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The girl hung limp from the climbing harness. Her shattered helmet hung in pieces from its strap and blood from her head dripped down her pale face. Max moved the helicopter closer to the rock face, gauging the situation before they acted. Rescue specialist Trey Williams was already harnessed up, ready to be lowered to the more critical of the two climbers stranded on the sheer wall. The second climber was about 100 feet up, safe but unable to move from her spot. Her dangling friend was caught up in her rigging, so that her safety equipment was effectively holding them both. Moving the top climber was impossible while her friend hung from their tangled ropes. The young women had overestimated their climbing experience, and one climber was clinging to life because of their foolishness.
Max nodded to Trey and he began the descent towards the injured climber. Sydney Clark, the trauma flight nurse, manned the winch while Trey continued to drop closer to the helpless woman. She thought to herself how lucky they were that the air was so still today. The rescue was going to be complicated enough without the added danger of gusting winds. There wasn’t anywhere to set the gurney while they strapped the patient in, so Trey was going to have to perform a harnessed rescue. Once the woman was secured to his harness, he would have to cut the rope that secured her to her friend, and then try to stabilize her lifeless body as best as he could while the winch raised them both to the chopper. The last thing this rescue needed was more hurdles.
Trey reached the woman and felt for a pulse. He held hand his over his head with his thumb up and Sydney breathed a sigh of relief. The ranger had noticed the climbers on his rounds, long after they were already in danger. The blood on the rock wall suggested that they had been hanging there for awhile before anyone had noticed them. Time was of the essence and so much had passed already.
Trey put a cervical collar on her neck and then began securing the woman’s harness to his. Her breathing was shallow, but her pulse was quite strong. He’d lay money this one was a fighter, but she was going to need to fight harder than ever to survive these injuries. Trey triple-checked the attachments and signaled Sydney to start bringing them up. The winch moved slowly as it brought them in, closer and achingly closer.
Sydney guided the rope as the wench pulled them steadily in the air. A harness rescue in this situation wasn’t ideal, but they really had no other choice. She did a brief visual check on the other climber, relieved that the woman still clung to the wall. She looked exhausted, even from Sydney’s vantage point. Once they got her friend secured, she would be a much easier rescue. Nothing was routine, but the hardest part was almost over.
Trey and the climber finally reached the chopper and Sydney snapped the safety onto Trey’s harness to pull him in, then they secured the climber to the stretcher. She moaned softly as they strapped her in.
“That’s a good sign,” Trey sounded relieved. They were all thinking the same thing when they’d first laid eyes on the situation, but none of them had been willing to put into words their fears that the woman was hanging there, dead. She wasn’t out of the woods yet though. The amount of force it took to crack a helmet like that was substantial. She likely had a severe brain injury that could still take her life.
Max guided the chopper away from the rock face and maneuvered into position to rescue the second climber. He didn’t want to blow her off the face of the wall with the wind created by the chopper. Max got into place and nodded to Trey. Once again, he was lowered to the climber.
He hung beside her for longer than he should, and Sydney realized the woman was arguing with him. She was terrified already, and Trey was asking her to let go of the wall and grab onto him. He’d already clipped a carabineer from his harness to hers, so she was safe to let go and grab onto him. After being stranded so long, the poor woman was too afraid to let go. She shook her head frantically as Trey spoke as calmly as he could, shouting to be heard over the chopper.
Sydney couldn’t believe what was happening. She needed to tend to the victim, but Trey needed her to man the winch until he brought in the second climber. This woman was wasting precious moments when she should already be safely in the chopper. Sydney was exasperated.
She was still shaking her head frantically as Trey reached into his pocket with one hand. He was up against her, his left hand wrapped around her waist to stabilize them both. All she had to do was let go and she’d be safe. Trey continued talking as he slowly pulled out his rescue knife. He raised the knife up to the final rope securing her to the wall. She was so intent on his words that she didn’t see what he was doing until he cut the rope. She felt the tension release and threw her arms around him.
Sydney let out the breath she’d been holding. There was an ambulance waiting for the second climber at the top of the fire road. The helicopter wasn’t equipped to seat so many people and it was just as safe to fly the short distance with them pulled about halfway to the chopper. The climber was about to get more adrenaline than she’d signed up for.
Sydney took a moment to attend to her patient. She moaned occasionally, but mostly lay motionless on the stretcher. Max was a seasoned rescue pilot and didn’t need her to guide him until they started lowering the two to the ground. Sydney quickly ran an IV and injected some morphine into the line. The climber relaxed slightly as the medicine started to do its work. Sydney checked her vitals once again and then moved to the winch to assist with the drop off.
The ambulance was parked in the clearing, the stretcher ready for the climber dangling below the chopper, clinging to Trey. Pinedale didn’t have a hospital, so from there, the ambulance would transport her 77 miles away to Jackson. Max set the two of them down gently and Trey unhooked from the rescue line. Sydney released the break on the winch and the rope was rolled back into the chopper. Trey would ride in the ambulance with the second climber while Sydney and Max flew the critical patient to Jackson. They would be there in minutes, which could mean the difference between life and death for this young lady.
Sydney continued attending to her patient. She was in bad, bad shape. The extra few minutes it took to get to the trauma hospital would likely be the most harrowing of this young woman’s life.
*****
MAX FLEW WITH THE SPEED and smoothness of a seasoned pilot. Sydney often complimented him on his landings, which were almost imperceptible. She’d flown with several pilots in the years she’d been working with Care Flight Rescue out of their Jackson office, and he was the best. He landed on the helipad with the grace of a dainty butterfly. The trauma team was already in place on the roof, ready to unload the climber and take on her care. This would be the last time Sydney saw the woman, and she would likely never know what happened to her. It was just as well; so many of their patients were clinging to life when CFR was called in. Their prognoses were never good. CFR was their only hope and knowing their fate would make the burden unbearable for Sydney. She’d rather live under the delusion that every life she touched lived another day. She was a tender heart; one death would break her.
