Page 98 of A Cowboy's Trust

She coiled their makeshift rope in her arms and headed for the road above them. “We need to go from directly above. Come on. I got the line.”

Jake scooped Jeffrey up. “Tansy. You okay?”

“Peachy.” The word was soft and slurred.

“Stay awake, baby.”

“‘Kay. Jake? Love you.”

This was not happening. “Love you too. Hold on tight. We’ll get to you in a jiffy.” Ignoring the urge to head over the edge right there, Jake shot up the hill after Petra.

Time had to be running out on their luck. How much longer could Tansy’s precarious perch last?

23

The throbbing in her head wasn’t going away. Then again, the pain meant she wasn’t dead at the bottom of the hill, so it had to count for something positive, Tansy decided.

If she could have thrown herself out of the car a couple of secondsbeforeZenBaby made impact instead of after, things would have been different. “Note to self. Next time, move faster.”

Please, God, let there be a next time for bad choices.

Her left leg throbbed in time with the pulse in her temple, but she’d already made the mistake of trying to adjust position once—nope. When she hit the ground and the ground had decided to hit back, something had definitely gonesnapin her shin.

Now that the adrenaline rush was over, the numbness in her brain was helpful. It meant things didn’t hurt quite as much as they should. But the wholehead lower than the rest of her bodyposition meant she was beginning to see spots in front of her eyes.

Then suddenly, she saw the face of an angel. If angels looked like Ryan Zhao, one of the Heart Falls fire hall volunteers.

“This is a new one for you, Tans.” His hands moved rapidly, but his smile stayed firmly in place. Something clicked at her waistline, and he breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re attached to a lifeline now. If the cliff goes, we’ll swing a little, but you’re safe.”

“Excellent.” The word came out slightly slurred. Tansy’s tongue didn’t seem to fit in her mouth anymore. “How’s Jeffrey?”

“Better than you,” Ryan assured her, reaching for the spinal board dangling to his right. “This part will get a little awkward. Feel free to scream if you need to.”

“Can’t.” Tansy grit her teeth as Ryan slipped the board into position beside her. “Can’t scare Jake.”

Ryan chuckled. “Interesting he’s the one you’re worried about.”

“He loves me,” Tansy informed Ryan.

“So I hear. Brace yourself. Moving on three. Ready?”

Oh God, this was going to hurt. Tansy counted with Ryan and breathed out as he slid her onto the board. The scream behind her teeth stayed there from sheer willpower, a gritted growl escaping instead.

Sometime during the strapping in process, Tansy let the darkness wash over her.

The next thing she felt was coolness on her skin and the sound of gentle beeping in the background. A tentative inhale brought the scent of antiseptic and a marked ache in her ribs. “Gah.”

“Tansy?”

Fingers tightened on her hand. Tansy blinked to discover familiar blue eyes in a worried face hovering beside her. “It’s you.”

“Thank God you’re awake.” Jake cupped her face tenderly with one hand, clinging to her hand with the other. “Jeffrey’s safe.”

She’d been about to ask. “Good. That’s good. No, that’s wonderful.”

“It is. You, on the other hand? You’ve got a broken tibia. It was a clean break and set well. Other than that, how do you feel?”

Tansy took a moment to do a real assessment. Aches and pains danced over her body, her palms were scraped, and her lower left leg was definitely in a cast. She glanced around the hospital room, gaze hesitating on the mystery man who stood in the open doorway. His outfit clearly said cop, and his feet were braced wide and hands clasped in front of him. While he wasn’t staring, he was most definitely keeping an eye on her and Jake.