Page 92 of The Mechanics of Lust

If my father and brother were holed up somewhere, they were in trouble. Even if Jules had found him, Dad would’ve been on his own for a bit and I’d worked enough SAR jobs to know the results of not having the right gear. Every small climb in altitude came with a corresponding drop in someone’s chances of survival. I was trying not to dwell on that too hard when Nina’s booming bark snapped my mind back to attention.

“Is that them?” Luke clamped down on my shoulder.

“Shh.” I held up a hand and listened into the dark, but all that greeted me was silence.

Nina sounded off again and my head flicked from side to side, desperate for a miracle, but still, nothing.

Unless... I froze... was that...?

I closed my eyes and focused. “There!” I exclaimed, catching a faint howl on the wind. “Did you hear that?” I spun to Luke, but he was frowning.

“No. I—” He broke off at the sound of Nina once again baying into the dark from somewhere on the trail ahead.

And in reply, a howl, higher pitched and faint, but growing louder.

Definitely louder.

“Holy shit.” Luke’s arm slipped around my waist. “Now, I definitely heard that!” He tugged me close at the exact same time as a howl emanated from the dense fog.

“It’s Hopper!” I punched the air as a second bark rang through the cloud. “And that’s Chip!” I grabbed Luke’s face and planted a smacking kiss on his cold lips. “We found them, Luke. We fucking found them.”

His wide eyes sparkled in my headlamp. “Youfound them,” he corrected gently. And before I could pull away, he drew me back for another kiss. I didn’t fight him, opening at the first touch of his lips and revelling in the taste of him once again on my tongue. I couldn’t give a fuck that we weren’t supposed to be whatever this was anymore, that it would only complicate things. I’d deal with that later. Right then, Luke’s lips on mine meant every fucking thing in the world.

Nina sounded off again, and this time the reply was sharper, louder, moving toward us at pace. It broke the moment and I jerked out of Luke’s arms. “They’re coming.” I caught the troubled look on his face and added, “I shouldn’t have kissed you. I’m sorry.”

He answered self-consciously, “Nah, heat of the moment, right? But in case you’re wondering, I’m not sorry.”

I hesitated, wanting to tell him that I wasn’t sorry because I didn’t want him anymore. The reason I shouldn’t have kissed him was because it only made the ache in my heart a hundred times worse.

But there was Dad and Jules to find first.

I called Jojo and Nina to heel, not wanting an excited canine reunion to result in anyone going for an unexpected tumble. Seconds later, a black and white bundle of energy and a tan and gold monster of a huntaway launched themselves through the curtain of grey and into the dim light thrown by our headlamps.

I dropped to my knees and Jules’ rangy huntaway raced up to start cleaning my face. “Hey there, Hopper. What a good boy. Is Jules up there, buddy? Is he okay?”

Desperate for some attention, Chip bounded over from where he’d been reacquainting himself with Jojo and Nina and pushed into my arms. Hopper gave way and moved on to Luke who did the decent thing and wrapped the dog in an almighty hug, telling him what a great dog he was.

I got to my feet, clapped my hands, and an eerie silence descended as four dogs froze and looked my way, awaiting instructions. I focused on Chip, since he was generally the brains of the operation as opposed to Hopper’s loveable brawn. “Where’s Paddy, boy?” I asked him. “Go seek. Show us the way.”

The collie didn’t need to be asked twice and immediately turned and bolted up the path, followed by the other three.

“Watch your feet,” I reminded Luke as I loped up the path in pursuit.

“Watchyours,” he shot back as the toe of my boot caught on a root and almost jettisoned me sideways.

As we drew close to the ledge and overhang, I’d been telling Luke about, I wondered whether I’d been right about them sheltering there after all. But before we got there, Chip and Hopper made a hard right and disappeared from view. The clacking and clattering of the tumbling scree shattered the hush of the foggy dark, and my heart sank. Dad or Jules or both were somewhere down there.

I called Jojo and Nina to heel before they followed the other dogs over, and with Luke puffing at my side, we stood on the edge and peered over, our headlamps lighting up the steep scree incline. The cloud was less dense on this side of the track, broken by a light breeze channelling through the river valley. Loose scree stretched as far down as the eye could see until it disappeared into the grey soup. But before it did, I caught sight of the one thing I needed to make my heart soar.

A familiar face.

Jules. Waving frantically up into the light.

Oh, thank God.

He stood precariously balanced on a rocky outcrop about ten metres down the slope, astride something that could only be our father, covered in a tarp and with a glint of silver thermal blanket poking up around his head. Water bottles and a pack sat to one side, along with the dogs who’d clearly been warned to keep their distance.

The good news? Jules appeared suitably kitted out for the weather, which had dropped from chilly and damp to super fucking cold. I could only hope my father had dressed the same. Freezing fog could easily be on the cards and would certainly provide the perfect curtain call to a shitshow of a day.

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