"Alex!" she screamed.
"Carmen?" he called again, closer this time.
"I'm down here," she called.
Two shots rang out - one right after the other. Apparently that was a signal that he had found her. In the distance, the rumble of engines suggested other searchers. Alex's head appeared over the edge of the bluff.
"Carmen? Are you injured?"
"I think I broke something. I can't sit up."
"Over here," Alex said to someone. "Tie that rope to my saddle and hold my horse. I'm going down. She's injured."
In a moment Alex slid over the edge of the bluff, hanging on to a rope. His rain coat flipped in the breeze, exposing rippling muscles in his thighs as the square toed boots sought and found solid footholds in the wet rock. Even now it was a pleasure to watch him. He was so lithe and sure-footed - her knight in shining armor.
Gerald's head bobbed above, watching him descend.
Reaching the ledge, Alex released the rope and knelt beside Carmen, frowning.
"You can't sit up? Can you feel your legs?"
"Yes. It's my shoulder. Every time I try to sit up, it hurts so bad that I pass out."
He examined her, apologizing briefly when he caused pain. He wasn't rough, but he certainly wasn't gentle. Under the circumstances, maybe it was impossible to be gentle.
"How long have you been down here?"
He didn't look at her when he spoke and his voice was controlled. Maybe she was hurt worse than she thought.
"I'm not sure - probably a couple of hours."
He grimaced and stood, calling to Gerald.
"Is the ambulance on the way?
Gerald nodded. "It should be at the house in a few minutes. How is she?"
Alex shook his head. "I think she has a dislocated shoulder. I can't see anything else except some scrapes and bruises. It's hard to tell, though. Send one of those ATV's to the house to bring them up here."
For a few moments he stood looking over the edge at the rocks below. He didn't look particularly concerned. And then it hit her. He was angry with her for going up into the mountains alone. He had warned her how dangerous it was, but she had disobeyed him. Now she was costing him time at the clinic, an ambulance bill and who knew what kind of medical bills?
She gazed up at him until he finally looked at her. For a moment they gazed into each other's eyes. The hard chocolate gaze melted.