Page 5 of Fool Me

His tongue hangs limply between his dry lips, there’s drool at the corners of his mouth and his ribs expand and contract rapidly. My stomach bottoms out. “Trav, did you radio for that helo?”

“Yeah.” He glances over his shoulder at me and his face falls, seeing the same thing I am. Echo’s in no shape to hike out of here—he needs a ride on that chopper. Suddenly, we have two patients instead of just one. “We need to put Echo on that chopper,” he radios.

I search my memory, but I can’t recall if one of my best friends is working today. “Who’s the nurse?”

The radio crackles before he says, “Aspen is in the hot seat today.”

Relief rushes out of me. Echo having Aspen by his side will make putting him in that bird without me a fraction easier.

With Matt stable, I shift back to my dog. His eyes are heavy as he lies next to me in the dirt.

Unclipping my pack, I set it in the dirt next and strip my shirt over my head, taking the extra water from my bag and soaking the fabric. It’s not much, but it’s all I have—the ice could cause Echo to go into shock. I can feel Travis’s eyes on me as I work, but I can’t worry about what he’s thinking right now.

I ease Echo onto his side, draping the fabric over his groin and belly. Then I untie the bandana from my head, and I dig through my pack to find the knife my dad got me for my thirteenth birthday and cut it in half. Wetting that too, I put the halves under his armpits to help cool his body.

Peering over my shoulder, I find Travis. “ETA? We need to get both of them out of here. It’s only getting hotter.” Impatience bleeds into my voice.

Our Incident Commander rattles off an update into the radio, giving them vitals for Matt before instructing the team on the landing zone, but I can’t take my eyes off the rise and fall of Echo’s ribs.

This dog saved me. After my dad’s injury, Echo gave me something to focus on other than the world collapsing around me. Training him was my goal and purpose when it felt like everything was slipping away. He helped both of us heal in different ways.

And I’d dragged him out on this mission today. It wasn’t supposed to be this hot. It wasn’t supposed to take us this long to find Matt. If something happens to Echo, I’ll never forgive myself.

Rubbing circles in his soft fur, I look out over the valley.

Wildflowers bloom in shades of reds, purples, and pinks, dotting the horizon. Majestic mountains with snow-capped peaks surround us. It makes you feel so small in comparison to its grandeur. This view is everything that drew me here when I was a burned out twenty-six-year-old nurse with no clue what was next for her. Only one thing is missing—my dad. I’m still not used to going on these missions without him by my side, and I don’t think I ever will be.

A hot tear lands on the hand stroking Echo. I sniffle, wiping the wetness pooling at my lashes with the back of my arm. I hadn’t realized I was crying.

Whirling of a rotor in the distance pulls my eyes to the sky. White wisps of clouds paint the blue sky like the watercolor landscapes the tourists buy down in Summit Square. The sight of the approaching red helicopter eases the tightness in my chest slightly.

“Echo, buddy, let’s check on you.” I run a hand over his ribs slowly, paying attention to the rhythm of his heart hammering under my palm. I offer him a little water from his collapsible bowl. Behind me, the wind picks up as the rotor whirls loudly behind us. I shift, using my back to block Echo from any dirt or debris.

With the helicopter on the ground, we wait as the crew rushes out to get Matt loaded and strapped to the backboard before they load him into the helicopter. Hauling Echo against my body, I duck my head and move him to the edge of the landing zone as Aspen rushes back to meet us.

Shit, he’s heavy.

“Call the vet and have him meet me at the hospital,” Aspen instructs, all business, wrapping her hand around my elbow and leading me to the chopper. Once he’s secured inside, her features soften. “I’ve got him, Harlowe.”

I can barely make out her words over the blades moving above us, but I shout back anyway, “I’m going to get back as quickly as I can.”

“Be careful,” she warns, likely knowing it’s pointless.

I rub my cheek against Echo’s head one last time, then Aspen squeezes my hand before she steps up into the chopper.

I have no choice but to step back and watch them take off before I start the longest hike of my life back to town.

CHAPTER

THREE

ATLAS

This is the kind of call I expect on a full moon, not a normal, unremarkable Wednesday. I press my phone to my ear, trying to decipher what we’re dealing with through the chaos on the other end of the line.

I’ve been back in Timberline Peak for less than a week and I’ve met a vulgar parrot whose owner is apparently my best client, gotten bit in the ass by my donkey, and now I’m being summoned to the hospital to meet a helicopter that’s landing with an animal on board.

And my friends in Houston joked that I’d get bored with a small town life.

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