Page 11 of Scent of Peril

“That would help.” She stroked a hand over Teddy’s fur, then glanced up at the clouds darkening the sky. Was snow in the forecast? It wouldn’t be the first time it snowed in April. “I hope we’re not stuck out here all night.”

“I have a small tent and camping gear,” Logan said. “We’ll be okay.” But his gaze was full of concern too. “The main thing is to make sure we’re far away from the shooter before we even consider bunking down for the night.”

She tried not to imagine sharing a tent with Logan and Teddy. Being in an enclosed space would be vastly different from simply hiking side by side. But this wasn’t the time to think about that. She glanced at her watch. “It’s going on four o’clock in the afternoon.”

“I know.” He rose to his feet and grabbed his extra-large backpack. She imagined his was far heavier than hers if there was a tent and other camping gear inside. She forced herself upright too. Logan helped her with the backpack, settling it on her shoulders.

“Thanks.” She did her best not to show her fatigue. She’d been on numerous search and rescue missions that often lasted for days, but she felt oddly exhausted now as they continued on their southwestern path heading away from the wrecked plane.

Maybe because there was no end in sight.

She pushed that thought away, keeping a wary eye on Teddy as they continued foraging through the woods. Not following a path made it harder to make good time. She understood the need to put distance between them and the bad guy, but she wouldn’t risk her K9.

Even if that meant carrying him.

No easy task as Teddy was eighty pounds of solid muscle. She told herself not to worry as they continued cutting a trail through the woods. They could do this.

Failure wasn’t an option.

Another thirty minutes later, Teddy started looking up at her as if silently asking how much longer? She grimaced and glanced back at Logan. His grim expression indicated he didn’t think they’d gone far enough.

“Soon, Teddy,” she promised. Looking ahead, she searched for a logical place to stop for a while. Despite their lunch sandwich, her stomach was growling with hunger, and she’d have to feed Teddy dinner as well.

The sound of trickling water caught her attention. She quickened her pace, hoping there was a stream nearby. Teddy, of course, found it before she did. He rushed ahead, and she heard him slurping water. Knowing the water source was likely snow melting off the mountains, she wasn’t too concerned.

A moment later, she found the stream. Teddy was lying on his stomach near the bank as if he had no intention of moving anytime soon.

“This must be part of Shell Creek,” Logan said as he joined her. “You can see the peak of Snowshoe Mountain.”

One mountain looked much like the other to her, but she trusted Logan’s judgment. “Teddy needs a break.” She sighed and dropped the pack from her aching shoulders. “To be honest, I do too.”

“I hear you.” He shrugged out of his pack as well. “We can stay here for a while. But I don’t think we should set up our camp just yet.”

Her spirits plummeted. “We’ve been hiking for over an hour.”

“I know, but we’ve only covered about two miles, maybe a little more.” He grimaced. “We’ll see. I just don’t want the gunman to show up while we’re asleep.”

The very thought of that made her grimace. “That would not be good. We can keep going if you think that’s best.”

“I do.” He held her gaze. “I’m sorry, Jess. I feel bad I’ve dragged you and Teddy into the middle of this.”

“Not your fault. I wanted to find that piece of plane very badly.” She sighed. “Truthfully, I’m the one who drew you into this. And we don’t even know that the tail fin is related to my parents’ crash.” She tried not to sound as depressed as she felt. “We could be going through all this for nothing.”

“Hey, we’re going to be fine.” He sat beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I’ll protect you and so will Teddy. As far as the plane piece, it’s so rusted I’m sure it’s been out here for years. Once we’re back home, we’ll have it tested. This was something we needed to do, Jess. I’m here for you.”

“You’re sweet, Logan.” She rested her head against his shoulder. “I know we’re going to be fine. At least it’s not January.”

“For sure,” he agreed.

They sat in silence for a long moment. Thanks to the clouds darkening the sky, the temperature was dropping like a rock. She understood they would need to keep moving to take advantage of what was left of the natural light.

Hiking in darkness was a surefire way to get hurt. Not just for her and Logan, but Teddy too.

“Let’s keep pushing forward for another half hour,” she suggested. “We’ll need to stop long enough to feed Teddy.”

“Okay.” He waved a hand toward the stream. “I think we should be okay to follow this down for a while.”

“That would be great.” Walking along the creek bank would be easier than cutting through thick brush. “My main concern is Teddy. He’ll push himself to the brink of exhaustion for me if I let him.”

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