Page 123 of Wish You Were Mine

Another crack, and I flinched, my gut clenching at the realization it had started a chain reaction. The tree had fallen onto another, which slowly fell sideways into another.

How were we supposed to get out of here now?

Even if the Ute did work, the road was blocked, and the trees, while bare, were too dense to drive between. Assuming we somehow managed to get back out to the road, driving in this wind could be catastrophic.

We couldn’t stay here though. Not when there was every chance the next tree might land on us.

“We need to move,” I told Summer, thinking quickly. “Somewhere the trees won’t hit us.”

“There weren’t any directly around the cabin,” she said, staring rigidly through the windshield, obviously terrified.

“Were the lights on?” I asked.

“Not that I noticed.”

“I didn’t see any transportation either, and there’s no garage. If someone was here, they’re probably gone. Let’s see if we can shelter on the porch.”

I released her hand, and she grabbed her purse. We both unbuckled the seat belts, and I picked up the radio and slid a first aid kit from beneath the front seat.

We glanced at each other, as if silently asking whether we were really going to do this, and then by unspoken agreement, opened the doors and pushed our way out. As soon as I shut the door, the wind whipped at my clothing and nearly took my feet out from under me.

I pocketed the radio and tucked the first aid kit under one arm. Summer met me at the front of the Ute, and we linked arms and lowered our heads, squinting through the snow as we made our way toward the trail. My foot connected with a root or rock, and I stumbled, but she righted me. My eyes stung.

It seemed to take forever for the cabin to come into view. The disturbance in the snow we’d noted earlier was almost invisible now.

“We need to check no one is there first,” I shouted, hoping she could hear me.

She allowed me to lead her around the side of the building. There was no sign of a snowmobile, motorcycle, or anything else someone could have used to get here. I exhaled sharply, relief loosening the knots in my back. Since we hadn’t come across any vehicles on the way here, we had to assume the place was empty.

Moving carefully, we climbed a small slope to the rear of the cabin and looked in through the window. It was difficult to see much inside, but it certainly appeared to be unoccupied.

We continued around the cabin to the front and huddled beneath the roof that jutted out above the entrance. I fumbled with the radio.

“Connor? A tree has come down behind the Ute,” I told him, my fingers frozen where they gripped the handheld device.

“Damn.” The transmission cut out for a minute, and then Connor said, “When they get to you, you’ll have to leave it there and come back for it when the weather clears. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. I have good news.”

“What?” Unless someone was already waiting on the other side of that tree with their heater blasting and a thermos full of coffee waiting for us, I wasn’t sure I cared.

“The police found Marcy.”

My jaw dropped. “Could you repeat that?”

Summer leaned closer to the radio as if she, too, needed confirmation of what he’d said.

“We have Marcy.” Connor’s words came through loud and clear. “We found her abandoned behind the information center. She’s on the way to Frannie right now, and Max is going to check her over.”

I slumped against the door. “Thank God.”

“Is the cabin unlocked?” Connor asked, moving on to more practical matters.

I looked at Summer, who shrugged. She disentangled herself from me and turned the handle. The door opened.

“Yes, it is,” I confirmed.

“Good. Go inside. Someone will come to get you, but it won’t be the police since Marcy has already been found. They’re diverting all their resources to investigating the area where she was discovered.”

“Thanks, Connor.”

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