by Jenna Brandt
“At least we’re alive.” Nicole scooted closer to him, and let her head lean against his shoulder. “There’s enough supplies in the survival kit that we can wait this out, right?” James pressed his lips together, and the length of his pause made Nicole apprehensive. “We do have enough food and water, don’t we?’
“It depends how long we’re in here,” James explained. “Your movie crew knows by now that you’re missing, but they didn’t know you were with someone with a beacon. They could search out here for days, and never know to check the frequencies that would point to us being in the mine.”
Nicole never really thought about dying, but when faced with it directly, she realized she had so much she wanted to live for. Overwhelming sadness filled her heart, causing the corners of her eyes to fill with tears. She blinked them back, determined to be strong. The last thing she needed to do was cry and make things worse.
James turned towards her and gently lifted her ankle into his lap.
“What are you doing?”
“I wanted to check on your injuries.” James rolled back her pant leg and inspected the area. His frown turned into a scowl as he pulled out a roll of compression bandage from the survival kit. “Your ankle needs to be wrapped right away to keep the swelling down. There’s no telling how bad the break is, but this should at least keep it stable until we can get back to the resort.” He spent the next few minutes tending to her ankle, then pulled out a Band-Aid and placed it on the cut above her brow. “How’s that?”
“I’m fine now that the pain killers kicked in,” Nicole teased.
“Why don’t you rest for a while? Don’t fall asleep though,” James warned. “Now that we’re rested, we need to head back to the entrance and see if we can make any progress on digging out of here.”
The men spent the next several hours moving back and forth between the entrance and the back of the mine, switching between excavating and checking on the women while they rested.
“You should eat and drink something,” Nicole suggested, handing James a protein bar and a bottle of water.
“I’m fine,” he said, pushing the items away. “We should save them for later.”
“What good will having food and water do us if you fall over on your feet? You’ve been going full-steam for hours now.” She shoved the items towards him a second time; this time, he took them. Half-heartedly, he ate and drank the rations.
“I know you didn’t want to do that, but I’m glad you did. None of us are going to survive without you here to guide us.” Then remembering what happened during their escape, the smile faded from her face as she added, “I want you to know, I’m really sorry about your cabin. I feel awful that you lost it to the avalanche. I know how important it was to you, and now it’s gone.”
“You know, I thought I would be more upset about it than I am. What matters is that we all survived the blizzard and the avalanches. Once we get out of this mine, we can head back to the resort and get your injuries properly treated.”
“I never thanked you for rescuing all of us, but I want you to know how much it meant to me. Matt and Britney are like my family, and you saved all of us without a thought about yourself. You’ve done that the whole time we’ve been together.”
“It’s just in my nature,” James explained. “But the truth is, even if it wasn’t, I would have done it for you.”
James leaned towards her, and for a split second she thought he might kiss her. The moment was interrupted, however, when Matt burst between them. “I think I hear someone outside the mine entrance.”
Nicole wondered if that were true, or if Matt was simply trying to keep them apart. She had a good mind to question him, but when Siku started barking, she realized there might be some measure of truth to his claim.
The group struggled to their feet, and hobbled towards the front of the mine.
“Hello, is anyone there?” José called out first.
There was a faint noise that sounded like an engine, which prompted the rest of the group to start yelling for help, too.
Over the next several minutes, the noise grew louder and light started to shine through the snow, proving that someone was on the other side working to get through to them. They worked from their own side, hoping to speed the process along.
After about a half hour, a hole appeared on the left side of the entrance, and a masked face appeared on the other side. “Hello, I’m Officer Aiden O’Connell with Clear Mountain Search and Rescue.”
“Aiden, I’m so glad to see you.” José scurried towards the hole. “We couldn’t ask for a better rescue officer to find us.”
“You mean, besides me,” another man declared smugly, as he appeared besides Aiden in the hole.
“Of course you would think that, Zach,” José stated with a roll of his eyes. “Your favorite pastime is bragging.”
“It’s not bragging if it’s the truth. Besides, look, I’m about to save you, aren’t I?” Zach said, gesturing to the hole.
The Clear Mountain Search and Rescue Officers spent the next few minutes widening the area for the group to climb through. On the other side, there were two more officers that had been working with them, as well as their four K9 partners. Behind them were a pair of SUVs with snow tires and chains, with a snow plow on the front of one of them.
James looked around, his eyes scanning the area until they came to rest on the other officers. “Are the roads passable? We need to get the women to the hospital, right away.”
“And who are you?” Zach asked, as he arched his eyebrows over his ski mask. “You sound like you think you’re in charge.”
“I’m Master Sergeant James Franklin, rescue expert with Disaster City Search and Rescue,” he stated in a way that made it clear he knew he was the senior rescue officer there. “I’m responsible for this group.”
“You are, are you? Doesn’t seem like you did that great of job,” Zach challenged, stepping towards James. “I think we should take over from here, so they have a better chance of making it to the resort intact.” Then glancing between the two women, he added, “Well, at least without them withstanding any more injuries, that is.”
