubt they spend a whole lot of time in the wilderness.”
Laura didn’t look convinced.
“Even if they do, we have you,” Seth said. She looked surprised. Maybe shocked that he was giving her a compliment. “You know these woods. You knew how to get us to this shelter with minimal evidence left behind.” Seth recalled standing right in front of the shelter, knowing it was nearby, and still being unable to detect it. “And you led us to a shelter that is about as hidden in plain sight as something can be. In fact—” Seth stopped as the sound of a helicopter filled the small cabin.
Almost as one, they ran to the front door. Laura was reaching out, preparing to pull it open and run outside when Seth’s hand on her arm stopped her. “No, Laura. Wait.”
“What if it’s help?” She sounded desperate. It hurt to hear.
“What if it’s not?”
That did it. Laura dropped her hand and just stared at the door. Seth didn’t have time to think. The chopper sounded like it was passing overhead right now. He needed to get a look at it. Barely cracking the door, Seth saw the chopper flying in the direction of Laura’s cabin.
“Seth?” Laura’s voice made some of the tightness leave his face. He carefully shut the door and turned to face her.
“That was not a police or fire chopper. It looked private. All black.”
Still frozen, Laura tried to get her tongue to work. “More men?”
Seth met her eyes. “Maybe. Or Mahoney’s escape plan. But they didn’t see us. Nothing has really changed.”
Laura sighed. Seth didn’t know if she was reassured or had just decided talking wasn’t going to help anything. “Okay, so what now?”
Seth opened the door to peek out again. The sun was setting. “It’s going to be dark soon. I think we should spend the night here. Rest, gather supplies.”
Laura looked like she was going to argue. “What about the fire?” she asked. “I really don’t want to wake up surrounded by flames.”
It was a valid fear. And Seth didn’t know anything for sure. “I think we’ll be okay for now. I still think it’s moving slow.”
Laura looked at him, her face screaming that she was entirely unconvinced.
“Laura, I’ll do whatever you want, okay? If you think we should keep moving, we will. But right now we just smell smoke. We don’t see it and we don’t see flames. None of our choices are good. But I think we should hide and rest for a bit.”
Laura nodded. “We should go ahead and seal ourselves inside here as best we can. Try to hide the shelter as much as possible in case they come by.”
Seth agreed, grateful that she was trusting his plan. Of course, that also meant anything that went wrong would be on him. A sharp pain shot across Seth’s jaw and he realized he was clenching it.
There were no good choices, he reminded himself. They just needed to do their best.
Laura opened doors and drawers, much as Seth had done earlier. When she found a doll and a set of large blocks, she gave them to Abby. Abby promptly sat on the bed and began playing quietly.
Seth raised his eyebrows at the find. Looking at him, Laura smiled sheepishly. “Those were mine. Dad liked to keep me busy. I was quieter when I was busy.”
“I bet.” Seth pictured a rustic mountain man taking a little girl along on his excursions.
Laura went back to her exploration of the cupboards. She pulled several cans out and rummaged until she found a can opener. “Well, we’ll have something to eat at least.” She looked at the fireplace and then at Seth. “I don’t think we should start a fire. The smoke would be a dead giveaway.”
“Agreed.”
Laura opened the first can and smelled the contents. Seemingly satisfied, she dumped the contents into a bowl. “I hope you like pork and beans. Cold.”
Seth thought about some of the meals he had eaten in Afghanistan. “That sounds perfect.”
Laura filled three bowls, found three spoons and they sat down at the table to eat. Even though they were near strangers, on the run, hiding in the woods and eating cold pork and beans, the meal reminded Seth of home. Of eating with his family at the kitchen table. He felt a pang of longing.
Seth was brought from his thoughts by Abby grabbing his hand. Her other fist gripped her mother’s hand. Laura held out her free hand toward Seth’s. Her voice was quiet. Tentative. “Um, we always hold hands and pray before we eat.”
Feeling a little foolish for not realizing earlier, Seth took Laura’s hand.
Laura looked at Abby. “Go ahead, honey.”
Abby closed her eyes and bent her head down. Seth did the same. “Dear God, thank You. Amen.”
