Chapter 2
Victoria
I swear I hear voices, but there’s also a solid chance I’m hallucinating. I’m not even certain I’m awake as I blink my eyes open and stare up at the sky. It’s so blue. Isn’t it bluer than usual? Was it always this blue? Again, I’m probably hallucinating.
The sun is up. It’s bright out. It’s probably mid-morning. How long was I asleep? Groaning, I toss a hand over my eyes to block the piercingly bright rays. I’m going to get burned if I lie here much longer.
That thought makes me almost laugh. If I had the energy, maybe I would cackle. Getting a sunburn would be the least of my problems. If someone doesn’t find me today, I’ll die in this ravine.
How long will it take for them to find my body? Years, most likely. I’ll just be a pile of bones eventually. Though animals will probably eat my carcass and carry my bones away, scattering them all over the desert floor.
I shudder at the morbid thought, but it’s probably accurate. I lift my head, wincing as I stare at my injured leg. It doesn’t hurt very badly anymore, but I might be in shock.
Again, I hear voices. This time, I’m more confident they’re real. Jerking my head around, I try to see anything at all.
Yell. What the fuck are you doing? Scream!
“Hello?” My voice comes out too weak. I clear my throat and try again. “Hello? Is anyone up there?” I think I’m louder this time. “Hello? I’m down here. Hello?”
The voices grow stronger. They’re getting close.
“Help!” I shout as loud as I can. “I need help!”
Suddenly, I see a figure above me. Movement. And then, “Is someone down there?” A man’s head comes into view.
“Yes! Please, can you help me?” I push with all my strength to try to sit up, but I don’t have the energy. All I can do is wave my hands, hoping they will see me.
“Fuck. Reagan. There’s a woman in this ravine.”
“Seriously?” Another head comes into view. A woman. Thank goodness.
I almost giggle. I’m so fucking relieved. I may hate my life, but I don’t want to die alone in the desert. “Please…” My voice has no oomph behind it. It’s like I used all my energy crying out for help, and now I have nothing left.
Breathing heavily, I set the back of my arm over my eyes again. After that minimal exertion, I’m close to passing out. I’m overheated and so thirsty. In the end, dehydration would have killed me before the heat did.
But there are more voices now. Several of them. I’m not going to die here.
“Ma’am?”
“Yes?” I’m confident I say that out loud, but it’s so soft I doubt anyone above me can hear.
A male voice shouts, “Hang tight. I’m coming down. It’s going to take me a few minutes. I need to find a better place to descend where it’s not so steep.”
“Okay.” Again, I doubt he hears me. People keep talking. Women. All the voices are female now. I find myself fading in and out of consciousness. Now that my fear of dying has eased, my body is relaxing. Or maybe I’m making that up.
I don’t know how much time passes before a shadow crosses over me. A gentle hand lands on my shoulder. “I’m here.”
If I could make tears, I would. All I manage is a soft, “Thank you.”
“What’s your name?”
“Vicky,” I murmur.
“Okay, Vicky. My name is Blaze. I’m going to get you out of here. Can you look at me?”
I move my arm and blink up at him. Sheesh. I must be completely delusional because I’m pretty sure he’s the sexiest man I’ve ever seen. That’s ridiculous.
He stares into my eyes for long seconds, slowly smiling. “Looks like you’re trapped. Do you think anything is broken?”
I shake my head. “No. I don’t think my right leg is injured at all. I got that gash on my left leg as I slid down the embankment, but when I reached the bottom, I hit this dead tree so hard that it cracked and fell on top of me. I tried to lift it, but it never budged. My right leg is pinned.”
He pulls a pack off his back and sets it next to me before holding something up to my lips. “It’s water. All I have is my Camelback. Can you drink for me?”
I accept the mouthpiece and suck. Ohmygod. Nothing has ever tasted so good in my life. It’s even cold. I’m so thirsty that I drink and drink.
His hand comes to my cheek. “Good girl. Slow down a bit so you don’t get sick.”
I finally release the nozzle, panting from renewed exertion. “Thank you.”
“How long have you been down here, Vicky?”
“Since yesterday afternoon. I tripped, lost my footing, and tumbled down the hill. I used my shirt to wrap the wound.” I lift my head to look at my calf again and wince. My tank top is soaked with dark blood.
My shirt was all I had with me to cover the gash. It was white. Thank goodness I was also wearing a sports bra, otherwise, I suppose I’d be lying here mostly naked now.
“So you’ve been here all night. I’m so sorry. You must have been scared out of your mind.” His voice is calm and kind. He’s not yelling at me for my stupidity either. I appreciate that. I know I’m an idiot, but I don’t need anyone to point that out to me right now. It’s super clear.
“I thought I was going to die here,” I admit, my lips trembling as emotions overwhelm me.
“You’re not going to die, baby. I promise.” He stands. “I’m going to lift this branch off you.”
I want to scream as he easily moves the tree from over the top of me, freeing me. He lifted it like it weighed ten ounces. I couldn’t get it to budge.
Dropping my head back, I sigh. “Guess I need to hit the gym more often.”
He smiles at me. “I don’t think any amount of weightlifting would have helped. You didn’t have the leverage from under the limb. Don’t beat yourself up.”
“Limb?” My voice squeaks. “That’s the entire tree. I plowed into the trunk, which caused it to fall.”
He gives me a crooked smile. “Okay. True. But it’s just a baby tree.”
“A dead baby tree,” I argue. I have no idea why I’m being disagreeable. I’m just so mad at myself that I feel like I need to make excuses for my predicament.
Blaze lifts my good leg—the one that was pinned—and carefully bends it. “Are you sure it’s not injured?”
