“We’re going to hunker down here until it’s safe to leave,” he murmured. “We stay warm, we rest, and then we walk for Le Paradis or St. Venant. The Nazis will have already passed through there, so if we can make it . . .” His voice trailed off.

Cate was grateful for the blanket, and she pressed her face against her hands as she lay, not wanting Jack to see her tears. She had no idea where Le Paradis was, but if Jack wanted to go there, then she didn’t exactly have any better ideas.

She only hoped Lilly could make it to safety too.

Cate hadn’t intentionally fallen asleep, and when Jack woke her, she wondered how she’d ever managed to relax enough to slumber. Her hips jutted into the unforgiving dirt, and when she lifted her head to stretch she banged it on the undercarriage of the ambulance.

“Ouch,” she muttered.

And then she realized that Jack’s body was curved to hers, the blanket over both of them, and embarrassment heated her cheeks. That certainly hadn’t been planned.

“Is it time to go?” she asked.

He grunted, his voice rough from sleep. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

She pulled the blanket up and attempted to ball it, given she couldn’t fold it in such close quarters. And she stuffed the bandages into her pockets, desperate to stretch her legs and her back as claustrophobia crept up on her.

“Let me go first,” he said.

Cate was happy for him to take charge, knowing that her knees would be knocking as soon as she hauled herself out. She waited for him to give the all-clear, and within seconds he was telling her to join him.

The rain had reduced to a thick drizzle now, but she knew it would only be a matter of time before her nurse’s uniform was soaked through, leaving her shivering and wet. And Jack wasn’t exactly going to fare much better in what he was wearing, not to mention being only a handful of days post-surgery, and should have been on strict bed rest to recover.

“Do you know the direction we’re supposed to be going?” she whispered.

“Yes, I’ve been there before,” he said. “It’s fifty miles, give or take.”

Cate decided to spread out the heavy wool blanket and draped it over her shoulders, offering the other side to Jack.

“Here, let’s walk with this over us. It’ll keep us dryer for longer.”

“I’m fine, you take it,” he said.

Cate watched him limp beside her as they started walking, and decided not to take no for an answer. “Take the blanket, Jack. If you don’t, you could die on me. You shouldn’t even be out of bed walking, and I don’t want to have to add hyperthermia to your list of ailments.”