Page 9 of High Country Escape
“I don’t know. I’m not good at guessing ages. Maybe late forties. Early fifties?”
“How tall?”
“Shorter than me. Stocky—with broad shoulders. Maybe five-eight or five-nine.”
“Can you tell me his eye color? Any distinguishing characteristics?”
Dalton shook his head. “No. I didn’t see him that long.”
“Did he have an accent? What did he sound like?”
“He asked me who I was—or rather, he demanded to know. But I didn’t hear any particular accent. I told him I was with search and rescue and he glared at me, shoved me over, ran to his truck and drove away.” Dalton looked in the direction of the retreating ambulance. “What is this all about?”
“Roxanne may be the only one who can answer that question.”
He wanted to see Roxanne again, but after today, would she want to see him? Maybe she would associate him with an upsetting incident. Once again, he had no idea what to say. Computers were so much easier to figure out than other people.
“You don’t havea concussion. That’s good news.” The emergency room doctor, a young Hispanic woman with a braid of black hair and kind eyes, smiled at Roxanne. “You’re probably going to be pretty sore, but rest, ice and anti-inflammatories should help your shoulder feel better in a couple of weeks. See your regular doctor if you have any further problems.”
“I don’t have a regular doctor,” Roxanne said. “I just moved here.”
“Then make an appointment with the clinic in Eagle Mountain. They should be able to help you.” The doctor stood, preparing to leave. “Do you have someone who can pick you up and take you home?”
No. She had no one. Knew no one. “I’ll find someone,” she said. A taxi or an Uber, maybe? Did they have those in Eagle Mountain?
The doctor left. Roxanne sat on the side of the gurney, wondering what to do. She ached all over, but worse was the fear that made her heart gallop every time she closed her eyes and remembered William Ledger’s face. He had been smiling—the way he used to smile. Pretending to be so caring, but he had never cared about anything but making her do what he wanted. She would never forget that smile, even if it was set in an older face.
“Ms. Byrne? There’s someone here to see you.” She opened her eyes and saw a slight man in scrubs looking at her curiously. She looked past him and recognized Dalton Ames. He wasn’t wearing the black-framed glasses he had on when she had first met him, but was otherwise the same. “Dalton?” She stood. “What are you doing here?”
“Danny told me you probably wouldn’t be kept at the hospital,” he said. “So I came to see how you were doing. I thought you might need a ride home.”
“Yes, I need a ride. That...that’s so thoughtful. How did you...?” She frowned and shook her head. “I remember now. You were there. By my car. Talking to me.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t climb up there and get you out right away,” he said. “But it wouldn’t have been safe for either of us.”
She shuddered, thinking how precarious her position must have been. “Just knowing someone was there, and that help was on the way, was good,” she said. “Thank you.”
“How are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m sore, but the doctor says I don’t have a concussion.”
“Still, something like that must have shaken you up,” he said. When she didn’t reply right away, he added, “But you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
She nodded. “Thanks for understanding.” Of course he was curious. People always were. But once they knew what had happened to her, they always saw her differently. She didn’t want that with this man. Not yet.
“When you’re ready, we can go,” he said.
He waited while she gathered her belongings, then an aide with a wheelchair transported her to the hospital’s front door, where she was allowed to stand and walk on her own. Dalton hovered at her side. He didn’t touch her, but she sensed he was prepared to catch her if she started to fall. It was comforting, having him standing there.
She felt a little unsteady, but she didn’t fall, and soon they were standing beside a bright red Jeep withAlpine JeepToursstenciled in the back window. “My parents own a Jeep tour and rental business,” he said when he noticed her reading the sign. “I guide for them and usually drive one of our fleet when I’m not working.”
“So, you give guided tours?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He offered a shy smile. “Maybe I can give you a tour sometime, since you’re new to the area. We take people into the mountains, show them the scenery, visit ghost towns and old mines and share some of the history of the area.”
“I thought you worked in IT,” she said. Wasn’t that what May had said?
“I handle all the computer stuff for the Jeep business.” He held the passenger door open for her and she slid in, then he walked around to the driver’s seat. “And I design software. I designed the reservation system my parents use, and the via ferrata across town is using it now. Of course, my sister is marrying the owner of that place, so it’s not like it was a hard sell. But I’ve got other businesses interested in it. And right now I’m working on software for first responders. Eagle Mountain Search and Rescue is beta testing the program.”