“You’re lucky I don’t have time to for this nonsense,” James growled out. “Otherwise, I’d be putting you on your backside for thinking you can talk to me that way.”
Zach’s eyes narrowed into slits of anger. “I’d like to see you try.”
“Chill, Zach; I’ve known James since we were kids.” José stepped in between the two men. “He’s good people. He was helping me escort this group back to the resort, when a second avalanche hit after the first one. We couldn’t make to the resort in time, so we brought them to the mine to take shelter.”
“He’s right, Zach; stop acting like a rooster who got his feathers ruffled. We both know that DCSR officers understand exactly what they’re doing.” Aiden reached out his hand to James. “We have a couple of friends at DCSR. Adam Reynolds and Ted Hendricks.”
James nodded as he took Aiden’s hand. “That’s right—there are a couple of Clear Mountain men at DCSR. I forgot about that.”
“As for the road, it’s blocked by several trees and won’t be cleared for at least a day or two,” Aiden explained. “Your best bet is letting us take you to the resort.”
The group were transported back. Just inside the lobby, James pulled Nicole aside. “Before we go in there and chaos erupts around us, I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
“I will be, once I get this leg taken care of,” Nicole gestured towards the lower half of her body. “I’m just glad we’re finally safe. I wouldn’t have made it if it hadn’t been for you, James.”
“I’m not so sure about that. I think you can do anything you set your mind to, Nicole. You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met.” James moved towards her, and his head drifted down towards her.
She wanted him to kiss her, and she believed he would have if Matt hadn’t interrupted them again. “There’s a doctor staying at
the resort, and he wants to check out your injuries. He just finished up with Britney, and he started her on antibiotics. She’s going to be fine. Come on, I want to get you over to that doctor and make sure my star will make a full recovery.”
Before Nicole could do anything about it, she was being pulled away from James. Cast and crew from the movie set rushed around her, asking her a million questions about what she went through. Fans were coming up and telling her they were relieved she was okay. However, what she least expected or wanted was for Hank to appear in front of her.
“Butterfly, I was so worried about you.” Hank reached out and pulled her into his arms for a hug—clearly milking her situation to make himself look good. “When I heard a storm was coming into the area, I couldn’t get on my flight back to LA. I rushed right back here to check on you. You can’t even imagine the fear I thought over something awful happening to you.”
Nicole tried to pull away, but Hank wrapped his arm around her shoulders, keeping her close. “I know you’re confused right now, but I’m here to take care of you.”
Matt came over towards them, a frustrated look on his face as he glanced between Hank and Nicole. “Hank, I don’t have time for you making this situation about you right now.” Matt reached out and grabbed Nicole’s arm, trying to wrench her from Hank’s grasp. “I found out that there’s a helicopter up top and the doctor thinks it’s better if we fly you over to the hospital to get your concussion checked out and have an x-ray of your ankle. It’s time that we finally get off this mountain.”
“Good; I’m coming with you, then. I want to make sure my butterfly is okay.” Hank pulled her back towards himself, glaring at Matt. “After all, she’s the love of my life.”
Nicole looked around, trying to find James in the sea of people. She didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye. “Wait, I want to see James before we go.”
“We don’t have time for that. Besides, he told me that now that his task of getting us back to the resort is over, he’s ready to return to his search and rescue job in Texas.”
“Yes, for once Matt and I agree on something. I don’t know who this James fellow is, but he sounds like he did his job, and that’s the end of that,” Hank stated firmly as they moved towards the elevator banks.
Had that been all she was to him, just another rescue? She thought there was something real between them, but maybe the feelings between them had been falsely manufactured due to a heightened emotional state because of what they went through together. If that were the case, maybe it was better if she quietly slipped away; rather than make a big to-do about saying farewell.
“I guess you’re right; it’s time to get back to the real world.” Nicole gave a final look to the resort, then let Matt and Hank lead her away from Clear Mountain—and James—forever.
11
“It’s good to have you back,” Ross exclaimed as he patted James on the back. “I’ve hated teaching the class without you. You’re the Abbott to my Costello.”
“And why am I the Abbott?” James questioned in an accusatory voice.
“Because you’re almost a head taller than me,” Canter teased. “It has nothing to do with your all-too-serious nature, which has been even worse than normal ever since you returned from Clear Mountain. That actress did a real number on you, didn’t she?”
James didn’t want to talk about it. Someone had snapped a picture of them together at the resort, and the photo had gone viral. Ever since then, anyone he ran into constantly brought it up.
“Let’s just get back to work. We need to pick the next set of recruits.”
“Suit yourself, but I can’t believe you let Nicole West get away. What I wouldn’t do to spend just one night with her.”
“I got to spend two,” James pointed out, leaving out the fact that it was the best two nights of his life, despite being in a blizzard, having a tree fall through his window, his house covered by an avalanche that also buried him alive, and being trapped in a mine.
“Two? And you came back here? What’s wrong with you? Why don’t you go after her and tell her how you feel?”
