Deal of a Lifetime by Rue Allyn Page B

had she looked? He’d lost track of time, but the amount of snow coming through the surrounding trees told him it had been a while. “Tam!”
    “Con?”
    “Yes, it’s me.”
    “Where are you?”
    “I’m over here.”
    “Keep talking. I’ll find you.”
    Soon shale fell from the top of the slide. “Con?”
    He looked up to see Tam, one arm wrapped around a slim tree trunk, looking down at him. The scant three feet separating them might as well have been a hundred yards.
    “What are you doing down there?”
    “I wasn’t watching where I was going. When I stepped onto that loose shale, the hillside fell out from underneath me. I fell with it.”
    “Why didn’t you climb back up?”
    “The shale’s too loose to get a good grip on anything. Besides, I dinged my ankle in the fall.”
    “Is it broken?”
    “I don’t think so. It hurts, but I can stand on it.”
    “Good. Let’s get you out of there. I don’t want to have to spend the night on this mountain.”
    “Me neither, but I’m not certain how to climb up without pulling you down.”
    “I’ve got an idea. I’ll be right back.” She retreated carefully, then disappeared from sight.
    Con waited. When a minute passed and she hadn’t returned he called. “Tam?”
    “Be there in a sec.” Her voice got louder accompanied by a rain of shale.
    Lifting his arms to shield himself from the stone shower, he ducked, wincing at the pain in his over-stressed ankle. “What are you doing?”
    “Grab onto this. Between me pulling and you climbing, I think we can get you off that ledge.”
    The shale stopped falling, and he raised his head to see a long thin branch dangling in front of him. Tam gripped the smaller end with both hands. Her leather belt was looped tightly around the slim tree she’d held earlier. She had one arm thrust through the loop, anchoring herself in place.
    “Uh, I don’t think that branch is strong enough.”
    “You’re right. Take your belt off and secure it to the branch. I’ll pull it up, then link our belts together. That will make a leather strap long and strong enough for us to pull you up.”
    For the first time in hours, Con grinned. Tam was smart.
    Moments later, the end of his belt dangled in front of his chin. Reaching over his head, he grasped the leather length and planted his good foot solidly atop the shale-covered incline approximately one foot above where he stood. Putting tension on the linked belts, he wedged the foot into the shale until the weight of the stone held him firmly. Then he repeated the process with his injured foot.
    As he moved, Tam took up the slack in their makeshift rescue line. They worked together. Once he placed his palms on solid ground, Tam grasped his shoulders, hauling him upward as he lifted his body with his arms.
    With one last great coordinated heave and push, Con surged up and dropped forward onto stable ground. He lay on the damp earth and sucked in air while his racing heart slowed. Breathing heavily, Tam plopped down beside him.
    “Thank you.” He twined his fingers with hers.
    “You’re welcome.”
    He caught her gaze. “I’m sorry about what I said earlier. I never thought you would trade sex for anything. I just got crazy thinking about you and Buddswell when what I really want is you with me.”
    “I agree you got crazy. Whether you meant it or not that accusation hurt. However, I’ll put it behind me if you promise to show more trust in me and stop interfering.”
    “I’ll try, but it isn’t interfering when I care about you.”
    She avoided his gaze. “Yes, it is, and if you can’t see that, then you might as well give up on any idea you have about us. Now let’s get you out of here.”
    “I’m going to have a problem with mobility.” Con pulled himself into a seated position, leaning against the tree where their belts still hung.
    “I think we’d better splint your ankle to keep it immobilized. Just in case it is broken. I’ll go find a pair of sticks for