Max tended to the chopper as Sydney restocked the supplies and disposed of the waste. Every rescue ended the same, with the two of them spending over an hour restocking, servicing, and checking the equipment and the chopper. Rescues were never scheduled so they were always ready to go at a moment’s notice. Neither of them had scheduled days off, they came when called and stayed nearby during the peak rescue season during the summer. The Wyoming wilderness was a popular destination for summer-time adventurers. The tiny town of Pinedale filled with tourists every summer as thousands of people like the two climbers came here to find adventure, and some got much more than they bargained for. Having a chopper and rescue crew located so close to the Wind River Range had cut the emergency response times substantially. In a town of only 1900 residents, the CFR substation brought in much-needed jobs.
Sydney finished her task and went to help Max finish on his end. She was a hard worker and a firm believer that working together made everyone’s job easier and faster. Max smiled at her and handed her the window scrubber. She laughed; he always had her wash the windows. He smiled at her mischievously and winked. They worked in comfortable silence until everything was finished, then headed into the station to change. Sydney’s scrubs were covered in blood and dirt from working in the tight space with the climber. She headed for the locker room and a much needed shower.
The hot water sluiced over her tan skin and down her slender body. She shook her long hair down and began soaping it up with the fragrant shampoo she kept at the station. The good thing about working with mostly men; her shower supplies were where she left them and she had the entire ladies’ shower area to herself. She hummed softly to herself as the fragrant steam and rough spray washed away the tension of the day. Her work was hard, but the rewards were so many. Despite the rewards, there were times at night that she couldn’t shake the images of the people they helped. The climber dangling next to a rock wall covered in blood was going to be a tough one to erase from her memory.
Sydney brushed the tangles out of her hair and quickly dressed. She was always so hungry after a rescue. At 5’2” and barely 100 pounds, Sydney was tinier than most flight nurses. Rescue efforts were exhausting for her, both emotionally and physically. She dressed in her street clothes – wrangler jeans and tennis shoes – and headed out the door.
Max sat in the common room of the station, reading a magazine but slyly watching the hallway for Sydney to exit. The girl was quick and left for home before he could catch her. He’d been trying to strike up a conversation outside of the chopper for weeks. This time, she wasn’t going to slip away before he invited her out after work. He was drawn to her as he hadn’t been to a woman in so long. She was feisty, but she was also brave and a hard-worker, which he loved about her. Not to mention the fact that she looked like a fairy; her hair was long and nearly white-blond, her skin was tan and her pert little nose rested below the greenest eyes he’d ever seen. She might be half his age, but Max was certain he’d seen the twinkle of interest in her eyes as they worked together after each rescue. Unless he was way off the mark, Sydney was as interested in him as he was in her.
Sydney finally walked into the hallway and saw him sitting there. She smiled and started to say goodbye when he interrupted her, “Let’s grab a bite to eat. I know you’re famished.”
Sydney stopped. Had she heard him right? She looked behind her to see if he was talking to someone else. Max threw back his head and laughed. All that beauty and the girl had no clue he was interested in her. This was going to be more fun than he’d originally thought.
“Sydney, would you join me for lunch?”
She was unprepared for his offer. She struggled to find a way to say no without coming off wrong. They worked together. If she offended him now by saying no the wrong way, she could get stuck with one of the other pilots back in Jackson. Or worse: Ambulance duty. Sydney blew her bangs out of her eyes and sighed.
“Sure.”
Max smiled. It wasn’t exactly a resounding yes, but it would do for now. She led the way to the parking lot and he followed her in his car to the favorite hangout of first responders, Big Pine Café. He wasn’t surprised; he’d seen her there several times and knew she favored the place. He hurried to park, then met her in front of the restaurant to open the door for her. Sydney walked through the door and straight to her favorite table by the window. Max would have preferred a little privacy, but he wasn’t a fool. This wasn’t a date for Sydney. He wanted to eat, she wanted to eat, so logically, they should eat together. Max smiled to himself. What a charming little imp she was. He was going to enjoy chasing this one.
They ordered their food and fell into easy conversation. Sydney was bright and friendly, a great conversationalist. Max watched her lips are she spoked, the words caressing his skin like the finest silk. She had a beautiful voice and her face lit up when she talked about things she was passionate about. It wasn’t long before she was talking about her horse, Concerto.
“I’ve had him since I was 12. He’s moved all over the country with me. I even took him to college. When I’m not working at CFR, I’m riding him on the trails and in the hills. He’s the best horse ever.”
Max listened intently to everything she had to say. Sydney wasn’t very open at work, and he was determined to learn everything he could about her. Trey had mentioned that he’d tried to talk to her on more than one occasion, but she was oblivious. She did her job and she went home. She was a consummate professional who was always prepared to do her job, but never lingered. Sydney continued to talk and Max hung on to her every word.
Their food came and they dug in with gusto. They spoke here and there, but mostly enjoyed the quiet company and good food. Max realized that he was starving and couldn’t remember if he’d eaten breakfast this morning as he rushed out the door.
Sydney was having a great time with Max. How had she not noticed how interesting he was? Of course she didn’t know anything about him, she didn’t know anything about anyone she worked with. She loved her job and the people she worked with, but she never knew what to talk about. She smiled at Max over her coffee. He was so easy-going and approachable. His salt and pepper gray hair was dark and wavy, neatly trimmed above his collar. Sydney learned that he was 52 and had never been married. She found that odd, but kept that to herself. He said he’d never found the right woman. But he was so handsome, how could he have been alone for so long? Max was strong, self-assured, but immensely kind. Handsome and daring, he was everything most women dreamed of. At 25, Sydney had never met another man like him.
They finished their food and Sydney got up to leave.
“I have to take care of Concerto. He gets grumpy when he doesn’t get his daily brushing. Well, everything makes him grumpy really.” She didn’t wait for him to respond, just headed out the door with a quick wave.
Max smiled. She had such a good heart and took her responsibilities seriously. Going solely on looks he would have pegged her as flighty and unreliable. She surprised him at every turn. He was reluctant to leave, but he had plans for this one. She was worth the wait, and he was a patient man.
