Burn

Chapter 2

The sound of shouting from above was sweet music to her ears. A rich masculine voice called down. "I hear you. I'm the Park Ranger. I'll be coming down momentarily."

"Oh thank goodness," she yelled up in return. "I was starting to get concerned about predators." She laughed sardonically but didn't think he heard.

"No need to worry about that. You've already scared off all the wildlife for miles," he replied.

Great. Her rescuer seemed to have a dry sense of humor. Or he was rude. She hoped it was the former. The alternative was he cared more about his precious park and less about the people in it. She'd been sitting there for hours. The least he could do was show some mild concern for her well-being. But she was determined to be grateful and bite her tongue. A rescue was a rescue after all.

"I'm going to assume you are unable to stand or walk."

She was grateful he couldn't see the eye roll. "Well, you know what they say about assuming. But in this case, you would be correct," she shot back. So much for biting her tongue. It probably wasn't a good idea to upset the one man that stood between her and certain death by coyote. She was fairly certain there weren't any wolves. Bears? Maybe. Rabid raccoons? Possibly. Angry wildcats? Very likely. Imminent starvation and dehydration? Guaranteed. Therefore, she really should get back to being a little more grateful and less mouthy. She hadn't been rescued yet.

"Glad to know you're conscious and forming coherent sentences," he replied, with obvious sarcasm. "I'm going to come down and assess your condition now."

Molly determined the statement didn't require her usual snarky reply. See. She could keep her mouth shut. She wondered what was taken him so long to come down. Shouldn't he have been more anxious about seeing to her welfare? She shrugged the thought aside and continued to wait patiently, mostly. Rustling in the foliage caused her to twist until she could make out movement in the trees. As he came into sight, her first view of him was startling to say the least. He was rappelling down the mountain side face forward, quick and agile for a man his size. From her angle, she gauged him to be on the much taller than average side. He was moving rapidly but with confidant steps. He had dark hair and by the looks of it, in need of a trim (unless a person likes the rugged unkempt look). He was obviously in good physical condition, not thin but athletically built. He clearly exercised frequently. His biceps pushed against taunt fabric sleeves. Even amid the shadows playing across his features, she could tell he had the kind of ruggedly handsome face usually reserved for advertisements for pick-up trucks. She had the privilege of being rescued by a handsome snotty park services officer. Wonderful.

Upon reaching ground level where she sat on the forest floor, he looked her over briefly. "Are you in a great deal of pain?" he asked in a clinical tone.

"Right now, I'd describe it as more uncomfortable than anything else. My ankle is swollen and it hurts when I move it. The other scrapes and cuts are pretty minor I think."

The ranger unclipped from his line and knelt close by her feet. "Do you know how long you've been out here? Are you thirsty? Do you feel lightheaded?" he asked along with his perusal of her condition, taking inventory of all her injuries.

She responded to the first question with, "I know when the tour started and I would say we were an hour out when I fell. I wouldn't know how long it's been since then. Maybe three hours?"

"It's been around ninety minutes since your group came back and reported you missing. We began searching immediately," he stated with just a hint of amusement in a rich throaty baritone.

Ah. So, not so imminent death. She flushed slightly at the news. "Oh, well, that's good then. You were able to find me quickly." She moved on next to his other questions about her current state of being. "Either way, my head feels fine, I didn't hit it on the way down or anything like that. I am thirsty however."