Chapter 57
57
ASHER
Summer gasped. “Is that…?”
“Yeah.” I wrapped my arms around her, burying her face in my shoulder so she couldn’t see the crib anymore. “It doesn’t mean the kidnapper was here though.”
Assuming there was a kidnapper. Connor hadn’t said. But he had mentioned the police investigating the scene, which surely meant it had been an abduction. If she’d somehow miraculously gotten out of that highchair and wandered off without leaving a trace, they wouldn’t bother collecting evidence.
Besides, if no one had taken her, then how would the bear have gotten here?
Her scoff was muffled by the napkins and my jacket. “Oh yeah?”
“It could be from anyone with a baby,” I said, hoping to calm her. After the Ute’s engine dying and the fallen trees blocking the road, the last thing she needed was another thing to worry about.
She drew back enough to look me in the eye. “People don’t just bring babies to hunting cabins in the middle of winter. Besides, that’s Marcy’s bear. I’ve seen it before.”
“She got it from Destiny Fibers. I’m sure other people have identical ones.” I didn’t address her previous comment because, honestly, I couldn’t. Based on the disturbance outside, the food stores, and the presence of the bear and the crib, this probably was the kidnappers' hideout.
“They aren’t here now,” I continued. “We checked, remember? The tree on the road will stop anyone from driving up, so we should be able to see them coming if they return, but there’s every chance they left town when Marcy was found.”
She worried her lip between her teeth, clearly not finding any of this remotely comforting. “I hope you’re right.”
I went over to the bunk beds and pulled a fleece blanket off one. I had the nasty feeling the kidnapper had used it, but that didn’t matter as much as caring for Summer did. I wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and guided her to the edge of the bunk. She looked small and frightened as she dabbed at her bloody nose. The flow seemed to have slowed.
I used the radio to contact Connor again.
“We found a crib in the cabin,” I told him. “There’s also enough food to supply someone for a couple of weeks if not longer, and a blue bear that looks a lot like Marcy’s.”
“Shit.”
I hesitated. “I don’t suppose they arrested anyone?”
I was guessing he’d have said as much earlier if they had, but it paid to be sure.
“No,” Connor replied. “Marcy was found alone, left on the hood of a car around the back of the information center. Unfortunately, no one saw who dropped her off, but they must have known the center was being used to coordinate the search so someone would find her before she became ill.”
“Damn.” I was glad Marcy was fine, but it would have been easier if an arrest had been made.
“Be careful out there.” Connor’s tone was serious. “Is there anything you can use as a weapon?”
“I’ll find something, and I’ll let you know if anything changes.”
“You do that.”
I propped the radio up on the kitchen counter and did a quick sweep of the cabin. There were no guns, but there was a woodshed outside, so presumably there would be something that could be used to cut wood. That might make a good weapon.
I pulled the hood of my jacket back up.
“Where are you going?” Summer asked.
“Just to the woodshed.”
She shuffled forward and tossed her wad of napkins into the basket by the fire. “But there’s already wood by the fire.”
“That’s not what I need.”
Her eyes widened as understanding dawned. She’d been listening to our conversation and must have realized where my mind had gone.
“Be careful,” she said. “I’ll keep an eye on you through the back window.”
“Thanks.”
I braced myself for the cold and slipped out through the door. The icy wind slapped at the bare skin of my face, and I had to lean forward with my full weight to get around the building to the shed. The trees nearby swayed dangerously, and I prayed that the clearing was big enough for none of them to damage the building if they fell.
A shrill whistling made my ears ache, and I gritted my teeth. Another few steps, and I was at the shed. I didn’t bother gathering any wood. There was enough inside to last for hours, and I didn’t want to juggle any more weight than needed.
I peered through damp eyelashes until, finally, my vision focused on an axe leaning against the interior wall. I reached inside and took hold of the handle. The wood was cold and rough against my skin. There didn’t seem to be a second axe, so I turned and dragged it back to the cabin, moving faster this time, the wind behind me.
Just outside the door, a broom rested against the exterior, having miraculously not blown away. I unscrewed the head of the broom and dropped it, then took the shaft inside with me. It wouldn’t be as good a weapon as an axe, but it would at least provide some means of self-defense if needed.
I stumbled forward as the wind released its grip on me but managed not to trip over the broom handle or the axe. I held them up so Summer could see.
“Just in case,” I said.
She nodded and didn’t question me. I knelt and undid my shoelaces, then peeled off wet socks. My toes were freezing, but hopefully someone would be here soon to get us. I could cover myself with a blanket, or perhaps share one with Summer. Having bare feet had to be better than leaving them in wet socks.
