“Everything will be okay,” she whispered. Leaning forward, she gently kissed the top of his head.
Nathan sighed. He stared into her eyes with a trust so deep that it left Amy breathless. She didn’t deserve the kind of love his gaze promised, the kind of life he was telling her they could have.
“Love you...”
Amy froze. Fear and something new kept her gaze locked on Nathan. The wind dropped to a low murmur, caressing the mountain with ice cold fingers of air. It was as if the whole world was waiting for her to come to a decision; to step into the kind of life she’d once dreamed about or leave it behind forever.
She thought about her grandmother’s wedding rings, sparkling in the old velvet box. Her grandfather had given them to his wife as a symbol of his love, his commitment to a better life together. But that love had turned sour, contaminating his relationship with his wife and his daughter. It had left Amy with a mom that didn’t want either of her daughters and a sister that she loved more than anyone in the world.
Except Nathan.
After a lifetime of hiding her heart from the world she knew that she loved him. She’d been so worried about her past that she’d forgotten she had a future. A future that would always include him.
Amy took a deep shuddering breath. If Sean and Alex hadn’t found Nathan he could have died on the mountain. There wouldn’t have been a second chance at love or happiness. Their life together would have been over before it began.
The sound of Matthew and Sean’s voices drifted across the snow.
Amy wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket. “I love you too,” she whispered.
Nathan’s eyes filled with tears. “’bout time.”
She leaned forward and softly touched his jaw. “Are you telling me I’m a slow learner, cowboy?”
The corner of his mouth tilted into a smile. “Just right.”
The trunk of the pine tree lit up as flashlights swiveled toward them.
Alex cleared his throat. “Everything okay?”
Amy nodded, holding Nathan’s hand as they put the stretcher on the ground and undid the harness.
“Let’s get Nathan loaded up and out of here,” Matthew said as he turned his torch off and pushed it into his jacket pocket.
“We need to move slowly.” Amy sat back on her heels, looking between the three men standing guard over Nathan. “Alex, kneel by Nathan’s head and help support it as we turn him over. Sean, you kneel by his shoulders and Matthew, you take his hips. I’ll be by his legs. On the count of three we’re going to roll him toward us so that he’s facing our bodies. We need to be close enough so that Nathan can lean against our thighs to keep from tipping forward. I’ll put the stretcher behind him once he’s on his side.”
Sean, Matthew and Alex moved to their places. Amy knelt in front of Nathan’s knees, ready to move his legs. “Be extra careful of his shoulder, Sean. Is everyone ready? One...two...three...”
In slow motion they turned Nathan toward them. Amy made sure his legs were stable then quickly slid the stretcher against his back. She crawled to Nathan’s legs and held on tight.
“On the count of three we’re going to roll him onto his back. One...two...three...”
Amy knelt beside Nathan while Matthew and Alex pulled the straps tight to keep him on the stretcher. “How are you feeling, Nathan?” He looked up and she saw the smile in his eyes. “That’s good,” she whispered. “Not long now.”
Matthew put the lid on his parent’s first aid box, pushing it hard against the tree. “I’ll come back and get this tomorrow.”
Sean pointed to Nathan’s feet. “You take one of the handles at the bottom of the stretcher, Amy. You won’t have as much weight to lift.” He moved opposite her, slipping a couple of torches under the straps either side of Nathan’s feet. “Matthew parked his four-wheeler at the top of the bank. We’ll haul Nathan up the slope with the winch. Pass your medical bag to me, I’ll carry it in my other hand.”
Matthew and Alex stood beside the handles either side of Nathan’s chest.
“Is everyone ready?” Sean asked. They all nodded, focusing on Nathan. “One..two...three...”
Amy gripped the stretcher, holding on tight. As they moved slowly through the snow she kept glancing at Nathan, trying to see if he was okay.
“Jeez, bro’,” Matthew complained. “It must be middle age spread. You weigh a ton. I might need one of those massages that Amy’s so famous for after you’re all tucked up in a hospital bed.”
Nathan mumbled something that Amy couldn’t hear and Alex laughed. “At least you haven’t lost your sense of humor.”
