Page 11 of Scent of Evil (Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue #7)

F or the third time that day, Raine’s legs collapsed beneath her when she’d slid off Timber.

Sitting on the ground in an ungainly heap, she couldn’t even bring herself to feel embarrassed.

Her idea of riding had been laughable, and if it hadn’t been for Ginny being Decker’s hostage, she probably would have given up hours ago.

If Justin thought her a pathetic weakling, he didn’t let on. Instead, he crossed over to her side. “Are you okay?” His blue gaze was intense with concern. No doubt imaging what he’d do if he had two injured people on his hands.

“Yep. I’ll manage. Ginny’s the one who’s sick.” Thinking of her niece who’d been through more than any eleven-year-old should have to tolerate, steeled her determination to move. She pushed herself up and wasn’t surprised when Justin spanned her waist with his hands, helping her upright.

The man might be younger than her by what felt like a decade, but he was strong. She managed to smile in gratitude.

He stood for a moment, offering her support. “I have a blanket in the saddle bag for Ginny. We can use the horse blankets too. But I only have more protein bars for dinner.”

“We’ll survive.” She glanced past him to see Ginny had curled into a ball as if to get warm. Stone had gone over to sit beside her, as if sensing the girl needed his comforting presence. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her.”

“Could be anything, even the flu.” He stared down at her for a long moment, then released her, stepping back. “I need to care for the horses. They’ve worked hard today.”

“Of course.” She was touched by how Justin insisted on taking care of the animals—Stone, Timber, and Blaze. If not for the K9 and the horses, they’d never have been able to rescue Ginny.

She owed Justin Sullivan more than she could ever repay. Even if her body felt as if she’d been battered with clubs.

Justin crossed to Blaze and rummaged in the saddle bag.

He tossed Raine a blanket, then removed the satellite phone and set that beneath the overhang.

When that was done, he unsaddled the horses, murmuring in low tones about how wonderful they’d been and how grateful he was for their strength and endurance.

She was oddly touched by his words as she hobbled on aching legs toward Ginny. She settled the blanket over the girl, then stripped off her poncho, turning it inside out and tucking it beneath Ginny’s head for a pillow. Then she sat gingerly beside her. “Are you feeling any better?”

“No.” Ginny turned to look at her, then drew the edge of the blanket up to her chin. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m sick.”

“It’s not your fault. I’m just glad you’re safe now. May I see your hand? The one you injured on the rock?” Raine wasn’t a medical expert but figured it wouldn’t be hard to tell if the wound was infected.

Ginny removed her hand from beneath the blanket and held it up. The light was fading fast, but Raine didn’t see any pus oozing from the wound. It was, however, red and puffy, with dirt still embedded inside, despite their earlier attempt to clean it.

“Okay, it’s good for now.” But not for long , she silently admitted. As if Ginny’s current illness wasn’t bad enough. They needed to figure out a way to clean the wound more thoroughly, but without soap, she wasn’t sure their efforts would do any good. “Try to rest.”

Ginny nodded and curled into a ball again, her thin frame shivering from the fever. Raine felt helpless, wishing she knew more about survival tactics.

When Justin had finished unsaddling the horses, placing both saddles under the overhang, he led them over to a grassy area to graze. Thank goodness the rain has stopped , she thought with a sigh.

Instead of coming back to the camp, Justin disappeared into the woods. With a frown, she pushed herself to her feet. She couldn’t in good conscience sit there while he did all the work.

Stone lifted his head to look up at her but didn’t move away from Ginny. She bent and gently stroked his fur. “Watch over her, okay, boy?”

His tail thumped lightly on the ground in agreement.

The wind hit her semi-damp clothing when she stepped out from beneath the overhang. The poncho had surprisingly kept her warm, but she didn’t regret giving it to Ginny. Moving around would keep her warm enough.

She hoped.

“Justin?” She headed toward the place she’d last seen him. Getting lost in the woods wouldn’t be smart, so she didn’t venture in too far. “Is everything okay?”

“Hey.” He emerged from the brush carrying dead logs in his arms. “I managed to find some dry wood for a fire.”

“That’s amazing.” She hadn’t even thought about the possibility of having a fire. “Can we boil water to clean Ginny’s wound?”

“I hope so.” He jutted his chin toward the east. “I think there’s a creek we can use as a water source. As soon as I get the fire going, I’ll need to feed Stone and get the horses over to the creek for a drink.”

