The Spanish Duke's Holiday Proposal by Robin Gianna

Author:Robin Gianna
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2017-11-23T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

THE SHRIEKS WERE eerily similar to the way Emily had sounded after falling from her father’s shoulders, and Mateo knew it must be one of the children that had passed by earlier, or possibly a different family coming from the opposite direction. He knew not to panic, but also knew it could be something serious, and the only way to find out what they might be dealing with was to get there fast.

Miranda followed him, but he couldn’t hear the sound of her steps anymore. Whatever had happened, he and Miranda could deal with a medical emergency. And if it was more than that, if there was some kind of rescue needed, he always came prepared.

Rounding a curve in the path, he saw the woman they’d seen before clutching two of the children close to her sides as she stared down the steep embankment toward the river, crying out to whoever was below. Mateo ran up next to her, looking down to see that the man who had passed them earlier was picking his way down, sliding at times as he went.

“Hang on!” the man yelled, obviously panicked. “I’m coming to get you. Don’t let go!”

Mateo’s chest tightened when he saw the gravity of the situation. The tiniest child was hanging on with only one arm to a scrubby, leafless bush growing straight from the side of the embankment, his feet and other arm dangling and swaying over the river. The water wasn’t running fast enough to take the child downstream very quickly, but if he fell? He definitely could suffer a serious injury on the rocks below.

“I’ve got a rope.” Mateo pulled the deceptively thin line from his pocket and moved toward the embankment, working as fast as he could to wrap and secure one end around a sturdy tree.

“Oh, my God, will that hold both of you?” The woman stared up him with wide, terrified eyes.

“Don’t worry, it’s stronger than it looks.” One last wrap, and it was ready. “I’ll get the child. Stay where you are,” he yelled to the man below, “because you’re as likely to fall as he is.” He knew too well how true that was. He couldn’t count how many times a second person, or more, had lost their footing trying to help someone else.

“Oh, my God, please help them,” the mother cried as he unrolled the line and began to rappel down to the boy.

“I’m almost there. I can get him and hand him up to you,” the man said, grabbing a root to stop from sliding before staring up at Mateo with wild eyes.

It was never good to have the rescuer as freaked out as the one in danger. “Let me. I’m a search and rescue specialist, and an EMT. You can trust me to get him, I promise. Stay right there.”

Doubtless because Mateo had already moved past the man, he stayed there, gripping the root. When he got parallel to the boy, Mateo braced his leg against

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