They kept moving forward, hugging the bank to keep away from the next drop down the mountain.
“Head toward the light,” Sean muttered.
Amy glanced across the stretcher, wondering if Sean had really said what she’d heard.
Matthew groaned. “You could have put that another way.”
“I tried coming up with something else, but it got too hard.”
Amy squinted into the darkness, past the circle of light from the flashlights jammed in the stretcher. She caught a brief glimmer of light further ahead and angled the stretcher straight for it. Every few seconds the bank glowed, reminding her of a jar of fireflies she’d caught when she’d lived in Texas with her mom.
Amy concentrated on the light. “I feel like I’m in Narnia.”
Sean snorted from the other side of the stretcher. “I don’t know where Narnia is, but I sure as hell want to know where we’re heading. I figured it couldn’t hurt to unwind the winch and tie a flashlight to the end of the rope. At least we’ll be able to find the four-wheeler.”
“Always knew you were more than a pretty face,” Matthew said.
“Right now I’d settle for hands that weren’t frozen solid.” Sean stopped in front of the light. “Nathan needs to go up headfirst. Amy and I are going to move clockwise.”
They frog-marched sideways, putting Nathan gently on the ground.
Alex grabbed the flashlights off the end of the stretcher, shining one of them on Nathan’s chest. “How are you doing, buddy?”
“Okay,” Nathan whispered.
“Are you in any pain?” Amy asked.
“No.”
Sean picked up Amy’s medical bag. “I’m heading to the top of the ridge. Wave a flashlight in the air when you’re ready for me to start the winch.”
Matthew followed his brother’s progress up the bank with his light while Alex tied the rope to Nathan’s stretcher.
“Sean’s at the top. Are we ready?” Matthew asked.
Alex hooked his flashlight into his belt, then looked across at Matthew. “If we climb either side of Nathan’s stretcher we can keep it more stable. Are you okay pulling yourself up the bank beside me, Amy?”
She nodded and looked up into the darkness. She didn’t know how far they had to climb, but a little tiredness wouldn’t stop her.
“If you need help, just let me know. Wave the flashlight, Matthew.”
Within seconds, light from the four-wheeler spilled over the bank. The stretcher started moving, pulling a semi-conscious Nathan toward the top of the ridge.
Amy climbed beside Alex, digging her feet into the bank, hauling herself higher. They kept moving up the slippery slope. One foot in front of the other. One hand at a time, digging into the snow, looking for anything to hold onto.
Her breath came out in shallow gasps, cold air hitting her lungs like a thousand needles pricking her skin. She looked up at the light from the four-wheeler and almost groaned. They were only three-quarters of the way up the bank. Her arms and legs felt like they had lead weights attached to them. Each step got harder, every hand-hold more difficult to find.
She dug her left foot into the snow and pushed upward. Her boot slipped and she hit the bank hard, sliding belly first through the snow. She felt a tug on her jacket, but kept moving, heading toward the bottom of the slope at break-neck speed.
T
hrowing her arms and legs wide, she tried to slow down. The sharp sting of ice collided with her face. She pushed deeper into the snow. After realizing how important Nathan was in her life, she’d be damned if she was going to end up splattered on the rocks below.
Every rock beneath the snow smashed into her body. Gritting her teeth she pushed harder, forcing every muscle to stop her from going over the edge. She felt the ground flatten out, knew she didn’t have much time. Using every ounce of energy she possessed, she shoved her whole body into the snow, digging in, slowing herself down until she stopped. Gasping for air, she stayed where she was, too exhausted to move.
“Amy?”
She lifted her head enough to see the black outline of Alex sliding toward her. “I’m fine.” She let her head drop back to the ground, catching her breath before she had to start the slow crawl upward.
Alex stopped beside her and switched on his flashlight. “You sure know how to scare a man. Did you hurt yourself?”
Amy wriggled her arms and legs, wincing at a few bumps that would bruise before the morning. “Nothing a hot bath won’t cure.” She pulled herself upright, tugging her wooly hat over her ears. “How’s Nathan?”
