Holiday Mountain Rescue by Katy Lee

Author:Katy Lee
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-07-27T20:22:21+00:00

TWO

“Ma’am!” Will shouted, pulling on the rope binding his wrists. She was down, unconscious in the creek. Was her head even above water?

“Hey!” He realized he didn’t even know her name. “Ma’am, get up!”

She didn’t move.

“Argh!” he groaned, pulling violently on his wrists. This was not going to happen. He was not going to sit here and watch a woman die in front of him.

“Get up!” he shouted.

She didn’t move.

He yanked on his wrists and dug the heels of his boots into the ground, trying to get leverage. This craziness wasn’t going to do him any good. He took a deep breath and forced himself to be calm.

“Think,” he said. He remembered that his pocketknife was clipped to the side of his backpack.

He stretched out, making himself as long as possible, practically dislocating a shoulder in the process. With the toe of his boot, he caught the strap of his pack and dragged it across the soft earth. In a low crouch, he kicked it behind him until his fingers could reach the knife.

He flicked it open and sawed away at his bindings, unable to see what he was doing. A sharp pain made him hesitate when the blade cut his skin. He clenched his jaw and continued.

“Ma’am!” he called out. “Ma’am, answer me!”

She didn’t move.

He continued to dig at the rope with the blade, and accidentally cut his skin again. Didn’t matter, he had to get free and—

Snap! He jerked his wrists free, reached around and started working on the rope that bound him to the tree.

“Come on, come on,” he muttered. The parachute cord he kept in his pack was meant to be strong, which was why it felt as if it was taking forever to cut himself loose.

Please, God, help me get to her in time.

He finally sliced through it, pocketed the knife and grabbed his pack. Racing across the property, he focused on the woman, who was only partially submerged in the creek. What if she’d swallowed water and it blocked her airway?

He rushed to her side, looped his forearms under her armpits and dragged her out of the creek.

He leaned close. She wasn’t breathing.

“No,” he whispered.

With one hand on her forehead, and the other on the tip of her chin, he tilted her head backward. He hoped it was only her tongue blocking the airway. He pinched her nose and administered two deep breaths.

She coughed and a rush of relief whipped through his chest. Will rolled her onto her side. “It’s okay. You’re okay now,” he said, although his heart was still racing at breakneck speed.

He had to call for help, get Echo Mountain Search and Rescue up here and quick. He spotted his smartphone, partially submerged in the creek. He snatched it out of the cold water. It would dry out and be usable at some point, but until then Will was on his own.

The shiny glint of metal caught his eye. The woman’s gun lay mere inches away from him. He wasn’t a fan of guns, but couldn’t leave it here for a random stranger to pick up.

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