Page 47 of Wild Child
Ellie looked my way with a little twitch of her lips that resembled a welcome smile, and it sent a thrill of victory through me. Might have been nothing, but I'd take it as progress. Just like sleeping in my arms last night.
Baby steps.
Kimball pulled me from my thoughts. "We're close?"
Ellie pulled her bottom lip through her teeth. "I think so," she finally said. "This ridge should be the final one before we drop into the canyon where you think the cabin is. Which means the cabin is likely somewhere down there."
Her hand made a vague waving motion. Kimball's expression brightened, but Ellie's darkened like a thunderstorm.
"But?" I drawled.
She looked at me and I saw the trouble in her gaze, even through her sunglasses. "But I don't think we can get down right here." She pointed down. "Check it out. The rocks are a straight drop right here. The cabin should be just that way." She motioned to the left, where a spur of rock and trees blocked half of the canyon from view. Wouldn't take long to walk the ridge and see if the cabin was there or not.
So why did she hesitate?
I stepped up to her side and gazed down. The rock face that unfolded below was straight down and daunting, but not impassable. If we had the security of ropes and if it were just the two of us, I'd attempt. For Kimball and Steve, it was an absolute no. To our right, the ridge ran at a steep slant down, but curved in a sort of elongated bowl. Uneven, thick woods cluttered the ridge tops, with sharp mountain spurs jutting all the way down to the bottom of the canyon like stone roots. Somewhere down there should be a creek.
In other words, it was as dangerous and impassable as expected.
Kimball had already started to venture down the ridge to the left, where Ellie expected the cabin. When he was out of earshot, I quietly asked, "What's wrong?"
With hesitation, she shook her head. "We could get down there, but it'll take a while. Not enough light for it today, but Kimball has told me at least six times that he wants to sleep in the cabin tonight. He's determined."
"Because it's haunted?" I asked incredulously.
Was Kimbaltwelve?
She shrugged. "I don't know. He's just insistent it's tonight. I told him he could sleep there tomorrow but he won't listen."
My gaze drifted northwest. "Meanwhile," I muttered, "we have a cranky grizzly bear just a few ridges over."
"I haven't forgotten," she said quietly, with a quick glance to Steve. He sat on a rock now, his body doubled over as he rifled around for food in his pack. "Besides, it probably wouldn't be safe up here anyway. We're too exposed. We have to go down this ridge and find a spur that isn't so treacherous. Might add more than a few hours and it won't be fun."
"You sure you don't want to camp here?"
"No." She shook her head as she glanced around our immediate area. "Too exposed. What if another storm came through at night?"
She made a good point, and the thought gave me a shudder. Last night's lightning storm on this ridge would have been utterly open to the thunder and electricity.
A death wish.
"What else?" I pressed after she hesitated again. Her gaze fluttered to mine, but I saw relief in there.
"I just . . . I don't know. Something is off."
"If you want to end this guide now, say the word," I murmured quietly. She tensed, so I hurried to continue. "We don't have to leave them behind, I'm not suggesting that. But this path is stupid. Take back control, E, or it'll be dangerous for all of us. If there's anything I learned from the last three years," I added with the painful bitterness of experience, "it's not to ignore your gut."
She frowned, but nodded. The words sank in, I could tell. While I'd support any decision she made, I certainly wanted her to make the safest one. She fell silent, so I gazed around again. The feeling of being in the open swept through me, no doubt exacerbated by the constant uncertainty of the past two days.
I'm back in the States,I told myself firmly.This isn't Afghanistan.
This is under control.
And yet . . .
A whoop caught my attention. Ellie and I looked up at the same time. Kimball beckoned for us, barely visible off to the left. Steve didn't even move. He lay down near his bag now, an arm thrown over his eyes.
"Found it!" Kimball called. "It's right down there."