“Nearly at the top. It’s just as well he’s strapped into the stretcher otherwise he would have thrown himself down the bank after you.”
A surge of adrenaline pushed Amy to her feet. “He didn’t try and move, did he?”
“Don’t worry. He doesn’t know you disappeared. You didn’t even squeak when you started falling.”
“That would have been because my mouth was full of snow.” She glanced up the slope, dreading the return trip. “Let’s get out of here.” Alex hung the flashlight off his belt and followed her up the bank. Amy concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, digging into the snow before hauling herself another step closer to the top of the ridge.
A beam of light lit the bank and Sean’s voice cut through the darkness. “I’m sending the rope down. Tie it under your armpits, Amy.”
Alex laughed at the groan coming from above him. “I take it that means yes.”
“Double yes,” Amy sighed. “I might even make everyone a plate of chocolate brownies after this is over.”
Alex grabbed hold of the rope and twisted it into a knot. “Arms up.”
Amy lifted one arm at a time, moving carefully so that she didn’t end up at the bottom of the bank again. “Are you sure I’ll be safe?”
Alex tightened the knot. “I’ve been tying bowlines since I was knee high to a grasshopper. Sean won’t be going fast. You’ll still need to use your arms and legs to get you to the top. Are you ready?”
Amy nodded and Alex yelled out to Sean to start the winch. She slowly rose toward the top, the rope pulling her higher until she was able to scramble over the ledge.
Alex sat down beside her, breathing heavily. “You’d better make that double chocolate brownies. I’ve seen enough of that bank for one day.”
Sean left his four-wheeler running as he untied the knot around Amy’s body. “Nathan looks as though he’s getting worse. We need to load him onto the trailer and get off the mountain. Matthew will take you back with him.”
Alex pulled her onto her feet and she rushed over to Nathan. Sean was right. His skin had turned as white as the snow and his breathing was fast and shallow. He was in shock and there was nothing she could do about it. He needed to get to the hospital.
They lifted Nathan onto the trailer and Alex sat beside him, wrapped in their last survival blanket to keep some of the cold away.
Matthew tied Chan to the back of Sean’s trailer and ran back to his four-wheeler. “Let’s get out of here.”
It seemed to take forever to navigate down the mountain and the slower they moved, the more worried Amy became. Every now and then Chan moved from behind the trailer and she saw Alex hunched against the grill, keeping watch over Nathan. With a survival blanket wrapped around him, Nathan shouldn’t be feeling much of the cold. But after spending a couple of hours in the snow without anything to protect him, she knew it wouldn’t be enough.
She blinked her eyes and tried to stay awake. Her body was so tired that she didn’t think she’d be able to stand on her own once they got back to the ranch. Her head dropped to the wide shoulders in front of her, the weight of the helmet almost too much for her neck to hold.
“You doing alright?” Matthew yelled.
“I’ll be better when we’re home.” Amy felt Matthew’s hand squeeze her fingers through her frozen gloves. And still they kept going, working their way around fallen trees and drifts of snow too high to drive over.
“Look to the left.”
Amy lifted her head and watched the lights of at least four vehicles blaze through the snowflakes spinning around them. Matthew lifted his arm off the four-wheeler, waving toward their welcoming party.
Each set of lights flicked to high beam, letting them know they’d been seen, that they were closer to help than Amy thought.
As soon as the four-wheelers stopped, Paul ran through the snow, talking rapidly with Alex. A group of men untied the straps that had kept Nathan from sliding around the trailer, lifting him toward another truck. Amy let her arms drop from around Matthew, willing her body to move.
“Ma’am? Are you okay?”
She stared at the man standing beside her.
“I’m Grant Byers. Mrs. Gray called the Gallatin County Search and Rescue team. We were getting ready to come and find you.” He lifted the visor of her helmet, a frown settling between his eyes. “We need to get you out of the cold. Can you walk on your own?”
“I’m fine,” Amy said.
“No you’re not,” Matthew said. He gently lifted the helmet off her head. “Where’s your hat?”