I shake my head. “No. It’s fine. Probably bruised.” I look down to see that a large blue circle has already formed on my thigh.
Blaze gently sets my leg down before opening his pack and holding up a first-aid kit. Not a small one either. A hefty, padded red box with a white plus on it. Who hikes with something that large?
Blaze… What an apt name. He’s on fire. He has thick blond hair, cut tight on the sides, and a trimmed beard and mustache. He’s probably twice my age. I’m in no state to be drooling over a man, but damn.
“Are you with some kind of search-and-rescue team?”
He chuckles, the sound going straight to my pussy. I’m probably feverish, and yet he’s awakening something in me I’ve never felt before. Madness. I need to get a grip before I say something stupid. And did he call me baby?
“No. I’m with a tour group this morning. Just tagging along. The guide is my cousin’s wife. She gave me her first-aid kit.”
I nod.
He scoots down my body and leans over my leg. “How bad is this cut, Vicky? Looks like you’ve lost a lot of blood.”
“I’m not sure. I don’t think it’s deep, but it bled for a while. I covered it as fast as I could. I haven’t touched it since.”
“Okay. I’m going to see if I can remove your shirt and wrap it in gauze. You just look at the sky. Can you do that for me, Vicky?”
“Yes,” I whisper. I’m holding back tears by a thread. I’m not even sure why. I think it’s the combination of being dehydrated and relieved, in addition to the fact that some sort of god has arrived to rescue me.
What if I’m actually dead instead and this man is an actual god? I nix that possibility the moment he lifts my shirt off my leg. Wincing from the pain caused by the wound partially tugging open, I grit my teeth. Surely it wouldn’t hurt if I were dead.
Blaze works fast, removing my blood-soaked shirt and replacing it with gauze.
I hold my breath as he lifts my leg to wrap the soft protective material around and around my calf.
“I’m going to add an Ace bandage now. It will be tight. I don’t want you to lose any more blood.”
A female voice calls down from above us. “Blaze? How is she?”
He tips his head back to respond. “She cut her leg. I’m wrapping it up, and then I’ll carry her out of here.”
“Do you need me to get more help?”
“No. I’ll be able to carry her up the way I came down.”
“It’s nearly a mile back to the car,” the woman says.
Blaze meets my gaze and smirks. Smirks? Like we have a secret between us that his friend up on the path isn’t privy to. “She’s barely a hundred pounds. I’ll be fine.”
He holds the nozzle to my lips again. “Drink some more water, baby.”
I take the rubber tip in my mouth and suck.
He picks up the empty plastic water bottle next to me. “Is this all you had with you?” It’s the first indication he’s about to reprimand me.
“Yes,” I murmur, my cheeks heating with embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to be gone long. I thought I would just take a walk and clear my head before I checked into my bed and breakfast.”
“Does anyone know you were out here?”
“No,” I whisper, looking away.
“You have a bed and breakfast reserved in Wilde?”
“Yes. I mean, I did. I was supposed to check in last night.”
He nods. His brow is furrowed as his lips part again, but he says nothing. I’m certain he’s holding back a lecture. One I deserve.
“I know. I’m stupid.”
He flinches. “You made poor choices, Vicky. That doesn’t make you stupid. Don’t talk about yourself like that,” he reprimands.
My breath hitches as I stare into his intense deep blue eyes. He doesn’t look away from me. In fact, he strokes my cheek again. His voice is lower when he says, “I don’t want to hear that word again.”
I shudder. He’s still holding my gaze. I feel oddly chastised, but in a way that makes me feel…cherished? That makes no sense. I’m definitely inventing things in my head. My brain is addled from lack of water and fear.
“Did you drive here, Vicky?”
I like it better when he calls me baby. I hate my name. “Yes. My car is up by the restrooms.”
“Silver Corolla?”
“Yes.”
“I saw it when we started our hike. I assumed someone had come out earlier than us.”
I blow out a breath. “A lot earlier. Yesterday, in fact.”
He chuckles. “At least you still have your humor.” He picks up my small backpack and opens it. “The only thing in here is your car keys.” His gaze is a bit more accusatory when he meets mine this time.
“There was a water bottle in there, too,” I point out.
He growls. Every one of his reactions is… I can’t put my finger on it. It’s as though he cares about me specifically and he’s frustrated with my bad choices.
“Look, I know I’m an idiot. Believe me. There’s nothing you could possibly say that would pound that into my head any more than the lectures I gave myself all night long while I lay here wondering how long it would take me to die.
You look like you want to spank me, and frankly, I’m okay with that.
If you get me out of this mess, I’ll gladly let you do just that.
You can lecture me to your heart’s content. I deserve it.”
I don’t know where the hell those thoughts came from or what possessed me to blurt them out. Spank me? I’ve lost my marbles.
“How old are you, Vicky?” His eyes narrow farther.
“Twenty-one.”
He blows out a breath as if he’s relieved. “Thank fuck,” he mutters.
I don’t know what that is all about, but he doesn’t give me a chance to answer.
He tucks everything inside his pack, including my small one, the empty water bottle, and my bloody shirt.
Next, he holds up a wrapped bar of some sort.
“I bet you could use something to eat, too.” He opens it and hands it to me.
My stomach growls. Suddenly, I’m famished. I take it from him and bite off a third of it. It’s a protein bar. Ordinarily, it would probably taste like sawdust, but I’m so hungry it’s heavenly.
He strokes a lock of hair from my face. “Slow down. Don’t choke. I don’t want to have to perform the Heimlich maneuver this morning.”
Ignoring his attempt at a joke, I moan around the bar and finish it off.
Blaze comes to his feet, squatting next to me. “I’m going to lift you now. Can you wrap your hands around my neck?”
Gladly.