*****
SYDNEY SAT TALL IN the saddle as Concerto picked his way over the trail and through the dense trees. Today’s rescue had been hell on her nerves and she needed a little pick-me-up. The early morning rescue after a 36-hour rotation had left her with a free afternoon. There was no way she was going to let this beautiful day get away from her without getting a long ride in.
Concerto continued on without direction from Sydney. He knew these trails well and seemed to enjoy this one the most. He splashed through a shallow creek and then cantered lightly up a short hill. Sydney’s body moved with him easily, but her mind was somewhere else. She kept thinking about the impromptu lunch break with Max. She hadn’t realized until today that she’d never really talked to him before. Sure, they talked about work, the chopper, and, well, work. But, she hadn’t said anything to him outside of that. She felt bad. In truth, she wasn’t the type of person who talked to other people. She always had her nose in a book, or her seat in the saddle. Concerto was her only friend, and suddenly that made her very sad.
She ran her hand down his neck, threading her fingers through his flaxen mane. The silvery-white hair was in stark contrast to his chocolate coat. He was truly her dream horse, and she’d gone through so much to keep him. She might not be a good human friend, but Concerto loved her, and that’s what counted.
Sydney looked around at the widening trail, seeing her surroundings for the first time since she headed out almost an hour before. She’d been so lost in thought that she hadn’t noticed that Concerto had veered onto a longer trail when the road forked about a mile before. This trail was more challenging than the others, and Sydney was up to the task. She urged him into a smooth canter and enjoyed the rush as the ground swelled and dipped gently into a clearing. Concerto lengthened his stride into a hand-gallop on the open trail and stretched his head out to dig his hooves into the soft dirt. Sydney stood in her stirrups and gave him his head. He was content to set his own pace, eating up the distance to the base of a steep hill. He powered up the rise with ease, taking the sharp left turn onto the low mesa as if he were walking a gentle foot-path. He slowed down when the terrain got little tricky, easing into a slow trot then a brisk walk.
Sydney gave him a heavy pat. No matter what the path threw at them, she could trust her horse to carry her through it. She laughed a little. It was practically a metaphor for her life. Through all the twists and turns, only one thing had ever been certain – Concerto was the only steady thing in her life. She didn’t mind that one bit.
Sydney brushed Concerto as he munched on his grain. His freshly washed coat was damp and smelled vaguely of sweet apples. He was in heaven, his legs stretched, the sweat rinsed away, his belly being filled. She put some oil on his hooves and let herself out of his corral. She packed her things away and headed for home. She only had 24 more hours of down-time this time around before she had to report for duty again at 5 pm tomorrow. Flight nurses were in short supply, and the surrounding wilderness attracted all level of daredevils during tourist season. Most were not as adept at their hobby as they imagined themselves to be. For many people each year, their daring landed them in the hospital after a ride in the Care Flight chopper.
Sydney returned home to a flashing answering machine. No one had ever called her before so it was probably a wrong number. She hopped into the shower and washed the stench of horse sweat, trail dust, and wet animal from herself. Her grandpa always said, if you want a clean horse, prepare to get dirty. Judging by the color of the water rushing down the drain, she imagined Papa was quite right about that.
After her shower, she padded barefoot into the living room, her towel wrapped around her while her wet hair hung loose around her shoulders. She pressed the button on the machine, unprepared for the voice on the recording.
“Hi Sydney, it’s Max. I was wondering if you were free for dinner this weekend. I know a nice little place just outside of town I thought you’d enjoy. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”
Sydney was surprised. Max was calling her? And if that wasn’t odd enough, he sounded almost nervous. Max, with the steady hand and the ability to fly choppers in the most treacherous situations, sounded nervous. Sydney couldn’t imagine why, but she was a little giddy. Lunch with Max had been fun and relaxing. She’d enjoyed his company more than she had enjoyed eating alone, and that was saying a lot. He left his number, but Sydney would see him tomorrow and let him know that dinner sounded good. There were times a girl just didn’t need to be alone, and this week, apparently, Sydney was feeling quite social.
*****
AT 4:15, SYDNEY RUSHED into the common room on her way to the lockers. She was driving to work when another call came over the radio. This time, it was a missing child, a call they all dreaded. The little girl was lost in the woods and they were calling in all resources to find her before the sun set. They had four hours, which was a drop in the bucket when searching hundreds of square miles of rough mountain terrain. The temperature dipped once the sun went down, and at just eight years old, it was very unlikely that she would know what to do to save her own life while she waited to be rescued.
Sydney grabbed her gear bag and headed for the chopper. She’d change on the way. Time was slipping away and every moment they wasted could mean be life or death for this little girl.
Max already had the chopper warmed up and ready to go. Trey hurried through a side door, already dressed in his gear. By 4:22 they were secure in the chopper and Max was guiding the bird into the air. Trey sat in the jump seat until they got closer to the last place the young girl had been seen by her family about an hour before. Once they were near the search area, Trey would hook himself so that he could search out the open door with binoculars. While he messed with the onboard screen that displayed the girl’s picture and a description of what she was wearing, Sydney began changing into her flight scrubs.
A large peak rose above the trees and Max lowered the chopper. They were at the boundary of the search area. He slowed and started methodically flying a search grid. Trey clipped himself onto a safety ring and hung out of the door, scanning the ground with his binoculars. Sydney pulled a back-up harness on and took a spot on the opposite side of the door, scanning the area behind Trey and the chopper. A grid search was tedious and frustrating, and Max made several passes over each small section before moving onto the next. They continued like that as rescuers on horseback and on foot searched from the ground.
Hikers went missing often and the local rescue personnel and volunteers were very skilled at this type of search. If the little girl was within the search area, they’d find her. As long as they found her before sunset, her chances were excellent, even if she was injured. Once the sun set, the temperature drop turned a routine lost child search into a race against time. Sydney scanned between the trees, outwardly calm, but inside she was a bundle of nerves. They had to find this little girl.
