“An anchor?”
Sasha explained. “There’s no way to carry a person up this rocky slope without ropes. If the rescuers were to trip and fall, we’d dump the poor person onto the rocks or into the creek. That means we have to create an anchor. Think of it as a kind of top rope like you have at the climbing gym. It has to be strong enough to support the weight of the victim, the litter, the rescuers, and all of their gear. That’s kind of Chaska’s specialty. He’s a math geek—a mechanical engineer.”
“So, he’ll be on belay for everyone more or less.”
Sasha nodded. “You could say that. Nicole is putting on her climbing harness. Creed and Austin, too. They’ll be part of the crew that helps bring up the litter. Jesse is helping Eric, probably keeping the kids calm. We try to have six people on a litter, but we can do it with four or five. Oh, there’s Harrison. That’s six.”
“Harrison Conrad? He’s the guy who climbed Mount Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse by himself a few years back, isn’t he?”
“That’s him. He’s a total badass.”
Darius smiled down at her. “From where I stand, you’re all badasses.”
Chaska stood, breathed onto his cold fingers, and took hold of his handset. “Canyon Command, sixteen seventy-two. The anchor is ready.”
Sasha explained what was happening, as Nicole, Austin, Harrison, and Creed tied into the ropes and used the anchor to rappel themselves down the steep, rocky embankment. “Harrison has the litter strapped to his back in two pieces. He’ll snap it together when he gets to the bottom.”
Five minutes later, the crash victim was loaded into the litter, Eric staying behind to be with her children as the others slowly brought the litter up to the road.
“Mama!” a little girl in a pink snowsuit wailed.
Eric bounced her on his hip, while holding the older child’s hand.
“Poor little thing.” Sasha huddled closer to Darius, the wind cutting through her layers. “When the mother in the ambulance, they’ll go back down for the kids. Eric will come up with them.”
“I’m impressed.” Darius glanced at his watch. “We got here fifteen minutes ago, and the woman is out of the wreckage and inside the ambulance.”
“This was an easy rescue.” Sasha shivered. “When you’re bringing someone with severe injuries down a fourteener or a thousand-foot rockface, it can take hours. Sometimes we’re called out to retrieve a body, and sometimes the person we’re trying to save dies before we can complete the rescue. It’s not always happy endings.”
Darius frowned. “Let’s get you out of the cold.”
Chapter12
Darius followedSasha down the hall to her laundry room, duffel bag hanging over his shoulder. “Thanks for this.”
“I’m happy to help.” She pointed to shelves next to the washing machine. “The detergent and fabric softener are there. Can you figure out how to use the machine, or should I start it for you?”
He chuckled. “I think I can handle it.”
“I’ll leave you to it.”
Nicole had offered them a ride home from the rescue site before heading back to work, and when Darius had mentioned grabbing his laundry from Taylor’s vehicle, Sasha had invited him to wash his clothes at her place.
He hadn’t been able to refuse her—not that he’d tried. He wasn’t really here for his laundry, though that was a convenient excuse. He was here for Sasha.
Darius had only two small loads—one light and one dark. He sorted them, dropped the first load in the washer, and got it running. With that done, he walked back to the kitchen, where he found Sasha stirring something on the stove.
“I’m making hot cocoa. Want some?”
Darius couldn’t remember the last time he’d had hot cocoa. “Sure. Thanks.”
Snow was starting to fall again. While she finished making hot cocoa, he brought in more wood and built another fire. Soon, they sat together on the sofa, the fire crackling, steaming mugs in hand.
Darius took a sip, the rich taste of chocolate warming him. There was something else. He looked in the mug. “Marshmallows?”
She smiled at him over the rim of her cup. “You strike me as a man who hasn’t had enough marshmallows in his life.”
Taken aback, he stared at the marshmallows, little pillows of white bobbing in the chocolate. He hadn’t enjoyed marshmallows since he was a child. “I guess not.”
