Author's Note: It's a tough balance re-telling events we already know and have seen on our TV screens and filling in those missing scenes. I hope this chapter isn't too boring. As you all know, Jack and Lisa get themselves lost in the woods on the way to Montana, so you're getting glimpses of what I think could have happened. One tiny piece we did not see in episode 714 was Amy and Ty at dinner, so this gets a mention, too. Enjoy!

Chapter 25: Shelter from the Storm

Jack was unable to hide his irritation from Lisa on the fateful drive, threatening to defenestrate the GPS unit if it dared to inform them one more time it was "recalculating" their course. It took every ounce of willpower he possessed not to go completely ballistic as the gas in the truck finally and inevitably dwindled down to nothing on the way to Montana—Wayne Mosley's ranch nowhere to be seen.

When the engine sputtered and died, causing the truck to roll to a pathetic stop on an isolated, unpaved dirt and gravel logging road, a furious Jack hopped out of the driver's seat, mentally kicking himself for allowing Lisa's blind faith in her precious GPS unit to guide them. The silent tension between them that had been building when they first began realising they were far off course finally stretched to breaking point.

Disheartened at what had happened, Lisa expressed her own disappointment that the GPS had led them so far off course. Compounding their problem was the fact their remote location meant cell service was non-existent.

Knowing that lashing into Lisa in his anger would be a bad move, Jack wisely scaled back his ire. Calmly, he offered to hike back to the main road with Lisa's cell in the hopes of picking up a signal in order to call for help. He did not expect Lisa to want to tag along, grimacing inwardly at her surly comment about being left behind with nothing but gum to survive on if something happened to him. He further did not expect Lisa to bring Cinders with them, but he yielded to her logic that leaving the horse on the side of the road would be unsafe for several reasons.

"You do what you need to do," he uttered in a conciliatory manner, but could not help tacking on an impatient "Please hurry it up... we're losing daylight."

"Yes, sir," an uncommonly churlish Lisa shot back.

The GPS unit chose that very moment to provide an update: "Continue on current route for 79.5 kilometers."

That did it. Jack's anger boiled over. He yanked open the driver's side door, closed his hand around the device and heaved it with all his might into the bushes. As if to mock him, the muffled GPS voice from the other side of the road responded with its now-predictable "Recalculating" phrase.

"That make you feel better?" Lisa ribbed him, before ducking back behind the open trailer door.

Jack grumbled and bit back a retort.

The route through the woods Jack assumed would lead them back to the main road instead took them even further off course. With the setting sun and with sinking spirits, he finally stopped walking when he came to the conclusion the main road was nowhere in sight, and they were not going to be finding it anytime soon.

From 5-star hotels to the bush, Jack thought, dreading having to admit to Lisa they were lost, and even worse, it was too late in the day to trek back to the truck for the night.

"We're going to have to find a place to set up camp," Jack told her, after they traded playful jabs at each other over his own blind faith in his sense of direction and her trust in modern technology.

A look bordering on disgust crossed Lisa's face. "I hate camping," she admitted, a hair short of whining.

"Didn't you used to be a Girl Guide?" he asked in near disbelief at her hatred of the activity, knowing their choices were limited.

Lisa rolled her eyes, recalling those times as a Guide, which were not entirely all pleasant. "Yes, best years of my life," she said, words dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, surely you went camping with them," Jack responded, as if this somehow settled the matter.

"No, I didn't. I avoided it!" Lisa protested.

Amused now, Jack asked, "How did you manage that?"

"Well, I sold a lot of cookies," Lisa joked, as she followed Jack with Cinders still in tow.

Jack gave a light laugh, trying to imagine a 10-year-old Lisa conning her neighbours into buying copious amounts of cookies. He found he could actually believe it happened that way, given the successful businesswoman she had grown up to be.

"We should have been there and back by now," Lisa said conversationally. She had just peeked at her phone, and sure enough there was still no cell service available. "I hope they're not worrying about us back home. I'm sorry my GPS got us so off-track."

Jack looked back at her with a wry smile. "It's all right, Lis. Things could have been a lot worse. We just have to get through tonight. At first light tomorrow, we'll head back to the truck and hike up the logging road to the main highway until we get into cell range. No more short-cuts."

"Right," Lisa said. "No more short-cuts."

"And I'm sorry I got us lost even more," Jack said.

