Page 24 of Finding Love on the Slopes

Pulling her goggles over her eyes, she pushed off and was in pursuit of him down the treacherous slope.

Leigh quickly caught up to Enrique and maintained a safe distance as she followed behind so she wouldn’t pass by him. In the event that he fell and hurt himself, which was very likely, she would need to be able to stop in time to help.

He was gaining speed with every second, and she couldn’t help but wonder what was going on in his mind. Was he scared senseless right now or excited by the danger, enjoying the adrenaline high? What made a man who was somehow a successful businessman push off an impossibly hard slope and potentially plummet to his death? Something had to be driving this impulsive and irresponsible behavior.

Her eyes widened in fear as he struggled to keep his balance and make turns to cut across the slope. Her anxiety lept to new heights, stealing her breath and leaving her a little shaky each time he slipped on the ice covering the slope. The slope had not been skied in days, and the thick ice crust made it difficult to edge the skis.

With each pass, he got closer and closer to the edge of the mountain, and Leighann’s heart lodged in her throat. The wind blew harder as the storm drew closer, snow and ice crystals pelting them in the face as they raced down the mountain.

She whispered guiding words. She knew he had no hope of hearing, but she did it anyway:Turn in, turn in! Christie, for crying out loud, you have to slow down!But her words died on her lips, her eyes widening in horror as she watched him lose control. He swung his skis in a turn, but they slipped on a thick patch of ice. His arms flailed out around him, poles swinging; his stance wavered. It was clear he couldn’t regain his balance to execute the next turn that would take him back towards the safety of the mountain. She came to an abrupt halt, the blood freezing in her veins, her breath held in her lungs as she watchedhim shoot straight off the edge of the mountain and disappear into the danger zone.

Chapter Eighteen

Leighann pulled up to an abrupt stop at the edge of the mountain where Enrique had gone over. Her breathing was harsh as she watched him topple down the side of the out-of-bounds area like a race car that had been tapped just right and went end over end into the center field.

This section of the mountain was out of bounds for a reason. The area was famous for avalanches and was off-limits the entire winter due to its hazardous conditions. Down below, it was raw wilderness and dense forest. It was a steep descent all the way to the bottom. Leigh’s chest ached as she watched Enrique tumble head over heels all the way down until his body landed in a heap at the very bottom of the mountain. If it weren’t for the bright red markings on his ski suit, she wouldn’t have been able to spot him through the tree limbs.

If Leighann had been scared before, then she was absolutely terrified now as she stared at him down below. He had landedface down in the snow and wasn’t moving. She had no way of knowing if he was alive or dead from her vantage point hundreds of feet above him.

“Please, God, let him be okay,” she prayed repeatedly under her breath as tears pricked the corners of her eyes. Her heart raced, and her head buzzed with all the possible outcomes of this accident; none of them ended well.

She quickly removed her pack from her back and rummaged through it for the satellite phone, packed carefully amongst softer items to protect it in case of impact. She had never been more grateful for her brother’s experience and careful instruction over the years. “Never leave home in the winter without the SAT phone. If the clouds blink, cellphones stop working, but the SAT phone can be relied on,” she had heard Curtis say at least a hundred times.

She tried telling herself to calm down.Breathe. Breathe. Panicking never helped anyone. A cool head and steady hands will get the job done. I could use some divine intervention right about now.But her fingers shook as she pressed the numbers to call Curtis. She had no idea where he was, but she hoped he was somewhere the satellite could find him; she needed her brother right now. Placing the phone to her ear, she listened to the ringing while her labored breath created puffs of white air in front of her just long enough to see before being taken away by the wind. Her brows furrowed as her patience wore thin with each new ring of the line.Pick up, pick up, pick up!

“Hello? Kiddo, are you there?”

Relief flooded her body when his voice came across the line. It was a bad connection, but she was so grateful he was there with her in that moment. She pressed the phone tighter to her ear as tears overflowed her eyelids and streaked down her face.

“Oh Curtis, we were about to leave the mountain. There is a bad storm coming. But Enrique turned around at the last minute and insisted he was ready to ski the black diamond. He didn’t listen to me, and I tried, Curtis. I tried, but he just wouldn’t listen, and he tried Bone Crusher. Then he lost his balance and shot right over the edge. I don’t know if he’s alive or not. I don’t know what to do.” A sob escaped her lips, and she covered her mouth with her free hand, trying to regain her composure.