Trey was making a second pass over a stand of trees when Max’s voice came in over the headsets, “I’ve got her.” He turned the chopper north and both Sydney and Trey caught sight of her at the same moment. She was lying on her side on a large rock in a tiny clearing in the middle of dense brush and trees. She was huddled in a ball, and though they couldn’t see enough to determine if she had injuries from here, she looked ok. And alive.
Max set the chopper to hover over the rock. The little girl didn’t move, just held her knees to her chest and stayed in a ball. Sydney was lowered slowly toward the rocks, trying to keep her mind off the vast open space surrounding her. She landed softly beside the girl. The tiny child gripped herself more tightly, as if she could escape her terror by disappearing into her own body. She appeared uninjured. Sydney unhooked her harness and waved the chopper off. They were only a mile and a half from the campsite and already, Sydney could hear the volunteers calling for the girl in the distance.
*****
BACK AT THE STATION, Sydney and Max sat in the common area, watching television in comfortable silence. Today had been one heck of a rescue, and the ambulance crew had been equally busy. Trey had gone on a run in the back up ambulance with a paramedic named Steve. His regular partner was sick that night, and Trey was only too happy to get out of the station and do something. He wasn’t much of a homebody and the 36 on shifts killed him when it was slow. Sydney had hiked nearly two miles down rugged terrain with a small child on her back. She’d tried to convince the girl to ride behind one of the rescuers on horseback, but the girl refused. After trying several different options to convince the child to come down from the large rock and make the short trek to where her parents waiting, Sydney finally offered a piggy-back ride and the girl jumped on the chance; literally. Sydney’s back was killing her and her legs felt like lead. She was content to spend the rest of the night stretched out in one of the recliners, and Trey could work himself silly if he wanted to.
***
MAX WATCHED SYDNEY shift and twist uncomfortably in the chair, her muscles obviously quite sore. She was strong for her size, but at 5’2”, she wasn’t much bigger than the child she’d lugged on her back over some pretty rough terrain. He could tell she needed a good back rub, and he was just the man to do it. He sat up in his chair and set his feet on the floor. He motioned to Sydney to come over. She looked confused and then realized what he was offering. She hesitated, but only for a moment. Her shoulders and back were killing her, and a good rub-down was just the therapy she needed to work the kinks out.
She sat between his feet and he began to rub his hands on her neck, gently kneading the tightness out of her neck with his fingers. Sydney moaned softly as the pain gave way to pleasure and each tiny section of her neck released the tension she’d been holding all afternoon. He pressed his fingertips to her neck as he used his thumbs to guide her head from side to side and back and forth, expertly working out each tiny knot as he leisurely made his way across her skin. Sydney’s skin tingled as the blood was brought to the surface and her body started to melt.
Max moved down to her shoulders, his hands sure and steady as he continued his work. He smiled to himself as he stroked her through her thin shirt. She was so trusting and naive. He could do this all night, and he certainly intended to draw it out as long as possible. Patiently, he worked section by section to release the stiffness from her overworked muscles. Her shoulders and back were so tight he had to really dig to get the muscles to relax. Sydney tensed and then groaned, his big hands strong and unrelenting on her body as he drew every last ounce of tension out of her.
He stopped short of her lower back. With her seated on the floor there was no way he could reach it. Sydney was nearly asleep when she noticed that he’d stopped. She felt the absence of touch and was disappointed that he was already done. She turned to him, her pretty face soft and heavy with exhaustion.
“Thank you, Max. That’s so much better.” She looked in his eyes and saw something she’d never seen in his eyes before; heat. As clueless as she was, she could see it smoldering in their depths. She searched his gaze, wondering if she was reading into something that wasn’t there. Suddenly, his fingers were in her hair, pulling her to him for a deep kiss. He was still sitting in the recliner, and the angle forced her to lean into him to keep her balance. He kissed her passionately, his breath catching as he tasted her sweetness. Sydney closed her eyes, and every look, every innocent touch, every moment where it had been clear that he was interested flashed before her eyes. How could I have missed that? she wondered. Max wrapped his strong arms around her and brought her even closer, pulling her off her feet and on top of him.
Sydney sucked in a deep breath, surprised by his behavior. Mere moments ago, she was sitting around, minding her own business, just trying to recover from the day. Just like that, her entire world was turned upside down, and she was swept off her feet – literally. Max pulled her even closer, devouring her in a way Sydney had never encountered before. He had decades more experience than she did, and it showed.
His hand slid under her shirt, resting on her bare skin. His kisses deepened and she found herself gasping for breath. She pulled away and sat up on his lap, gulping for air. Her heart was racing and her chest heaved under her shirt. Her lips were swollen and red, her eyes filled with longing. Max placed his strong hands on her hips, rubbing his thumbs over her flat stomach, his hand resting just above her waistband. He inched upward, watching her face as he explored her smooth, tight skin. She leaned down and captured his mouth in a shy kiss as his hands slid further up and cupped her full breasts through her silky bra. Her taut nipples pushed at the fabric, begging to be released.
Sydney didn’t know what had come over her. The heat within her body was growing, her soul aching with the sudden, urgent need to have him. To be had by him. She wanted to lie next to him right there in the recliner, like a couple of aroused teens at a drive-in movie. She was starting to lose herself to the moment, when the door opened and a shocked Trey stopped short in the dimly lit room.
“What the hell?” He spun on his heel and slammed the door behind him without another word.
Sydney sat up and looked around the room, completely disoriented. The door had opened again, and in the doorway stood Steve, with a shocked expression etched into his face, his feet rooted to the floor in surprise. She looked down at Max and her rumpled clothes, then back up to Steve. Heat rushed up her body and her face turned bright red. She jumped up quickly, running through the halls and out the back door to the parking lot. It didn’t really matter what happened the rest of the night, there were plenty of people there to cover her spot. For now, she just had to put as much distance between herself and Max as possible.
