Page 25 of Deadly Target (Rocky Mountain Courage 2)

NINE

Erin followed Nathan’s gaze. Rocky cliffs edged the small meadow alcove as the river narrowed into a canyon up ahead.

“I don’t want to wait around here for a rescue,” she said. “It’s not like we’re lost or have to survive in the wilderness. I mean, more than a night.” And it would be one long night. “Surviving in a wilderness area in the dark with no protection and no shelter, food, or water isn’t on my bucket list, though I know some people pay for the experience.”

“Not something I would pay to experience unless I had a tent, shelter, and everything I needed.”

“So, what’s your plan?”

“We’ll have to climb out. It’s not so bad over there.” He gestured at the rising rock wall as opposed to the sheerer cliffs.

Easy for you to say.

Her shoulder ached. Her legs hadn’t stopped shaking. Even her ankle and foot were now starting to cramp in rhythm with her pulse. Every part of her throbbed. But she wouldn’t complain. She had survived.

“What are the odds they will look for us here?”

“If your message got through, they could already be headed to what’s left of the fishing hole. Eventually they’ll figure out something is wrong.” He sighed. “Bottom line, I’m not sure how long it will be before someone comes to look for us. We should head back toward the dam. Once authorities hear about the break, someone will come to the dam. Of that we can be sure.”

“Okay, so we’re in agreement.” Erin eyed the cliff they needed to climb and pushed back the fear lodging in her gut. What was there to be afraid of? She’d just been revived and got a second chance to live her life. A life apart from this man she had loved and walked away from. Or would she get a second chance with him too? She shook her head at the errant thoughts and glanced at him. He deserved better.

“Lead on.”

He studied her long and hard. The setting sun broke over the mountain to the west and hit him right in the face, so he squinted. She had the distinct feeling he was deciding if she was even capable of the climb. Erin pressed past him, ignoring the pain in her body and hiding her slight limp. She’d kind of been hoping she wouldn’t have one, but there it was.

Erin was a survivor. She could survive the night in the wilderness with cuts and bruises and a throbbing ankle. What else could go wrong?

“You’re more hurt than you let on.” He caught up to her. “You said your foot had been caught. That’s it. I’m carrying you.”

He reached for her and she stepped back, tripping over a branch. He caught her much like he’d done when she first arrived. “Thanks, but I don’t want you to carry me. How about I ride piggyback as far as the cliff, then I’ll climb on my own.”

He nodded. What else could he do? And unfortunately, what else could she do? She closed her eyes for a moment. It could have been worse, so much worse. Like nearly getting killed by an errant, crazy boater and then hearing that her mother tried to commit suicide—all in the same hour. Oh yeah ... She could check that off the list of bad days she had experienced.

At the bottom edge of the cliff, she climbed off Nathan’s back and favored her injured leg.

“We’ll take it slow and easy,” he said. “You go first and make your way up. I’m right behind you to support you in case you slip.”

Erin eyed the terrain of rocks and dirt. Up close, the cliff looked higher than she had thought, though honestly, it looked doable. She saw places she could gain solid footing and rocks to hold on to, even a few tree roots. She would be thankful for the small things.

A thought crashed into her. “Oh no ... Mom. Nathan! Mom ... I left Nadine with her. I’ve been gone much too long. I can’t leave Mom alone.”

“Erin.” Nathan gently gripped her arms. “Nadine won’t leave her. And in fact, maybe she’ll even call the police to look for you. It’s the silver lining, Erin. You have to look for the silver lining.”

“You’re right. I need to see the positive in the negative situation.” Erin shook off the cascading negative emotions. “I promise, I’ll focus on getting to the top.”

Nathan took her hand and pressed it against a rock, showing her where to start. She lifted her foot and pulled herself up with a grunt.

“Remember, I’m right behind you,” he said. “It’s not El Capitan. You’ll be fine.”

Right. She had thirty or more feet to go. She wouldn’t give in to the fear and instead focused on each next step until finally, the cliff sloped inward, changing into more of a steep hill. Her wet clothes and hair had almost dried when she started, but now she was drenched all over again, only this time in sweat rather than river water.

When she finally climbed over the edge where the earth flattened out, she fell into the reeds on her back, though the soil was still damp from recent rainstorms. Relieved to have come so far, she closed her eyes and savored the feel of victory over the flash flood and now this cliff. And without too much effort, she could actually fall asleep there in the tall grass. Sleep forever.

“I knew you could do it.” Nathan’s words came out breathy. He crawled next to her, crushing the reeds beneath him, but she didn’t open her eyes. She felt the warmth of his body, breathed in the scent of sweat and earth and something entirely wild and masculine.

Whoa, hold it right there. She could not go down this road with Nathan again. She couldn’t go through breaking his heart again. Or breaking her own.

“Nothing seems to get you down,” she said. He’d pulled her out of the river, revived her, and coaxed her up a cliff, all on a positive note.

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