Backfire. Elizabeth Goddard

gone on enough free-soloing climbs—free climbing with no ropes—to know this ridge wouldn’t be a problem for him. “Don’t worry. When you reach someone, tell them we’ll need a helicopter to hoist this man out. That fall had to have severely banged him up.” If he wasn’t mortally wounded.

      David suspected the latter but wouldn’t voice his concerns because Tracy was already on edge. She’d seemed unusually distressed. In their previous interactions, the experienced search-and-rescue volunteer was always in control of her emotions. Was there more to this than she’d admitted?

      Before he climbed down to the injured jogger, he needed to know. “Did you see what happened?”

      She shook her head. “Like you, I followed Solomon’s bark. He took off ahead of me.”

      David eyed the dangerous ledge, deciding on the safest and quickest path to the man. He started down, with one last glance up to Tracy, and noticed her looking behind her as though she expected someone to jump out of the woods.

      Gripping the rocks, he paused and called up. “Tracy.”

      His short, snappy tone got her attention.

      She peered down at him. “What?”

      “Did you reach anyone?”

      “I’m on hold.”

      “Figures. Are you going to be okay?” He should be more concerned about the fallen runner, but he couldn’t shake the sense that something had scared Tracy. Or was he just being an idiot?

      “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

      He shrugged and continued down.

      Tracy had caught his attention the first time he’d met her a couple of years ago. She’d just moved to Mountain Cove, she’d explained after he’d run into her coming out of his brother Adam’s bicycle shop. Collided, more like, and he’d had to assist her off the ground—her and the new bike she’d purchased. He should have offered to buy her coffee or something. Any normal red-blooded male would have. With her thick, red mane and deep, striking eyes, he hadn’t stopped thinking about her for weeks after running into her.

      Maybe he was just lonely. Starved for female companionship. But he didn’t think that was it. There was just something about Tracy. But getting involved wasn’t for him anymore. Yeah, he saw how happy two of his siblings—Heidi and Cade—were now that they had each finally gotten married. Cade and his wife, Leah, had had their first child two months ago, naming him after their late father, Scott Daniel Warren. And Heidi had married Isaiah, a family friend, SAR volunteer and a coworker at the avalanche center that their father had founded. David’s siblings had done well for themselves.

      He’d known that kind of happiness once. But he’d lost it; let it slip through his fingers. He didn’t deserve it again. His wife had died in a fire when he, a decorated firefighting hero, had failed to save her. How could he have let that happen?

      He didn’t deserve happiness. Not after that. And after Tracy had snagged his thoughts with one run-in, he knew to keep his distance from her on their search-and-rescue missions and training events. And even when he saw her in town.

      He reached Solomon and petted the dog, giving him plenty of reassuring verbal rewards.

      “I’m on my way down,” he called to the injured man. “Hold on.”

      The trim man looked to be about average height, healthy except for the way he lay twisted at an angle a few feet below the narrow ledge where David and Solomon now stood. He likely had a few if not many broken bones and possibly had internal injuries, as well. David was astounded he had survived, and if the rescue helicopter didn’t arrive soon, he might not make it.

      Carefully gripping the rocks, David inched his way down.

      Finally he reached the narrow terrace and looked down into dark gray eyes filled with pain and fear. “My name’s David. I’m a firefighter and paramedic. Lie perfectly still. Help is on the way.”

      Kneeling beside him, David assessed the fallen man’s wounds the best he could, but with a possible spinal injury, David avoided moving any part of his body. Blood oozed from a gash in the man’s head, coagulating in his light brown hair. David removed his own jacket and then his T-shirt, using it to apply pressure to stanch the flow. He could do at least that much. He cringed to think of what was going on inside the injured man’s body.

      “It’s pretty bad, isn’t it?”

      “You’re going to make it.”

       God, let my words be true. Save this man, help him.

      The man closed his eyes.

      “What’s your name?” David had to keep him awake, keep him talking, if he could.

      “Jay Woodall.”

      Maybe David couldn’t offer much physical assistance, but emotional and mental encouragement was just as important.

      Clouds brewed in the distance, forecasted to bring a torrent, and David could already smell the rain. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled, warning of the storm’s imminent approach and leaving David unsettled. They didn’t usually get thunderstorms. He sure hoped that helicopter got here soon. He didn’t want to see Jay suffer any more by getting soaked and chilled on top of his injuries.

      “Why?” Jay’s croak resounded with the shock of his trauma.

      Recognizing the man’s emotional distress over his predicament, David frowned. Was he asking why God would allow him to fall? David had enough of those questions himself. Questions he’d never resolved since he’d lost Natalie. He feared it might take a lifetime to find the answers, or worse, that he never would. He fought to keep from railing at God on some days. But he shoved his inner turmoil aside to focus on the here and now and the man who needed his help.

      David might not be able to answer those kinds of questions, but maybe he could help in other ways if he knew more. “Can you tell me what happened?”

      “Someone...pushed me over. Tried to kill me.”

      The news stunned David. Did Jay know the person who’d done this?

      David glanced up the rock-faced cliff and spotted Solomon watching. From here, David couldn’t see Tracy. He wished Solomon would find his way back up to her.

      Was Jay’s attacker still up there? If so, Tracy was up there alone with a dangerous man—a man who’d attempted murder.

       TWO

      Tracy ended the call.

      Help was on the way, but would it get here before the storm? Wind whipped around her and the trees swayed. A sound caught her attention from the thick woods behind her. Woods she’d enjoyed only moments before. But now the dense tangle of trees had turned dark and sinister, as though hiding a secret.

      Or a killer.

      She rubbed her arms to chase away the chill that crawled over her. She was being ridiculous. If only David hadn’t sprung from the woods like that and startled her. Her heart still pounded from the scare he’d given her. That was all this was about. There wasn’t a bogeyman standing in the shadows. She didn’t have to be afraid anymore. The only people who had any reason to want to harm her were thousands of miles away and had no idea where to find her.

      She peered down the ledge. David was with the injured man, holding his hand and offering gentle reassurances. She couldn’t hear what they said from there, but could tell the man, broken as he was, had relaxed somewhat.

      Maybe David wasn’t as cold as she’d thought. From here, she could barely make out his chuckle. Probably telling the man a funny story or joke to get his mind off his injuries. Glancing up at the sky, she tried to gauge whether help would arrive before the storm. She knew how difficult it could be to execute