*****
SYDNEY SLUNK BACK INTO the building quietly at 6am the next morning. The night had been rough, not even considering the awkward encounter with Steve and Trey, and the rest of the medics were asleep in their bunks. She sat at the table, sipping her morning cup of coffee. What a mess I’ve made of things. She was sure she’d ruined everything; not just with Max, but it was obvious that Trey had been hiding some feelings for her. Looking back, she could see it. The way he teased her, how he made a big show of double-checking her equipment. He’d been showing interest for awhile, but oblivious Sydney hadn’t noticed. She wasn’t interested in him in the least, but had she known, she might have done something.
Might have done what, she thought angrily, let him down easily? Avoided him? Sydney didn’t know what she would have done differently. Considering she hadn’t even seen what was right before her eyes, it was doubtful she would have known what to do anyway. When it came to men, she was as dense as they came.
Sydney stared angrily into the black liquid in her cup. Stupid, stupid, stupid. How did I let myself get carried away like that with Max? She continued to berate herself silently for being such a fool and ruining a good friendship. Hell, she probably ruined three friendships in one moment of weakness.
“Good morning,” Sydney nearly jumped out her seat. Max’s smooth, deep voice caressed her like his hands had the night before. He was looking at her, waiting for her to respond. She met his gaze, expecting to see embarrassment, a little shame, something to show that he felt the same amount of regret that she did for everything they’d destroyed last night. Instead, she saw happiness. He winked at her and poured himself a coffee.
“Did you sleep well,” he said, pausing, then adding, “Sydney.” Her name slid off his tongue like fine silk. Whatever misgivings she had about their encounter he didn’t share. In fact, Sydney was certain that he was proud of himself.
The heat creeped up her throat once again, tightening it and flooding her face with redness as she relived that beautiful kiss from the night before. What a ridiculously wonderful mistake that they couldn’t ever let happen again. The two of them together had “bad idea” written all over it.
She was about to tell him what a mistake last night had been when he captured her mouth with his, the heat from the coffee like lava on her tongue. Her brain turned to mush and she forgot what she was trying to tell him. It was important, that much she knew. But she couldn’t seem to conjure up the words.
Max broke from the kiss first, “We’re up in five. Some overnight campers didn’t show up to work this morning, their boss is sure that they’re lost in the wilderness somewhere.”
“Could be a false alarm.”
“Could be the real thing,” he held her gaze, his confidence evident.
“Might be a waste of time.”
“Sometimes you have to take a chance.” Max walked away, leaving her to wonder if they were even talking about the missing campers anymore.
She hurried to catch up with him and climbed into the chopper. Trey was already buckled into his seat and ready to go. He acknowledged her with a curt nod and nothing more. His usual friendly demeanor was gone and Sydney felt awful. She’d never meant to hurt him. Until he’d caught her kissing Max, she hadn’t even noticed his interest in her. It’s not like he told me, how in the world was I supposed to know?
They flew in silence, Max unusually quiet as he piloted the chopper towards the general area of the missing campers. Trey wouldn’t even look at her.
They were five minutes out from the search zone when a call came across the radio. “All clear, subjects recovered.”
Sydney let out a sigh of relief. Not just for the campers, who had either been found unharmed or had shown up to work finally, but for the reprieve from Trey’s cold shoulder. His refusal to speak up had gotten them to this awkward place, and his continued silence wasn’t the way Sydney normally dealt with her problems.
The chopper landed and Trey hit the ground practically running, without even glancing behind him to see if anything needed to be done before he left. He bypassed the employee entrance and headed straight for his car. Without a word, he left for the day, with no indication of when, or if, he was coming back. Sydney walked slowly towards the employee entrance, knowing full well that the guys were going to tease her about what had happened last night. By now, the entire station knew. They blew off the stress of their jobs by heckling each other like rowdy school boys. Sydney expected a bit of ribbing about Max and Trey.
Max caught up with Sydney. Oh boy, what do I say to him now? She was so torn. He was the perfect man; strong and kind, selfless. He gave a so much of his free time volunteering for Care Flight Rescue. There was a rumor that he actually owned the chopper, but Sydney never put much stock in office gossip. Before she could muster up the courage to say something to him, anything, he grabbed her hand and fell in step with her.
He leaned down and spoke gently in her ear, his warm breath exciting her as if he’d planted a kiss on her slender neck, “Leave the guys to me, keep your head high and follow my lead.” She caught his eye and saw that ever-present twinkle. He was so sure of himself and his place in this world. Sydney would give anything to walk through life with half the confidence that Max had. He opened the door and let her pass through, his strong hand engulfing hers as they walked side by side into the fire.
*****
TREY SAT ALONE IN THE back of the diner, still wearing his flight suit. He was angry, so angry. He’d let Sydney slip right through his hands without even giving them a shot. To add insult to injury, she’d passed him up for a man twice her age. The blow to his ego was substantial, as the memory of them together on the recliner made his stomach turn. That should have been him kissing her sweet lips. Instead he was sitting here, alone while they were at the station together, doing who knows what. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got at her. How could she not have known?
A stranger sat down across from him without a word.
“Seat’s taken friend, find another table.”
“Oh no, Son, I’m right where I need to be.” He thrust his hand out, his smile revealing jagged, yellowed teeth that showed years of neglect, “I was hoping to ask you a few questions.”
Trey shook his hand and pulled away. He wasn’t in the mood to talk, but the stranger had left something in his hand. Trey looked at the object and saw a crisp hundred dollar bill folded up in his hand. Well this is interesting. Maybe my crappy day is about to turn around.
“I’m listening.”
“Do you know a young lady by the name of Sydney?”
Why, yes sir I sure do.
Trey considered his options. He finally drawled out, “now that information, my good sir, is going to cost a little more.”
The man threw back his head and laughed, pulling another bill out of his pocket. “If you help me get what I’m after, there will be more where that came from.”
Trey smiled and leaned in as the stranger began asking his questions. With each question, he got more and more excited. It seemed Sydney had been hiding more than an attraction to older men.
