scrambled up the steep slope and onto the path, where she threw her arms around him for a hug. In spite of the cold and the discomfort and a smear of mud on her cheek, she flashed a bright smile. “I’m so glad you’re here. I was afraid something terrible would happen.”
“Something terrible did happen,” Sarah growled from the bottom. “Four masked men with guns tried to kill us.”
“We don’t know that for sure,” Emily called down to her. “I don’t know why they were there or what—”
“Step aside,” Blake interrupted her as he got into position to help Sarah. Though the threat had been handled for the moment, he couldn’t be sure that they wouldn’t be attacked again. It was imperative to get the women to safety as quickly as possible.
Sarah had removed her gloves to get a firm grip on his belt. As soon as she latched on, she climbed with sure steps. Her boots kicked through the crusty snow and found footholds. As soon as she was within his reach, he grasped her wrist to help her up the last few steps. Her arm slung around his neck. He felt her muscles tense. If they hadn’t been dangling off the edge of a cliff, this hold might have counted as an embrace.
When she stood beside him on the path, she avoided his gaze. “Thanks, Blake.”
“You could have made it on your own.”
“Climbing uphill is easier than coming down.” She straightened her shoulders. “We should get out of here.”
“Agreed. My rental is in the clearing.”
“Is it safe to go back there?” she asked. “How do we know they aren’t waiting to ambush us?”
“We don’t,” he said, “but I doubt they’ve had time to regroup. I got in a couple of good hits before they drove off in their van.”
“You shot them?” Emily squeaked.
Though he was certain that he’d wounded two of the men, he didn’t intend to give her a recap. Emily was so bighearted that she’d want to seek out their enemies and offer aid.
Sarah was different. Her voice was calm as she said, “A couple of good hits, huh? Thanks, again.”
“Let’s go.” He drew his Beretta and snapped a fresh clip into the magazine.
With the two women following, he moved quickly through the trees and back toward the clearing. Staying in the cover of the surrounding forest, they made their way toward the SUV he’d rented at the airport.
“Wait,” Emily said.
“Keep moving,” he said.
“We’re going to be okay,” she said. “Wait a minute.”
His buddy Jeremy truly loved this woman. Blake found her unrelenting perkiness to be somewhat annoying. “What?”
“I see my cell phone over there. Can I get it?”
The bubblegum-pink phone struck an oddly feminine note amid the heavy-duty equipment and pipes. Leaving it behind would provide information to their enemies. He needed to secure the phone but didn’t want to send Emily into an open area where she’d be an easy target if there was a sniper hiding in the trees. He handed his car keys to Sarah. “Get in the vehicle. I’ll grab the phone and join you.”
He watched as the two women climbed into the SUV. He hadn’t expected Sarah to take the driver’s seat, but that was what she did. Then she started the engine and drove toward him, providing additional cover. It was a smart move. He liked having her on his side.
In a few strides, he scooped up Emily’s cell phone and dove into the passenger seat. The road leading away from the drill site was single lane for about a mile before it intersected with a regular two-lane road. If the guys in ski masks were planning to stop them, this would be a good place for an ambush. “I’ll drive,” he said.
“I’ve got it,” Sarah said.
“There might be a need for evasive driving.”
“Then you’d better fasten your seat belt.”
She wheeled the SUV around and drove out of the clearing at top speed, which is exactly what he would have done. The headlights slashed through the dark as she expertly navigated the bends in the road. In seconds, they were approaching the intersection.
At the ninety-degree turn onto the more traveled road, the SUV fishtailed, but Sarah maintained control. On the two-lane road, her boot pressed down on the accelerator. With Sarah at the wheel, the boxy vehicle flew like a sports car, zooming through the trees.
Blake was impressed. “Where did you learn how to drive?”
“Mountains, high trails and frozen lakes,” she said. The lights from the dashboard illuminated her grin. This was a woman who enjoyed going fast—his kind of woman. “I know my way around a skid.”
“At the main road, go left.”
“But the B and B is to the right,” she said.
“I’m taking you ladies into town. We’ll get a hotel room for the night and come back in the morning.”
“I don’t think so.” Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. “I won’t leave my property unprotected.”
From the backseat, Emily piped up, “Is there anybody else staying at the B and B?”
“The last couple left this morning,” Sarah said. “The whole place is reserved all week for the wedding party.”
Belted into the passenger seat, there was nothing Blake could do when Sarah took a right turn and headed toward her bed-and-breakfast. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. He was accustomed to giving orders and having those orders obeyed. Keeping his voice calm, he reminded Sarah of the danger. “They could already be there, waiting for us.”
“You’re right.” She eased off the gas and pulled into a wide space on the road where the snow had been cleared. “We need to call the sheriff.”
“I have it covered.”
“What does that mean?”
Their situation had complications that went beyond the level of the Pitkin County sheriff’s office. When he arrived in the area, he had contacted one of the local deputies, David Kovak, who was former military. “Drive into town. We’ll get settled. And I’ll take care of this.”
“Are you saying that I should leave everything to you?”
He had the feeling that he was walking through a minefield. “I’m saying that I can help.”
Keeping her hands possessively on the wheel, she turned toward him. Her dark eyes shone like obsidian. “I don’t know you well enough to trust you. Not when my property is involved. Bentley’s B and B has been in my family for over a hundred years, and I’m not going to be the Bentley who abandons it to vandals.”
“Your survival is more important than your house.”
“Why do you think this is so dangerous? How do you know?” Her voice was tinged with suspicion. “Come to think of it, how did you happen to turn up at the clearing in the nick of time?”
“I overheard Emily when she woke you.”
“Did not,” Emily said. “I listened outside your bedroom door, and it was totally quiet.”
“I wasn’t in the bedroom.” He hadn’t wanted to go into this explanation while they were parked at the edge of the road. Actually, he hadn’t wanted to explain at all. That should have been Jeremy’s job. But Jeremy wasn’t here.
“What were you doing?” Sarah demanded.
“Checking out the B and B.” He’d gone around the perimeter, tested windows and doors. Jeremy had told him that Bentley’s was a secure location for the wedding, and Blake concurred. “With the addition of a few