“HEY, MAX,” CALLED WILL as he untied Max and let him into the backseat before climbing into his vehicle. The big cream-colored dog tried to jump into the passenger seat, whining and attempting to lick his face. “Not so tough now, are you, Mr. Insecurity?”
Will laughed, pushing him back. “I haven’t been gone long, and the nice lady did stop to talk to you when I left you in the car earlier, didn’t she? Now settle down and I’ll take you for a walk when we get home.”
The fact that Chrissie had shown some affection for the dog was promising. It was him she was mad at, not Max, so perhaps she could be persuaded if he went about it the right way.
As he followed the narrow lane that led up the fell, he couldn’t help thinking about how different she had looked today in that rust-colored jacket with her glorious hair cascading over her shoulders. Of course, he didn’t usually go for independent shepherdesses who spent most of their time helping sheep give birth, tending to newborn lambs and training dogs. Then again, he’d never actually met a shepherdess before. Six months ago he would have laughed at the idea of falling for a woman like Chrissie, but now... Now he wasn’t so sure.
The women he tended to date were more high-heeled, smartly suited and career-minded women who would stop at nothing to get what they wanted... Then again, aside from the high heels and suits, perhaps those women had a lot more in common with Chrissie than he’d previously realized. She was tough and strong-minded, too. Ruthless, in a way, like him.
“Is that true, Max?” he asked out loud, reaching back to scratch the dog’s ears. “Do you think I’m ruthless?”
Max just wagged his tail happily and Will felt an unfamiliar rush of emotion, suddenly getting the whole dog-owner thing. Dogs didn’t ask questions, didn’t judge you, no matter what you did, and were always there for you with smiles on their faces. “I’m going to convince her to train you somehow, boy,” he promised. “After all, you are my best friend.”
That thought made him chuckle as he imagined what Roy Wallis and all his high-powered colleagues would think if they could see him now. Well, he’d spent the past ten years trying to make the right impression—confident, powerful lawyer with no scruples and the world at his feet—but from now on, he was just going to be himself...whoever himself was.
Spring sunshine flooded into the car and he opened the driver’s window, inhaling the sweet, clear air. This place was so real, so honest, and he knew it would help him figure out what he really wanted from life. Pulling over into a lay-by, he sat for a moment, looking back down the fell. Way, way, below him ordinary people were living ordinary lives, getting through their highs and lows in the best ways they could...and above him loomed the awesome sky, stretching toward eternity.
“Come on, boy,” he said as Max bounced up and down excitedly on the backseat. “Let’s take a walk.”
Will walked for almost half an hour with Max straining on his long leash. And then he stopped and sat on a rock to ease his aching muscles. The fells still loomed above him, more colorful now that spring was bringing new life to the world, and beautiful in a stark, magnificent, almost scary way. He was aware that up here the weather could change in an instant, bringing dangerous conditions, mist and rain and storms that could make you lose your way in minutes. Surely not today, though. Today was full of the promise of spring with fresh new life all around.
“Come on, Max,” he said. “We’ll go as far as that huge rock and then we’ll head back down to the car.” The dog gazed up at him, clearly pleased to be spoken to in the affectionate tone Will had adopted of late.
The rock was farther away than it seemed, and the way was steeper. He was exhausted by the time they reached it. Even Max was ready for a break, and he collapsed, panting, onto the tufty grass, his pink tongue lolling from his mouth. Will lay back, staring into the glory of the vast open sky, surprised to see how much it had darkened and how many menacing gray clouds were gathering above him. Alarm rippled down his spine and he sat up.
Max pricked his ears in Will’s direction.
“I think it’s about time we got back, boy,” Will said.
It was harder than he expected to walk down the rough slope. Harder, almost, than going up, since his legs were working overtime to keep him balanced. Beside him Max trotted easily, stopping occasionally to sniff at an enticing scent...until, suddenly, he leaped against his leash, almost yanking Will off his feet.
Will looked around to see what could have excited him. It had become eerily quiet, and dark gray clouds had rolled in, threatening rain. “Do you know, boy,” Will said uneasily, “I think you’re right that we need to go a bit faster. I can’t see any sheep so I think I’ll let you off.” He crouched down to undo the dog’s leash. “Promise me you won’t run off, though.” When Max planted his wet tongue on Will’s cheek, he laughed. “Okay, so I guess that’s a yes. Now, come on, we need to hurry.”
Will shuddered, pulling his light jacket more closely around him. It had seemed quite warm for the time of year when he had set out to walk Max, and he’d grown even warmer with the exertion. But now the sun had disappeared and a wind had whipped up from nowhere. He tried to pick up his pace but the loose gray scree moved beneath his feet, making him step carefully.
He took a deep breath, trying not to let the mist rolling down the fell worry him too much. How hard could it be to just walk straight back down to his car? At least Max was staying close, spooked by the conditions. All he had to do was get to the road. If he kept going down, then he had to hit it eventually.
When the mist caught up to them, turning Max into a ghostly form and curling around Will in a wet, white cloak that soaked into his bones, he stopped and searched for a landmark. There was nothing...nothing but the opaque, swirling mist. The beginnings of panic cut through his composure, and he tried to stay calm. He’d lost his bearings, but he could still keep walking downhill.
Ten minutes passed by, ten minutes of struggling over rocks and undergrowth that hadn’t been there when he walked up the fell in the early afternoon sunshine. How could he have gotten so off track? The cold was getting to him now, making him shiver, and he trod uncertainly as the terrain got even worse.
They came to what appeared to be the edge of a rocky outcrop and Will came to an abrupt halt, peering over the edge. He couldn’t see the ground below because of the mist, and his heart beat hard at the base of his throat. Panic was an unfamiliar feeling to Will, as were loneliness and fear, and now he had a full measure of all three. If the mist had been the slightest bit thicker, he could have stepped right off...