Seth smiled and looked over to see Laura’s sheepish smile. “Her prayers are a little...short.” She sounded amused and almost embarrassed.
Seth looked at Abby and patted her on the back. “That was great, Abby. I like a woman who knows how to be concise and efficient.”
Abby smiled at Seth, likely not understanding all of his words but knowing she was loved and adored. She quickly remembered the food and concentrated on eating her dinner. Seth took a bite, pleased to find that the meal, while simple and cold, was actually quite good. “This is delicious. Thank you.”
Laura chuckled. “All I did was open a can, but you’re welcome.”
After eating dinner, Laura put Abby to bed and then sat across from Seth at the table. The old oil lamp Laura had produced from somewhere made a nice glow. If it weren’t for the armed men coming after them, this could have been a fun camping trip. Seth had certainly spent worse nights in his life.
Laura’s voice was low when she spoke. Seth wondered whether it was because she didn’t want to wake Abby or because of the subject of her question. “What are we going to do if they find us?” Laura turned her head and looked at Abby. Seth saw tears glistening in her eyes before she faced him again. “What are we going to do if they don’t find us?”
Seth didn’t want to give her platitudes about roses and bunnies. She was an adult. She was a mother. She needed to hear the truth and to know the risks of all their options. But, first, Seth needed to figure out what their options were. He wasn’t exactly coming up with a long list.
“I don’t honestly know, Laura.”
“The smell of the smoke lessened as we walked to the shelter, I think. But that could have been the wind. Do you think we’ve walked far enough away from the fire?”
“I’m a little turned around after our adventure as moles, but we’re farther up the mountain now than we were before, aren’t we?”
Laura nodded.
“Okay. So when I saw the fire it was definitely spreading in such a way that it will block all attempts to get down this side of the mountain. The wind could change but—”
“We can’t go down.”
“Well, there’s a chance that crews are fighting the fire right now. That if we walked toward the flames we’d also be walking toward help. But that risk makes me nervous. So I’d say the shortest route to help is probably out. I would hate to try it, hoping the fire won’t block us, and then find out it is. I don’t like that scenario at all.”
Laura’s gaze was steady. “And the men with guns might still be out there. Looking for us.”
“Yes.” Seth wanted to lie to her. But he respected her enough to give her the truth, even though he hated the expression that crossed her face. She looked, well, trapped. And it was a horrible thing to see on another person’s face.
“How do you feel about us staying here?” Laura asked. “We have enough food for a couple of weeks. Maybe longer if we ration it. If it came down to it, I could leave to hunt. It feels safe here.”
Seth thought about her question, appreciating the way she was treating him. The war between the park rangers assigned to this area and her family was almost mythical. But she was not digging into the conflict. Instead, she was dealing with the here and now. And, in this here and now, they needed to work together to get out alive. To get Abby out alive.
Seth froze when he thought he heard something outside. He had barely formed the thought when Laura extinguished the lamp and moved over to the bed where Abby slept. She had heard it, too, which meant it was real.
Seth knew there was a full moon and a sky full of stars out there. Bright and beautiful. He’d walked through the forest on nights like this before and had never even needed to pull out his flashlight. The cabin was completely dark, though, so overgrown on the outside that no light came in.
The sound outside became louder and more distinct. Something coming through the brush, breaking branches and crunching the leaves and needles that made up the forest floor. And voices. Male voices, loud and aggressive.
“This is pointless. We’re wandering around in the dark getting eaten alive by mosquitoes for no reason. They could be anywhere.”
“Shut your mouth. Boss says to get them—we get them.”
Seth looked at the dark shapes that were Laura and Abby on the bed. He wanted to go over there. He wanted to wrap his arms around them and use his body as a shelter. He stayed where he was, though. He was afraid that he would bump into something or knock something over if he tried to get to them in the dark. The last thing they needed was for him to alert these guys of their location.
Instead, Seth looked at the door. Or, where he thought the door was. He thanked God that he still had his gun on him. He hoped he would not need it, but he felt better having it in his hand.
Seth stopped breathing when a small beam of light came inside the cabin. The men had powerful flashlights. And the cabin wasn’t as protected from outside eyes as he had thought.