Page 2 of Fool Me (Timberline Peak #1)

CHAPTER

TWO

HARLOWE

It’s hard to believe somebody’s worst day could be this pretty. But life has taught me you’re most vulnerable when your guard is down.

Matt, the hiker we’re out here for, didn’t plan on needing to be rescued today.

Wide-open blue skies called, and he set out on a hike without a care in the world.

It’s twelve miles out and back to Caribou Basin.

Stunning wildflowers and a chance to see wildlife make it popular with backpackers and day hikers. The hike is hard but rewarding.

If Matt hadn’t broken his ankle and been stuck out here with no shade or water, it would have been one hell of a day.

“You’re an angel,” Matt says, his teeth chattering as he stares past me at the bright blue sky. “Maybe my ex was right and I am an uninteresting snoozefest, but at least I got a story out of it—I got saved by the prettiest girl in Wyoming.”

“Not an angel,” I say with a laugh, pushing back the sleeve of his overpriced Dri-FIT shirt.

My fingers press into his wrist, finding clammy skin and a thready pulse.

Echo, my search-and-rescue dog, whines, pressing his nose into my side.

“Exes are exes for a reason, and it sounds like you’re better off. ”

“She was right,” he says, dejectedly. “I’ve got no business being out here. I should have stuck to video games. What kind of idiot pops his water bladder when he’s stuck on the trail in the sun with a busted ankle?”

“More people than you think.” My arm comes away damp when I swipe the sweat from my forehead. There’s a huff as Echo plops down in the dirt next to me, finding a spot in the shade that we moved Matt to. “Good boy.”

God, it’s hot—hotter than the forecast called for. The temperature has been climbing all day, and it’s even hotter here in the basin. We’re prepared for any conditions, but this is the first day this summer that the temps have climbed so high, taking all of us by surprise.

Focusing on Matt, who’s most definitely not just dealing with a broken ankle like he thought when he called nine-one-one earlier today, I resume assessing him.

“I don’t know, you sure look like an angel. Plus, you’re here to save me and your hair is glowing,” he slurs.

“If you look real close, you’ll see the braids are there to hide her horns,” Travis, our grizzly Incident Commander, says into the radio from a few feet away.

Unmistakable raspy laughter comes through the radio, like my dad is sitting right next to me instead of at his desk in the command center, and then he’s rattling off questions about Matt’s condition and our location.

Even in the midst of everything else, that thought makes my chest swell with pride.

James Corbin taught me everything I know about leadership and dedication, and I just hope that when it’s my turn, the team trusts me to lead the way he does.

I glare at Travis, but it’s all in fun. If I could have picked anyone to take over for my dad in the field since the avalanche two years ago, it would be him.

Our team is closer than ever after almost losing my dad, and being the last line of defense when someone’s life is on the line is hard enough.

If you don’t respect and trust the people you’re going through the unthinkable with, you’re not going to last long in wilderness search and rescue.

Conrad, our third, sets the medical kit down next to Matt and immediately gets to work stabilizing his ankle, securing it with a splint to prevent further injury.

“Ice packs,” I say when he’s done.

Matt shakes his head, his whole body trembling. “No. I’m already cold.” His teeth chatter, but his skin is burning up.

“You’re dehydrated and overheated from sitting in the sun all day,” I explain, keeping my tone even so I don’t freak him out. I take the ice pack and scissors from Conrad. “It’ll feel cold, but your body needs help cooling down.”

Gripping Matt’s shirt at the hem, I roll it up.

“You’re not going to cut it, are you? My ex, Kayla, bought it for me and it’s my favorite.”

“The one who called you a snoozefest?” Conrad raises an eyebrow at Matt.

“The one and only.” Matt turns from Conrad to me. “She had pretty hair like you. But I think you’re probably nicer. Cut the shirt.”

“You heard the man. The shirt goes,” Conrad says.

“You’re sure?” I ask Matt, happy to do this for him if it helps heal him in a different way.

“Fuck, yeah. Cut it.” His voice trembles, but his eyes are filled with conviction. And when the trauma shears slice his shirt, Matt grins triumphantly.

I place the ice packs, and next to me, Echo whines again, pulling my focus.

“Trav!” I holler noticing the drool around Echo’s mouth. “A hand, please.”

Travis kneels next to me, radio still in-hand.

“We need an air evac,” I tell him, confident in my assessment and letting my intuition take over. “Can you help Conrad while I check on Echo?”

Travis takes my place beside Matt, who’s stable for the moment, and I shift my attention to Echo.

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.