Page 79 of Wanting a Family Man

“Trystan—”

She didn’t want to rely on him. In her eyes, he’d proven himself someone she couldn’t rely on. Heknewthat. He had come back, though, hadn’t he? He was going to get her out of the woods. Literally.

“You can walk when we get to the top. The slope is steep and narrow so get on.”

There was a pointed silence, then her hand fell onto his shoulder. The knee of her injured foot snugged itself against his waist.

He hooked his hand under it, waited for her weight to press onto his back then straightened, taking her other foot off the ground.

She gave a little “Eep” and her arms slid forward to brace against his collarbone, hugging herself onto him.

He wrapped his arms under her legs and started up the narrow, precarious path.

When they reached the top, he was breathing heavily. He carefully let her slide down to her booted foot, making sure to catch her arm to steady her.

For a moment, their eyes locked, but she quickly looked away, then bent to pick up the crutches, which were leaning on their backpacks.

“I can manage my own pack—”

“It weighs less than Storm. I’ve got it,” he muttered.

There was a moment of pointed silence, then she turned and clumsily began making her way along the path, soon beginning to huff with exertion.

He bit back a sigh.

*

It took closeto two hours to reach the cove. When they arrived at the top of the trail, two men were already on the sand with a Zodiac beached beside them.

“I’ll take these down, then come help you,” Trystan said, motioning for the crutches. “You’re not going down this hill on those.”

Since her armpits were bruised and the rest of her felt like overcooked noodles, she begrudgingly handed him the crutches and leaned on a tree, slowly sinking to the wet ground to rest.

Below, she heard the men exchange greetings. A few minutes later, one came up with Trystan. He was old enough that his black hair had some salt in it and he had a reassuring smile.

“Hi, Cloe. I’m Jake.” He set down his first aid kit. “Can I take your vitals?” He checked her pulse and pulled her bottom eyelid down and asked a bunch of questions while he unwrapped her ankle, then rewrapped it. “Let’s get you down to the boat.”

With her arms over Jake’s and Trystan’s shoulders, and each of them gripping her thigh, she was down in seconds and seated in the bright orange Zodiac. It was bigger than the one on theStorm Ridgeand was tricked out with two outboard motors and a steering wheel along with a winch and other bells and whistles.

She didn’t pay much attention. They put her under a blanket and elevated her foot, but her ibuprofen had long worn off. She was cold and uncomfortable and was starting to remember all the distressing things she had been able to forget—that she couldn’t work and didn’t have medical insurance and, oh yeah, she had been discarded by the man who was exchanging banter with the other two.

Cloe had crossed the passage enough times by now that she realized quickly that they weren’t taking her into Raven’s Cove.

“Where—?”

“Bella Bella. Get you an X-ray,” Trystan explained.

At least she didn’t have to ride the ferry for half the night.

She waited until she was at the clinic to ask with great trepidation, “How much is this going to cost? I don’t have insurance.”

“Yes, you do.” The woman behind the counter held up a yellow sticky note. “Umi called to say the company had some trouble registering you, because you didn’t have a permanent address here. That’s why you don’t have a card yet, but you have a number and that means you’re covered.”

“Really?” Cloe’s relief was so great, she almost cried again.

An hour later, she was diagnosed with a sprained ankle, given extra-strength ibuprofen, and told to treat it with RICE: rest, ice, compression, and elevation.

Trystan called Johnny, who drove them to the wharf where the water taxi had been dispatched after dark, especially for them.

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