*****
SYDNEY LEFT WORK LATER that afternoon, exhausted from another harrowing day. Max walked Sydney to her car and opened the door. The tension between them was palpable, the unquenched desire hanging heavily in the air. Sydney wanted to invite him to her home, but she was afraid. She hadn’t let anyone in since she’d left home for college. After years of shutting people out, she wasn’t sure she knew how to let people in.
“Penny for your thoughts,” he said. She abandoned her musings and focused on the task at hand. This couldn’t go any further until they talked, and Sydney had a lot to say.
“I need you to come with me. Can you ride a horse?”
Max laughed. He was twice her age. He doubted there was much she’d done that he hadn’t done long before she was even born.
“Of course I can.”
“Good. There’s a ranch horse you can borrow. Follow my car, we need to talk.”
Max raised his eyebrow. Sydney was many things, but boring wasn’t one of them.
Max rode beside Sydney on the tall bay horse. They set an easy pace, and Sydney led the way on the trail that took them to a gorgeous meadow. She had a past, and it was only fair that Max knew what he was getting into. She was hoping the scenery would be a welcome distraction from the story she was about to tell.
They finally made it to the open meadow and dismounted to let Concerto munch on the tall grass. He was better than most horses, and she had unbridled him more than once to graze freely while she laid out on the flat rock in the center of the field. Unsure of the bay, Sydney had brought along a halter and lead rope to tie him to a tree surrounded by tall, lush grass. She led Max to the boulder, her mind a jumble of words and painful memories.
After many false starts and stops, Sydney finally blurted out, “my family is rich. Well they used to be.”
Max was bemused. What an odd way to start a conversation that obviously held a lot of meaning to her, “mine too, and they still are.”
Sydney rolled her eyes. Now was not the time for jokes, but she ignored him. She had spent the entire drive over here working up the courage to tell him about her past; she wasn’t going to let him derail her by telling jokes. She decided to start from the day after her 17th birthday, when her parents broke the news of their financial ruin.
*****
SYDNEY PULLED CONCERTO to a halt after she finished a round of jumps. Perfect, as always, he’d left every pole in its place. She loosened her reins and he stretched his neck out as he cooled down. She loved Concerto like most girls loved their first new car. He was a well-oiled machine, powerful and sleek. Her parents had bought him for her Christmas present when she was twelve. Since that day she’d run into the yard to find him, giant green and red ribbons trailing from his long mane, she’d devoted every spare minute to caring for him.
Anne Clark was sitting on the bleachers alone, tears streaming down her face. Sydney’s mother had been crying a lot lately, which Sydney attributed to her impending move to college. On track to graduate high school a full year early, she was starting college in the fall. She’d received several offers from prestigious schools, but hadn’t made her final choice yet. She still had two weeks to decide, and she wanted to make sure that she picked the perfect university.
She pulled Concerto up beside her mother. “Mom, it’s ok, I’ll be home for Christmas.”
“Oh Sydney, there won’t be a home by Christmas.” Anne started sobbing again. Through her tears, she explained to Sydney that they’d lost everything. Sydney was confused; they’d won six million dollars in the lottery when she was 12, just five short years before. But, her mom explained, her father had a gambling problem, and he’d gambled away everything. Everything but her college fund, which was locked into a trust that didn’t mature until her 18th birthday.
Sydney felt light-headed. Gambled it all away? How did that even happen? She looked around at the opulent farm, her mother’s decadent wardrobe, and the fleet of vehicles in the driveway. It wasn’t just the gambling that had done them in; her parents had been hemorrhaging money since the day after they’d cashed the check. Sydney shouldn’t have been surprised.
Sydney’s stomach sank as she realized that college was going to have to wait at least a year. And her Ivy-league aspirations were now a thing of the past. She was also struck by the way her mother mentioned the money The way she said they’d lost everything except her college fund made her think that her parents had plans for that money, too. But that money was hers and she wasn’t going to stand by and let them blow through that like they did the rest.
She’d earned almost all of the money in her college fund on her own, winning several cross country and stadium jumping purses on Concerto. As soon as she could drive the horse and trailer herself, her parents had stopped attending her competitions in favor of time spent rubbing elbows with the rich at the country club. They’d given her ten thousand dollars for her birthday each year for the last four years, which was nothing when you considered they’d won six million. The rest of the money was earned through her blood, sweat, and tears. She’d done every job available at shows to be able to afford the extras she wanted; from mucking out stalls to warming up and cooling down million-dollar jumpers for the upper classes at shows. There was no job she wouldn’t do to get ahead. Every penny she didn’t use for her gear had gone into that account. Between her contributions and the interest they’d earned, she’d accumulated more than one hundred thousand dollars.
Anne looked at her daughter expectedly. “You know, honey, Daddy and I are going to need that money to get back on our feet. Of course, you can live with us rent free until you start making your own money. But that money was a loan for you to go to college anyway. It actually belongs to us. We wouldn’t want to have to sell anything precious to save ourselves.” She looked pointedly at Concerto.
Sydney felt panic welling up inside her. She was nothing like her parents, never had been really. But this was going too far. Her mother wasn’t proposing just having the original forty thousand returned. Anne Clark intended to take all her money. Every penny. Without apology or conscience. She had to do something and it had to be quick.
“Mom, can we talk about this later? I have to cool Concerto off before his muscles get stiff.” She smiled at her mother, trying to hide her disappointment. “He’s worthless if he’s lame.”
“Of course, Honey. I’ll see you at home later. Daddy and I have dinner plans. You’ll make yourself something in the kitchen later, right?” And just like that, every ounce of guilt Sydney felt over what she was planning was gone.
Later that night, Sydney had packed up everything that she needed in her backpack. The documents for her trust were buried under several changes of clothes. She left the rest behind because she wanted no part of the life she’d lived here. If her parents were so willing to take away her shot at a future without a second thought, she didn’t want anything that they’d paid for. Except her horse. He was a gift and she had the card from under their Christmas tree to prove it. It wasn’t a bill of sale, but it was something. She saddled Concerto up and rode down the trail that led to her friend’s farm a few miles away. More like ten miles, but it wasn’t that far on horseback. Her parents had been off in their own little world for so long, they didn’t know the name of a single one of her friends. Sydney was sure that she could hide out there until she could find a way to get as far away from James and Anne as possible.
