Dreams (Part One) (Dreams #1)(27)
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz

“And if I calm down and stop yelling at him, I might be able to help him figure out how to get out of the situation?

You may be right, Diana. It makes a certain kind of sense. The trouble is, I’m not sure I can stay cool and rational about this. Every time I look at him, I see myself about to make the same damned fool mistake a second time and all I can think about is doing whatever I have to do to prevent it.“

“If he’s determined to make that mistake, there’s really not much you can do about it, Colby. Like it or not, at nineteen, he’s a man.“

“There ought to be a law against nineteen-year-olds being men.“

Diana laughed. “I can imagine how you would respond to that statement if you were nineteen again.“

“You’ve made your point.“ He ran a hand through his damp hair. “What a mess.“ Colby got to his feet and walked restlessly to the front of the cavern. Hands on hips, he studied the situation.

“It’s not getting any lighter out there, is it?“ Diana called from the back of the cave.

“No.“ He turned around and returned to his place on the rocks. “It’s worse than ever. Diana, if we don’t get out of here by nightfall, we may have to spend the night in here. I don’t want to take you down that ledge path after dark, even with flashlights.“

“What?“

“Don’t sound so horrified. It’ll be a little cold and a little damp, not to mention a little uncomfortable, but we’ll survive.“

But Diana was genuinely horrified. The thought of spending the night in Chained Lady Cave shook her to the core.

“We can’t stay here, Colby. We don’t have any food… or blankets, or matches.“

“Don’t worry about it until we have to make the decision.“

“I’m worrying about it!“ she yelped.

“Well, don’t.“

“Easy for you to say. Colby, I will not stay the night here and that’s final.“

“Honey, I’m trying to explain that you may not have a choice in the matter.“

“I’ll have a choice,“ she informed him grimly. “I’ve got a flashlight, and I’ll find my way down that path alone if need be.“

“The hell you will,“ he said far too quietly.

She slid him an uneasy, speculative glance.

“And turn off the flashlights. We may need them later. No sense wearing the batteries down now.“

An hour later, night descended with no letup in the storm. If anything the gale was wilder than ever.

At least there was no fading sunlight to turn the waterfall into blood this evening, Diana told herself morosely. One had to be thankful for small mercies.

“Looks like the decision just got made for us,“ Colby said mildly. He reached out and switched on one of the flashlights. “We’ll leave the other light off until this one burns out.“

Diana jumped to her feet and hurried to the front of the cave. She was greeted by impenetrable blackness and a spray of water. Just beyond the entrance she could hear the relentless roar of the falls. Colby was right. No one in his or her right mind would attempt to negotiate the waterfall path tonight.

She sighed, resigned to a night in Chained Lady Cave, and turned to troop unhappily back to the damp rocks. She ran straight into Colby who had come up behind her. His arms went around her waist, and he bent his head to drop a reassuring kiss on her hair.

“It’s going to be all right, honey.“

“I’m cold already.“

“We’ll spread your slicker and my windbreaker out on the floor. They’ll keep us reasonably dry. No fire, but never let it be said I don’t know how to take care of my woman.“ He reached into his windbreaker pocket and produced two plastic packets of cheese and crackers.

Diana instantly felt better. “Where did you get those?“

“I just stuck them in at the last minute thinking we might want to have a snack up here before we hiked down.“

“My hero!“ she exclaimed admiringly. “I have a contribution to make to the effort, too.“ She reached into her trouser pocket, and pulled out a few sheets of facial tissue.

“What are we going to use that for? To wipe our hands after we eat?“

“Not exactly. It occurred to me it might come in useful for other reasons.“

“You’re planning on catching cold?“

“No, I am not planning on catching cold. Really, Colby. Use that vivid imagination of yours. Do you see any sanitary facilities around here?“

Understanding dawned. “Ah, I get it.“

“Finally.“

They ate the crackers and cheese snacks in less than three minutes.

“What we really need is a bottle of good wine to complement this fine cuisine,“ Colby remarked as he swallowed the last cracker crumb.

“At least neither of us has to cook tonight,“ Diana pointed out, trying to look on the positive side. “Specter will be okay, I think.“

“Assuming he has sense enough to get in out of the rain.“

“He knows where the back porch is. He can sleep there. Brandon and Robyn will be worried about us, though“

“They’ll probably assume I got caught at your place in the storm and decided to spend the night.“ Colby paused and swore under his breath. “Which will leave them perfectly free to entertain themselves this evening, won’t it?“

Diana read his mind. It wasn’t hard to tell the direction of his thoughts. “Stop worrying about it,“ she advised gently. “If they’re sleeping together, they’re sleeping together. There’s not much you can do about it.“

“I know. I’ll just have to keep my fingers crossed that Brandon was paying attention during all those lectures on birth control I gave him.“

“Yup. Keeping your fingers crossed is about all you can do. Now stop fretting, and let’s figure out where we’re going to spread this rain gear.“ Diana jumped to her feet.

Colby looked at her, his eyes watchful in the faint glow of the flashlight beam. “I hate to point this out, but the fact is, it’s dryer in the inner cavern. Also warmer. That’s why I spent the night in there the last time.“

“I don’t like it in there,“ Diana said instantly. “I don’t exactly love it out here, but I prefer this chamber to that grotto.“ She peered at the floor of the main cave, trying to find a spot that wasn’t soaking wet. It was useless. “Maybe it will be more comfortable to sit up all night.“