Page 64 of Winning Back His Wife
Sarah tucked the envelope under her arm. She scribbled her signature.
The woman thanked her and walked toward her car.
Sarah backed into the cabin, as if moving in slow motion. Her fingers gripped the envelope. She didn’t need to open it to know what was inside. Well, she was 99.99 percent certain.
I knew you were busy, so once I established residency in Oregon I got things started there.
They know I filed for divorce.
Divorce papers. Her stomach roiled. Sarah thought she might be sick. Okay, he’d filed before her accident, but it still hurt.
Sarah plodded into the kitchen and placed the envelope on the breakfast bar. She’d wait until Cullen returned to open it. She had too much to worry about, with him on the mountain in a storm and the second steam blast on Mount Baker.
Hours passed. Sarah looked at data and spoke with Tucker over Skype. But what she wanted was to hear from Cullen. A phone call. A text.
The doorbell rang.
She was almost afraid to answer the door again, but she did. The wind whipped. Snow fell in a solid sheet of white. Carly, Zoe and Christian Welton stood on the porch, bundled up in parkas and hats.
Sarah invited them in. She assumed Cullen had asked his friends to check on her. She was glad he’d done that even though she’d told him not to. She needed the company. “I can’t believe you three ventured out in this kind of weather.”
“We wanted to see how you were doing.” Zoe removed her hat, scarf, coat and mittens, then hung them on the hat tree. “We also have some news.”
Sarah forced herself not to hold her breath. “Good news, I hope.”
Carly hung her coat. “Rescue Team 4 found the missing climbers and brought them down.”
Relief flowed through Sarah, loosening her tense muscles. “That’s wonderful. Everyone will be home soon.”
Forget about the divorce papers. Sarah wiggled her toes with anticipation. She wanted to see Cullen.
“Almost everyone,” Christian said. “Teams 2 and 3 are stuck on the mountain. They’ll be down once there’s a break in the weather.”
“Is Cullen on one of those teams?” she asked.
Carly nodded. “Sean, Jake, Bill, Tim and Cullen are hunkering down in a snow cave. They’re fine, but the conditions are pretty bad up there.”
The hair on Sarah’s arms stood on end. That didn’t sound good at all.
“The guys made the smart decision, given the conditions,” Christian said. “Leanne and the rest of Team 3 made it to the Palmer lift station before the whiteout made it too dangerous for them to continue. They’ll stay there tonight.”
Worried, Sarah chewed on her lower lip.
“Everyone is fine,” Carly reiterated. “But staying put will keep them safe tonight.”
Sarah had slept in a snow cave, part of an alpine mountaineering course she’d taken. A snow cave would protect the team from the elements. That was crucial in this kind of weather. But she would rather have Cullen home.
Zoe raised a paper sack. “We brought dinner.”
“No reason to sit alone when we’re all in the same boat,” Christian explained.
Carly nodded. “We stopped by Tim’s place, but Rita and Wyatt are at her parents’ house in Portland. The other guys on Rescue 3 live down the mountain.”
Sarah appreciated their thoughtfulness. Food was the last thing on her mind, but she needed to eat. To keep up her strength. She wanted to be strong for Cullen. “Thanks. This is so nice of you.”
Carly touched Sarah’s arm. “It’s good for all of us.”
“Where’s Nicole?” Sarah asked.
“With Hannah and Graham,” Carly said. “Jake and I were supposed to have a date night.”
“Skip the barbecue tomorrow night and go on your date instead,” Zoe suggested.
Carly hugged Zoe. “Thanks, but we’ll find another night to go out.”
As the four of them prepared dinner, Sarah realized in the short time she’d been in Hood Hamlet, she’d made good friends. Some of that was due to her job, but part—a big part—was the change in her. She didn’t let people get close. In Hood Hamlet, that didn’t stop people from butting their noses into her life anyway. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.
Zoe set the table. “I’m happy we’re doing this tonight. When I’m at the base helping out, I’m not so impatient. But I hate waiting.”
“Me, too.” Sarah would give anything to touch Cullen right now. “I really wish it would stop snowing.”
“Rescuer safety is the priority when they’re on a mission,” Zoe explained. “Sean tells me that over and over again.”
Carly nodded. “Jake, too.”
