Page 2 of Crushing on the Mountain Men

What an odd way to refer to her wedding. From the dress shopping outings, to the showers, and now this, I hadn’t been able to get a read on Tina. She seemed happy about her fiancé, but halfhearted about the wedding planning. I couldn’t really blame her. This whole scene wasn’t really me, either, I didn’t think. First, I’d have to find a guy I actually liked for more than a few months, I thought.

Everyone said that Kenny, my training partner from my EMT classes, was perfect for me. He was terrific, and a brilliant listener, but something was holding me back. Past relationships had fizzled out from lack of interest or time. I never really felt invested or really attracted.

“The plunge?” I couldn’t resist asking. I wondered if she would be more truthful when she was tipsy.

“You know, the whole big ceremony.”

I opened my mouth to ask another question when I saw Pam jump up from her spot near the fire.

Andre was writhing on the ground.

Chapter two

Davin

“Creed.Couldwebemore stereotypical mountain men?” I set my axe down, and admired the pile of firewood.

Thunk. Creed split one more piece and set his log down, too.

“We’re even wearing flannel,” he acknowledged with his deadpan tone.

Two years ago, I wouldn’t have believed how much I’d like living on a mountain, in a cabin. Creed, Tim, and I were best friends at the financial planning firm, and I was always up at odd hours looking at markets. I lived on coffee and takeout and sometimes got to the gym. Now I ran on a mountain for exercise.

We were best friends because we worked so much and shared an office. Creed and I leaned on each other after Tim died in a car accident.

I took a deep breath, detecting notes of a fire nearby. “Must be another of those tour groups camping tonight. I think someone at Rescue Group Inc. said it was a bachelorette party up here this weekend.”

Creed grunted and picked up his wood. He’d never been loquacious, but since Tim’s car accident and death, he spoke even less.

I hoped this group was safe. There was one tour group that came up here that was clueless and always left a huge mess. We’d been called as part of our rescue group more than once to help their drunken asses back down the mountain.

“Help!”

The voice was faint, but I could still hear it. It looked like we’d be rescuing drunk folks again.

***

Creed met me at the door of the cabin our friend Tim left us in his will. He was already pulling on his rescue backpack.

“I heard someone calling. Let me just grab my pack.”

We took off on our ATV, part of Tim’s property, up here. It was the only way to get somewhere quickly on the trails. I had a truck parked at the public lot, and Creed’s Jeep was on our private back road, just in case.

“Drunken idiots.” Creed said, moving us along the terrain in the direction the agency told us to go.

“Bascomb’s fiancé is in the group, isn’t she?” I remembered where I’d heard about the bachelorette group. “I’m surprised. I thought he didn’t drink.”

During another rescue, the former army man told us he’d been sober for six years.

Creed got a call on his satellite phone.

“That was Margot from headquarters. She said Pam gave us an update. Pam’s sober, and said there’s an EMT with them too. Someone is having a medical issue.”

I listened to the directions from our agency on the ATV radio. We followed the smoke and coordinates the agency sent.

***

The scene was chaotic, as often is with emergencies like this. Two men seemed to throw up in the bushes.

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