Authors: Kimberley Woodhouse
A shrill scream ripped through the air.
Andie!
He grabbed the rope and followed the line, stumbling every few steps through the deep and blowing snow. Each time he stood up, the wind knocked him back down.
Cold. So cold. Air so bitter it froze his insides with each inhale. He lost feeling in his cheeks, nose, lips, but forced himself to keep going. Crawling, clinging to the rope.
In a matter of minutes that passed like hours, the other stake greeted him. The end of the rope.
But no Andie.
Cole tried to stand again, squinting into the wind, eyelashes frozen. There was no way she could survive in this. He had to find her. And soon. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled into the hurricane-force winds, "Andie!"
Nothing.
"Andie!"
Something grabbed his boot.
He bent down, searching with his hands. He found an arm, a shoulder, and then her head. Tightening his grip, he lifted her up and pulled her into a hug.
They stood there for several seconds, just holding on to one another. Andie shivered and trembled, her fear apparent in the tight grip around his waist. The wind ripped at his face, forcing his eyes to water. As if Mother Nature herself was throwing everything at him to break down his barriers.
So much for not getting attached.
Taking hold of the rope once again, Cole dragged Andie back to their shelter. He shoved her in ahead of him, and they crawled to safety, scarcely able to breathe.
"What happened?" Jenna leveled an accusatory glare at him.
"Why don't we ask Andie?"
Andie shivered again, a single tear leaving an icy trail as it dripped onto her coat.
"Well?" Cole fixed his gaze on her face. "Why were you out there all alone?"
"I woke up." She sniffled. "And I had to go, really bad."
"Didn't I tell you to only go out in pairs?"
Jenna shot him a glare. Mother scooted closer to daughter. "Why didn't you wake me up, honey?"
"You were so tired, Mom, I just wanted to let you sleep." She glanced up at Cole, those blue eyes seeking forgiveness. "I held onto the rope, I promise. But then the wind knocked me over and I fell down, and couldn't find the rope."
"I bet that was scary." Jenna soothed her child.
Oh, great. A Hallmark moment. Please.
"Yeah. But then I heard Cole calling my name and I knew everything would be okay."
Another prickly piece of his heart melted. Along with his anger.
Jenna stroked Andie's hair. "Well, you should've seen him tear out of here when he couldn't find you. He threw my pack into my head!"
Cole flicked his gaze to Jenna. "Did I hurt you?"
"I'm fine, Cole. But it was nice to see how protective you are of my daughter." Her dark eyes searched his, and then she broke the connection and looked back at Andie. "Now, both of you seemed to wander off without anything covering your faces and you look like you have a bad case of sunburn. Let's take care of that and get something to eat, okay?"
Andie clung to her mom.
"Squirt, you all right?"
"I'm fine. I just scared myself when I fell." She nodded as if trying to convince herself.
But there was more to it. And he intended to find out what it was.
———
April 8
Sultana, Denali National Park
10:43 a.m.
Cole pulled cards out of his pack. Years in special ops and long missions of waiting taught him to pack light, but pack prepared. He was thankful he'd found his duffel before they headed away from the plane—at least he'd grabbed a couple of crucial items. It didn't take long for the walls of the snow cave to close in on its occupants. Jenna seemed lethargic after breakfast, and Andie fidgeted.
"Okay, you two. How about a game?"
Andie sighed dramatically. "That would be awesome, Cole, I'm soooooo bored."
He laughed. Only a preteen like Andie could make a one syllable word into six. "Jenna, you want to join us?"
Her knees were pulled up to her chest, head leaning against the wall with her eyes closed. "Hmmm?" She cleared her throat. "Actually, I think I'm going to take a nap. I must not have slept so good last night." She turned to Andie. "You gonna be okay?"
"Sure, Mom. It's not like we can go anywhere."
"Okay. Save a game for me later."
He watched her crawl into her sleeping bag and close her eyes. In five seconds, her breathing signified she was out.
"She always fall asleep so fast?"
"Only when she's really tired." Andie shrugged her shoulders. "So what game have you got?"
"Ever heard of Phase 10?"
"Nope."
"Good. 'Cause it's fun and it takes a long time to play."
