Kate reached into her pocket to grab her phone, only to find that she didn’t have it with her. She’d left it at the house in her haste to follow Duke. Well, hell.
“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do,” she said to Duke as if he understood every word. “You stay here and keep her company. I’m going to go back to the house to grab some blankets and food and water. Then, we’ll figure out where to go from there.”
She knew it was only a trick of the shadows, but she swore Duke had nodded back at her. He protectively lay down in front of the mama dog while Kate went back to the entrance, got onto her hands and knees, and crawled out. Then, she hurried as fast as her numbing legs would allow.
Once back in her kitchen, she was shocked to discover that nearly two hours had passed. She quickly discarded her wet pajamas and pulled on thermals, thick wool socks, and other outdoor-appropriate clothing. As she did so, she called the emergency animal hospital and explained the situation.
Their advice: as long as the mama dog wasn’t hurt or in distress, keep her as calm and comfortable as possible. The tech she spoke with was very nice and assured her that, in most cases, not a lot of human intervention was required during the birthing process. Kate really hoped this was one of those cases.
She grabbed her large backpack—the one she used for weekend-long hikes—and stuffed it with rolled blankets, food, and assorted small camping gear.
When she saw the several missed calls and texts from Chris, she tried calling, but it went right to voice mail. She left a quick message, assuring him that she was fine and would explain everything later, and then she headed out again.
Chapter Eleven
Mad Dog
Mad Dog was worried.
It had been almost two hours since he talked to Kate. Two long, painful hours in which he waited, and each subsequent call and text went maddeningly unanswered.
He waited until he could wait no longer.
This was exactly why they called him Mad Dog. He wouldn’t rest until he knew Kate was okay.
That was what had him getting into his truck in the middle of the night and heading back toward Sumneyville. His plan was to have a quick look around and confirm everything was fine. He’d be stealthy. Under ideal circumstances, no one even had to know.
The lack of flashing lights, sirens, and ambulances outside Kate’s house provided a small measure of relief. Nothing seemed amiss, but he needed more assurance than first appearances. He scanned the street, noting that most of the homes and businesses were dark, closed up tight against the winter chill. If something had happened, would anyone even know?
He called upon his training and discipline, pushing the worst of his fears aside to assess the situation. The street was quiet. Lights shone out through the first-floor windows of Kate’s house, but after watching for several painstaking minutes, he detected no activity or movement within. Common sense told him that Kate had most likely fallen asleep or something equally innocuous.
The tug in his gut insisted he find out.
He made a circuit around the perimeter and saw her Jeep parked toward the back in front of an old, detached garage. There was no evidence of foul play. Pulling off one glove, he touched the hood and found it to be cold, suggesting she hadn’t driven anywhere since they last spoke.
Next, he approached the house and peered through the windows, rationalizing his actions with genuine concern. When that yielded no useful information, he resorted to knocking on both front and back doors but to no avail.
“Where the hell are you, Kate?”
He pulled out his phone to try calling again and saw that he had a voice mail since the last time he’d checked. Cursing under his breath, he listened to her brief message.
“Don’t worry; I’m fine. I’ll explain everything later.”
As explanations went, it was woefully insufficient and completely unacceptable. He pulled the phone away from his ear and glared at it. Kate was fine, but she wasn’t here, and that wasn’t good enough.
So, where had she gone without her vehicle? Had someone come by and picked her up? And what the hell did he do now?
He scanned past the trampled-down snow just off of the porch, making out several sets of footprints. He crouched down, looking more closely. Large dog prints, presumably Duke’s, were visible along with woman-sized boot prints. He could make out at least three human sets, all made by the same person—one coming toward the house and two leading away.
Kate was alone. She’d left on foot, returned, and then left again. In the middle of the night. In single-digit temps. Why?
Thankful for the clear, moonlit night, he followed the tracks into the woods, noting a few indentations where it looked as if she might have tripped or fallen along the way. As he detected only Kate’s and Duke’s prints, his curiosity grew along with his concern.
He’d been walking for a good thirty minutes or so when the scent of wood smoke tickled his nostrils. What the hell?
The prints stopped at a wall of rock covered in dormant, overgrown vines. He stopped, crouched, and listened closely, going still when he heard a familiar, fierce growl coming from behind the curtain of brush. A faint, flickering glow came from beyond, as if that of a fire.
“Duke, what is it?” someone asked warily from within.
He recognized the voice and immediately felt a flood of relief. “Kate!”
The growling stopped.
“Chris? Is that you?”
“Yes. Where are you?”
“Right here.” Kate’s face peered out at him from between the tangle of growth, her eyes capturing the reflection of the moonlight on the snow.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Didn’t you get my message?”
He bit his tongue, refusing to get into that. “What are you doing out here?”
“Come in, and I’ll show you. There’s an opening near the ground. It’ll be a tight fit, and you’ll have to crawl, but I’m sure you’ve been in tougher situations.”
Well, she’s right about that.
“Keep your movements slow and nonthreatening, okay?”
He didn’t hesitate. He got down on his belly and wedged his body through, finding Kate waiting for him on the other side. The moment he was back on his feet, he pulled her into his arms, unable to help himself. She seemed surprised at first but then returned the embrace.
“Wow, you were really worried about me, huh?”
He looked down into her face, into her beautiful eyes, and answered honestly, “Yes.”
She smiled, and everything was right in his world again. He tried not to think too much about that. His actions this evening proved he was already further gone than he was willing to admit.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on now?”
“Even better, I’ll show you. Come on.” She curled her fingers around his and tugged.
He followed, pushing back his inner caveman, and allowed her to lead. “What is this place?”
“The entrance to an abandoned anthracite mine,” she answered over her shoulder.
“And you’re here because ...”
“You’ll see.”
They didn’t go far. A small fire illuminated the chamber, allowing him to see what looked like a nest of blankets in the corner. Duke trotted along and sat next to the pile, and then he looked back at him along with another pair of eyes.