Her hands trembling, she unhooked the leash from her belt, then wedged it beneath a large rock. The dog immediately tried to pull free.
“Stay,” she said sharply and stepped away. She could only pray the leash held. She didn’t have time to hold him, and she couldn’t help him if he darted outside.
Her throat thick with dread and panic, she set to work, frantically lugging rocks over to block the entrance. She dashed back and forth, piling the stones quickly, haphazardly, rushing to stop the smoke creeping through the cracks. Outside, the deadly roars and thundering grew.
Behind her, Cade pulled something from his PG bag. Silver flashed in the fading light as he shook it out.
He held out the metallic fabric. “Here. Put this between the rocks.”
“No.” She backed off. He needed that tent. He could survive inside it without her. And she’d hindered him enough.
“Jordan-”
“It’s yours. You use it.”
“The hell I will.” His voice bristled with outrage. “Either stuff it between those rocks or I’ll flatten it over you.”
He’d do it. She could see the obstinate will in his eyes, that single-minded resolve, and knew it was futile to argue. Unless she agreed to share the shelter, he’d sacrifice his own life protecting hers.
And she refused to let him do that.
Resigned, she grabbed the lightweight fabric and smoothed it over the rocks. Her heart beat erratically as she scooped up loose stones and stuffed them in the cracks to secure the edges. The light dimmed as she blocked up as many spaces as she could. Cade added several heavier stones so the shelter wouldn’t blow off.
After a moment, he stopped her. “That’s good enough. We need to get back.”
She blinked in the shadowy darkness. Light still filtered through some gaps in the rocks, but she knew they’d run out of time. Outside, the deafening noise mounted, screaming and screeching like colliding trains. Shaking, so scared she thought she might vomit, she covered her ears and cringed.
Cade grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the back of the cave. “Wait,” she cried. “The dog.” She stooped down to jerk the leash loose, and dragged him to the far wall.
Cade urged her down to the ground, then positioned himself beside her, wedging her between him and the musty dirt wall. She hauled Dusty into her lap and held him close. Quivering madly, shuddering with terror, she curled herself into a ball.
She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think as the heat mounted and a throbbing blast pulsed outside. She closed her eyes, and Cade pulled her head to his chest, covering her with his body.
This was it. The moment of truth.
She could only thank God Cade was with her, and pray that they would survive.
Chapter 14
Cade sheltered Jordan with his body as the firestorm raged around them. Heat scorched his back. His pulse rocketed through his veins. The hairs on his nape stood erect and tensed in the rising storm.
The air around them quivered, and a bone-rattling screech shook the cave. The earth trembled, the skies shrieked as the molten gasses collided. Vibrations blurred the hot air.
His lungs seized up and his heart stalled. Sweat popped from his pores, and he gagged down his acrid fear. This was it, the moment when they’d see if the shelter held, if they’d burned enough grass to protect the cave.
To find out if they would survive.
Time hung still. An eternity pulsed in a second. He clutched Jordan and shut his eyes, every nerve focused on the explosions blasting the cave.
And then miraculously, incredibly, the deadly noise shifted away.
He slumped in acute relief, then tipped back his head and exhaled. His heart battered against his chest, and his muscles began to twitch.
And for the first time, he let the reality sink in of just how close that had been. They’d nearly died.
He’d seen the training videos, attended classes on fire entrapments, but nothing had prepared him for the reality of it happening to him. The absolute panic, the disbelief, the horror when the fire blew close. And that gut- shaking terror when he’d realized they might not survive.
If it hadn’t been for the dog…He loosened his death grip on Jordan and glanced down at the quivering fur on her lap. If that mutt hadn’t balked, hadn’t warned them that the fire was near…
He swallowed the thick wedge blocking his throat, unwilling to finish the thought. But the truth remained. That dog had given them the valuable seconds they’d needed to survive.
And they had survived. His hand still twined in Jordan’s hair, he gently stroked her scalp to soothe her and pressed her head to his chest. Trembles wracked her body, and she shuddered with anxiety and fear.
“Shh…” he murmured. He cleared his throat, fighting to get words past the lump. “We’re safe now. The fire’s gone.”
“Oh, God,” she said, her voice muffled against his shirt. Still shaking, she pulled back, and her fathomless gaze met his. Her eyes glistened in the cave’s dim light. The remnants of tears streaked her cheeks, cutting paths through the ashes and grime.
But he’d never seen a more beautiful woman.
A fierce swell of emotion surged up, relief mixed with something more, that feeling he’d been fighting for days.
It was true. He’d stopped denying it the moment she’d reached for that fusee. He’d seen her horror and panic, the primitive urge to escape. But despite her terror, she’d stayed.
A thick wad of emotion choked his lungs, and he tightened his grip on her head. He could only imagine the courage, the incredible leap of faith that had taken. She wasn’t a trained firefighter, didn’t know wildfire behavior or the futility of running. Yet she’d ignored her instincts and trusted him.
And in that moment, he’d stopped trying to fool himself and admitted how much he loved her-this brave, gutsy woman who’d once been his.
He caressed the silky strands of her hair, ran his gaze over the smooth curve of her cheek and the feminine line of her jaw.
Her wide, dark eyes searched his, as if she couldn’t grasp that they were safe. Shudders still shook her body, discharging the adrenaline and fear, the need to run, the primal instinct to flee. And he continued to stroke her head, her neck, knowing she needed the warmth, the human contact.
So did he.
“You did great out there,” he said, his voice raw from emotion and smoke.
“Is it…Are you sure it’s gone?” Her voice hitched on a little sob.
“Yeah, it’s gone. Listen.”
Her gaze flew to the entrance to the cave, which they’d been damned lucky to find. In the distance, the dull roar slid away, replaced by muffled pops. Still trembling, she gnawed her bottom lip.
Seconds later, her gaze swiveled back to his. “It won’t come back? It-”
“No, it’s done.” He squeezed her neck to reassure her. “There’ll be a few stumps burning, even some flare- ups, but as hot as that fire was, I doubt there’s much left to burn.”
She jerked her head, and a tremor jolted her body. Her lips quivered, and she sucked in a tremulous breath.
He saw the awareness in her eyes of just how close they’d come to dying. The stark realization that they could have burned, that the charred remains of their bodies could be out there right now, writhing and smoldering in the ashes.
