Chapter 2
Two
The ground beneath Ryder Goodwin moved, dropping away until he was swimming upstream through the churning muck.
Gripping the thick fallen branch, he refused to let go of the struggling slide victim.
Muscles burning, Ryder hauled them both out of the violent flow of debris and rolled onto solid ground.
That was too close.
Along with the roar of the liquefied earth pouring into the river below, the sound of the waterfall filled his ears.
Heart still pounding, he caught his breath.
The river was one thing, but the mudslide would have taken them both under and out.
Failure wasn’t an option. And it pained him to the core that, yes, in the past, he’d failed when it mattered most.
Ryder pushed up and hovered over the muddy body he’d saved from certain death. Realization dawned. A woman stared up at him. Covered in mud, she looked beyond haggard.
He had to look equally awful. “Are you okay?”
Her caramel-brown eyes flashed bright. “I’ll be better once I can breathe.”
Oh. He hadn’t meant to hurt her. He rolled away to lie on his back. Looking up, he let the raindrops that found a way through the dense canopy hit him in the face and wash away the mud. He took a split second to even out his breathing and think clearly.
Then he pushed to his feet. “This ground isn’t stable. We need to move.” He’d stated the obvious, but in case she had any questions, he’d made it clear.
Ryder grabbed her slick hand and assisted her up.
He looked her over and spotted a few scrapes. Probably bruises too. More importantly . . . “Anything broken?”
“No obvious injuries.” She glanced in the direction of the river and frowned. “It could have been worse.”
Once the mud was washed away, she could confirm that it wasn’t worse.
Until then, adrenaline might hide her pain.
She lifted her face to the sky to let rain wash away the mud as she raked her hair out of her face.
At the moment he was uncertain of the true color, but he could guess it was dark brown to go with her eyes.
She coughed and spit mud out of her mouth.
His small backpack had survived the battle with nature, so he pulled out a canteen. “Here.”
She grabbed it. Swished water around and spit. Then drank from the canteen. She blinked at him with eyelids caked in mud as if she might be bashful.
“Looks like you kept your backpack,” he said. “Do you need anything? I can help you out of it.”
“I’m good, thanks.” Her voice held a surprisingly commanding tone.
“Let’s go.” Ryder assessed the terrain—he didn’t want to walk them into another threat—then started toward the safest path.
The woman balked instead of falling in behind him. “What just happened here?”
“I’ll explain everything as we hike. Are you good to go?”
She tilted her face, looked at him hard and long. Sizing him up to decide if she could trust the man who’d just saved her life?
“Yes,” she said. “Lead the way. Guide me out of here.”
Guide her? Her use of that word surprised him, as if she knew who he was. But he’d never seen her before. His picture wasn’t on the website, was it? He’d asked that his information be removed.
Trekking between the trees at an angle, he ascended the rise. At least the rain had stopped for the moment, though it left them cold and wet when they needed warmth.
“Shouldn’t we be descending? You know, heading to town?” She brushed a clump of mud from her sleeve.
“We’re taking the safest path.” Ryder scanned the slope ahead. “I’ve been out here for a couple of days, keeping an eye on the terrain, watching for new cracks or places where the ground’s giving way.” Although, he hadn’t seen this mudslide coming.
She stopped. “Wait . . . are you a scientist?”
He kept walking, boots stepping firm in the slick loam. “Nope. Just tracking safety conditions. Seasonal runoff shifts, new cracks, you name it.” The kind of stuff hikers didn’t notice until it was too late.
And she followed. “That sounds like you’re a scientist to me.”
“I’m a wilderness guide.” The words slid out as if he was still guiding.
He hadn’t taken on clients in two years.
“Or . . . I was. Now I’m a wilderness safety consultant.
” He worked with the county sheriff’s office search and rescue, taking care of route planning and gear assessments.
He was just the guy they called when something didn’t add up or when no one else wanted to go that far off-trail.
“Besides the mudslide, what exactly have you seen that you’re going to report?” she asked.
Why so interested? Or was this just conversation to help her forget her near-death experience? “I can’t interpret what any of it means, but I’ve seen a pattern—small shifts, fresh breaks. This ridge is on edge.”
She stopped in her tracks, and he paused, finally turning to her. Took in her athletic build and determined jaw beneath the smattering of mud that remained on her face.
Her eyes scanned the valley below. “Do we need to be worried? Should I bother staying in Mercy Ridge?”
“It’s normal for the region. It’s monitored because, yes, sometimes things go sideways.”
“In case it becomes not normal.” She looked at him then. Really looked.
