Page 65 of Protected By the Mountain Man

“Kat!” Gabe's shout again, closer now, but not close enough.

The branch dipped, my grip tenuous. I couldn't feel my legs, numb from the icy bite. Panic clawed up my throat, threatening to choke me.

“Stay on!” I hissed to myself, jaw clenched.

Water surged, higher, angry. I blinked against the stinging cold. My chest ached with each breath.

“Kat!”

Gabe's voice was a lifeline, but I couldn't reach out, couldn't let go of the branch.

The river roared in my ears, mocking. Time stretched, every second an eternity. How long could I hold on?

How long until my fingers slipped, until the cold made me just another piece of debris?

“Kat, hang on!”

Easier said than done. My muscles screamed, my resolve wavered. But giving up wasn't in my nature. I had to survive this—I had to. For the ranch, for Livy.

I’d fought too hard to let go now.

“Kat! Give me your hand!”

But could I reach him before the river claimed me? Could I keep fighting the relentless pull?

“Almost…” My voice trailed off.

I had to hang on. I just had to.

TWENTY-FOUR

Gabe

Kat's foot slipped.

She tilted.

Then…a slow-motion nightmare, arms pinwheeling before she crashed into the river.

All I could do was watch.

“Kat!” My voice was lost over the roar of water and cattle.

Panic surged like the river. The cattle bolted past, dust clouds billowing. They headed to safer ground, instincts kicking in hard. But Kat…she was my focus.

Bandit shot through the chaos, barking, fur streaked with mud. He skidded to a halt by the river, his bark sharp, urgent.

“Stay with her, boy!” I shouted, guiding Shadow toward the riverside.

Shadow stayed calm despite the madness; we’d worked with him a lot, and it was starting to show. We neared the river, Kat clinging to a branch and struggling against the relentless flow.

“Almost there,” I muttered to myself, leaning forward in the saddle.

Then…snap.

The branch broke.

And the river claimed her.

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