*****
SYDNEY STOPPED FOR the first time since she started the story, exhausted by the heavy burden she’d unloaded with her words. With tears in her eyes, she looked up at Max. His face was incredulous. Oh no, he thinks I’m a horse thief! She started to explain that she’d sent them back their forty thousand dollars the minute the money was available, writing the words “for Concerto” in the memo section on the check. She had returned every penny they’d ever given her, even though the money was rightfully hers. She only wanted Concerto and hoped that they would be satisfied with what she sent. The check had cleared the bank within a week of her sending the money. Her parents had wasted no time with what was important to them. Max placed a finger over her lips to quiet her rambling about Concerto and money. He understood and the memory was obviously causing her quite a bit of distress. She was terrified that he was going to reject her, threaten to turn her in. Anything but what he did next.
Max pulled Sydney to his chest and held her tight. She may have been all woman, but at that moment, all Max saw was the scared little girl, running away from a horrible situation. Sydney didn’t realize what she’d escaped, and was surprisingly unaffected by the emotional abuse her parents subjected her to. On the surface, they seemed like desperate people looking for a miracle. But Max knew that there was so much more. Her parents had bought a young girl off with a pony and then left her to raise herself for years. Money wasn’t everything, and a girl that young needed her parents. It was a wonder she’d turned out as well as she did. Sydney buried her face in his chest and sobbed; partly with relief, but mostly with the weight of her despair. All she’d ever wanted in the entire world was for her parents to love her. But, they loved money more than anything, perhaps more than each other. She’d had to run away from that life, but the little girl inside of her longed for the connection she never shared with them. The love.
Max brushed the hair away from her face as her sobbing quieted. She’d been through so much at such a young age, Max couldn’t imagine how she’d felt. Money had been the source of quite a bit of frustration in Max’s life, and he’d seen it turn good people into monsters. But, he was one of the lucky ones. His parents were disappointed that he wouldn’t follow in their footsteps and run the family business, nor was he the least bit interested in living the life of the wealthy. He just wanted to be free to be who he was. His parents had accepted that about him, though with plenty of grumbling and bargaining, and they’d instead groomed his younger brother for first-born status. Sydney’s parents had been so blinded by the money and the status that they hadn’t even seen their daughter had grown up without them. It was just as well, since she’d turned into a fine young woman.
Sydney sat back and rubbed her hands over her eyes, brushing off the last of her tears and casting off the burden that was her parents. She looked into Max’s eyes. She saw pity, and pain, but she also saw love. The kind of love she always dreamed about. She’d laid out her deepest, darkest secrets and he loved her. Searching his eyes, Sydney leaned in and kissed him tenderly. That fear she’d felt all these years, the instinct to run away every time someone got too close, melted with the heat of his touch. Sydney lay back on the sun-warmed rock, pulling him with her. Her hair fanned out behind her head, her eyes heavy with desire. Max melted on top of her, his desire straining at the fabric of his jeans as he rested on one elbow to look at her. With his free hand, he slowly unbuttoned her shirt, pushing the fabric to the side and moving her sports bra up to release her swollen breasts. Her skin was flushed with passion as he leaned down to take her erect nipple into his mouth, sucking slowly, using his tongue to tease her. Sydney moaned from deep in her throat, her hips pushing against him as she gave herself to the sensation. Max’s hand slid down her flat belly and into her waistband, pulling her button fly open in one smooth motion. Max released her breast and kissed down her stomach, leaving a trail of warmth as he headed further down. His hands slid under her, and she raised her hips to help him remove her pants. He pushed them down past her thighs, his mouth following the fabric as it revealed her sweetness. Sydney gasped as he mouth covered her, his tongue diving and darting into all the right places. She writhed against him as her passion increased, her breath coming is short gasps as she struggled to get her muddled thoughts into place. She was near nirvana when he stopped suddenly, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he left her hanging on the edge of the cliff, a light breeze away from plummeting to her death.
She heard his zipper and the rustle of fabric, and her mind screamed yes! Max covered her with his body, her world exploding when he entered her. She wrapped her arms around him, a scream building and dying on her lips as she rode the passion. Max continued as her orgasm rose and fell like waves. He watched her face, enjoying how each emotion played across it. She squealed and moaned, the pleasure overwhelming her with each subsequent wave as it crashed over her, engulfing her. When he knew she’d had all she could take, he let go, riding the final wave with her as his own pleasure overtook him. The world around them ceased to exist as they gave themselves over to their feelings. Exhausted, they lay on the warm rock, entangled as one, the warm sun caressing their skin as they caught their breath.
*****
THEY RODE IN COMFORTABLE silence on the trail back to the stables. Sydney kept glancing at Max and smiling shyly. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that she’d never given herself over so completely as she had that afternoon. Max winked at her, enjoying the way the pink crept up her neck. They could see the stables up ahead and Sydney was sad that their magical afternoon was nearly over. They rode side by side onto the property, greeting people as they passed. Sydney was about to dismount when she heard a voice that made her blood run cold.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t my precious daughter and my horse. Hi Sydney,” the voice sneered, “did you miss your dear old Dad?”
How had he found me?
James Clark sauntered up to Max, who had dismounted and haltered his borrowed mount. He stuck his hand out to Max, who looked at him with obvious distaste. Max didn’t return the gesture, and James lowered his hand with a smile.
“I see my sweet girl has landed herself the great Maxwell Stryker. I wonder, did she tell you that she took off with my money and stole that horse? I’m surprised a billionaire would shack up with a common horse-thief, but stranger things have happened.”
Sydney’s head started spinning. A billionaire? Suddenly, it all made sense. The helicopter in the tiny town of Pinedale, the fact that Max didn’t seem to have an actual job outside of volunteering at CFR. It was obvious that the “anonymous donor” who’d paid for all of their equipment and the state of the art building that the search and rescue team worked out of must have been Max. No wonder he hadn’t cared about her past. To him, six million was nothing. Does that mean I am nothing to him, either?
