Page 105 of Not Your Average Vixen
She met Soren’s eye and saw the same alarm she was sure was mirrored in her eyes.
“Hello? Are you in here?” Delores called from outside the kitchen.
Bridget ran into the main room with Soren on her heels.
“The back door was open, and I wanted to make sure everyone was okay,” the caretaker said, concern marring her features.
Bridget’s heart hammered in her chest. Panic flooded her system. She didn’t want to frighten the little girl, but there was no time to waste. She grabbed her boots and threw on her coat.
“Would you mind helping Carly back to bed, Delores? I think Cole wandered outside. I have to find him,” she said, working to keep her voice even.
Delores frowned, then glanced out the window. “In this weather?”
Bridget’s stomach twisted into a sickening knot.
“Don’t worry, I’ll find him,” she said over her shoulder as she hurried toward the door that led out to the cabins dotting the rugged mountain terrain.
The icy air stung her cheeks the moment she left the warmth of the mountain house, but she pressed on, glancing wildly between the dark towering evergreens that seemed to be closing in at every angle.
“Bridget! Wait!”
She glanced back as a light bobbed in the darkness.
“Delores is calling Dan to let Denise and Nancy know what’s going on,” Soren said, coming to her side.
“We have to find him, Soren. It’s so cold, and he won’t last long on his own. It’s my fault he’s out there. I’m the one who filled his head with all those Christmas fairy stories,” she said, her nerves getting the best of her as she trekked into the darkness.
He took her hand. “We’ll find him. He couldn’t have gotten far.”
She gathered her wits. She had to be smart and keep her cool.
Step one: figure out which way Cole had ventured.
“Shine the light and check for tracks. The snow couldn’t have covered them yet,” she instructed.
Soren panned the golden beam across the dark expanse of snow, revealing pint-sized boot prints. They ran, following the tracks until Soren stopped.
“Bridget, look!”
“Do you see him?” Relief washed over her until a fleck of red caught her eye, dashing her hopes.
Soren plucked the item from the snow. “It’s Cole’s glasses. He can barely see without them.”
She glanced around wildly, shielding her eyes from the biting wind whirling with frigid snow.
What chance did a five-year-old have out here on his own? And how could she ever forgive herself if anything happened to the little boy?
14
Soren
Soren stared at the tiny red spectacles, and his heart leaped into his throat.
“Oh my God!” Bridget said, her gaze trained on the child-sized frames.
On the one hand, finding Cole’s glasses was a sure sign they were on the right track.
On the other, between the snow and the darkness, it was confirmation that the boy was unquestionably lost in the wilderness.
