Page 50 of Risk It All
Cara’s heart gave a little leap of excitement. “We’re getting close?”
Lifting one of his shoulders in a half shrug, he said, “Close enough to hear it.”
She narrowed her eyes at the back of his unhelpful head, but her spirits were still buoyed by the sound of rushing water. It helped that more vegetation was cropping up on and around their trail as well. Twisted, stunted pine trees with roots that seemed to be embedded directly into the stony mountain provided occasional handholds, and the melting snow mixed with the sparse dirt to provide a stickier walking surface than the slick bare rock.
The trees and shrubs grew thicker, forcing them to stop holding hands so that they could use both to push aside branches and scramble around protruding roots. The ground grew steeper and rougher, with frequent short drop-offs that made the trail look like uneven stairs designed for a giant. The closer they got to the river, the more the air cooled. Despite the fresh bite of cold, Cara appreciated the dampness after a day of extreme dryness.
Henry jumped down a three-foot drop before turning to help her. His hands gripped her hips as she hopped off the edge, and she marveled that she trusted him so completely, knowing he wouldn’t drop her. He lowered her down while giving no sign that she weighed more than a few pounds. Their eyes met for a charged moment, just long enough for her to catch the hungry flash in his before he released her and turned back around.
The slick ground didn’t give her an opportunity to dwell on Henry’s mixed signals, since it required all of her concentration to stay upright. The mud had thickened, as the temperature was just warm enough to melt the snow and keep the ground from freezing. The muck clung to the bottoms of her boots, weighing down her feet, and was both sticky and slippery enough to be treacherous. She almost missed the smooth bare rock from the start of their hike.
The sound of the river grew to a roar as the ground leveled out to a rock-strewn shore. The spray from the water hitting the protruding rocks misted over Cara’s cheeks, adding another level of cold. Her heart sank as she eyed the rushing current.
“Do we absolutely have to cross this?” She didn’t want to complain, but the question slipped out anyway as her nerves picked up. To distract herself, she pulled out a water bottle and took a drink before holding it out toward Henry. His attention was focused on the river, so she had to tap his shoulder with the bottle before he reached for it.
His brows drew together in an unhappy frown, which she took as ayes. “Abbott’s still after us. We have to keep moving. Let’s head over there,” he said, pointing to the right.
Cara followed willingly as they carefully picked their way through rocks and vegetation along the bank. The reminder about Abbott spooked her, and her entire body tensed with the need to run to safety. When Henry stopped, however, she eyed the new stretch of river doubtfully.
“Are you sure this is the best spot?” she asked. “It looks even wider here.”
“Wider, but slower and shallower.”
“Too bad there isn’t a convenient bridge.” Leaning forward, she peered at the river as it twisted away from them, but she couldn’t see any way to cross it without getting her feet wet. There weren’t even any handy fallen logs or stepping-stones to use.
“There never is.” Henry sounded grim, and Cara raised her eyebrows at him.
“Aren’tyouoptimistic.”
He gave her a sour look. “Why should I be? Nothing’s gone right since…I was arrested.” There was the tiniest pause that made her think he was going to say something else, and that made her infinitely curious. He turned back to the river before she could probe for answers. When he started stripping off his coat, she was immediately distracted. “Take off all your layers except for one, and leave your boots on,” he ordered.
“Won’t our boots stay wet?” she asked, even as she started pulling off her clothes.
“Better than ripping up your bare feet trying to cross.” He stepped out of his boots to pull his pants over his feet before placing his feet right back into the boots again. Cara copied him, stripping off everything except her boots, a thin pair of leggings, and a long-sleeve T-shirt. She shivered in the chilly air as he bundled all their clothes together, wrapping his coat around them to create an improvised pack. Hoisting it up, he strode straight into the river.
“Okay, so we’re just…doing this,” Cara muttered as she followed. Even though there was no reason to delay—and she wanted to get as far from Abbott as fast as possible—she still would’ve liked a few moments to work up her nerve rather than just jumping right in.
The first few steps were the worst, as icy water rushed in to fill her boots. At least the water wasn’t running very fast here. Instead, it eddied gently around her ankles, so clear she could see every detail of the riverbed.
“Step where I do.”
Henry’s order focused her attention back on him, and Cara did her best to place her waterlogged boot in the exact spot that his foot had just left. The water grew deeper, now sloshing around their shins, and it was harder to see where his feet landed. The movement of the current made it seem as if they were moving sideways, and it made her a little dizzy and disoriented.
“Don’t look down. Keep your eyes on my back.” She immediately lifted her chin and did what he said. Although it was impossible to see where he placed his feet when her gaze was up that high, she instantly felt steadier.
They were almost at the halfway point, and the water ran around his knees and her thighs. It pushed hard enough that Cara felt unsteady, and she was forced to slow her steps so she didn’t lose her balance. Henry’s longer stride carried him more quickly through the water, and the gap between them widened.
Not liking that he was too far away to grab onto if she needed to, she tried to speed up and lengthen each step, but the water fought against every stride, wanting to push her downstream instead. He glanced over his shoulder and frowned before stopping to wait for her to catch up.
“Keep moving,” she yelled over the roar of the river. “I’m fine.” As much as she wanted her security blanket of a man close, she knew there was no practical reason for him to stay in the river longer just to make her feel better.
He ignored her, still watching her progress as the water flowed around his tree-trunk thighs. She struggled to move faster to reach him, but a large shape upriver caught her attention. Turning her head, she caught a glimpse of the dark wood of the massive broken tree branch caught in the frothing current.
“Henry!” she shouted, pointing at the hazard, but he barely had time to turn his head before the branch struck him, knocking him sideways into the water.
Chapter 16
Her heart stalled out in her chest as Cara watched Henry go down, so stunned to see him fall that her own body swayed for a fraction of a second before she caught herself. He hit the water as she lunged toward him, but she was too far away, and her hands caught on nothing but air. In the next moment, her brain kicked in, and she didn’t have to rely on useless instinct.
