Page 28 of Eyes Like a Hurricane

I look toward Thunder and run to my saddlebag. Frantically, I start throwing items out of the bag onto the ground. Three waters, a blanket, a medical kit, a flashlight, a tube of sunscreen, and a granola bar! Grabbing the granola bar, I run back toward the edge and skid to a stop. Little rocks tumble down the slope toward Aislinn, who instinctively throws her hands up to cover her head.

I wince, “Sorry, watch out below. I found a granola bar! Can you catch it?”

She reaches her hands out toward me, and I toss the granola bar toward her. She snatches it up and immediately begins to eat it.

“Do you want a water?” I ask.

Through a mouth full of granola, she shouts, “Yes, please!”

I head back toward Thunder and grab two of the bottles of water. On my way back toward Aislinn, I screw the top off oneand down it not realizing how thirsty I am too. I get back to the edge and toss the water down.

When she catches it, she yells, “Thank you, Lachlan!”

I hear the clomp of hooves and turn just in time to see Noah rounding the corner on Lightning. He swings his leg over and dismounts before his horse comes to a complete stop. He hooks the reins over Thunder’s saddle horn and runs toward me with the rope looped over his shoulder.

As he joins me on the ledge, he slides the loop of rope down his arm and looks down. “Hey, down there! Your knight in shining armor has arrived, Aislinn.”

I can only imagine her rolling her eyes, but she responds, “My hero! Think you could get me out of here?”

I take the length of rope from his hand and toss one end down the slope. “Don’t try to climb up yet. With the excess rope, can you tie it around your chest? We are going to grab Lightning and hook our end to his saddle horn. Then Noah is going to hop in the saddle and slowly walk Lightning forward. You should be able to safely climb the slope while Lightning helps bring you up to us.”

I can see her fastening the rope around her chest in the dim light. “Okay!” she yells.

I give the signal to Noah, and he clicks for Lightning to take a step forward. The rope begins to move, I stand at the edge, looking for Aislinn to appear through the brush. Noah has progressed about ten feet. We should be about halfway there. My breath catches as I see the top of her head appear. As she advances the last ten feet, my fingers flex against my sides. Without realizing it, I’m on my knees reaching for her delicate fingers. Our hands connect, and I pull her toward me.

“Noah, stop! She’s up!” I yell.

My fingers seek out the knot she tied. I undo it quickly with trembling fingers. Her body is shaking as she takes some slow breaths.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” I ask.

She nods into my chest as I pull her into a tight embrace.

Her muffled voice responds, “Yeah, I’m fine. The adrenaline rush is just making me shake, and I’m getting a little cold. My hands have a few scrapes, but luckily I had on jeans and long sleeves, so I shouldn’t be in too bad of shape.”

I sigh and kiss her hair. My hands run up and down her back as she buries her body closer to mine.

After a few minutes, her heart rate no longer pounds against her chest and she stops shaking. We stand, and I turn toward Noah, who has finished winding the length of the rope. He hangs it on his saddle and walks toward us.

He pats me on the back. “Alright, man, you ready to head back to the ranch?”

I nod. “Yeah, let’s get out of here, and Aislinn can tell us more about what she saw. I think we have some research to do.” I turn to Aislinn. “Can I make you some dinner while we discuss the next step?”

She smiles and nods. “That sounds great. Lead the way. Thank you, Noah, for coming to the rescue. This wasn’t part of the plan.”

Aislinn gives me an exaggerated wink before she turns and hobbles toward Hurricane. I frown at her pronounced limp, willing it to get better.

Chapter 27

Aislinn

Itry to mask the pain in my palms and left ankle on our ride back to the ranch. Noah is in the lead, and Lachlan is behind me. We travel in relative silence as the moon rises higher into the night sky.

The only sound is Noah whistling. I have spent the last five minutes trying to figure out what tune it is, but every time I think I catch on, I can’t.

“Wait, are you whistling ‘Sun Daze’ by Florida Georgia Line?” I ask.

I see Noah’s silhouette turn in his saddle to face me, and the whistling momentarily gets louder before he stops.

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