Page 104 of Shadow Sabotage
“So we camp here,” he stated. There was no irritation on his face. Just acceptance.
“Yeah. I’m sorry.”
“Why should you be sorry?”
“Because we’ll be roughing it,” I said, wincing. “Like … really roughing it.”
“You didn’t force me to come. I insisted. Remember?” He brushed his thumb across my cheek.
It killed me how he could make my heart flip upside down with a single touch.
“True,” I said, giving him a little smile. “You’re stubborn like that.”
“We both are.” He held my gaze for a long moment, then let his hand drop, sticking it into his pocket with a sigh. “So, what’s the plan?”
I took a deep breath. “We’ll grab a few hours of sleep and start searching the ravine at first light. I’ll let everyone know we’re staying put.”
I turned away from him and radioed in. Cheyenne was the first to respond, saying that she and Rhett were going to crash at base camp and would resume searching at daybreak. King said they were going to push forward for an hour more, then bed down in the forest if they hadn’t found her yet. They were following a potential trail and hopeful it was hers.
Vance built a small fire at a spot about fifty yards away while I did my check-ins. When I wrapped up, I grabbed my pack, walked over, and warmed my hands on it.
“Nice,” I said, smiling in appreciation.
“It’s not much. But maybe it will help keep you warm. I know you hate the cold.” He stuck his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels, giving me a tentative look like he wasn’t sure I would approve.
But the gesture blew me away. He’d built a fire forme.The whole SAR team was supposed to take care of each other, but normally, I was the one taking care of these things. It came naturally to me and I didn’t mind it at all. But Vance’s fire felt like a gift. One that meant the world to me.
“Thanks,” I said, my voice raw. “It’s great.”
He gestured at the area around us. “I wasn’t sure where you would want to sleep, but this is the flattest spot I could find. I moved a few rocks out of the way.” He pointed at the tree line. “There are some pine branches down over there that I could drag over for makeshift pillows or something.”
I hid my smile. “I know I said we were going to be roughing it, but we don’t have to rough it quitethatmuch.”
“Oh really?” He turned to me in surprise, putting his hands on his hips. “You holding out on me, Hawkins?”
I laughed and unzipped my pack. Now,Iwas the one feeling nervous. It only made sense for us to share my gear—it would be safer and more comfortable for both of us. But it was also highly intimate.
“I’ll share,” I said, keeping my voice light. “But when you see the size of this thing, you may prefer the branches.” I pulled my ultralight pop-up tent out of my bag.
“What the hell is that?” He eyed the small pouch.
“Magic.” I pulled it open, laid it on the ground, and popped up the support pole. Instant tent. It wasn’t much more than aplace to sleep. Too low to stand up in, barely even high enough to sit in without hitting your head on the top. But it was waterproof and helped keep the heat in on a cold night. I never went on a search without it.
His jaw dropped. “Damn. Thatismagic.”
“It’s tiny,” I warned. “But if we leave our gear out here, we can both fit. I also have an ultralight sleeping bag, a sleeping pad, and a blow-up pillow. It’s not great, but…”
“It’s a hell of a lot better than rocks and pine branches. I’m sold. I’m surprised you carry all that with you though.”
I shrugged. “On long searches, it’s easier to camp on the trail than to hike back to base camp. And the extra weight is worth it to me because it gives me a dry place to sleep without a lot of effort. It also puts a barrier up between me and the rattlesnakes.”
“Don’t want one trying to slip into your sleeping bag at night?” He grinned.
I returned the grin. “Exactly. I’ll gladly carry a few extra pounds, even if it's giving me a false sense of protection.”
“So we’ve finally found out what Claire Hawkins is afraid of,” he teased, dropping to a seat beside the fire.
“Who said I was afraid of anything?” I pulled the pad, pillow, and sleeping bag out, put them in the tent, and zipped it up tightly so that nothing could crawl in before I did. Then I sat down beside Vance and passed him a granola bar from my pack.
