Page 17 of Twin Jeopardy

“I’m Elisabeth.” His fingers were cool against hers, his grip firm but not crushing. And he looked her in the eye with a direct gaze. A sizzle of attraction raced through her. No ring on his finger.

“Have a seat, Elisabeth, and I’ll show you what we have available.” He sat also, and swiveled the computer monitor so they both could see it. “Do you have a particular location in mind?”

“There’s a condo complex by the river. Riverside. Do you have anything there?”

“We do have a few units available in that property,” Mitch said. “Though they require a six-month lease.”

“If they’re vacant, maybe we can negotiate something shorter.”

“I can’t promise anything, but why don’t we take a look?”

He bent over the keyboard, typing with two fingers, but rapidly. She studied him, feeling the sizzle of awareness again. Maybe there were advantages to sticking around town that she hadn’t yet considered.

“Here are some interior shots of one of the units,” he said. “It’s a top floor, corner unit, so a little more privacy. As you can see, it has updated appliances and a modern, airy interior. You’d be close to the river and the hiking and biking trails, and just a few minutes from town. Another few minutes to the highway and access to both Junction, an hour to the north, and the miles of trails in the backcountry. Hiking and jeeping in the summer, rock and ice climbing, winter skiing. Fly-fishing, photography, camping—we offer everything in the way of outdoor adventure.”

He spoke with a natural enthusiasm that helped negate the salesman’s spiel. “I like the condo,” she said. “Could we drive over there and take a look?”

“Of course. Do you want to see any others before we go?”

“No. That’s the one I want.”

“What about the six-month lease?” he asked.

“I’m sure we can work something out.” She could always agree to the lease, then leave whenever she wanted without paying the rest of the rent. She knew how to disappear so that they would never find her to sue for the rest of the money.

“Let me forward the phones and lock up here, and I’ll be set,” he said.

She waited by the entrance while he took care of these tasks, then followed him out the door. After he had locked up, she moved closer and slipped her arm through his. “After we see the condo, maybe you can show me around town,” she said. “Then I’d love to buy you a drink.”

Extra heat sparked in his smile, and he covered her hand with his own and squeezed it. “That sounds like a great idea, Elisabeth.”

“I’m full of great ideas.” So many, and so few people to truly appreciate her greatness. But she had learned to never sell herself short. Other people had failed her, but that was no reason to ever fail herself.

SUMMERSATURDAYSWEREbusy days on the backroads and trails around Eagle Mountain, which meant they were also busy for search and rescue volunteers. The first call that day came in just before 11:00 a.m. A young man had fallen from the rocks above Rocky Falls. “The family member who called in the accident says the young man—fifteen—is responsive but in pain,” Danny told the volunteers who assembled at search and rescue headquarters. “He thinks the boy—his nephew—might have broken bones.”

“How did he happen to fall, do we know?” volunteer Chris Mercer asked. An artist who wore blue streaks in her dark hair, Chris had several years’ experience with SAR but wasn’t an elite climber or a medical professional. She was simply dedicated and hardworking, willing to do the mundane driving, fetching, carrying and following orders that made up the bulk of a volunteer’s efforts.

Danny grimaced. “He climbed up onto the rocks to pose for a picture and slipped.”

“The rocks behind the sign that says ‘Danger: Do Not Climb on Rocks’?” Harper Stevens asked.

“Yep.” Danny raised his voice to address them all. “Let’s hustle, everyone.”

As they were loading their gear, Bethany slipped in next to Vince. “Hi.” She flashed a smile, her eyes not meeting his. “This is the first call I’ve been on. I’m a little nervous.”

“That’s natural,” Vince said. “Just do what you’re told and pitch in whenever you can.” He handed her a plastic bin full of climbing helmets. “Find a place to stow these in the Beast there.” He pointed to the specially outfitted Jeep used for rescue operations. “I’m going to get more supplies.”

“I think you have an admirer,” Ryan said when Vince returned to the supply closet for another load. “I saw the new girl, Bethany, making eyes at you.”

“‘Making eyes’? Seriously, what does that even mean?” Vince slung a coil of rope over one shoulder.

“Bet she’d go out with you if you asked her,” Ryan said. “Just saying.”

He glanced back and saw Bethany standing where he had left her, still watching him. He quickly turned around. “Not interested,” he said. Bethany was cute and probably really sweet, but there was no spark there. Not like when he looked at Tammy. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get this stuff loaded so we can head out.”

The young man who had fallen got off lucky, with a broken leg and some cracked ribs. The search and rescue team climbed the trail to the top of the falls and identified a point from which Hannah and Ryan Welch could be lowered on ropes to the teen, Lance. At first, he denied climbing on the rocks, though eventually he admitted to ignoring the signs and boosting himself up on the boulder for a selfie with the waterfall in the background. “Am I going to be, like, disabled or something?” he asked, his expression stricken.

“You should heal just fine,” Hannah said as she fitted his leg with a splint. Once the leg was stabilized, she and Ryan fitted him with neck and back braces and a helmet, then helped him into a litter and wrapped him up warmly.

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