She looked at him with a slight smile, not daring to say at this point what she was thinking: I can't think of a better person to be lost in the woods with than you, Jack Bartlett.

Moments later, Jack figured they were on a spot that was just as good as any. "This will do," he said, noting the presence of a few dead branches and closely spaced trees. "I'll need to borrow Cinders' stall sheet."

"Of course," Lisa said. She tied the halter to a nearby massive, uprooted tree stump and removed the sheet. "Sorry, boy," she said, as if the horse would understand. "We're going to need this tonight."

Jack stood by, wondering how he would actually manage to make a suitable shelter with just the stall sheet and its limited number of straps.

"Here," Lisa said, handing him a roll of paracord and a Swiss Army knife she withdrew from her large shoulder bag. "I think these will be useful."

"I thought you said you 'hated camping'," he said, grateful for the items, nonetheless.

"Oh, that's not for camping; that's for emergencies. You never know when you're going to need to tie something back together. A Girl Guide is always prepared," she said with a grin, paraphrasing the Guide motto. "Besides, haven't you ever watched NCIS?"

"No," Jack replied, as he unravelled a length of the orange cord and cut it to start lashing together a few dead branches to form a simple frame for the stall sheet.

"Well, one of the characters has a set of rules he tries to drill into his agents," Lisa explained. "One of those rules is 'Always carry a knife'."

"Good rule," Jack said, thinking now about his Arizona trip and how he had not thought to use his knife in the absence of a can opener during his failed attempt to camp on the shores of Bartlett Reservoir.

Now that Lisa was over her initial dismay they would actually have to camp for the night, she buckled down and started gathering evergreen boughs for bedding along with pieces of wood for a fire. Jack continued to work on the shelter. His humming while working stopped Lisa in her tracks.

It was a familiar tune, but she could not put her finger on why she knew it, or where she could have heard it. "What is that you're humming? I know that; what is that tune?"

"It's called 'Walk Me Over the Bridge'," Jack answered with a smile, pleased she had recognized it. There's things I have been meaning to tell you, Lis, he thought. Maybe...

"Ohhh, yeah," she said with a nod, recalling now when Amy and Jack performed the song at Caleb and Ashley's wedding.

We never got around to talking either yesterday at Heartland or in that long drive we just took, thought Lisa. Maybe...

The makeshift shelter was at last finished. "Well, it's not much," Jack said, breaking Lisa's thoughts, "but it will at least keep the wind off you. I just got a couple more things to do, and it's all yours."

"What do you mean? Where are you gonna sleep?" Lisa asked in surprise.

"I'll be just fine by the fire," responded Jack nonchalantly.

Lisa had no ready rebuttal. Knowing they were still miles apart from each other, he was playing the chivalry card. She could not fault him for it in the slightest, but she had honestly assumed he had built the shelter for two. Before she could convince him to change his mind, he was off again, searching for additional spruce boughs appropriate enough to make a bed for himself. He was back in ten minutes, hauling several boughs behind him, which he arranged near the small pile of sticks that would soon become fuel for their campfire.

"Here," Lisa said, handing him her insulated water bottle. "Take a break. You've more than earned it."

"Thanks," he uttered gratefully, taking a few sips.

"Hungry?" she asked.

"Don't tell me you have a picnic lunch packed in there, too," he said, gesturing to her shoulder bag.

Lisa laughed lightly, thinking, as Jack was, of their long-ago lunch of turkey-and-Swiss sandwiches and coffee. "Granola bar," she said, tearing open the packet to reveal two slim, crumbly bars.

"Better than nothin'," he said, removing his glove to take one of them. "I thought you said you only had chewing gum on you."

"A Girl Guide is always prepared," Lisa repeated the motto with another smile. "But seriously, that is kinda all I have left in my bag that's edible."

"Well, we'll be back home by tomorrow," Jack said after swallowing a bite. "I promise I won't let you starve."

"I know," Lisa said warmly. "Thank you." She took a bite of her own piece of granola while glancing over to where Cinders was tethered. The horse seemed to be doing fine, if not a little bored at his current circumstances.

Wayne Mosley probably thinks I'm the biggest flake, Lisa thought of her Montana client who was supposed to be in possession of Cinders right now. Either that, or he's worried something has happened to us. What a mess this is.

Presently, Jack finished eating his meagre granola supper. With the sun nearly fully set, the temperature was dropping noticeably. "You wouldn't happen to also have some matches in that bag of yours, would you, Miss Girl-Guide-who-hates-camping?" he asked Lisa.

