Burn

Chapter 3

He knew she was watching his every move as he readied the carbineers and rope. He sensed her uneasiness. She must not have experience climbing. He thought if he kept their conversation going, it would put her mind at ease. Or, at least distract her a bit.

He ignored her critical scrutiny and kept his tone light. "Your tour group was very concerned about what might've happened to you. They weren't sure exactly where you could've gotten lost along the trail. But the route is pretty standard and the signs were easy to spot."

Her brow relaxed. "Oh, right. You mentioned the bottle being one of the clues. What were the others?"

He smiled slightly. "Usually the ground isn't quite so disturbed along the trail. I'm guessing that was from your fall. I'm surprised your injuries aren't more severe. That's a real blessing." He sat down nearby. 

He noticed her glance toward the darkening sky, "I think it's time we get to work. I can't carry you, unfortunately, because of the incline. We'll just have to take it slow. The ropes will help with the weight and to keep us steady, but we'll still have to do the work."

He rose to his feet. No more avoidance. They had to get the climb over with and be out of the woods before dark. Gabriel reached down to take her hand to help her to her feet.

There was no denying the warm current which shot up from her wrist and through his arm. It was surprising, but pleasant. Her quick intake of air drew his eyes to her face. Had he hurt her? Before he could ask or release her arm, she jerked her hand free.

He waited a heartbeat then asked, "Did I hurt you?"

She shook her head no. What happened then? Had he treated her too roughly and she didn't want to say so? Or had she felt something akin to what he had experienced? He didn't know what to make of it. All he knew was that he needed to get her back to the top. There was little chance of helping her without touching her however. Sure, he'd been trained in first response, but little of that training included how to handle the patients with kid gloves. The guys in his unit didn't care much about how they got rescued, as long as it happened. Gabriel challenged himself. He would find the best the way to assist her while still being professional and respectful of her feelings. He thought of his sisters. How would he want someone to help them if they were in Molly's place?  Obviously, saving their lives was the priority. But in the kind of situation as the one like he'd found Molly in, life wasn't in imminent danger of being lost. Therefore, the rescuer could afford to be more gentle. If it were his sisters, he wouldn't want anyone handling them like sacks of potatoes. He consciously wiped any trace of emotion from his face. "Will you allow me to help you to your feet?"

She stared momentarily at his outstretched hand. He watched as she took a deep breath. Her light eyes sought his and locked on. "Please." She spoke the word as softly as the wind caressing his face. 

If he hadn't been staring at her when she said and saw her lips move, he might have missed it. The woman was getting under skin. He ignored the fluttering in his heart. Instead of touching her skin directly, he gently grabbed onto her arm above the elbow. As he cautiously pulled, she pushed off the tree with her other hand and brought herself upright. She braced her back against the tree and attempted to keep the weight off her injured ankle.

"Let's just take this slow and easy. You'll probably do better by putting your arm around my neck. If it's alright, I'm going to move closer and put my arm around your waist," he explained.

....

For a split second, Molly was left speechless. She was positive she was ogling the last known gentleman on the planet. He asked permission to get close enough to assist her. Even though it was his job, he didn't want to force his help on her. Just maybe he had felt something as well as she when he took her hand a moment ago. Or he simply noticed her strange reaction to his touch and didn't want to upset her again. In any case, he was being for more sympathetic to her feelings than what the situation called for. She knew her reaction to him had been rude. But she hadn't expected the electric jolt to her heart his touch elicited. She knew when she saw the pained expression on his face, she'd bothered him. She just needed to get a grip. She blamed the predicament. She'd been out there too long and had taken the medication on an empty stomach.