Page 16 of Flashback

“My hat!”

She plopped it on his head, and they headed toward the entrance. Dakota insisted on continuing to carry Nolan. She wanted to offer to hold Ethan’s hand, but she wasn’t sure the boy would like that. Instead, she offered him an encouraging smile as they stepped out of the cave.

Sparks flew through the air. They climbed the ridge that hid the cave only to see a raging wall of fire eating up the forest floor and swallowing the stately evergreens whole on the next hill. It was heading right toward them.

Not good.

Dakota’s breath caught at the sight of the terror headed for them. An onslaught of fiery flames clambered up the massive trees and slithered along the ground, maybe five hundred yardsaway. Even here, red-hot embers rained down on them, the blaze so close he could feel the heat.

The fire blocked off their access to the trail behind the ridge. Between the gray smoke hanging in the air and the hot wind pushing the fire along its path, they would have to move fast.

Dakota grabbed his radio and called in to his team, letting them know they’d found the boys.

Kane’s voice crackled over the radio. “You better book it. Fire skirted around the campgrounds but has already engulfed the entrance to the hiking trails. You’re going to have to find another way back. Head north, then you can swing west toward an old logging road or east toward the river.”

“Copy that.” His stomach clenched. “Keep your face covered as much as possible,” Dakota told Nolan as he tucked him tight against his chest. “I’m not going to let you get hurt.”

The boys might not be in a safe home—something he knew a little about, being a son of Buck Masterson?—but now that Dakota was here, he would make sure they were safe and that nothing would harm them. Not even a raging wildfire.

He showed Ethan how to hold his shirt collar up over his nose. Allie did the same.

“Stay right on my side. We move together.” Dakota set a brisk pace through the forest. Hopefully Allie and Ethan could keep up.

“Where are we going?” Allie asked.

“We have to go north, deeper into the forest, and west to hit the old logging road out of here.”

Hopefully.

They jogged farther. Every time Dakota looked uphill, the fire was closer. They all coughed, choking on the thick smoke.

“Come on, guys. We gotta keep moving.” Dakota worked hard to keep his voice steady.

“I can’t breathe.” Ethan’s pace slowed.

“I know it’s hard, but you’re doing great. We can’t stop.” His eyes and throat burned too. Nolan whimpered against his shirt. Scout stayed between Ethan and Allie, encouraging them to keep going. “You got this, bud,” Dakota called to Ethan.

Allie looked over at him, sweat and worry all over her face. “I can’t breathe either.” Her voice wheezed.

Scout circled her, ran ahead, and stopped.

“We’ll get to fresh air as soon as we can. You can do this, Allie.”

She nodded and continued moving downhill. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but the air seemed to clear a little.

“What’s that?” She pointed into the distance.

Between the smoke and trees, a cedar-shake roof emerged. “A cabin? Way out here?” Dakota peered through the haze to get a better view. In a small clearing below them, protected by the ridge they were on, sat an old log cabin with a stone chimney. A pile of freshly cut wood surrounded an old stump, and a tiny, dry creek bed lay off to the side of it.

“I bet we’re not on the public campgrounds anymore.” Allie coughed.

Dakota scanned the little building. “If there’s a cabin, there’s gotta be a road.”

“Maybe we should warn them first? Or maybe there’s a vehicle we can borrow.”

“Someone has been here recently. There’s newly split wood.” He pointed to it. But one look behind him showed the fire had reached the peak and was starting downhill toward them. “We have to keep going.” Dakota transferred Nolan to Allie. “Take the boys, and I’ll scope it out quickly and catch up. Follow the ridge off to the side of the cabin. It should lead to the road—and move as fast as you can!”

Dakota watched them only for a second. Long enough to see that Nolan wasn’t too heavy for her. He climbed off the smallridge of rock, then picked his way over boulders and around ponderosa pines and Douglas firs until he reached the clearing. Finally, he crossed the creek bed and moved toward the cabin. The structure itself looked old—unpainted, logs a weathered gray. Dakota quickly jumped up to the front porch and pounded on the door.

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