Beth Cornelison - Rancher's High-Stakes Rescue

“Good deal.”

Josh led Lucy and another horse away and passed the reins to Roy. The two men exchanged a few words, Roy giving Josh a serious look. She heard the foreman say, “Be careful,” before Josh chuckled a response and walked away.

Kate eased to the edge of the steep drop-off and peered down into the forested and sheer rock ravine below. A chill rippled through her, and she purposefully shoved down the clamoring nerves and raised her camera to click off a few shots. Turning toward the group, she took a picture of Zane helping Brianna don a harness and one of Hunter snapping on a helmet. Turning, she took a picture of Roy with the horses. She caught Josh laughing over something with Jake with the zip-line platform and spectacular view behind him. She shielded her eyes from the sun so she could see the small screen on her camera. The shot of Josh and Jake was a winner. Definitely good for the brochure.

“Look at this one,” she told Dawn, angling her camera to show her coworker the shot. “Perfect for the brochure, don’t you think?”

Dawn squinted at the screen. “Oh, most excellent! Good job! Now...” Her friend caught her arm and dragged her over to the harnesses and carabiners piled in front of Zane. “No more stalling. Buckle up!”

Zane had one of the harnesses in his hand and shouted to the group. “Okay, listen up! You’ll each get one of these nifty getups, which I will now demonstrate how to hook on.”

Josh joined his brother, demonstrating the technique by stepping into the harness, clasping hooks, tightening straps and choosing a well-fitting helmet. She tried to listen, but an odd buzzing filled her ears, and her thoughts kept straying back to the old silo in Missouri. The loud cracking sound just before she plummeted. The pain that streaked through her on impact and plagued her for days as she awaited rescue. Her breathing grew ragged and shallow. How could she possibly do this? She cast a side glance to the deep ravine, and the earth seemed to spin.

“Josh will now demonstrate, and he will be waiting at the other end of the line to help you unhook your gear after your ride. Any questions?” Zane called.

“You sure that little wire up there will hold?” Hunter shouted, grinning.

A nervous laugh rumbled around her, telling her she wasn’t the only one with jitters.

“It’s solid steel cable. Professionally installed and tested several times. It’ll hold,” Josh returned. “See you on the other side!”

She rubbed the sudden chill bumps on her arms as she watched Josh hook onto the pulley system with the grooved wheel that would carry him down the sloped cable. He moved to the edge of the platform to launch his descent and found her gaze. He sent her a cocky grin and a wink, then pushed off. Kate held her breath as he whizzed away, and Dawn squealed her delight.

“All right. Who wants to be first?” Zane asked, scanning the group.

“Kate does!” Dawn shouted.

Josh savored the dramatic view of the ravine, relished the warm air whipping through his hair and inhaled the clean air. He loved the adrenaline rush, loved these mountains, loved that he could turn his passion into a profitable business to help his family. Finally he felt like he was an integral part of the Double M, someone more than the reckless and irresponsible brother. He could finally—

An odd jerk and sudden drop yanked him from his musing. He continued his descent but...something was different. Something was wrong .

The cable shuddered again, and a growing sense of foreboding swelled in Josh’s gut. He could see the landing platform ahead and prepared to stop. Another strange jerk slowed his progress, and he could see the slack in the line overhead. What the—?

The first fingers of real trepidation clawed at him. They’d tested the zip line many times, had it inspected, cleared by all the proper authorities. But he didn’t need a professional to tell him something was off.

He slid closer to the landing platform, perched a good fifty feet above the ground, but the final few yards of the ride were even more jerky and unstable than before. When his feet touched the landing, and he knew he was safely across, he exhaled a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.

Relief washed through him, but on the heels of that released tension came another hit. As he unhooked himself from the pulley system, he discovered the source of his bumpy ride.

A chill washed through him, along with panic.

The tree trunk had been cut, both above and below the metal plate where the bolts holding the main pulley for the cable system were attached. Saw dust littered the platform, and the steel bands that should have been providing additional support for the main cable had been cut away. Deep wedges had been removed surrounding the bolted metal plate such that the wood was splintering as the weight of the cable pulled at the weakened trunk. The gouged section of the trunk, and therefore the steel transverse cable, was in serious danger of failing.

With his heartbeat roaring in his ears, Josh abandoned his attempts to unfasten his harness and scrambled for the two-way radio. He had to warn Zane before anyone else tried to cross—and died.

“Come on, Kate,” Dawn said. “You go first!”

Kate snapped her head toward her coworker so fast she could have given herself whiplash. “What? No!”

Dawn leaned closer, whispering, “The longer you stand here and watch, the more nervous you’ll get. Just bite the bullet and jump in.”

“I don’t know. I—”

“Kate! Kate! Kate!” Dawn started chanting.

“No!” Kate tried to back away from the platform but bumped into Jake’s wide chest.

“Kate! Kate! Kate!” the others in the group joined in the chant.

Dawn seized Kate’s arm and tugged her forward. “You can do this! It’ll be fun!”

Kate didn’t reply. She had to concentrate on breathing, on swallowing the surge of bile that rushed up in her throat. Brady held out the tangle of straps and clasps, and with Dawn’s help, she found the contraption being slid over her head, buckled across her chest and secured between her legs.

She had to do this, she realized. To back out now would mean more than humiliating herself in front of the PR firm’s client. If she refused, she would be letting her fear win. She might as well still be trapped in the bottom of that silo. Dawn was right. She needed to face her fears. She just wished she could take baby steps, could wade into the kiddie pool before jumping in the deep end from the high dive.

Brady adjusted the last of her straps and positioned her hands. “Hold on here. When you get to the platform, keep your feet up, and be prepared to catch your balance. Josh will be waiting to help you.” He patted the top of her helmet. “Ready?”

She squeezed her eyes closed, and her stomach flip-flopped. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be ready.

“Okay,” she rasped.

“Kate’s ready to go at your signal,” Brady called to Zane.

“Ready here. Waiting on your ‘go,’ Josh,” Zane said into his two-way radio.

The group continued chanting. “Kate! Kate!”

Dawn sidled closer to Kate and squeezed her shoulder. “You got this!”

Zane was plugging one ear and holding the two-way radio close to his other. “Did you say ‘no’ or ‘go’?”

Dawn’s face brightened. “Josh says go!”

Brady nodded and gave Kate a gentle push. The straps tugged as they grabbed to support her weight. Her feet dangled free as she began her descent, and she heard a muted cheer behind her.

Then, as she gathered a little speed, Josh’s faint static-laced response from the radio. “Zane, no! Hold up!”

“Zane? Did you hear me?” Josh said, his heart thundering and his gut twisted in knots of dread.