Andie's giggles filled the cave as he shuffled and dealt the cards.
It took a little while for her to get into the game, but by their third round, she was cutthroat. Talk about competitive spirit. This kid could give some grown men a run for their money.
After several snacks, five times all the way through Phase 10—and covering every topic from her husky named Dasha to her favorite fingernail polish—Cole's back was killing him from sitting so long, but he noticed Jenna stirring. "Hey, sleepyhead, how you doin' over there?"
Jenna crinkled her brow and scrunched up her nose. She probably had no idea how cute that was.
"Watch out. She can be pretty grumpy when she first wakes up." Andie gave him a conspiratorial grin.
He placed a hand in front of his mouth, pretending to be secretive, and whispered loudly, "And her hair's a mess, too."
Gloves, socks, and her ski mask became airborne and flew at them. Cole pretended to crouch behind Andie. "Take cover, we're under fire!"
Andie's laughter filled the tight space as she attempted to shield him with her tiny body. She offered as much protection as if he stood behind a flagpole.
"Hey, she must like me. She didn't throw her boots."
Jenna scooted closer and laughed along. "That's because I didn't want them to be damaged by your hard head." She pulled out her water bottle. "Anybody else thirsty? Hungry? I think I slept too long, I've got a headache."
Cole wanted the atmosphere to stay light. "Sleeping Beauty has spoken. Why don't we eat, play a couple more rounds, and then hit the hay for the night. Sound like a plan?"
"Yes!" Andie pumped her fist up and down. "Mom, you should see me clobber this guy at cards."
"I can't wait, sweetie."
"Neither can I, Squirt." Cole loved the softness in Jenna's expression. He'd definitely like to see that more often. "Neither can I."
CHAPTER TWELVE
ANDIE
April 8
Sultana, Denali National Park
9:07 p.m.
I snuggled in my nook trying to fall asleep. The events of that morning played through my mind, swirling around, bonking into one another as if they all wanted to haunt me at the same time.
The snow, the cold.
A potty break, a patch of ice.
Did I hurt myself?
I reached down to rub my puffy ankle.
No, I tripped and fell. That's all. No harm done. It might be a little bruised, but nothing to worry about.
Andie, you're gonna be fine. No. Harm. Done.
Cole snored in his hole across from me. His chest heaved up and down as he took deep breaths. He looked calm and disturbed all at the same time.
What's he dreaming about?
I shrugged the question off and a shiver raced up my spine. Tugging on my coat I wrapped it around me.
Just remember, it's better to be cold than hot. Better. Better . . . But colder.
My teeth began to chatter. Curling up into a tighter ball, I tried not to think about the coldness.
Cole shifted.
I shivered again, causing my ankle to wiggle and hang limp at a strange angle. I took in a fast breath and squeezed my eyes shut.
Don't look at it, Andie.
Once the odd feeling in my stomach disappeared, I opened my eyes.
Cole turned around and looked at me with sleepy eyes. I tried to turn facing his direction. My ankle didn't move like it should have. I winced.
"Hey, Squirt, you okay?" Cole got out of his sleeping bag and crawled over.
"I . . . just hit a rough patch of snow, that's all."
His face softened but I could see that he wasn't entirely moved. "Can't sleep?"
"Yeah."
"Bad dream?"
"Kinda."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
I shrugged, trying not to let my amazement show.
Did you really just ask me if I wanted to talk about it? Wowzer, you must have taken some sort of non-Cole medication. Are you okay?
"It's okay, Andie, if something's wrong you can tell me about it."
"Okay. Thanks."
Daddy used to say those same words.
"Here"— he grabbed an extra blanket and handed it to me—"just don't get too hot."
"Okay."
He crawled back into his nook, shaking his head.
Should I tell him about my fall?
"Hey, Cole?"
"Yeah?" He turned around, his chocolate-brown eyes swirling with something I couldn't interpret.
"Um, nothing."
It'll only make him worry. I've caused enough delay already.
———
April 9
6:15 a.m.
Something like metal clinking against metal rang in my ears . . .
Cole's awake.
I stretched and yawned, feeling my muscles gain strength with every movement.