Summer removed her shoes too, and once she was done, and we’d both shed our jackets, I sat beside her and held her close.
“I’m so sorry about this,” I murmured against her hair.
“Why?” She angled her face toward me. “It isn’t your fault.”
“I think it is. Whoever did this, it was to get at me. That makes it my fault.”
She sighed and rested her cheek on my shoulder. “Well then, all I have to say is that I’d rather be here with you than out there with someone else.”
I chuckled and held her more tightly. She shifted around and burrowed her frozen toes into the gap between my waistband and the bottom of my shirt.
I hissed. “Evil.”
She smirked, unrepentant. I pressed my palms against the tops of her feet, doing my best to warm them. Bit by bit, blood flow returned. When her toes were no longer icicles, she maneuvered us around so that my toes were against her belly. She rubbed them vigorously.
The radio made a staticky sound.
I frowned. “What do you think that was?”
It happened again.
“Ash? Summer?” It was Connor.
I removed my feet from Summer’s belly and swung them to the floor, then crossed to the kitchen counter to answer. “Yeah?”
“We have a problem. The tree that trapped you in wasn’t the only one to come down. The road out to you is fully blocked, and I’m not willing to send people out to attempt to clear the fallen trees in this weather.”
I thought quickly. “How close can you get?”
“Not within a few kilometers.”
My stomach sank. There was no way we could walk several kilometers in a snowstorm to meet them.
“Will you be okay there until the weather calms?” Connor asked.
I looked around. With the food, the fire, and the bedding, we could theoretically be stranded here for weeks before we ran into problems. Seeing out the storm would be fine. Even if Summer’s expression said she wasn’t thrilled by the development.
“We’ll be okay,” I said. “There’s no point risking more trouble.”
“Yeah.” He sounded relieved. “I’ll have my radio nearby if you need me for anything. Got it?”
“Actually, if someone could drop by Summer’s place and make sure Cookie is fed and has water, I’d appreciate it.”
“Sure thing.”
I thanked him and put the radio down. Slowly, I turned to Summer. “Seems like we might be stuck here for the night.”
She grimaced. “This really isn’t how I thought the day would go when we woke up this morning.”
“Me neither,” I admitted. “I’d hoped for a whole lot more cuddling and sex.”
She flashed her teeth, for which I was grateful even if the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Me too.” She stood up and let the blanket slide off her shoulders, pooling on the mattress. “Why don’t I light the fire while you find something to eat?”
“Sounds good.” I appreciated her taking the lead with the fire. While I was by no means mentally scarred by what had happened to my house, I imagined I’d have a hard time actually setting a fire so soon after the experience.
She knelt in front of the fireplace and got to work. Meanwhile, I put aside a couple of cans of pumpkin soup and dug around beneath the counter, emerging victorious with a pan. Hopefully the fire would soon be hot enough to cook the soup. I opened a packet of crackers and a bag of processed cheese slices and prepared a few.
The scent of smoke made me stiffen. One by one, I forced my muscles to relax.
“Having any luck?” My tone wasn’t as casual as I’d have liked.
Summer prodded a metal poker into the fireplace, her brows pinched with concentration. “It’s starting to take off. I’ll close the door in a few seconds.”
When she did, I breathed a sigh of relief. Not that I thought she’d burn the cabin down, but the acrid smell brought back unpleasant memories and jitters danced beneath my skin.
I offered her a small stack of crackers and she accepted with a smile and bit one in half.
“These taste way better than they should,” she said, her mouth full.
“I know. It’s probably the adrenaline making us hungry. What should we do while we wait for the fire to heat up?”
She shrugged. “Nap?”
I glanced around, but honestly, there wasn’t much else to do. “Sure. Why not?”
If our rescuers couldn’t get here, then it stood to reason that the kidnapper couldn’t either. We’d be safe enough.
We polished off the rest of the cheese and crackers I’d prepared and climbed into the bottom bunk. Together, we created a nest of blankets and snuggled up, wrapped around each other as the snowstorm raged outside.
Slowly, the fire began to warm the cabin. I intended to get up and cook the pumpkin soup for lunch, but instead, I dozed off.
A sudden noise woke me sometime later. I lurched upright and hit my head on the underside of the top bunk. Wincing, I looked around for whatever had caused the sound, and realized that someone was speaking through the radio.
I struggled loose of the blankets and stumbled over to the counter.
“I’m here,” I said, snatching the radio up.
“Just wanted to let you know.” Once again, it was Connor. “Keith went out on his ATV to see if he’d have any chance of getting to you, and he found another set of tire tracks in the snow. One that didn’t come from either us or you. Someone else has tried to get to that cabin.”