Page 63 of Worth the Rush
“No one’s more surprised than me, Nate. I didn’t expect this, and I didn’t see it coming, but I have to find her. She could be in real danger.”
“Alright, let’s go get Alder’s woman,” he says over the headset, and everyone cheers.
“Focus,” I bark. Nate continues to smile, but we all quiet down as the helicopter takes flight, and we make our way to Lovers Leap, to Ivy.
The air is thick with tension, and we can all feel it. We have maybe forty minutes of daylight left, and then we’ll be using a spotlight, and even though everyone in the cabin of this aircraft is well-trained in night searches—they’re less likely to have a successful outcome. Temperatures are starting to drop, and my adrenaline is rising. We need to find her and soon.
I’m thinking again. Something that’s typically a good thing for others. but it’s hit or miss for me. Regardless, I’m thinking that maybe making Alder dinner or waiting for him naked in his bed would have been the better option than waiting on the top of a mountain range in the middle of winter with the sun starting to go down. The wind whips my hair off my neck, and I shiver. It’s confirmed; waiting in Alder’s cozy cabin would have been the better plan.
I inhale the cold mountain air one last time and get back into my car. If he’s on his way here, I’ll meet him on the road anyway. It won’t be quite as romantic or dramatic, but maybe I’ve had enough of that. I crank the heat once I start up the engine and sit in the car for another couple of minutes. With a deep sigh, I let go of my not-so-fantastic idea and turn around; only I don’t turn around. One of my wheels keeps spinning, and I can’t gain any traction. Oh, shit. Oh, shit. “No, no, no, no, nooo. Don’t freak out. It’s fine. Alder knows where you are. Unless he didn’t get my note.”What if he didn’t get my note?He wasn’t home when I got there, and he may not be coming home at all. “Oh my god, Ivy. You are such a fucking idiot.”
I’m going to die up here. No. I’m not going to die because I’m going to tell Alder that I love him. I’m going to live in that little house with him. I hear a sob escape my chest. I’m…I’m going to run the resort, and I want to have his…really beautiful and sunshiny babies. and we’re going to be really fucking happy. He’ll make sure of it. I won’t be so mean…I’ll try not to be so mean, I amend quickly.
I remember watching a TV show once where they used cat litter to gain traction. I don’t have any of that. I also watched a documentary about a man from Sweden who drank snow for three days and survived. There’s plenty of snow around for me to eat so I most likely won’t die. Unless there’s a serial killer lurking. Stop it, Ivy. There is not a serial killer around. No, I’m the only idiot on the mountain right now.
An idiot who’s fallen in love with this town and the people in it. One person in particular. His shaggy hair and easy going smile. That body. Oh, god, that body. I really want to be near that body again. A noise so loud that it makes my car rumble has me looking to the right. Out the windshield, just a little to the right, I see what looks like clouds rising. Odd. They’re coming from below the ridge, but it looks like they may be getting bigger or closer?
My SUV is still rumbling a little; I open my car door, and it sounds a little like there’s a river nearby. I walk to the nose of my car and look up to see a helicopter in the distance and feel relief. I just need to get its attention. I can barely hear its blades over the sound of rushing water. But why am I hearing rushing water? Movement draws my attention from the sky to the ground. The clouds are definitely closer now. Goose bumpsbreak out over my skin, and I wave at the helicopter when I hear another rumble, this time it’s bigger and definitely closer. I look back to what I thought were clouds. Oh, no. Oh, shit. No, no, no. That is a fucking avalanche.
I run back to the door I left open and shut it behind me. I’m going to be buried alive, and they aren’t going to find me in time. I see the mountain of snow getting closer and can barely make out the helicopter in the distance. It sounds less like water now and more like a freight train. I close my eyes. “Alder. I love you,” I say out loud as tears slip down my face, and then I’m upside down, and I can hear metal crunching. There’s a horrible pain in my left arm, and I can hear my own screaming. Everything goes dark.
“IVY!” I scream in horror, watching helplessly as the edge of the avalanche hits and rolls Ivy’s SUV over until it’s barely visible.
“Alder, I need you to stay calm. If you can't, we'll have to go down there and rescue your girl without you,” Nate tells me as he flies the helicopter at the fastest speed that’s considered safe. I just watched the woman I’m out of my mind for rolled over by a fucking avalanche, and he wants me to remain calm. I think I finally have just a small understanding of why women get pissed when they’re asked to calm down.
“I’m calm. I’m ready. Like hell, I’m not going down there.”
“Good. We’re almost there. We still have visibility on the vehicle, and we have everything we need to get to her. She’s going to be fine” Griffin tells me over the comm system. I knew there was a reason I liked him. We approach the spot where Ivy’s SUV is half covered.
“Lace up your boots, everyone. Another minute, and we’ll be on top of it.” Nate signals for us to get our gear and tools allsituated. I sit down and give myself just a moment to steady my erratic heart. I need to check my emotions. I do my mental checklist like I do on every mission. I see the men around me doing the same. Touching their gear, physically checking it.
“Here’s your stop boys!” Nate yells to us. I stand and clip myself into the system quickly.
“I’ll go first. Keep us steady, Nate.”
“You got it. Go get your girl, Holloway.” He nods, and I start my descent. He got us into a perfect position. We can’t land, but he’s hovering only twenty-five feet in the air. I land with a thud, having rappelled as quickly as possible. I give the all clear with my hand, and the tether goes back up for the next person to clip in. I run to the overturned vehicle.
“Ivy, can you hear me?” I shout.
“Alder?! Is that you? I can’t see anything!” she yells back to me. I feel like I could float away with the relief that courses through my veins at the sound of her voice.
“It’s me, baby! We’re gonna get you out of there. Is there anything obstructing your view?” I ask.
“You mean besides the upside-down car that’s entombed me and buried me alive in the snow? You mean besidesthat?” she snipes, and I let out a strangled chuckle. “Shit, I just said I would be nicer,” she mutters.
“Be as mean as you want, princess. Just be okay,” I call to her.
“Alder?” she asks as I start digging on her side.
“Yeah, Ivy?”
“Did you get my note?” she asks, voice breaking and hitting me right in the fucking chest.
“Yeah, baby. I got your note. I got here as fast as I could.”
“Okay, good,” she says. “Alder?” she asks again.
“Yeah, Ivy?”