“What are you talking about?” James snapped out.
“Man, it’s clear you got it bad for her. You just don’t want to admit it to yourself.”
“It’s not that. I don’t think I was anything more to her than just a guy who saved her from a blizzard and avalanche. Besides, when I saw her last at Clear Mountain Resort, she was real cozy with some Hollywood actor with perfect teeth and a brown mustache.”
“That sounds like Hank Cruise. You know he’s her ex-husband, right? And I heard on the news the other day, Nicole filed a restraining order against him for stalking. I’m betting she didn’t even want him there. Don’t look for reasons it won’t work. You need to take a chance and go see her. You’ve got plenty of vacation time saved up.”
James wondered if Ross was right. Was he being stubborn? Should he take a chance and go see if Nicole had any feelings for him at all?
“I can pick the new recruits, and you can be back in plenty of time to get ready for their arrival.”
James decided he needed to take a risk in his personal life, just like he did every day in his professional life. Anything worth having was worth taking a risk for, and Nicole was worth everything.
“You’re right, I’m going to do it. I’ll go let Sarge know, drop Siku off at the kennel, and then pack up to go.”
Five hours later, he arrived in L.A. He texted Britney, who was long-distance dating José. She responded, giving him Nicole’s private address, along with a bunch of heart emojis and thumbs up.
He hailed a cab, then gave the info to the driver. He paid little attention to the throng of tourists and cars as they weaved through Sunset Blvd and up into the Hollywood Hills.
“Thanks for the ride,” James said, as he handed the taxi driver money.
“Do you need me to wait?”
James waffled, not sure if he should send him away or not. “That might be a good idea. I’m not sure how this is going to go.” He headed up the walkway and buzzed the speaker.
A few moments passed, then Nicole’s familiar voice asked with surprise, “James?”
He pressed the button. “Yes, you can see me on this thing?”
“I can—it’s part of my security system I had installed a few years back. What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you.”
“Why did you do that?”
James paused for a few seconds before blurting out. “I made the mistake of not going after you in the lobby of the resort. I saw you with Hank, not knowing who he was at the time, and jumped to all the wrong conclusions. On top of that, Matt made me think there was no future for us—I let him get in my head, but ever since I returned to work, I can’t stop thinking about you. He’s wrong, Nicole. I know he thinks he has your best interest at heart, but he doesn’t know everything.”
“I know that. When I came back to L.A, I told him that I wanted to start my own production company. He called me a fool. I told him if he couldn’t back my decision, I couldn’t have him represent me anymore. We ended up parting ways.”
“I’m sorry, I know he was like family.” James shifted his stance, then waved at the speaker. “Is there any way we can talk without this thing between us?”
There was a long pause and she finally buzzed him in. The door made a clicking noise, swinging open to reveal her on the other side. “Come in.” James waved off the taxi driver, then walked into her massive house filled with marble and gold everywhere. There were also moving boxes stacked high in several areas. “Sorry about the house. I’m in the middle of moving. Matt talked me into this place—said it really made me look like a movie star, but I never felt at home in it. I’m going to move to a smaller house down by the beach.”
“It sounds like you’ve made a lot of changes in your life since leaving Colorado.”
“I have—that trip really changed me, and not just because I have this permanen
t limp now.”
James looked down and noticed a thin scar along her ankle.
“I had to have surgery, but the doctor said I was lucky. Of course, it limits my roles even further since I can’t do as much slap-stick comedy. I happen to know, however, that an A-list movie star is starting her own production company, so I’m figuring I can get a few parts in her movies.”
“I’m really proud of you, Nicole. You’ve really changed your life for the better.”
“I owe it all to you, James. You made me take a hard look at my life, and I realized I’d been compromising what I wanted for a long time. I don’t want to do that anymore.”
“Is that just with your professional life, or do you have any room for changes on the personal side? I’m hoping you might be up for helping look for a cabin here in California.”
“Why on earth would you want to do that?”
“I decided rather than build another cabin in Clear Mountain, I’d take the insurance money and find a place out here so I can be close to what really matters to me now.”
“You’d do that?”
James nodded. “I’m not sure how everything will work out, but I’m willing to figure it out together.” James moved towards her, ready to take the plunge and show her how much he cared. Slowly, his lips moved down to touch hers. The kiss was tender and kind, just like the heart he’d been hiding below his rough exterior. The moment their lips touched he knew he was a goner. There wasn’t anything he could do about it but ride the avalanche of love he felt for her.
“Why did it take you so long to do that?” she asked as she pulled back slightly, a smile plastered across her gorgeous face.
“I’m too stubborn for my own good, but I’m trying to change that about myself.”
“As long as you promise me you’ll keep doing that, I don’t care how stubborn you are.”
“Good, because that’s all I want to do from now until you stop me.”
“That’s never going to happen,” she teased, as he leaned down and sealed her lips with a perfect kiss. It was filled with an assurance that they would be sharing the rest of their lives together.