CHAPTER ONE
Isabel’s teeth chattered and she shifted her position again, stretching her leg to relieve the cramps. The lean-to sheltered her from the snow, but the temperature had dropped sharply. She’d found an extra scarf in the backpack and wrapped it around her face, but she was sitting in the snow and the chill was seeping up her spine.
Where could Tray be? If he was so skilled in the mountains, why wasn’t he back already? Her heart hurt. It had been a long time since she’d felt a connection with a man. And it had come so quickly with Tray. She often counseled clients that you couldn’t trust that kind of connection, but - heaven help her - she wanted to trust this. She closed her eyes, bringing up a vision of his sexy body in the bath last night. How his biceps had glistened with oil, his eyes shone in the candlelight, how he’d whispered her name …
Did she hear her name? Eyes wide, she leaned forward to the opening, pushing her hat away from her ears. Straining to hear through the wind, she yelled for Tray. Then yelled again, and again. She heard something over the howling snow and yelled again.
“Isabel.” Tray’s voice was faint and she couldn’t tell what direction he was calling from. She kept calling his name and soon he was calling back, sounding closer, until finally he emerged from the blowing snow only two feet from her face.
“Where have you been? I was so worried.” Isabel’s voice cracked with emotion as she crawled out of the shelter.
Tray was caked with snow, head to foot, and he peeked out at her through snow-covered lashes. “I found the cave. I walked right into the rock face, and I found it.”
She almost jumped into his arms. He wrapped strong arms around her, squeezing her tight.
“Hey, you did a good job with the lean-to.”
Isabel laughed and surveyed her handiwork. The snow had already covered the temporary roof.
Hoisting the pack over his shoulder, Tray reached for her hand. “Let’s get going.”
Slipping her hand into his, she bit her lower lip to stop the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. She’d been so afraid that she might be out here all alone for the night, but Tray had come back for her. She couldn’t remember when she’d been so happy to see anyone.
He led her through the trees, the snow falling so heavily that she could barely see him at the end of his arm. He seemed to go by feel more than anything, because it was impossible to even see the ground. After about ten minutes, they came to the rock wall. She couldn’t stop shivering, the snow pelting them relentlessly and driving almost horizontally into the rock face.
“Almost there.” Tray kept a firm grasp on her hand and guided her along the rock face for another ten minutes until they reached an opening.
She stepped inside and stopped. It was like stepping into a vacuum. The wind no longer buffeted her and seemed to howl at a great distance. The snow had stopped. In front of her was pitch blackness. Turning slowly back toward the opening, all she could see was a wall of swirling snow. Tray brushed against her and was fumbling in the pack again. Suddenly she was happy he was such a boy scout.
“Flashlight,” he said triumphantly, switching it on as he yanked it out. He swept the beam into the cave, which seemed positively cozy.
It looked to be only a few feet deep and only four feet wide at the opening. She followed Tray as he moved toward the back of the cave, and then noticed that the cave kept going.
Tray swung the light around the second room of the cave. “It’s just as I remember.”
It was circular and Isabel judged it to be about twelve or fourteen feet wide. She stepped through the arch into the second room of the cave and the air immediately felt warmer. A musty acrid smell assaulted her nostrils. “What’s that smell?”
“Something might have died in here,” Tray said, sweeping the light slowly around the perimeter, throwing light into each
Isabel’s teeth chattered and she shifted her position again, stretching her leg to relieve the cramps. The lean-to sheltered her from the snow, but the temperature had dropped sharply. She’d found an extra scarf in the backpack and wrapped it around her face, but she was sitting in the snow and the chill was seeping up her spine.
Where could Tray be? If he was so skilled in the mountains, why wasn’t he back already? Her heart hurt. It had been a long time since she’d felt a connection with a man. And it had come so quickly with Tray. She often counseled clients that you couldn’t trust that kind of connection, but - heaven help her - she wanted to trust this. She closed her eyes, bringing up a vision of his sexy body in the bath last night. How his biceps had glistened with oil, his eyes shone in the candlelight, how he’d whispered her name …
Did she hear her name? Eyes wide, she leaned forward to the opening, pushing her hat away from her ears. Straining to hear through the wind, she yelled for Tray. Then yelled again, and again. She heard something over the howling snow and yelled again.
“Isabel.” Tray’s voice was faint and she couldn’t tell what direction he was calling from. She kept calling his name and soon he was calling back, sounding closer, until finally he emerged from the blowing snow only two feet from her face.
“Where have you been? I was so worried.” Isabel’s voice cracked with emotion as she crawled out of the shelter.
Tray was caked with snow, head to foot, and he peeked out at her through snow-covered lashes. “I found the cave. I walked right into the rock face, and I found it.”
She almost jumped into his arms. He wrapped strong arms around her, squeezing her tight.
“Hey, you did a good job with the lean-to.”
Isabel laughed and surveyed her handiwork. The snow had already covered the temporary roof.
Hoisting the pack over his shoulder, Tray reached for her hand. “Let’s get going.”
Slipping her hand into his, she bit her lower lip to stop the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. She’d been so afraid that she might be out here all alone for the night, but Tray had come back for her. She couldn’t remember when she’d been so happy to see anyone.
He led her through the trees, the snow falling so heavily that she could barely see him at the end of his arm. He seemed to go by feel more than anything, because it was impossible to even see the ground. After about ten minutes, they came to the rock wall. She couldn’t stop shivering, the snow pelting them relentlessly and driving almost horizontally into the rock face.
“Almost there.” Tray kept a firm grasp on her hand and guided her along the rock face for another ten minutes until they reached an opening.
She stepped inside and stopped. It was like stepping into a vacuum. The wind no longer buffeted her and seemed to howl at a great distance. The snow had stopped. In front of her was pitch blackness. Turning slowly back toward the opening, all she could see was a wall of swirling snow. Tray brushed against her and was fumbling in the pack again. Suddenly she was happy he was such a boy scout.
“Flashlight,” he said triumphantly, switching it on as he yanked it out. He swept the beam into the cave, which seemed positively cozy.
It looked to be only a few feet deep and only four feet wide at the opening. She followed Tray as he moved toward the back of the cave, and then noticed that the cave kept going.
Tray swung the light around the second room of the cave. “It’s just as I remember.”
It was circular and Isabel judged it to be about twelve or fourteen feet wide. She stepped through the arch into the second room of the cave and the air immediately felt warmer. A musty acrid smell assaulted her nostrils. “What’s that smell?”
“Something might have died in here,” Tray said, sweeping the light slowly around the perimeter, throwing light into each
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