My eyes slid open. Cole sat in the middle of the cave lighting the camp stove.
I giggled. His hair was a mess.
He looked over at me, his brow furrowed. I pointed to his head. "Is that a new style?"
His mouth curved into a "don't-you-dare-make-fun-of-me" smile. "Sure."
He went back to lighting his new little friend. I looked around. Why was Mom still asleep? Did she let Cole take over? That would be a first.
"Andie, would you grab my black bag and wake your mom up?"
"Sure." I crawled over to the bags that sat next to Mom's tunnel. "Hey, Mom, wake-y, wake-y."
I rummaged around in the giant packs looking for Cole's.
Ah ha! Come here little bag!
I yanked and it fell onto Mom's sleeping bag.
"Whoops, sorry about—"
Mom didn't even move.
"Mom?" I crawled over and shook her shoulder. My gaze jerked to Cole.
He crawled over, then grabbed her wrist and checked her pulse. His eyes clouded over and he felt her forehead.
Cole stuck his hand in the snow and started to wet her face down.
She began to stir, then opened her eyes. "Andie?" Grogginess seeped through her words and her eyes squinted from the lantern's light.
"Mom." I grabbed her hand. "You're all right!"
She put a hand to her head. "Yeah, but I have a killer headache. I need some
tuu.
"
Cole quirked an eyebrow and turned to me.
"Water."
He nodded and crawled over to the emergency bag.
"How are you this morning, sweetie?"
"Mom, I'm fine. But you're not. I may not be able to feel pain but I can see yours just fine."
"Okay. But it's just a bad headache."
"You mean
killer
headache." I brushed her hair behind her ear.
"Right."
Cole passed her a water bottle. "Drink. You're starting to get a fever. We don't want you getting elevation sickness."
She took a sip but choked and started coughing. "Cole . . . the bucket!"
He grabbed the bucket and she lost her dinner. Her coughing got harder.
"Mom?"
"Andie, I need you to go to your tunnel." Cole didn't look at me but kept his attention on Mom.
"I . . . is she okay?"
"She has elevation sickness, that's all. Now scoot. She needs her rest, then she'll be fine."
"Okay, yeah."
She'll be fine. Just needs some sleep. She'll be fine.
COLE
April 9
Sultana, Denali National Park
7:11 a.m.
"Jenna?" Cole whispered as loud as he dared. "Stay awake for now."
She nodded, her eyes glued to his.
Their faces were only inches apart, the cave didn't offer a lot of room. He wanted to stay with her, but the smell from the bucket would make them all sick if he didn't dispose of it.
"I'm going to dump this and clean it up a bit. I'll be right back."
He crawled out of the cave, and dumped the bucket, convincing his own stomach that it was made of steel. Why couldn't guys handle a little puke?
His wife had always nagged him about helping more, and now he had a small taste of it. A new respect for mothers rushed through him. The diapers they changed, the messes they cleaned up—he hadn't done any of it.
Next time, he resolved to do more.
Wait a minute.
Next time? What was he thinking? There could be no next time.
But as he inched his way back into their shelter, he had to admit that he wanted another chance. Needed another chance.
He made his way back to Jenna's side. "It finally stopped snowing."
"Good." Her response was weak.
"You need water. And lots of it. It's the only way to get you out of here."
"Okay."
He tucked his arm up under her head. "I'm going to gently lift you every few minutes so you can take a few sips."
She nodded.
Andie's voice floated over to him. Humming a soft tune.
Jenna closed her eyes.
He lifted her and she drank.
———
The day passed quietly.
Jenna drinking, Andie humming, Cole trying not to lose his heart completely to two dark-haired native girls in a tiny snow cave near the top of Sultana. It all seemed so simple with the rest of the world shut out.
He allowed a few thoughts about having a family again. It couldn't actually happen, but desperate circumstances called for desperate daydreams.
Andie stopped her humming and broke through his silent reverie. "Cole?"
"Yeah?"
"How's Mom doin'?"
"She's doing better. She's got some color back, and she's had a lot of fluids."
All was quiet for several moments.
"Cole?"
"Yeah?"
"I don't mean to be nosy, but I saw your altimeter and I'm curious. What altitude are we at?"