"You mean you can't start a fire with two sticks, Cowboy?" Lisa chided playfully, but she fished inside her bag anyway, pulling out a matchbook that had been there for ages. "I hope these still work."

"I'm sure they'll do just fine," Jack said. It took a few tries, and after wasting four of the flimsy matches, Jack managed to catch some kindling, which he blew into a larger flame to ignite the bigger pieces of wood Lisa had collected. Soon, a cozy fire was burning. He stretched out on his "mattress" of spruce boughs, re-arranging a couple so there was a good barrier between his body and the ground. It was by no means the most comfortable sleeping arrangement he ever had, but he could rough it for one night. He was further glad Lisa had not voiced a single complaint since revealing she hated camping.

Another woman would probably have whined and grumbled the whole night, Jack thought in admiration. She's so accustomed to luxury, but she's putting up with this whole situation like it's nothing. She sure is something else... something special.

Lisa lapsed into silence once she finished her last chunk of the granola bar. She took a sip or two of water, knowing it would be wise to conserve some for tomorrow. She gazed at the fire, watching the flames dance. This is the last place on earth I expected to be right now, yet somehow, being here with Jack makes everything feel safe. It makes everything feel like it's going to turn out, if only we can get a chance to talk things through...

The sun was fully gone behind the mountains now; the light from the fire their only source of illumination. Jack propped himself up on an elbow and stood. "Well, I better make sure he's good for the night," he said, moving to check on Cinders. A weary Lisa let him go about this chore as an echo of his earlier humming rang in her mind. She envisioned herself with Jack, back when they were still together, at Caleb and Ashley's simple little wedding reception. It took her a moment to realise Jack actually was humming again, bringing a small smile to her face. The memory of the way he had held her in his strong, yet tender arms as they danced made her once again realise how far apart they had drifted. The smile slid from her face. Will he ever hold me like that again? She wondered.

After determining the horse was fine as he was, Jack ambled back to the place he set for himself by the fire, half-lying down, half-leaning on his side. "There we go," he sighed.

Lisa could not contain herself any longer. "That's just silly," she blurted out, looking at the man she still loved, wondering how on earth he thought she would be okay with him sleeping out in the open. "Plenty of room in there for the both of us."

Jack looked in the direction of the "lean-to" he built. A flash of lightning unexpectedly lit up their surroundings, followed by a crash of distant thunder.

"And a storm's coming," Lisa said, as if to further cement her point it would be foolish for Jack to stay where he was. "Come on."

Jack peered up at the sky considering the alternative for a few seconds before taking Lisa's hand. She helped haul him up, and they both retired to the cover of Cinders' commandeered stall sheet.

Ty's birthday dinner should have been a happier occasion, but both he and Amy could not quite get into a celebratory mood. Not being able to reach Lisa on her cell phone was an unwelcome and persistent distraction.

"You'd think they would have called if something happened to delay them," Amy fretted, picking at her dinner entrée with her fork.

Ty sighed. "I agree," he said. He did not give voice to the morbid imaginings going through his mind, which was that Jack could have suffered another heart attack while driving.

"Every time I try Lisa's cell, I get no response," Amy added. "I don't know what to think."

"You've tried what, five times already?"

Amy nodded. "And I've left two messages. I'm sorry I haven't been very good company tonight, Ty. I wanted this to be special for you."

Ty eyed his fiancée's half-eaten meal. "It's okay, Amy," he said, reaching out a hand to touch hers. "I'm upset about this, too. Do you want to go home?"

"You don't mind?" she asked apologetically.

"Of course I don't mind," Ty replied. "Besides, there's not much we can do sitting here in this restaurant."

"You're right," Amy said. "Thank you for being so good about this."

Once the bill was paid, they were on the road again to Heartland. They were nearly home when a new thought occurred to Amy. "You know what," she said with a renewed optimism, "I have Wayne Mosley's number. He's the guy in Montana who bought Cinders. I'm going to call him right now to see if Grandpa and Lisa were there."

"Good idea," Ty said.

Amy pulled out her cell and fished out the business card Lisa gave her earlier that day. Wayne answered almost immediately. After introducing herself, Amy quickly explained the reason for her call.

