Apparently he did. Within seconds, the helicopter swept over the tops of the trees and hovered above the cabin. Cooper and Rusty began waving their arms and shouting, even though it was obvious that they’d been spotted by the two men sitting in the chopper. They could even see their wide smiles through the bubble.
“They see us! Oh, Cooper, Cooper!”
Rusty launched herself against him. He caught her in a fierce bear hug and, lifting her off her feet, swung her around. “We made it, baby, we made it!”
The clearing surrounding the cabin was large enough to accommodate the helicopter. It set down. Hand in hand, Rusty and Cooper ran toward it. She was heedless of the twinge of pain in her leg. The pilot in the right-hand chair unbuckled his seat belt and stepped out. Ducking under the rotating blades, he ran to meet them.
“Miz Carlson, ma’am?” His Southern accent was as thick as corn syrup. Rusty bobbed her head up and down, suddenly shy and speechless. Timidly she clung to Cooper’s arm.
“Cooper Landry,” Cooper said, sticking out his hand and pumping the pilot’s in a hearty handshake. “We’re damn sure glad to see you guys.”
“We’re kinda glad to see you, too. Miz Carlson’s daddy hired us to look for her. The authorities weren’t doing the job to his satisfaction.”
“That sounds like Father,” Rusty shouted over the clapping sound of the turning blades.
“Y’all the only ones who made it?” They nodded somberly. “Well, unless y’all want to stick around, let’s git you home. Your daddy sure is gonna be glad to see ya.”
At the mention of the young woman’s father, the congenial pilot gave Cooper a worried glance, taking in his unfastened jeans. It was obvious that they’d been pulled on in haste and that the man wearing them was naked underneath. Rusty had the debauched, disheveled look of a woman who’d been making love all night. The pilot summed up the situation readily enough; it didn’t have to be spelled out to him.
They returned to the cabin only long enough to dress properly. Cooper retrieved his expensive hunting rifle. Beyond that, they came away empty-handed. As she went through the door for the last time, Rusty gave the cabin a wistful backward glance. Originally she had despised the place. Now that she was leaving it, she felt a trace of sadness.
Cooper didn’t seem to share her sentiment. He and the pilot were laughing and joking, having discovered that they were veterans of the same war and that their tours of duty had overlapped. Rusty had to run to catch up with them. When she did, Cooper slipped an arm around her shoulders and smiled down at her. That made everything all right. Or at least better.
“I’m Mike,” the pilot told them as he assisted them into their seats. “And that’s my twin brother Pat.” The other pilot saluted them.
“Pat and Mike?” Cooper shouted. “You gotta be kidding?”
That seemed hilariously funny and they were all laughing uncontrollably as the chopper lifted off the ground and skimmed the tops of the trees before gaining altitude.
“The crash site was spotted by a search plane several days ago,” Mike shouted back at them and pointed down.
Rusty viewed the sight. She was surprised that they had covered so much distance on foot, especially with Cooper dragging her in the handmade travois. She would never have survived if it hadn’t been for him. What if he had died in the crash? Shuddering at the thought, she laid her head on his shoulder. He placed his arm around her and pulled her close. Her hand curled around the inside of his thigh in a subconscious gesture of trust.
“The other five died on impact,” Cooper told the pilots. “Rusty and I were sitting in the last row. I guess that’s why we lived through it.”
“When the report came back that the plane wasn’t burned or anything, Mr. Carlson insisted on searching for survivors,” Mike said. “He hired my brother and me out of Atlanta. We specialize in rescue missions.” He propped his elbow on the back of his seat and turned his head to address them. “How’d you happen onto the cabin?”
Cooper and Rusty exchanged a troubled glance. “We’ll save that story and tell it only once, if you don’t mind,” Cooper said.
Mike nodded. “I’m gonna radio that you’ve been rescued. Lots of people have been lookin’ for ya. The weather’s been a real bitch. Sorry, Miz Carlson.”
“That’s okay.”
“We were grounded until yesterday when the weather cleared. Didn’t see anything. Then got an early start again this morning.”
“Where are you taking us?” Cooper asked.
“Yellowknife.”
“Is my father there?”
Mike shook his head. “He’s in L.A. My guess is that he’ll have y’all hustled down there before the day is out.”
That was good news to Rusty. She couldn’t say why, but she had dreaded having to relate the details of her ordeal to her father. Knowing that she wouldn’t have to face him right away came as a relief—perhaps because of what had happened last night. She hadn’t had time to analyze it. She wanted to savor the experience she had had with Cooper.
Their rescue had been an intrusion. She’d been glad about it, of course. Still, she wanted to be alone with her thoughts. The only person she wanted to distract her was Cooper. With that thought, the uncharacteristic shyness stole over her again and she snuggled against him.
He seemed to read her mind. He tipped her face up and peered at her closely. Bending his head, he kissed her soundly on the lips, then pressed her head against his chest. He gathered her hair in a gentle fist. His actions were both protective and possessive.