“Let’s try to pull him out,” Brian said.
“I’ll help.” Chase Sergeant stepped up, along with Stacy. Connor unfastened the bindings of the board and freed the rider’s feet, then tossed the board aside. He wrapped his hands around the man’s thighs—he was pretty sure it was a man. “On three, pull,” he said. They were taking a risk. If the man had a neck injury, they could be making things worse, but the more time that passed without him moving or speaking, the more likely it was he was already dead. If they could get him out and get him breathing again, they might be able to save him.
“One, two, three!” Everyone pulled.
“We moved him a little,” Stacy said.
“Pull again,” Connor ordered. “One, two, three.”
The body popped free like a cork. They carefully laid the young man on the ground and cleared snow from his face. Connor felt for a pulse and thought he detected a faint one. He cleared the airway and began rescue breathing.
The body convulsed and heaved, then the young man coughed. They quickly rolled him onto his side as he retched. After a few moments, he struggled to rise. “Stay still,” Connor urged. “You’re going to be okay.”
“I need to sit up,” the man said, then shoved into a sitting position. Connor and Brian supported him, and Stacy removed his helmet, revealing straight, dirty blond hair. He coughed and trembled but gradually he settled. Then he stared at them with bloodshot hazel eyes. “What happened?” he croaked.
Chase put a blanket around the man. “You fell into a tree well,” he said.
“I saw your board and fetched ski patrol,” Charlie said.
The man blinked at his rescuer. “Thanks.” He ran a hand through his straw-colored hair. “I remember now. I was going a little fast and got near the trees. I tried to turn, and the next thing I knew, I was upside down in the snow.” He swallowedhard. “I thought I was going to die.” His voice broke, and he bowed his head.
Connor gripped his shoulder. “You’re not going to die. What’s your name?”
“Jace. Uh, Jason. Jason Dennison.” Connor thought Jace was close to thirty, about five-nine, with a stocky build. No wonder they’d had such a hard time pulling him out.
“Is there somebody you want us to call?” Brian asked.
Jace frowned. “My boss? What time is it? I’m supposed to start a shift at three. I work at the Bagel Bistro.”
“It’s only 1:30, but you might want to take the rest of the day off,” Connor said.
“I’ll be okay.” His eyes met Connor’s. “Can I have some water?”
Connor gave him water and checked his pulse again. It was stronger now, and the color had come back into his face. “How do you feel?” he asked. “Does anything hurt?”
Jace shook his head. “I feel okay, really.” He grimaced. “A headache, but that’s probably from being upside down. How long do you think I was in there?”
“Fifteen minutes, at least,” Charlie said. “It must have just happened when I found you, or we probably wouldn’t be talking.”
Jace nodded. “Yeah. I’d like to stand up now.”
The others helped him to his feet. “You doing okay?” Connor asked.
“A little shaky.”
“Let’s give you a ride down,” Connor said. He signaled to Brian, who had arrived on a snowmobile. Chase retrieved the rescue sled that was strapped to the trunk of a nearby tree, kept handy for just such a purpose, and they helped Jace arrange himself in it and tucked blankets around him.
“I could probably board down,” Jace said but without much conviction.
“Take the free ride,” Charlie said. “I’ll bring your board.” He picked up the blue snowboard.
“Thanks,” Jace said and closed his eyes.
They formed a procession down the mountain—Chase on the snowmobile, pulling the sled, Connor skiing behind, Farley loping alongside him. Charlie and Chase were together, the snowboard cradled to Charlie’s chest. Stacy was last, making deliberate turns, seemingly in no hurry.
By the time Stacy rejoined them in front of ski patrol headquarters, Jace and Charlie were leaving together. Stacy watched them walk away.
“He should go to a doctor and get checked out,” she said.
