Page 18 of High Country Escape

“That’s your crush’s name—Roxanne?” Carter pocketed his phone. “If this is her, I’ll get to meet her.”

Dalton shut off the water while Carter coiled the hoses and tucked the rest of the cleaning supplies out of the way. Then they piled into Carter’s Jeep and raced to search and rescue headquarters.

A dozen volunteers milled around the headquarters building by the time Carter and Dalton arrived, including their sister, Bethany. She hurried to join them, her dark curls pulled back in a high ponytail. Bethany had been the first to join Eagle Mountain Search and Rescue, something she didn’t hesitate to remind her brothers if she thought they were being too cocky.

“Hey, Bethany,” Dalton said. “How’s it going?”

“Business is booming. I probably shouldn’t have left Ian alone, but I hated to miss out.” She glanced over her shoulder at her fellow volunteers, who were gathering around their captain, Danny Irwin.

“Nobody wants to miss out,” Carter said and led his siblings to the meeting up front.

Carter was right. As tough as search and rescue work could be sometimes—both physically and mentally—it was also compelling. No one wanted to miss the dramatic momentsothers would talk about for years. And even something as routine as this supposed sprained ankle could turn risky if reaching the injured person required negotiating dangerous terrain.

“We have a female in the canyon with an ankle injury,” Danny said. “Says she’s unable to walk and get out on her own. She doesn’t have any water or emergency supplies with her.”

“How did she get down in there?” Ryan asked. “There aren’t any hiking trails in that area, and there’s no good climbing routes, either.”

“Not sure,” Danny said. “We’ll have to figure out how to get down to her when we get there.”

“What’s her name?” Carter asked.

Dalton glanced at his brother. He had wanted to ask that question, but hadn’t wanted to call attention to himself.

“Don’t know,” Danny said. “We’ll find out when we get there.”

They caravanned in several vehicles to County Road 3. They were several miles from Roxanne’s house, Dalton decided, as Carter pulled his Jeep in behind Grace Wilcox’s Subaru. Danny was already standing at the edge of the road, peering down into the canyon. “The slope isn’t too bad here,” he said when the others had gathered alongside him. He indicated a faint path, probably made by wildlife. “We can work our way down through there. Watch out for loose rock.” He pulled out his phone and punched in a number. Moments later, a woman’s voice answered. “Hello?”

“This is Captain Danny Irwin with Eagle Mountain Search and Rescue. We’re on our way into the canyon right now. Can you give me an idea of your location?”

“Um, I’m by some scraggly trees with orange and brown leaves. There’s a bunch of rocks.”

The rescuers exchanged looks. The canyon was filled with rocks and the scrub oak she was describing.

“Look up to the canyon rim,” Danny said. “Can you see any houses or any unique rock formations?”

“Let’s see. There’s this sort of ledge of rock sticking out from the side of the canyon. No houses. Oh, and there’s a really tall pine tree.”

“I think I know where she’s talking about,” Ryan said.

“Sit tight and we’ll be there as soon as we can,” Danny said. “How’s the ankle?”

“It’s really swollen and it really hurts.”

“We’re on our way.”

Ryan led the volunteers into the canyon. At the bottom, he turned west and they began bushwhacking through thick oak brush, thin, vine-like branches grabbing at their clothes and rocks shifting beneath their feet. “Not exactly an easy hike,” Grace commented. “What do you think she was doing down here?”

“Maybe she wanted to photograph the leaves,” Deni said.

“Or she saw a cute animal and followed it in,” Sheri Stevens said. “I remember a call for a lost hiker and it turned out he had decided to follow a bobcat to try to get a photo and ended up with no idea how to get back to the trail.”

After twenty minutes of fending off scratching brush and maneuvering around rocks, someone at the head of the line shouted. Moments later, Dalton and his siblings joined the volunteers gathered around a woman with dark red hair. “Debra?” Dalton asked.

Debra looked over at him. “Oh, hi, Dalton. What are you doing here?”

Aware that everyone had turned to look at him, Dalton felt his ears burning. “I’m with search and rescue,” he said. “Are you okay?”

“I hurt my ankle.” She gestured toward her left foot, which was propped on a rock in front of her, her hiking boot on its side on the ground below.