Buzz took the decision away from her. Without bothering to remove his rappelling harness, he reached for her. Strong hands closed around her arms and pulled her to him. Kelly started to protest, but he shushed her gently. She didn’t remember falling against him. Or wrapping her arms around those rock-solid shoulders. She knew getting close like this was dangerous business, that she should pull away. But the next thing she knew he was holding her close, molding her body to his and she was helpless to resist. All the while the scent of his aftershave curled around her brain, reminding her of how right it had once felt to be wrapped within this man’s embrace.
“I need him back, Buzz. It’s killing me.” She was sobbing now. Wrenching sobs that bubbled up from somewhere deep inside her where the pain was unbearable and her body and heart could no longer contain it.
“We’ll get him back.”
“He’s everything to me.”
“Shh. We’ll find him.” Gently, he stroked the back of her head. “Let it out, honey. Just cry it out. I’ve got you.”
Kelly didn’t want to cry. Not again. But the pain had been hammering at her for nearly six hours now. The element of the unknown beckoned her beleaguered mind to conjure unspeakable possibilities. She simply couldn’t bear it if something terrible happened to her little boy.
“Promise me we’re going to find him,” she whispered. “Please, promise me.”
“Kel—”
“Say it,” she said fiercely. “I want to hear you say it.”
“I promise. We’ll find him. Just…be still a moment, okay?”
The rush of tears ended as quickly as it had descended. In its wake, Kelly felt calmer. Still afraid, but somehow stronger. Purged.
“Better?” Buzz asked.
She wasn’t sure why the question embarrassed her, but it did. Kelly wasn’t a helpless female, couldn’t bear for this strong man to think of her that way. “I didn’t mean for that to happen,” she said. “I don’t usually have emotional meltdowns.”
“Considering the circumstances, I won’t hold it against you.”
Tilting her head back just enough to look at him, she smiled thinly. “I appreciate that.”
“You’ve been holding it together remarkably well. You’re doing just fine.”
Only then did she realize his arms were still around her, and he was close enough for her to feel the warm brush of his breath against her cheek. Awareness zinged through her. She felt the hard planes of his body against hers, his warmth radiating into her, taking away the chill that had sunk all the way to her bones. He smelled of soap and man and the subtle scent of an aftershave that brought back a jumble of memories she was crazy to think of now.
Realizing she’d nearly trespassed into territory best left alone, she eased away from him. “Where did you see the sneaker print?” she asked.
“At the base of the ravine.”
“Where do you think he went?”
Buzz studied her intently in the ribbon of light cast by his flashlight. “I don’t think he climbed back up that wall.”
The words registered slowly. Kelly’s pulse spiked, and she took another step back. “Do you think the volunteers that came through earlier missed him?”
“Maybe. Boulder SAR is a relatively new outfit. A lot of the guys are rookies. Lots of energy and training, but they lack experience.”
A starburst of hope exploded in her heart. “They didn’t look in that ravine, did they?”
“Maybe not.”
“I need to go down there.”
“All I’ve got with me is a light tactical harness. It’s pretty basic; nothing fancy. Think you can rappel down?”
It didn’t matter if she remembered how to rappel or not. Come hell or high water she was going down there. She just wouldn’t tell him she hadn’t touched a rappelling harness since they’d scaled Deep River Gorge together over six years ago. She knew him too well to tell the truth. “Of course I can.”
“The harness is minimal. Lightweight. Think you can handle it?”
She nodded, already reaching for the harness and stepping into it. “No problem.”
Reaching around her, he looped the rope through the caribiner and doubled it back over the pine tree. “I’ll spot you from up here. Keep the light on you.”
“Okay.”
“When you reach the ravine floor, unharness yourself and I’ll pull it up and meet you down there.”
Impatient now, Kelly walked over to the edge of the ravine and looked over her shoulder at the darkness below.
“You sure you’re okay with this?” Buzz asked. “If you’re not, we can rig something and go down together.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Just keep a grip on that rope.” He plucked off his leather gloves and handed them to her. “Use these.”
Kelly put the gloves on, gripped the rope the way he’d taught her all those years ago, then turned to face him. “I’m ready.”
“Trust your equipment, Kel. Feel your way down with your feet. Trust the rope.”
“Okay, okay,” she said impatiently. “Let’s go.”