Duke looks skeptical.

“Cash will come to me. I’m sure of it. And he wouldn’t leave Micah. Just let me try. Last quarter mile.”

Duke grimaces. “Okay. Yeah. You’re probably right. We need a miracle. The snow’s getting pretty heavy again.”

I glance up at the sky, the white swirls getting bigger and closer together. Panic wants to strangle in my throat. Come on, lungs. Don’t fail me now.

“Caaaaaaash!” I start in a singsong voice. “Caaaaaash, baby, it’s Meg. Come on, puppy!”

Nothing. Duke tries. “Cash! Here, boy! Cash, Cash, Cash! Whooop!”

I spin around and try again and again and again, until Duke’s arm lashes out to cut me off. He turns the way we came and yells, “Cash?!” We hear the distinct cracking of feet over brush.

“Cash! Micah! Come on, puppy! Caaaaaaash!”

He runs up wagging his tail. A sob breaks in my throat as I get down to my knees. Cash jumps into my arms, in full rescue gear, licking and wiggling and barking like mad.

Duke drops to join me. “Cash! Where’s Micah? Where is he, boy? Is he with you?”

More footsteps sound, but as they get closer, my stomach drops out. It’s not Micah.

Duke surges to his feet. “Where’s Micah?”

The older man holds his hands out. “Easy, kid. Are you Duke?”

“Where is Micah?” Duke repeats, his tone deadly.

I’m already crashing through the woods back the way he came with Cash nipping at my heels and barking.

“He’s this way,” his dad says. “He’s injured and couldn’t make it out.”

I start to run. My steps falter when I see what looks like a lot of blood on the ground and a whole ton of disturbance in the leaves and underbrush.

Duke swings on Micah’s dad accusingly. “What happened here?”

“Later,” the man says, looking pale. “He doesn’t have a lot of time. I thought he was bluffing.” He shakes his head. “Just hurry.”

Cash isn’t waiting around anyway, but Duke looks like he’s ready to put his fist through Micah’s dad’s face. Not that I blame him. I’m not feeling much better.

I grab Duke’s arm and shake it once. “Later, Duke. Okay? First Micah, then we can deal with the rest. Please.”

Duke gives Micah’s dad a final glare, promising to pick it up later, and we take off after the dog. After another few minutes of running, Cash ducks between two edges in the face of a cliff. If I hadn’t watched him do it, I’d have missed it.

I’d have missed him.

I can’t think of that right now.