Several more hours later, after he’d ventured out of the tent a couple of times with a makeshift cruch, the sun was beginning to set and there was still no sign of Lani and Aurelio. And if Ridge had been worried before, now he was damn near frantic. Where the hell were they?
Raking his fingers through his hair he looked toward the east where they’d gone. It was almost night, not the time to be wandering around in the woods. What should he do now? It wasn’t like he could call them on a cell phone, not all the way out here in this remote wilderness. The only way he could reach them was to follow them into the forest. But that didn’t make a lick of sense. They’d gone east but where exactly? And now that it was getting dark, how the heck was he going to find them?
Muttering to himself again, Ridge shook his head. He had three options as far as he could see – head into the forest after them, take the Jeep and try to find his way back to the city, or stay put and wait for them to get back.
He didn’t like any of them.
Half an hour later, when the moon began to shine its weak beam through the leaves, Ridge decided he could wait no longer. He’d stayed at camp long enough. Maybe too long. And even if he could get back to the city to round up a search party there was no time. Poor Lani could be in trouble even right at that moment. It was that thought that made Ridge decide to attempt the next-to-impossible. He was going into the forest to find them.
Making sure he still had his knife, Ridge grabbed his crutch and his flashlight and turned the beam toward the bushes on the east side. He began to hop out of the clearing, trying his best to put as little weight as possible on the ankle, but he stumbled and almost fell and the only way he could save himself was to stomp down hard on the sick leg.
Sweat popping out on his forehead as the pain shot up his leg Ridge sucked in his breath, clutched his stick closer and tried again. It took him a good three minutes just to get across the clearing and into the bushes that led to the stream. How in heaven’s name was he going to do eight miles?
He shook his head. He couldn’t think about that. He had to stay focused on his goal. He had to find Lani.
He’d just sucked in his breath, preparing himself to make another step, when he saw it. A light in the distance. The beam of a flashlight. And it was coming his way.
“Lani. Is that you? Aurelio? Answer me.” Hobbling toward the light he peered ahead, flashing the beam of his own light. “Guys, talk to me.”
And then he heard the sweet voice that made his heart swell with relief.
“Ridge. We’re here. We’re coming.”
He heard the sound of branches breaking and leaves being slapped out of the way and then the footsteps as his missing travel companions came toward him.
Lani broke through the leaves to the left of him and when he saw her his heart jerked in his chest. He wanted to run to her but he couldn’t so he just held his arms open wide and let her walk right into them. As soon as their bodies touched he wrapped his arms around his little woman and held her like he would never let her go.
“A little air, please.”
It was only when Lani began to struggle that Ridge relaxed his hold and set her just far enough away so he could look down at her. “What happened? Where the hell were you guys?”
Aurelio, who by this time had come to stand close by, cleared his throat but just as he opened his mouth to speak Lani broke in.
“We’re sorry, Ridge. We got sidetracked. I mean, I got sidetracked. We went to check on something else and the time… I didn’t realize…it just flew by.”
“You got…sidetracked.” Ridge frowned. “You promised me you would be back in a few hours and then you got sidetracked?” He dropped his hands away from her, not believing what he was hearing. “Do you know what you put me through?”
“I know and I’m sorry but I thought you’d be all right, seeing that you were here in camp and you had everything you needed close by.” She stepped back and away from him then shrugged and turned toward the camp. “And you’re okay, aren’t you? You seem pretty good to me.”
It was that casual shrug that did him in, sending his blood boiling. “That’s not the point. You told me you’d be back long before nightfall. And now you come strolling in at this time of night and that’s all you have to say to me? You got sidetracked?”
By this time she was halfway to the tent but she stopped and turned. “It’s no big deal, okay? We’re here now and we’re good and you’re good and that’s all that matters.”
“No, it’s not, dammit. You owe me a better explanation than that. You spend the entire day out in the bush then you stroll in as casual as you please, and give me some cock-and-bull story about getting sidetracked. Sidetracked? When you had me here wondering where the hell you were?” Ridge’s voice was getting louder with each word he spoke but he really didn’t give a damn. Lani had taken advantage of his semi-helpless state, staying out as long as she wanted, and she hadn’t even spared him a second thought. And all that time he’d been worried sick about her. “And don’t you walk away when I’m talking to you.”
She’d started walking and now she waved her hand in the air like she was exasperated. “I don’t need to listen to this. I don’t see why you’re making a mountain out of a molehill.” She didn’t stop walking until she reached the tent where she dropped her bag on the ground then crouched down and ducked inside.
And all that time Aurelio stood staring at them, from one to the other then back again, not saying a word.
It was darned embarrassing having the man you’d hired stand there witnessing your wife defying you. Maybe that was the reason Ridge’s rage hit the roof. Crippled though he might be he was not about to have his woman disrespect him like that, and in front of an audience.
He set off toward the tent and though his ankle was no better than it had been when he’d set out before, now he covered the distance in half the time. “You get back here, Leilani Kent,” he growled. “You don’t walk away from me like that.”
“Leave me alone.” Her words were muffled by the tent but there was no mistaking the challenge in her voice.
“You don’t want me to come in there,” he said, deliberately making his tone threatening.
“Or else what?” came the angry retort.
That did it. Ridge let go of his crutch, dropped to his knees and pushed his way into the tent.