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She turned away and went back to her work Her ue, but sharp with determination
"I'll sleep when this is over"
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The next ht Noelle out of her state of concentration She'd been losing her ability to focus anyway, due to her increasinglysleep and still functioning, she was really starting to feel the effects of this stressful situation If she didn't take a break soon, she was going to start pounding her head against the drafty cabin wall
Noelle rubbed her eyes and stood to see asall that noise David's phone sat on top of his zipped duffel bag, blinking and vibrating impatiently
Noelle didn't dare answer it, and a quick scan of the cabin told her he was nowhere around She picked up the phone, hooked it on her waistband and went out in search of him
She had no idea if the call was important or not, but she didn't want to take any chances that he'd need to talk to whoever was on the other end right away She just hoped the phone had voiceto answer it and take the chance the call would give away their location
The air outside the cabin was nippy but s, it was nice to have the bright, open sky over her head rather than heavy wooden beams Her coat kept out the worst of the cold, but she shoved her hands deep into her pockets to keep her fingers warm
With a little rush of embarrass she wasn't interrupting anything important
He didn't respond, a fact for which she was i of snow covered the ground and Noelle could see David's big boot prints etched plainly into the snow She followed the path, which headed into the trees growing on the slope leading down the , the footprints vanished along with the snow
Noelle stood there, looking around for any sign as to which way he'd gone She found none
Rather than wander around in the trees and get lost, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted for him
On the third shout, he appeared silently out of the trees, panic sharpening his features He pushed her to the ground, his hand covering her ainst the cold earth
"We're not alone," he whispered against her ear "I just hope they didn't hear you yelling"
Fear lanced through her and she went stiff beneath; hied at his hand, which he moved so she could whisper "The Swar at her otten Just when she was sure he was about to kiss her, he rolled off her and braced his weight on his elbows His shoulders were hunched and his voice was clipped and harsh "Hunters, but I'"
Lying on the ground without David's war cold and vulnerable When she tried to sit up, David said, "Stay down They're just down in the next valley"
She rolled to her belly and propped herself up on her elbows, ?"
David pulled out a pair of binoculars and peered down into the valley "Drinking beer, mostly It doesn't look like they heard you"
"Isn't it a little early for beer?" asked Noelle
David shrugged "Guess not for them They've been out here since daybreak"
"Why would the Swar beer when our cabin is less than a mile away?"
"I don't think they would, but even if they are just hunters, if they stu to cause problems Caleb's cabin isn't supposed to exist, at least not on public records If these foolsup here to someone back in toe'll have to leave"
"Can't we just go somewhere else?"
David shook his head "This place is about as safe as it's going to get unless you want to keep et as htof trying to work in acar made her stomach queasy "So what do we do?"
"I'll keep watching theet any closer"
"And if they dori
He gave her a sinister little so"
"What are you going to do? Set out bear traps or soht now, I need you to go back to the cabin, where you'll be safe I'll handle things out here"
Noelle didn't really want to go back to the cabin alone She knew she should be brave and tough and force herself to go back to work, but she was tired and worried She was feeling particularly vulnerable with those h she didn't want to adh to worry about without having the added worry of her feelings She was a big girl and could take care of herself, at least under normal circumstances
Unfortunately, these were far from normal, and she really needed to be close to someone she trusted