Facing the Fire. Gail Barrett

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      “Fifteen minutes?” Hell. They were far too close to the cabin. “Listen—”

      “Shh. Here he comes.”

      A clump of ferns edging the road swayed, and then a dog slunk out. At least he thought it was a dog. It was the scrawniest thing he’d ever seen, with wary, desperate eyes set in a gaunt face hollowed by hunger.

      “I almost hit him,” she murmured. “He was sitting right in the road.”

      The dog limped closer, favoring his right front paw, then stopped several yards away. Trembling, his tail tucked to his belly and dark ears flattened, he again inched cautiously forward. His eyes darted from them to the food and he let out a pitiful whine.

      “I thought he was a coyote at first,” she said, her voice low.

      “Coyotes are fatter than that.”

      “That’s why I decided he was a dog. Either he’s lost or someone dumped him off in the forest. As if a pet can survive out here by instinct.”

      Her indignation didn’t surprise him. She’d always had a soft spot for animals, even wild ones. When they’d lived at the cabin, she’d hung bird feeders in the woods and set salt licks out for the deer.

      He turned his attention back to the dog, who was creeping toward the food. He was some sort of shepherd mix, with a matted, tawny coat and dark gray mask and ears. The dog reached the food and stopped. Then suddenly, he bolted back to the woods.

      Cade glanced at his watch again. “Okay, let’s go.”

      “Go?” Jordan frowned. “But what about the dog?”

      “He’ll eat as soon as we leave.”

      “And then what? Where’s he going to get more food?” She planted her hands on her hips. The motion tightened the white T-shirt over her breasts. “You saw how skinny he is. And he needs to get to a vet. That front paw doesn’t look good.”

      “We don’t have a choice. We need to get out of here before that front hits.”

      “But we can’t just leave him here alone.”

      That figured. She cared more about leaving a stray dog than she once had about her husband. “For God’s sake—”

      “Forget it, Cade. I’m not leaving that poor dog behind. He’s already been abandoned once, and believe me, that’s enough for anyone.” Her dark eyes flashed. “Not that you’d understand that.”

      Not that he’d understand what? “What the hell does that mean?”

      “Nothing.”

      “The hell it doesn’t.” His irritation surged.

      She lifted her hands and sighed. “All right, fine. I’ll tell you. It’s just that you’re always flying off and traveling somewhere. Having adventures and putting out fires. You don’t know what it’s like to be left behind, to be sitting at home waiting, day after lonely day. But I do. And believe me, I’m not doing that to the dog.”

      He stared at her in disbelief. “What are you talking about? You’re the one who left me.”

      “Only because you’d already gone.”

      Incredulity flooded through him. He would have laughed if his ribs didn’t ache so much. “Hell, that’s rich. You walk out without even a note. I come home to an empty house and a goddamn letter from your lawyer. And you accuse me of abandoning you?”

      “You went to Alaska.”

      He stared at her. “I was working. Earning money. You know, trying to support my wife?”

      Her brows rose. “You’re not seriously saying you were doing it for my sake?”

      “Hell, yes, I was doing it for you. Wasn’t I supposed to work?”

      “But you were gone all the time. You hardly came back. You even joined that booster crew to Alaska.”

      “That was my job,” he said tightly. “You knew that when we got married. The Forest Service owns you in the summer. They send you wherever the fires are. You can’t control where you go. And you can’t just turn work down.”

      “You could have found a different job.”

      “Right.” That was their problem, right there. Ten years ago, he’d idolized this woman. Worshipped her. Given her his heart, his soul. Everything he owned and every damned cent he earned. And she still hadn’t been satisfied. She’d wanted him to change who he was.

      She bit her lip. Her dark eyes widened with that vulnerable look that always made him want to protect her.

      His jaw flexed. She knew exactly how to play him, all right. Even knowing the truth, how she’d ripped out his heart and screwed him over, he had the ridiculous urge to console her.

      Well, she’d suckered him in once with that helpless act. Damned if he would fall for it again.

      She sighed. “Look. Can we just forget it? I don’t want to argue all the way to Missoula.”

      “Yeah.” He didn’t need this aggravation. He had enough problems to deal with. He needed to hightail it back to Missoula and get himself checked by a doctor so he could return to the jump list.

      “Catching the dog won’t take that long,” she added. “I’m sure he was somebody’s pet.”

      “We’ve already stayed here too long. That road’s going to close any minute.”

      “Is the fire really that close?”

      He glanced at the thrashing treetops. “It depends on the wind speed, but yeah, it’s almost here.”

      “But what’s the dog going to do in the fire?” Her dark eyes pleaded with his. “He can’t run with that hurt paw. And he’s so hungry.”

      “He’ll get away.” He returned his gaze to the dog skulking from the safety of the trees. Despite his assurances, they both knew that he wouldn’t make it. He was far too weak to escape a wildfire.

      “Just give me five more minutes.” Her soft brown eyes met his again, and despite the urgency, he felt himself waver. “Please?”

      He pulled his gaze from hers and back to the swaying pine trees. He was a damn fool, risking his life for a stray mutt and a woman who had betrayed him. But crazy or not, the sooner they captured that dog, the faster they could leave the forest.

      “Three,” he told her. “And not a second more.” Resigned, he opened the rear passenger door and riffled through his PG bag. He found his supply of beef jerky in the side compartment, removed several strips and handed them to Jordan. “Here. If this doesn’t get him, nothing will.”

      “Thanks.” Her full mouth softened into a smile, and he felt the tug to his heart.

      He СКАЧАТЬ