Kelly sighed. “Eddie likes to get up early. He likes to get up and play with his trucks, then he comes in and snuggles with me and we have hot chocolate and cinnamon toast for breakfast. Sometimes we stay in bed and eat Captain Kudos Krunchies.”
Abruptly, her face crumpled. A sob escaped her. As if the show of emotion embarrassed her, she lowered her face into her hands. She didn’t make another sound, but Buzz saw her shoulders shake as she cried.
It only took him an instant to drop the backpack onto the ground. He crossed the short distance between them in two strides. Then his arms were around her, pulling her soft body against his.
“Easy, Kel,” he whispered. “Just…take it easy. It’s going to be all right.” He stroked the back of her head. Her hair felt like silk against her fingers.
“We’ve been walking all night,” she sobbed. “Buzz, I hurt all over. I’m exhausted. What if we can’t find him? Oh, God, what if we don’t ever find him?”
For the first time since the nightmare had begun, she sobbed freely. Long, wrenching sobs that echoed off the treetops like the cries of a wounded animal. He hated seeing her break like this.
Because he wasn’t sure how to reach her or how to comfort her, Buzz just held her against him, trying in vain to ease her trembling, willing to absorb some of her pain because she was breaking his heart.
Concern rippled through him when he felt her sag against him. Kelly wasn’t a fainting kind of woman, but he knew even the strongest of people had their breaking points.
“Hey.” Shifting away from her slightly, he used his fingertips and brought her gaze to his. “Don’t pass out on me.”
“I just need to sit down for a moment.”
Gently, he eased her to a sitting position on the ground. After pulling it from his backpack, he spread out his sleeping bag. When he turned back to her, she was just sitting with her legs crossed and her face in her hands.
“Sit next to me for a minute,” he said.
Without speaking, she scooted over until they were sitting side by side on the mat. Their thighs were touching. She’d stopped crying, but fatigue slumped her shoulders.
“Let me tell you what we’re going to do,” he began.
When she didn’t look at him, he reached for her and turned her to face him. Early dawn cast just enough light for him to see that she was deathly pale. He felt a little guilty for, just a few minutes earlier, being so caught up in his own physical pain. This woman was exhausted. She wouldn’t last much longer. Buzz didn’t think he was going to be able to talk her into staying put and getting some rest, but he had to try.
“Kel, are you okay?”
She nodded, but the despair in her eyes was so vivid, Buzz had a hard time looking at her.
“Okay,” he said. “Chances are, our little guy slept through the night. Maybe he found a cave. Or some brush in a protected area. Maybe he found an area that was protected by rock. Whatever the case, we’ve got to believe he’s okay.”
Kelly closed her eyes, squeezing fat tears from beneath her lids. “I believe that.”
“In the next hour or so,” Buzz continued, “he’s going to wake up. He’s going to be hungry and scared, so he’s going to be listening to his surroundings. He may be yelling for help. We need to be very vocal today, Kel. We need to backtrack and cover all the terrain that we covered last night. I want you to be especially vigilant and keep your eyes open for footprints. For broken branches. Trampled grass. A thread from his clothing. Anything you feel may be out of the ordinary.”
“I can do that.”
“I want you to keep your ears open in case he’s yelling for help.”
“Okay.”
Seeing clearly that having a solid plan in place was perking her up, Buzz removed two peanut butter protein bars from his backpack and handed one to her. “I need you to tell me if you’re holding up,” he said carefully. “I need you to tell me the truth. If you need to rest, say it. I don’t want to risk your getting hurt on the trail. That’s not going to help Eddie. If you’re feeling sick or dizzy, I need you to tell me.”
She was already shaking her head. “I’m fine. I just needed to sit down for a moment.”
Buzz didn’t believe her. She didn’t look fine. She looked pale and shaken and weak as a kitten. But he knew Kelly Malone didn’t have a weak bone in her body. Not only was she physically strong, but he knew first-hand that the force of her will was something to be reckoned with as well. He’d been bulldozed by that personality a few too many times to let his guard down now.
“I guess I’m going to have to take your word for it,” he said.
“I guess you are.”
He frowned at her.
She managed a smile. “Good try, but I’m not quitting.”
“Neither am I.”
Chapter 9