She wanted to ask about calling someone to come rescue them but managed to hold back. Justin would have done that already if he thought getting a rescue team up there was a possibility. She sensed that with darkness falling, they were stuck there until morning.

It could be worse, she told herself. Decker was far away from their location. She and Ginny weren’t out here alone. Justin clearly knew how to survive in the wilderness. As if she needed more to admire about him.

“I can help,” she offered. “Tell me what to do.”

“Once I get a blaze started, I’ll need you to keep the fire going.” He moved past her. Despite their long day, Justin moved easily as if he’d been on a short hike rather than riding for hours. “We’ll need more wood soon too. But you’ll have to search for dry logs and sticks.”

“I can do that.” At least, she thought she could. How hard could it be?

He grinned, and she felt the impact of his handsome features ripple over her. She mentally rolled her eyes at her foolishness. What was wrong with her? She had no business thinking of Justin as handsome.

They might be safe for the moment, but they weren’t out of the woods, literally, yet.

Besides, he was young and handsome and reminded her too much of her ex-husband.

Not in his actions, though, she was forced to admit.

Justin had a quiet confidence that was incredibly attractive.

She watched as Justin carefully laid a fire, using a lighter to start the blaze.

The wood crackled, and a plume of smoke wafted into the air.

Would Decker see it and head their way? She hoped not. As much as she wanted to get Decker back in custody, she didn’t relish the idea of his sneaking up on them in the middle of the night.

“We need to keep the fire small.” Justin fed a stick into the center of the flames. “It won’t be easy to find enough dry wood to use as it is.”

“Okay, I can manage that.” He’d done most of the work so far.

“Good.” He rose and headed for the saddle bags. He poured out the last of their water for Stone, then filled his bowl with kibble. His K9 stared at him without moving, even though she felt certain the dog was hungry.

“Good boy. Here, Stone. Come and get it.”

As if sprung from a cannon, the dog leaped up and ran over to the food and water bowls. Shaking her head in amazement, she fed another thin stick into the fire.

“Good boy,” Justin repeated, stroking the dog’s mostly dry fur. “I’ll be back soon, okay? Guard.”

Stone looked up from his dinner, wagged his tail, then went back to eating. She was so hungry she found herself wondering what dog food might taste like, then shook off the desperate thought.

Justin rummaged in the saddle bags for water bottles, then left their camp, heading toward the horses. Moments later, he was gone.

“Aunt Raine?” Ginny’s voice was hesitant. “Are we going to be here all night?”

“Yes. But we have more protein bars, water, and shelter, so we’re going to be fine.” Raine injected as much confidence as possible in her tone. “Justin knows what he’s doing. And we have the horses to ride out of here at first light.”

“My tummy still hurts,” Ginny said.

“I know.” She felt bad about the girl’s illness but didn’t have a way to make her feel better. “Just rest, okay? That’s the best thing for you.”

“Okay.” Ginny closed her eyes. “I love you.”

Hot tears pricked her lashes. “I love you too.”

When she thought Ginny might be sleeping, she stood and moved toward the woods. Thanks to the glow of the fire, she wouldn’t get lost now and was determined to do her part in helping them survive.

It wasn’t nearly as easy as Justin had made it look to find dry wood. The darkness wasn’t helping either. She’d rummaged beneath the logs that were on top, wincing as slivers of wood stabbed her fingers.

Still, she waited until she had a small armload of mostly dry wood before heading back to the beacon of the fire. Then she quickly fed a couple sticks into the embers.

Stone had taken up his position near Ginny. Her niece had her arm looped around Stone’s neck, and she was glad the girl had the K9 for comfort.

Just when she was getting worried about Justin and the horses, she heard one of the horses let out a neigh, along with hooves striking the ground. Justin left the horses in the meadow and made his way toward her. He smiled with appreciation when he saw the mound of wood.

“Nice job.” He dropped the water bottles on the ground near the fire and fetched a pan from the saddle bag.

She wondered if he had a tent in there, too, but decided he must not have brought one or he’d have already pulled it out for Ginny.

“We’ll boil the water so we can drink and use some to clean Ginny’s hand. ”

“I can manage that.” She emptied the water bottles into the pan and set it on the fire. Justin took the empty containers and made another trip to the creek. How he could see in the dark she had no idea.