“Exactly.”
“What about the road?”
“I’ll report the mudslide and the other findings as mentioned to the ranger district and sheriff’s department.
We’ll see what happens. It’s not my job to make heads or tails of it.
” Ryder got them on the move again. Despite what he’d said, he carried an unscientific feel for the land he knew well, and right now a deep dread was growing in his gut.
But that wasn’t considered science, and he wouldn’t talk about it.
“But it is your job to decide if it’s safe for hikers,” she said. This woman was persistent. What more did she want from him? “You know something. I can tell that you have your own read. So, what’s your take?”
“For now, the rain could explain it—but I don’t love what I’m seeing. Now, let’s keep going.”
“You know where you’re going, then, taking us up the hill?” she asked.
Her easy breaths confirmed that she was in shape and athletic, not just in appearance. Very few people were these days. But her question surprised him and brought him back to the point he’d been going to make.
“We’ll head toward stable ground, then make our way down to Mercy Ridge. I assume that’s where you hiked from.”
“Sure.”
Sure? What did that mean? “Unless you hadn’t finished your trek and the slide interrupted you. I’d recommend calling it a day.”
“Town works for me,” she said. “The sooner we get there, the better.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” He was glad they’d moved on to a new topic. He’d prefer no conversation at all while he considered the mudslide and the stability issues.
“My name’s Sarah, by the way,” she said.
He should have introduced himself to begin with, but to be fair, they’d both been shaken. “Nice to meet you, Sarah. I’m Ryder Goodwin.”
“Oh? I read about the town. Matthias Goodwin is the founder. Any relation?”
“Yup. He’s my great-grandfather.”
The rain picked up again—great—heavier this time, and Ryder gazed up at the hill they were ascending.
“Maybe the rain will wash off the mud completely before we get to town,” she said. “I’m just trying to stay positive. It’s colder out here than I thought, but at least the movement keeps us warm.”
Exactly. He focused ahead. “We need to make that rocky outcropping just over there. Can you keep up?”
“Yes.”
He picked up the pace, weaving his way through the foliage, which wasn’t as thick here, so they could move faster. Half an hour later, they trudged across the parking lot of the local dollar store at the edge of town, just past the big Mercy Ridge welcome sign.
“I hope nobody pays attention to us,” she said. “We look like we just finished the world champion mud wrestling event.”
He laughed. “Who would they think won?”
“Who won? That’s what you think about?” She stopped walking and turned to look at him as her lips curled into a beautiful smile.
He wanted to see her whole unmuddied face. “Well, you made the comparison.”
“There’s no doubt it would be me.” Her teeth flashed white, then she suddenly dropped the smile. “In all seriousness—thank you.”
She gave a slight shudder. Yeah, his mind had gone there too. Both their bodies could be washing down the river. Who knows if they would ever be found.
She stepped closer and peered up at him. “You risked your life for me. You didn’t have to do that, you know.”
“You’re welcome.” Saving someone wasn’t anything he stopped to think about. “I’ll escort you wherever you’re staying.”
“How do you know I’m not a local?” she asked.
While he was only guessing . . . “You mentioned reading about the town. Just your reaction, really.”
“That’s right.” She took a couple of steps away. “I did give myself away. Well, thanks for getting me out of this mess.”
She was about to turn and walk away, but she paused as her gaze lifted to look over his shoulder at something behind him. Almost imperceptibly, her eyes widened with a look of fear. She recovered and hid her reaction, but Ryder didn’t miss much, if anything.
“I have to go.” She slowly and casually backed away, but he imagined her nerves were vibrating underneath. “I’ll see you around.”
She turned her back to him and hurried off, then shifted into a slow jog.
What was that about? Now that the rain had stopped, no chance he wasn’t still caked in mud.
He started toward Good Adventures located on the far side of town.
He’d left his vehicle in the parking lot.
He took the opportunity to glance at Main Street, acting like this was just another mudslide day in the region and he was just one of many mud-covered guys on the street.
He’d be noticed—probably—so he wouldn’t make his curiosity obvious.
Something had spooked Sarah—of that he had no doubt.
As he walked, he didn’t see anything suspicious, but that didn’t ease the unsettled feeling in his gut.
Maybe she was fleeing an ex or a stalker.
Even though Sarah’s obvious negative reaction wasn’t his business, he’d stay watchful.
Maybe he’d been a SEAL before, but he’d left the fight behind and chosen this quiet, peaceful town and these mountains as his sanctuary . . . only to lose again.
And every day was a fight to put those shadowed memories behind him.