"I expected them here hours ago," Wayne informed Amy. "I tried calling Lisa's cell number and her business line at Fairfield when they didn't show, but I only got voice mail."

"We haven't heard from them, either, Mr. Mosley," Amy said while Ty pulled his classic GMC truck to a stop in front of the ranch house. "All I can tell you is they left Hudson around ten-thirty this morning."

"Then they really should have been here by now," Wayne said. "I've bought horses from Lisa in the past and they were always delivered on time, so this is highly unusual."

Wayne's news that Jack and Lisa had not, in fact, made it to his place struck a new chord of panic in her.

"And whereabouts are you in Montana?" asked Amy, trying to hide that panic as she climbed out and hustled behind Ty to the house.

"I'm pretty much just immediately south of the border," Wayne replied. "It's a ranch near Lower St. Mary's Lake. You could be here in three hours from your location, tops."

If they never made it to Wayne's place, then where are they? Amy thought. She covered the mouthpiece to tell Ty how Wayne had been expecting Jack and Lisa hours ago, but that they never showed.

"'Kay, just please let me know if you hear anything," Amy begged Wayne as she stepped inside the kitchen.

"I will," Wayne replied. "I appreciate the call."

"Okay. You have my number?"

"Yeah, I've got it on my call display."

"Great. Thanks," Amy said, and ended the conversation.

Tim, having heard the tail end of the conversation and the note of worry in his daughter's voice, asked if everything was okay.

Both Ty and Amy explained to him the details of the brief phone call with Wayne. Predictably, Tim made light of the situation.

"They probably stopped and got a motel room. It's a long way to Montana," he suggested.

"No," Amy argued, "if they had stopped, Grandpa would've called."

Tim privately conceded she was right about that, but advised there was little any of them could do right then. "It's pitch black out there," he said, trying to be reasonable.

A flash of lightning and clap of thunder caught their attention. "Not to mention that storm," Tim added, gesturing towards the kitchen window.

Indignant now, Amy exclaimed, "We can't just sit here!"

Again, Tim tried to take a measured approach. "Well, It's a little early to be sounding the alarm," he said. Jack and Lisa, alone in a truck for hours, he thought, as if that's not going to spark some old feelings! And all thanks to me and that little make-believe story about the guy selling his cows. Ha!

"I'll bet Jack and Lisa got back together again and they're so wrapped up in each other, they forgot to call," Tim posited merrily, finishing with an amused chortle.

Amy and Ty, however, did not share in his amusement. The storm worsened, leaving them both still deeply concerned about the missing pair.

The lost and fatigued travellers lay side by side beneath the relative cover of Cinders' stall sheet, listening to the storm that raged above them. Neither breathed a word about their current sleeping arrangement.

Privately, Jack was grateful Lisa had invited him to take his place next to her. Had he remained outside, he would have been soaked to the skin by this point. As it was, the wind still drove some of the falling rain into his open side of the lean-to. He brushed some of the moisture away from his face with impatience. I take it back, Lis, he thought. France really wasn't so bad, after all. I'd rather be there than here right now, because at least I'd be warm and dry... it was the last time we were truly together. He ached to take her in his arms and hold her even closer, to shield her from the rain, to kiss her and make up for all the lost time and harsh words; to prove to her he still loved her. Yet, he knew he could not possibly make that move right now. They were physically closer than they had been in over ten months, but the present uncertainty over the state of their relationship would keep them apart.

The spruce needles poked uncomfortably at Lisa. She tried not to move around too much so as not to disturb Jack. Being so close to him was agonizing, especially when she could not be sure of where she stood with him. Does he want me back in his life? Is that what he hoped to talk about on this trip, or was he going to give me the kiss-off? This isn't how I imagined our "reunion" would go, Jack, she thought. You're right next to me, and I still can't tell you everything I want to tell you... She could hear his steady breathing now, despite the noise of the thunder that continued to rumble around them. Exhaustion was starting to take over now. In a final attempt to make herself more comfortable, she rolled onto her side, purposely facing Jack. Her last thought before slipping into dreamland was how much she wished he would enfold her in his arms as he had done so many other nights when they were in France. I had no reason to doubt your love and commitment to me then. I want us to be like that again, Jack... I'd like you to love me again, because I never stopped loving you.

Both were completely unaware when the fire sputtered and died under the relentless downpour, and neither heard the tiny snap of the tether when Cinders broke free and trotted off into the woods in fright and confusion.

TBC