“I can’t understand you, Leighann,” he said. “Take a deep breath and talk slowly. I can barely hear what you’re saying.” His voice crackled as it came through, and she had to assume hers was doing the same on his end.

She took two deep breaths and licked her lips as she stared down at Enrique’s unmoving form. “Curtis, I – Enrique – he’s gone over the edge and into the out-of-bounds – There is a storm coming.”

There was an abrupt shuffling in the background, and when he spoke, his voice was calm but commanding. “Just a minute, Angel, let me get a read on the situation.”

Once again, warmth flooded her as the relief of knowing she was not alone overcame her. She had gotten the message across, and her brother had kicked into problem-solving mode. “Themountain is shut down now because of the blizzard blowing in. Reports are saying it will arrive several hours earlier than expected. I can see exactly where you are. Good job remembering to wear your location beacon. Unfortunately, there’s no way a helicopter will be able to bring help. That portion of the mountain has a bad updraft, and the rangers usually have difficulty there on a good day, and today is a very bad day. Give me a second. Let me loop in the Safety Patrol supervisor and the forest rangers.”

She nodded, even though he couldn’t see her. Drumming her fingers on her bent leg in impatience, she watched Enrique’s body for any sign of life. Still, he didn’t move.

Curtis was able to connect the calls quickly, and within minutes, their voices were added to the chaos of the bad connection. It was like nails on a chalkboard and Leighann could almost feel the satellite phone being imprinted into her face from how hard she pressed the speaker to her ear.

“Mr. Parker has explained the situation to us already. But first of all, are you alright, Miss Parker?” Chris, the head Safety Patrol for Avalanche Crest, asked in concern. He had a thing for her and had asked her out a number of times. What she wouldn’t give for his help right now.

“I am,” she nodded. “But Enrique is not. He’s down the mountain, and I don’t know if he’s alive or not.”

“Miss Parker, this is Ranger Andrews. Unfortunately, we don’t have many options at this time. The storm is moving inincredibly fast, and there’s no way a rescue chopper can get there, not with the updraft in that area and the current winds.”

“Christopher, what about the Safety Patrols?” Curtis inquired, hoping his longtime friend would have some helpful suggestions.

“It kills me to say this, but our hands are tied here, too. The resort is in lockdown until the storm passes, with no one in or out. All my patrols went home. I would come myself, but I’m already an hour away, helping my sister.” A loud sigh came across the line; Leigh could imagine how difficult this was for him; it was his perfect opportunity to be a hero, and he wasn’t close enough to fill the role. “Even if I could get in touch with some of my Safety Patrols, it would take a good two hours to get up from the bottom to reach your client’s location. You need to understand that everyone entering that area is putting their life in jeopardy, which increases exponentially with the blizzard that is about to hit. I just can’t do it. I can’t ask my people to risk their lives like that. We can reassess after the storm. Have the avalanche risk evaluated.”

Leigh’s fingers balled into a fist by her side as she thought about how hopeless the situation was. She hated to think about death. It had ruined her childhood, and she avoided the topic at all costs most of the time. Now, she was staring it in the face, and it was frightening.

“There’s a hunting cabin about a mile away at the base of the mountain,” the ranger said, quickly grabbing Leighann’s attention again. “Search and Rescue uses it in the winter as asafe haven or base camp, depending on the situation. It’s rarely needed because there are avalanche warnings posted everywhere around those parts, and we don’t often have trouble there. It’s always stocked up before the first bad snowstorm, just in case. If you can make it down the mountain in one piece and get there before the storm really hits, you may just have a chance of surviving this. All the cabins open to Search and Rescue have the same code system, so emergency workers don’t have to break the windows to get in. The code you’ll need for the padlock is the zip code for that town. It’s the only way, Miss Parker.”

“Angel, it looks like you have two options. One, leave Enrique where he is and come in before the storm gets any worse. Two, go down there and secure him the best you can until a team can come in and get you after the storm.” Curtis offered the two choices as if she really had one, but she didn’t. How would she be able to live with herself if she didn’t at least try? If Enrique was already dead, she would head to the cabin alone, but if he was alive, there was a slim chance she could save him.

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