She spun Concerto around and took off at a flat gallop into the woods, putting as much distance between herself and the two men as possible. Just when things started to seem right in her world, it all came crashing down. Sydney ducked low along Concerto’s neck, moving with him as his hooves ate up the ground underneath him. He moved over the terrain as if on wings, the tears from the wind streaming down her face as she tried to outrun her past. How did Dad even find me? She had no idea, but one thing was for certain. He wasn’t going to take Concerto from her.
Concerto rounded the corner and lost his footing, going down hard and sending Sydney flying over his head. She had a brief moment of panic before pain exploded throughout her entire body and the world went dark.
Sydney lay there, fighting to regain consciousness. She had to get away, she had to fight. No matter how hard she pushed against the darkness, it pulled her back down, swallowing her whole. She struggled against the pull of the enveloping darkness, nearly resurfacing only to be pushed down again. She heard a steady pulse in her head; saw a burst of light that made her wonder if she was dying. Pain exploded again as she was shoved and pulled, the sound getting louder, drowning out the faint sound of voices calling her name. She gave up the fight as euphoria claimed her and the pain subsided.
*****
MAX MANNED THE CONTROLS of the chopper, trying not to panic as the nurse in the cabin yelled at Sydney, “stay with us, don’t give up Sydney.” She’d covered a lot of ground in a very short time. It had taken them almost an hour to get to the chopper and find her, lying crumpled in the dirt, her horse nowhere to be found. Concerto had returned to the stables, in bad shape. Max had informed the stable’s owner over the radio that he was to get that horse to a vet immediately. Max would spare no expense and he made it clear to the man that anything he could do to save horse was to be done. Max would deal with James later, and that man would regret chasing Sydney down. When Max was through with him, James would never dare show his face again. He didn’t care how much money it took, Sydney would never lay eyes on that horrible man again.
The nurse hollered at him over the pulsing of the chopper’s blades, “She’s fading fast, how far out are we?”
“Ten minutes,” Hold on Sydney. Max pushed the chopper as fast as it could go. He’d waited his entire life for a woman like her, he wasn’t about to lose her now.
Epilogue
Sydney sat in the padded glider on the wrap-around porch. Her broken bones were finally healed, and the casts had come off a week before. Her body remained bandaged, but the bandages were nothing compared to the heavy plaster. She watched the horses in the field running and smiled. They would never replace her Concerto, but Sydney’s heart would heal as her bones had. It had been almost two months since her accident and she hadn’t heard a word from James. Max was vague about what had happened, but she knew that he’d called on the family lawyer to make sure James would never hunt Sydney down in such a way again.
Max had never left her side while she lay broken in the hospital bed. She’d awoken from her haze to see him bent over her bed, tears flowing freely as he bargained with God for her life. She’d tried to reach out to him, to tell him that she was fine, but her arms were impossibly heavy; her lips cracked and dry after weeks in a coma. All she had managed was a soft groan, which had Max standing straight up and running to call for a nurse. She was finally awake and the joy and relief were evident on his face. He touched her face, made her promises about their future together and she’d fallen back to sleep, the pain and broken bones too much for her to bear. She slipped in and out for days before she was finally able to stay awake long enough to start physical therapy. Within a week, she was ready to go home, and Max talked her into living on his sprawling ranch outside of Pinedale. The property edged up to the Wind River Range and went for as far as the eye could see. Sydney wasn’t sure if she was ready for forever, but the promise of a real bed and a home nurse to help her recover in the fresh mountain air was enticing, so she said yes.
Max devoted every waking minute to caring for her, carrying her out onto the porch each day so she could watch his horses and enjoy the warm sun. She hadn’t asked what he’d done with Concerto. She’d heard enough in the hospital as she slipped in and out to know that he’d been badly injured. There would never be another horse like him, and Sydney grieved for that quietly each night as she lay in bed. She’d ride again; her physical therapist had insisted that it would help her heal. But for now, just looking at the horses in the pasture tore at her heart.
Sydney looked up as a truck and trailer pulled into the drive. Max had a cabin and stalls available on his property, far enough from the main house to afford quite a bit of privacy for the people who rented it. It was a common sight to see them pulling in on their way to the cabin.
The truck drove straight to the house, apparently unsure of where they were going. Sydney still couldn’t stand on her own yet, and was about to call for Max when the screen door to her left flew open and Max hurried out. He spoke to the driver for a minute and she parked the rig right there on their front lawn. Max walked to Sydney, his face covered with a broad smile.
Oh no, she thought, he’s bought me a horse. Sydney didn’t know what to say to him. She wasn’t ready, but it was clear from his face that he’d done this for her and she didn’t want to hurt him.
He took the porch steps in one leap and scooped her up out of the chair. He carried her to the trailer as the woman opened the door and unhooked the horse. Sydney was trying to find the words when the horse began to back cautiously down the ramp. Her throat constricted with unshed tears as a scarred and battered Concerto carefully picked his way off the trailer. Max looked at her and her tears spilled freely. Somehow, Concerto had survived his fall, though his coat showed the leftover marks of his pain. He walked slowly, a slight limp in his bandaged leg. The vet walked him up to Sydney and she buried her face in his neck. He was alive and he was here.
Max whispered in her ear, “Concerto belongs to you now. If there was any doubt before it’s gone now. I’ve seen to that. You never have to worry about your father coming for him again.”
Sydney started sobbing, rubbing her hands over his neck and through his mane. Her fingers caught on a tiny braid. She’d probably left it in the last time she’d prettied him up for some event. She pulled the band on the braid and started working the braid out when her fingers brushed against something hard. She pulled on it as she unwound his hair and the object out in her hand. The thin, simple ring was beautiful. Sydney looked at Max, confused. He smiled at her and winked, his intention clear. Not only was he giving her back her horse, but he was giving her the rest of his life. Sydney looked deep into his eyes and said the one word that would make everything right in their world.
“Yes.”
THE END