“Top pocket.” Ice cold wind whipped across her face, sending a tremor through her body. He pulled her hat on and lifted her into his arms.
Amy was too tired to argue. She looked over Matthew’s shoulder. Two trucks were already leaving. “I need to see Nathan.”
“He’s being looked after. Stay in dad’s truck and talk to Grant.” He stopped beside the passenger door and set her gently on her feet.
Amy crawled into the back seat, making room for Grant as he folded his long frame beside her.
“We know about the injuries Nathan had before today. Can you tell me how he is now?”
Amy pulled her gloves off, rubbing her hands together to try and warm them up. “Nathan thinks he lost consciousness before we arrived. He fell off his horse, rolled down a steep bank and hit the right side of his head. He’s lacerated his bottom lip and may have broken his nose. His left shoulder is dislocated. I inserted an IV cannular into his right hand and gave him 10 milligrams of morphine about forty minutes ago.”
“And how are you?”
“Cold, but thankful to be home.” Amy felt tears sting her eyes. Bozeman was the only place that had ever felt like home. She’d never felt safe or happy in any of the towns and cities she’d lived in. The scary thing was that if it hadn’t been for her mom and sister she wouldn’t have come back to Montana. She would have buried herself in more work, trading her life for a job. Sally would have kept pestering her to visit, and she would have found more excuses to stay away from Nathan.
“We’re glad you’re home, too. I’ll let the team know about Nathan’s injuries and contact the hospital to let them know what to expect.” He closed the cover on his notebook. “Paul’s got my cell phone number if you need to call me. You did a good job out there tonight.”
Grant turned to open the door.
“Wait.” Amy’s hand held onto the sleeve of his jacket. “Where’s Nathan?”
“He’s on his way to the hospital.”
“But I wanted to go with him. It could take over an hour to get back in this weather. What if something happens and he needs a doctor?”
“Daniel’s with him,” Grant said. “When he’s not on a Search and Rescue callout, he’s a Trauma Specialist a
t the hospital. Nathan’s more worried about you. The first thing he asked us to do was check how you are. Apart from a couple of grazes, you look fine to me.”
“Grazes?”
Grant pointed to his chin. “Nothing some fresh air won’t fix.”
Amy touched her chin, but her face was so cold she couldn’t feel a thing. After what had happened this afternoon, it hardly seemed to matter all that much anyway.
“Don’t worry about Nathan, Daniel will take good care of him.” Grant got out of the truck and walked toward another vehicle parked opposite them.
Paul opened the driver’s door and pulled himself into the cab. “Are you ready to head back?”
Matthew landed beside Amy, covered in snow and looking almost as tired as she felt. “Your medical bag’s in the truck with Sean.” He pulled his seatbelt on and sat back with a weary sigh. “They’re taking Chan home to the barn. Thank God he stayed at the top of the bank. If he’d moved, Sean and Alex might have missed Nathan completely.”
Amy didn’t want to think about what could have happened if they hadn’t found Nathan when they did. She leaned forward, holding onto the side of the driver’s seat. “I want to go to the hospital.”
Paul patted her hand. “We’ll go home first, honey. Nathan’s in good hands.” He started the engine and fiddled with some dials on the dashboard. “Hold on, folks. It could be a bumpy ride.”
She held onto her seat as they lurched across the ranch. They followed Grant’s vehicle, their headlights picking out half-buried fences and cattle huddled together against the cold.
Amy’s face started to thaw as warm air streamed through the vents. Her nose ran and she poked around inside her pockets for extra tissues.
She wanted to nag, insist that Paul head straight for Bozeman, but it wouldn’t do any good. It had only taken her a few days to remember that the Gray men all had one personality flaw in common. They’d all been born pure stubborn. Once they made their mind up about something they never changed it. And heaven help any woman mad enough to make them try.
Jenny didn’t wait for them to come into the house. As soon as they drove into the yard the front door flew open and she ran down the porch steps. Paul had his seatbelt off and door open as soon as the truck stopped. He ran toward Jenny, swinging her into his arms.
Forever in Love (Montana Brides) Page 21