He took her hand as they met a hill, knowing that on the other side of that rise was a sharp dip in the earth that would not be easy to take. They leaned into the climb, watching each step, breathing hard, not wasting precious energy by speaking.
Gabriel kept telling himself it could be worse. As far as mountains in this part of the country went, this was a small one, not high enough for good skiing. Some might even call it a big hill, instead of a mountain. Walking down was doable, and they should be thankful for that. The storm had stopped. If they’d had to walk out in the wind and falling rain, the walk would take twice as long and be ten times as dangerous. If either he or Lolly had been hurt last night, shot or slashed with a knife, then they’d be separated, the mobile one hiking alone to town for help, the other left behind. And if they’d both been hurt …
Would his dad figure that he’d been stranded by the storm and that all was well, or would he be worried and doing what he could to get up this road? Lolly had said that when Darwin and Niki broke in, she was on her way out to stay with the Richards. Would Mrs. Richard be worried enough to call the sheriff’s office and report that Lolly hadn’t arrived? Or would she just assume that Lolly had wasted time and let the storm catch her on the mountain? Lots of possibilities, and he had no way of knowing what to expect. He might as well proceed as if he and Lolly were entirely on their own. For now, they were.
Halfway up the hill a patch of sun warmed the ground. That heat and light was a welcome relief—though he knew it wouldn’t last. Where the sunshine touched the ground, the going was easier. They could even take a few steps on the roadway, when the shoulder was narrow and too close to a drop-off for comfort. He didn’t bother to drop Lolly’s hand, even when the walking was less slippery for a few precious steps.
“Not so bad, huh?” he asked.
Lolly was breathless when she answered, “Speak for yourself, McQueen.”
He would’ve turned to give her an encouraging smile, to tell her that they were making great time, but then he reached the top of the hill and got a good look at what lay ahead.
There weren’t just one or two fallen trees across the road, there was one right after another for as far as he could see. Some lay there alone, with stretches of blessedly untouched roadway on either side. Others crisscrossed, one trunk and another … and another … blocking their way. Some they could go over, as they’d gone over the one on the driveway. Others were too big, or the limbs were too tangled. They were going to have to go around some of the blockage, detouring into the woods, wasting precious minutes.
“Fuck,” he muttered.
“Right now?” Lolly joked, but out of the corner of his eye he saw her straighten her spine and lift her chin. She looked a little ridiculous, the way she was bundled up, but she also looked strong. And kind of amazing. She pulled in a deep breath.
“I am not going to get away from Niki and Darwin and survive a cat-and-mouse chase through the icy rain and in my own kitchen just to give up now,” she said. Her eyes narrowed. “I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit down and cry, even if that’s the first impulse that comes to mind.” She looked at him, and he saw the shine of tears in her eyes. “It’s going to be a long day. Distract me.” She moved to the side of the road and started her descent. “You must have hundreds of cute and funny stories about Sam. Tell me a few. Make me laugh.”
Gabriel didn’t feel much like laughing at the moment, but thinking about Sam waiting for his dad to come home drove him forward.
Chapter Fourteen
There were moments when Lolly didn’t think she could take another step. Her feet hurt. Everything hurt. For a while Gabriel and his stories kept her moving, but now it was the sound of chain saws that kept her motivated. It was impossible to tell exactly where the sounds were coming from. Crews might be working in town, and the noise just carried. Then again, maybe the workers were on this very road. Maybe just over the next hill … or the next.
“When I buy a house in Portland, it’s going to be on completely flat land. With close neighbors. And constant five-bar cell service.”
Gabriel looked over his shoulder. “You’re planning on buying a house?”
“I’ve been thinking about it,” she said. “I have a nice apartment, but rent is just money down the drain. They keep saying it’s a good time to buy.”
He made a sound, like a soft grunt from deep in his throat. “I didn’t know you planned to put down roots in Portland.”
“I have a good job there. Friends. I’m … comfortable.”
Again he made that grunting noise.
At the moment comfortable seemed like a decidedly good thing to Lolly. She liked comfortable. She enjoyed a life where there were no surprises.
And then she got a surprise.
“Before you buy a house, you should come visit me in North Carolina. Maybe you’d like it better there.”
The comment left her dumbfounded, but she didn’t have time to read too much into the invitation, because Gabriel crested the hill they were climbing, and stopped. She was directly behind him, so close she almost crashed into his back. Instead she moved to stand beside him. There, in the distance—but blessedly not too far away—sat a massive truck with a crane built into the bed. A four-man crew was cutting limbs and tree trunks and moving them off the roadway with the crane. They’d already cut a swath from the highway.
Lolly was so relieved, her knees almost buckled out from under her. She leaned into Gabriel in sheer relief. He took her hand and squeezed. “Almost there, Lollipop.”