Page 3 of Riverbend Gap (Riverbend 1)

“I’m here. It’s okay. Everything’s going to be fine.”

He could have her evacuate while he weighted the rear. But even now the back wheels were suspended above the ground. He could feel the car wavering beneath him.

The car was in too precarious a position for her to move around. He needed a rescue wench. Which meant he needed a fire truck. Which meant he’d have to go for help.

“I’m going to ease off the car, okay, Katelyn? It might move a little, but you’re not going anywhere.”Please, God.

“Okay.” Her whispered prayers carried on the wind.

Cooper lowered his body until his feet touched the ground. Slowly, he removed his weight from the car. It bobbed beneath him like a fishing float.

Katelyn gasped.

Please God, he begged again as he carefully withdrew the last of his weight.The vehicle tottered slightly, then settled like an equally balanced scale.

He made his way back to the driver’s side. “Katelyn, you still with me?”

“Yes.” She was back in the driver’s seat, pressed back as far as she could go, staring through the windshield.

“Are your windows automatic?”

“Yes. Is now a good time to tell you I’m afraid of heights?”

“You’re not going to fall, Katelyn.”

“How—how big a drop is it? Are we talking your basic ravine or Half Dome?”

“Now see, you gotta have more faith in me than that. You’re hurting my feelings.”

She glanced at him, a flicker of humor in her eyes.

“We’re going to fasten your seat belt, okay? Let me do it.” He reached inside the window and grabbed the buckle. Then he stretched it across her, leaning in. The scent of her enveloped him—oranges and sunshine. He focused on the task when what he really wanted to do was study her face. The buckle slid into place with a click.

He leaned back, locking his gaze on hers. “All right, there we go. Listen, Katelyn... I’m going to need you to sit tight while I go for help.”

“No.Don’t go, please.”

“We have no phone,” he continued calmly. “And I have no way of securing the car.”

The look she turned on him melted him into a puddle. “Please don’t leave me.”

“I’ll just go as far as the road. Flag someone down and send them for help. I won’t be far away, and I won’t be gone long.” The road got a decent amount of traffic. But the day was wearing on, and he hadn’t heard a car pass yet.

Her eyes closed, her dark lashes fanning the tops of her cheeks. Her chest rose and fell fast, and her hands clutched the sides of the seat, knuckles blanched.

“Katelyn.” He leaned down until his face was inches from hers. “I need you to listen to me.”

Her eyes opened, vulnerable and afraid, and clung to his.

“Let me do my job, okay? I happen to be pretty good at it. As soon as I flag someone down I’ll be right back. You’ll keep me company, right?”

“I’m—I’m not exactly going anywhere.” Her lips wobbled in an attempted smile.

“That’s the spirit. I’ll be back soon.” He gave her a confident nod and started back through the thicket. “Think of all the things you’re going to tell me. I want to know everything about you—grisly details, skeletons in the closet, all the good stuff, okay?”

“Okay,” she called.

But he could barely hear her now. He was past the car and moving as quickly as he could, all the while thinking that the car—and its sweet little occupant—could plunge to the valley floor at any second.