He gulped, reaching out to Max for comfort. If he took a fall or stepped into a crevice, he could lie there all night—assuming he survived. There was no one to come looking for him, and by tomorrow it could be too late. Fumbling for his cell phone, he tapped the screen with numb fingers. An automated female voice intoned, “You have no signal.”
Will crouched beside Max, clinging to his warmth and solidity. “Which way then, boy? Which way?”
The big dog wagged his tail, and as if he understood, he set off along the top of the ridge with Will close behind. Eventually, when the rocks gave way to scree and grass, Will was able to start descending again, totally disorientated but determined to stay calm.
Max, on the other hand, seemed to have lost his previous unease. His nose was low to the ground and he trotted along happily, seemingly unaware of Will’s distress. Suddenly, he let out an excited whine and ran ahead, disappearing into the mist. Will called for him to come back, yelling his name into the opaque silence.
What had he been thinking, coming out here? Not just today, but at all. The city seemed so friendly and safe by comparison as he headed on alone. He checked his watch and saw that the afternoon was gone. He had to find his way back to the car, or at least the road, before darkness fell... He just had to.
“Max!” he yelled again, his voice hoarse with the effort. All he heard was a distant, excited bark.
* * *
AFTER SPENDING SOME time with Floss and checking the sheep, all Chrissie wanted was to sit down in front of the fire with a nice cup of tea.
A ewe had given birth to twin lambs, one big and strong and the other tiny and weak. Drained from getting them into the barn and making sure that the little one had suckled, but satisfied with her efforts, Chrissie headed for the house. She was almost at the kitchen door when she heard a bark. She stopped in her tracks. Why would a dog be barking up on the fell on an evening like this? She couldn’t ignore it.
Walking over to the field gate with Tess and Fly at her heels, she tried calling the dog. “Hey, boy...here, boy!”
Her cries were met by a heavy silence broken only by the moaning of the wind. Chrissie pulled her thick down jacket around her and turned back toward the house. Had she imagined it? Maybe she was mistaken and it was just a fox calling for its mate.
The barking came again as she opened the door. It was nearer now and definitely a dog. She grabbed her flashlight and went back out into the darkness with a rush of apprehension. She couldn’t just leave it there.
Chrissie strode across the low meadow where the lambing sheep grazed and went through the gate, leaving its smooth, green safety for the open fell’s wild untended slopes. But getting lost wasn’t an option. She knew the fell’s every nook and cranny. Even in the mist, she could find her way home.
The fog was so thick that she could barely see in front of her, but she kept on calling for the dog, following the sound of its yelps. It sounded desperate, she thought, and she hoped it wasn’t stuck somewhere or injured.
Finally the animal emerged from the gloom, leaping up at her in delight. She grabbed hold of its collar.
“Max!” she cried, recognizing him at once even though he was covered in mud. Max whined in delight, spinning in crazy circles, while Tess and Fly cowered behind her, wary of his exuberance. Was there no way she could get away from her annoying neighbor? she wondered. Now she’d have to contact him when she would rather keep well away.
“All right, boy,” she said with a sigh, pulling a piece of baler twin from her pocket and tying it onto Max’s collar. “You’re coming with me.”
Tired, afraid and happy to be rescued, Max followed obediently.
She was almost back at the meadow when it occurred to her that Will could be out there, too. Despite his faults, he really did love the daft, silly dog. What if he was out searching? What if he’d gotten lost? And if he was, she’d bet he wasn’t prepared at all for the conditions. She brought up his name on her phone and called him, relieved when she heard a ring. It was hard to get a signal on the fell, but fortunately she appeared to be in one of the patches that had reception. Standing still for fear of losing the signal, she mentally begged him to pick up.
* * *
WILL WAS TRYING desperately to keep it together and wondering how a lovely spring walk could have turned into such a nightmare. He was cold, bitterly cold, and shivering from head to toe. He’d lost Max, he’d lost his bearings and night was closing in through the thick wall of fog that surrounded him.
When the mist had first rolled down, engulfing him, he’d thought it would be easy to keep on going downward. Eventually, he’d reach the road. Or so he’d thought. But fear had made him make mistakes and he’d been blundering around the rough terrain for hours with no idea if he was making any progress. He was still trying to go down, yes, but sections of steep slope and sharp drop-offs kept sending him back up.
Maybe this was it. Maybe he was going to die here...all alone. He pushed the thought aside, but deep down he knew it was a possibility. Even if the fog cleared, the night was still very much steeped in winter. Exposure was a terrifying thought, and his light jacket was already doing a poor job keeping the cold and damp at bay.
“Max!” he called half-heartedly, knowing the dog was gone. What if he never saw him again?
And then his phone rang. He struggled to answer it with fingers that refused to do his bidding, managing to pick up just as it stopped its stupid melody. He cursed at it. He’d given up on the thing after trying it again and again when Max ran off. There wasn’t even one bar of a signal anywhere. Even now, seconds after a call had gotten through, the signal was gone.
Desolation settled over him like a cold, wet blanket as he stumbled down the slope. He tripped over a rock and went sprawling into damp brown bracken...and then his phone rang again.
This time he was able to answer it. “Hello? Hello?” he cried. “I need help!”
“Where are you, and are you okay?” a calm female voice replied. Chrissie?
“Chrissie!” he yelled. “I’m lost.”
“It’s going to be okay,” she said. “Just stand still and tell me where you are.”
“I don’t know. I took Max for a walk on the fell and—”
“I’m going to try and find you,” she told him. “I have Max here, so you can’t be too far off. Your signal will probably go again, but don’t panic. Stay where you are and keep on shouting.”