Chapter 7

Dash

I was listening to the CB radio as I worked and intermittently kept watch over the second incoming storm which was predicted as being stronger and longer lasting than the one before. As I was listening, I heard a distress call.

A woman’s voice was repeating, “Please help. I’ve fallen on Eagle mountain, south ridge, near the summit. I’m hurt.” Her voice was calm but fearful.

The signal was strong which meant she must’ve been close. If she’d fallen and was hurt as she was reporting, she’d be dead by morning without help. The police scanner didn’t seem to hear her, or most likely her signal was too faint for them as they had a fire station at the base of the mountain. In these parts, the police and fire departments used the same scanner as their duties often overlapped.

She was in a real trouble. My heart exploded. I never imagined I’d be in a situation where someone might need my help. I couldn’t reveal myself and yet, I couldn’t let her die. I moved to the heat scanners in the media room to see if I could locate her. I found a human body less than a mile from the cabin, so she was near enough to reach before the worst of the storm broke.

I moved the heat sensor around to see if there were others near her, it could have been a trap; I trusted nothing and no one. As I searched, I only found burrowed woodland creatures readying themselves for the storm. She’d fallen into something deep as she was surrounded by cold blue lines, indicating a hole of some kind.

I knew that part of the hill very well; I was sure I could find her. It would’ve been better to call the police, but by the time they could get to her, it would be much later, and she might freeze waiting for them. Also, while Minnesota PD knew who and where I was, the local law enforcement did not. They were more of a tight-knit crew and less reliable when it came to keeping things top secret. They couldn’t be trusted with my life, so if I called them, I would have to explain a lot more than I cared to share. This left me with two choices: let her die and be responsible for yet another loss of human life, or risk everything to save her.

Of course, there really was only one choice.

Listening to her on the CB comforted me. She was still alive but her voice was losing steam and seemed dry and parched; I didn’t have much time. I had to go out there and help her now and if it was a trap of some kind, at least I’d die with a clear conscience. I grabbed my gun, some ropes, warm clothes, water, and a medical supply kit, shoved them in my backpack and went outside to get the sled in case I needed to bring her back to the house over rough terrain. I put on my climbing gear, tested my flashlight, and within minutes I was out in the snow, not knowing I was about to change my life entirely.

I searched with my hand-held thermal imaging camera so she would be easier to find. I hiked toward her distress call and was able to locate her easily. She was lodged deep in a small crevasse near the top of the mountain. The snow was thick and loose. This wasn’t a treacherous mountain or a hard climb for an experienced climber, but with thick loose snow and ice everywhere it would be easy to slip.

I saw her just over the ridge; she wasn’t moving much. The first thing I noticed was how beautiful and peaceful she looked lying there. Her face was ghostly white with deep red lips and billows of auburn hair pouring out from under her faux fur lined hood. I attached ropes to a sturdy tree and hoisted myself and the sled down.

She looked up at me and smiled, it was glorious; she looked like an angel. For the first time since losing my wife, I felt a tingle in my heart as if I was almost alive again.

“Hello,” I said.

She stared up at me and didn’t say anything, probably in shock.

“I’m going to move you onto the sled and get you out of here. Um… are you in pain, Miss?” I felt awkward and wished I hadn’t been so attracted to the poor injured woman. I couldn’t get thought of making love to her out of my head, it was distracting.

Sorry you fell and might be seriously hurt, but I can’t help thinking of having a nice glass of wine and a slow sensuous fuck by the fire. You up for that?

I laughed at myself and my ridiculousness; it’d been too long since I’d had the comfort of a beautiful woman. I refocused my attention and was able to move her onto the sled, tie her down and gently ease her out of the crevasse.

She moaned while I attended to her and I could see she was in a good deal of pain. She seemed disoriented and hazy, so I didn’t engage her in conversation. When I got her back to the cabin, I’d do a thorough exam and worry about next steps then.

It took about an hour to get her back to the cabin. The storm came in faster than I anticipated and the wind was whipping fiercely through the trees and the temperature had dropped several degrees. I raced as fast as I could as time was not on our side. When I was finally able to pull her over the threshold and shut the door, I felt a wave of relief overtake me.

She looked cold and exhausted, as she was drifting in and out of sleep on the sled. I figured the best thing to do was to move her into the bedroom for the evening. I gently picked her up and transferred her to the bed. I then removed her jacket and wet clothing. I noticed her ankle was swollen and bruised, but as I maneuvered it, I was happy to see it wasn’t broken. She had the softest skin, smooth and white. I left her satin lace panties and bra, but my heart was raging a war within me. I used every ounce of restraint to keep myself from peeling them off and sampling the subtle delights within.

This beautifully broken angel was going to be mine, I knew it. There was no way I was going to be able to keep myself away from her. Thank god, I was a gentleman for now. After snuggling her into the covers, I went into the kitchen to prepare some warm water and pain relievers. I still needed to do a more thorough examination, but she had my head spinning, so I needed a breath of air before I went into medic mode.

What was a woman doing by herself so far up on the mountain? She must have been completely out of her mind to climb before a storm. Who did that? Again, my paranoia ticked away at me, could she be a decoy or trap? Was it possible that this incredible woman was planted to smoke me out? I had to just trust my instincts and continue knowing I did the right thing rescuing her even though my nerves were electric with fear. I guess I’d have to wait for answers. She barely woke when I gave her the warm water and aspirin. She said something about Jesus then drifted back to sleep.

It was time for a stiff drink; there was no way I was going to make it through the night without one.

I turned on the CB to see if anyone was missing the woman, but the CB was mostly quiet. The storm was in full force now and no one was on the road. There was a stranded car on the police scanner, which I assumed was hers, but not much else was being said about it. Again, I panicked, what if law enforcement thought I was doing something scandalous?

I decided I needed to know more about her, so I opened the pack she was carrying and looked for a wallet or anything that would give me an indication of who she was. I found a worn leather wallet in her equally worn leather Coach bag. Imogen Grant. She had a child psychologists license and an ID from Minneapolis Children’s Health Network. I couldn’t help but fall a little deeper for the sleeping beauty, she was in the medical arts… a woman after my own heart.

I tried to power up her iPhone, but couldn’t unlock it. I figured that was a bit deeper level of privacy invasion, but I needed to let whoever might be waiting for her know she was here.