Page 24 of Stranded with the Billionaire
“I hear a snowmobile,” Jake listened intently.
The sound of a motor was faint. Sterling heaved herself off the cot and hopped to the doorway. “It’s coming closer.”
“We’re getting rescued today,” he grinned as he leaned down and gave her an impromptu kiss, thankful that they were finally going to be safe and on their way back to civilization. It was just a light brush of his lips against hers in a friendly way. What Jake hadn’t expected was the physical reaction. Kissing her was like nothing he’d ever experienced before and he wanted to do it again. She blinked up at him like she couldn’t quite believe it herself.
The motor of the snowmobile was getting louder.
“I’m going to use the silver blanket to try to flag them down,” Jake tore his gaze away from Sterling, grabbing the survival blanket.
“Okay,” Sterling said a little breathlessly. “Good idea.”
Sterling watched as he made his way out into the snow, following the noise of the machine. Once he was out of sight, she closed the door, stoked the fire and sat down on the cot again, putting the homemade Icepack back on her knee.
It had barely been a kiss. She smiled at the memory of it. He’d just been happy to think of getting out of here and back to the normal world, she told herself. It didn’t mean anything, even if it had made her toes curl. So quick and fleeting, yet wow, she thought.
Who knew that Jake Ramesly would be a good kisser?
It could just be a form of Stockholm syndrome. Not that either of them had been kidnapped but they were spending a lot of time together. Surely, once Sterling had seen other people she wouldn’t find Jake quite so attractive anymore. She might even wonder what she’d seen in him in the first place.
That’s what she told herself as all sorts of irrational worries crossed her mind as time passed. Thoughts of Jake falling down an abandoned mine or well, or of the snowmobilers deciding to capture Jake for ransom after they recognize him, or of him getting lost in the wilderness. He had admitted that he was poor at camping. It only followed to reason that he wouldn’t be good with sense of direction.
Sterling calmed herself with the thought that they’d both shown streaks of practical behavior during this ordeal. Jake would be okay and he would find the snowmobiler. Hopefully, they would be on their way out of the forest and mountains at any moment.
She added wood to the fire and put on a little more water for coffee. Sitting at the desk, Sterling shifted through the papers that had been left out. Mostly, she wanted to combat boredom, yet there might be a clue as to where they were just in case Jake didn’t manage to snag the snowmobiler’s attention.
There might even be a map. Excited at the thought, Sterling shuffled through the paperwork. There were old bills, some awful poetry about the landscape, a list of things to do which ironically included replacing the rotting boards in the outhouse floor, and plans for a chicken coop.
Frowning, Sterling wondered why the person who owned the shack had abandoned it. Or if they would be coming back. Maybe they chose to winter elsewhere? Or perhaps they were visiting someone?
Pondering what their mysteriously absent host might be doing, Sterling looked at the dusty wall paper until she noticed it was a series of lines and written words. Grabbing a dirty towel, she dusted off the old and yellowed paper to find a map held onto the wall by four thumbtacks.
Eureka!
Sterling carefully removed the aged map from the wall and looked it over. If she could figure out where they were in relation to this map, they might be able to walk out of here to the town that was listed on the corner of the map.
“Let’s see,” Sterling muttered as she read. “Mountain top, cove’s fishing pond, old Bernie’s place, Cauld Sideroad. Don’t think I would want to go to Den’s Misery. Jerry’s logging road…”
They could possibly be on Jerry’s logging road? Sterling studied the map. “Prime hunting here. Buckshot caves. Terrywittle homestead. And the little town is called Urts Siding.”
She hoped they were at old Bernie’s place. If that were true then they could walk to the homestead then onward to the town taking Cauld Sideroad. That was if this was a map of the area they were currently in. Sterling turned the creased paper over to see if anything was on the back.
Notes. Lots of handwritten notes.
Big buck found 2 mile due west old B’s place. Jerry’s men over the boundary again, Aug 2nd1988, crossed half mile on Bernie’s land, documented. Chipmunk invaded cabin today, 3 hrs to evict the creature. Found old well head, covered with boards for safety. 6 oz. dust from week of panning Mt. top. Chipmunk returned, put crumb trail out door, eventually left. Found bear trap, 1 mile northeast of Ollie Oak tree, disabled. Chipmunk again, left door open so it could leave, not feeding it this time. Documented another incident of Jerry’s logging over boundary lines, Aug 26th, 1988. Named chipmunk Larry.
Sterling giggled as she read through the rest of the notes, noting that Larry the chipmunk had turned into quite a pet. The worst part was now knowing that the map was probably irrelevant due to its age. Turning back to the map, she saw a tiny little sticker.
“I don’t know Waldo,” Sterling remarked dryly. “Where am I?”
The little sticker silently stared back at her through his thick glasses. Not that she expected an answer.
The door opened, startling Sterling. She turned in her chair to find Jake gratefully warming himself by the stove. “How did it go? Did you talk to the snowmobiler?”
“I never talked to him,” Jake admitted, frowning. “I managed to spot him and wave the blanket but I don’t think he saw it. If he did, he’s a real jerk because he never came to investigate.”
Sterling slumped in disappointment. Not that the little shack wasn’t a lifesaver and cozy, but they had to get back to their lives. “I found a map.”
“Really?” Jake brightened. “Let’s have a look.”
