Lindsay rattled it off, and Zach programmed it into his phone then dialed.
It rang several times before Kaitlin came on the line. “Hello?” Her voice was shaky, and the wind was obviously blowing across the mouthpiece.
She was still out in the storm.
“You okay?” he found himself shouting, telling himself not to worry.
“Zach?”
“Where are you?”
“Uh…”
“Kaitlin?” Not worrying was going to be a whole lot easier once he figured out what was going on.
“I think I’m about halfway down the cemetery trail,” she said.
“You’re driving in this?” What was the matter with her?
“Not driving, I’m walking.”
“What?” He couldn’t help the shock in his exclamation.
“I think the cart’s battery died,” she explained.
Okay. That made sense. “Are you okay?”
“Mostly. Yeah, I think so. I fell.”
Zach immediately headed for the garage. “I’m on my way.”
Dylan and Lindsay came at his heels.
“Thanks,” said Kaitlin, relief obvious in her voice.
“What were you doing up there?” he couldn’t help but ask.
“Where is she?” Lindsay blustered, but Zach ignored the question, keeping his focus on Kaitlin.
“The roses,” said Kaitlin, sounding breathless. “Ginny asked me to put the roses on Sadie’s grave.”
“Are you sure you’re not hurt badly?” Adrenaline was humming through his system, heart rate automatically increasing as he moved into action.
The wind howled across the phone.
“Kaitlin?”
“I might be bleeding a little.”
Zach’s heart sank.
“I tripped,” she continued. “I’m pretty wet, and it’s dark. I can’t exactly see, but my leg stings.”
Zach hit the garage door button, while Dylan pulled the cover off a golf cart.
“I want you to stop walking,” Zach instructed. “Wherever you are, stay put and wait for me. What can you see?”
“Trees.” Was there a trace of laughter in her voice?
“How far do you think you’ve come?” He tried to zero in. “Is the trail rocky or dirt?”
“It’s mud now.”
“Good.” That meant she was past the halfway point. “You want me to stay on the line with you?” he asked as he climbed onto the cart.
“I should save my battery.”
“Makes sense. Give me ten minutes.”
“I’ll be right here.”
Zach signed off and turned on the cart.
“Where is she?” Lindsay repeated.
“She was at the cemetery. Cart battery died. She’s walking back.”
Lindsay asked something else, but Zach was already pulling out of the garage, zipping past the helipad and turning up the mountain road. The mud was slick on the road, and the rain gusted in from all sides.
He knew he shouldn’t worry. She was fine. She’d be wet and cold, but they could fix those problems in no time. But he’d feel a whole lot better once she was safe in his—
He stopped himself.
In his arms?
What the hell did that mean?
Safe inside was what he’d meant. Obviously. He wanted her warm and dry, just like he’d want any other human being inside and warm and dry on a night like this.
Still, it was a long ten minutes before his headlights found her.
She was soaked to the skin. Her legs were splattered in mud, her hair was dripping and her white blouse was plastered to her body.
As the cart came to a skidding stop, he could see she was shivering. He wished he’d thought to bring a blanket to wrap around her for the ride home.
Before he could jump out to help her, she climbed gingerly into the cart. So instead, he stripped off his shirt, draping it around her wet shoulders and tugging it closed at the front.
“Thanks,” she breathed, settling on the seat next to him, wrapping her arms around her body.
He grabbed a flashlight from its holder behind the seat and shone it on her bare legs. “Where are you hurt?” He inspected methodically up and down.
She turned her ankle, and he saw a gash on the inside of her calf, blood mixing with the mud and rainwater.
“It doesn’t look too bad,” she ventured bravely.
But Zach’s gut clenched at the sight, knowing it had to be painful. The sooner they got her home and cleaned up, the better.
He ditched the flashlight, turned the cart on and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his body in an attempt to warm her up.
“What happened?” he asked as they straightened onto the road, going back downhill.
“Ginny wanted to put the roses on Sadie’s grave. But she was too tired after the tour of the garden.” Kaitlin paused. “It’s really nice up there at the cemetery.”