Page 97 of A Cowboy's Trust

“She’s there?”

“Driver’s seat of Tansy’s SUV. Sort of driver’s seat—she got tossed. Christ, this is a mess.” Aiden took a deep breath. “I’ve checked again. She’s not breathing, and there’s no heartbeat. She’s gone.”

Maybe Jake should have felt something other than numb at that news, but terror and fear for Tansy and Jeffrey outweighed everything. “Keep looking for a way to access the hill. Or at the least, stop them if they fall.”

An impossible task, but Aiden was kind enough to not tell him that. “Be smart, bro. Think through every move.”

“Jake, I got the cables.” Petra inched her way toward him.

“Call for help,” Jake told Aiden before shoving his phone away and motioning Petra forward. “You feel like a little climbing?”

“Sure.” Petra stopped a foot away, watching as he pulled his belt free from his pants and offered it to her. “Excellent. Double knot the cable to it in the back, and you can anchor me so I can see what it looks like.”

“Jeffrey says he’s not on firm ground, and I heard Tansy.”

Petra’s eyes widened as she tightened the belt around her waist. “She’s here?”

“Partway down. Not out of danger yet,” Jake said softly. “You don’t take risks, okay? Just…check it out first.”

As much as he desperately needed Tansy and Jeffrey to be safe, if anything happened to Petra, Aiden wouldn’t survive.

Petra squeezed Jake’s arm. “I’ll do everything I can.”

Jake double-looped the end of the cable around his forearm and gripped the bendy plastic as tightly as possible. Bracing back slightly in case Petra slipped, he spoke to Jeffrey. “Hold on tight and watch. If anything starts to move, tell us to stop. Can you do that?”

“Yup.” Jeffrey glanced over his shoulders. “Tansy?”

“I’m here, kiddo. Just hanging out.”

God. Only Tansy could joke at a time like this.

“We’re coming to get you, Tans. Don’t move,” Jake ordered.

“Not moving is a good idea. I think I’m stuck. And partly broken.”

Petra had made it about five steps away from Jake, and she peered over the edge, a soft laugh escaping. It sounded a hell of a lot more forced than usual, but it still helped. “You’re upside down, my friend. Stuck is good for a few more minutes.”

“All the blood in my body is pooling in my brain,” Tansy began before stopping. “Maybe hurry? I just felt something shift.”

“Hurrying, I promise.” Petra eased onto her belly, one leg over the edge as she wiggled toward Jeffrey. “Hey, bud. As soon as I reach you, grab on and climb, okay? Jake has me tight, so you go right ahead and climb like a monkey.”

The booster cables were the longest on the market, but Jake was rapidly running out of his makeshift rope. “How much farther?” he asked Petra.

“Another arm’s length.” Petra cursed softly. “Jeffrey, look at me. I need you to hold out your hand.”

“The rock is wiggling,” Jeffrey whispered.

“I see it. But I’m nearly there. Hold on?—”

Sudden weight hit the cord as Petra vanished, nearly jerking Jake off his feet. Jeffrey yipped sharply before the sound cut off.

“Petra,” Jake roared.

“We’re good. I got him. I got you, kiddo. It’s okay.” Petra spoke loudly to be heard over Jeffrey’s crying. Jake ignored everything as he dug his heels into the dirt and pulled the cable up hand over hand.

Petra’s head popped over the edge, and a second later, Jeffrey scrambled over her shoulders, headed straight for Jake. A second later he had a death grip on Jake’s neck.

“Let me get Petra—” Jake began, but Petra cut him off, crawling on her hands and knees.