Tears slid down the little girl’s cheeks. “I was supposed to stay with the group,” she whispered.

“Getting lost happens. This isn’t your fault.” He glanced overhead and saw the litter approaching. To the left of it, Wade rappelled down the mountain. About two minutes away. Adrenaline soared through his veins as he mentally prepared for what came next—getting her off the ledge and onto the carrier and getting her to the ambulance on standby, waiting for them.

“I’m really scared,” she said, glancing up toward the litter.

“Can I tell you a story?” he asked her.

She nodded.

“When I was about your age...” It was closer to fifteen, but he wanted her to identify with him. “My mom took my sister and me and our best friends camping just a mile from here. I decided to take a hike in the woods close to nightfall...and I got lost.” He actually hadn’t been alone, but the story worked better this way.

Rebecca’s eyes widened.

He glanced up. The litter was about five feet away. “I thought I knew the way back to camp, but as I started walking, I only got more and more lost.” The truth was, he had known the way. If he hadn’t been lost with his sister’s annoying, smart-ass best friend, who’d insisted the way back to camp was in the opposite direction, and if he hadn’t been gentleman enough to not let her wander off alone and get lost, he wouldn’t have been stranded with her overnight as they’d waited for the search crew to find them.

Erika Sheridan. He’d told countless variations of this story over the years but the deep irritation he felt for her was always the same.

“Night fell and I was still lost, so I thought really hard about what I’d learned from a Hug-A-Tree program I’d taken...” May as well turn this into an educational experience. “I remembered that the best thing I could do was to find a tree in an open clearing and stay next to it. Hug it if I felt nervous...” A memory of Erika, terrified and trembling in his arms that night fifteen years ago, flashed in his mind and he lost track of what he was saying. She’d been irritating right up until that moment when darkness had fallen, they were tired and hungry and he’d learned she was afraid of the dark. At that moment, he’d caught a glimpse of a different girl...

Of course, her vulnerable side disappeared again as soon as they were rescued.

“How long were you there?” Rebecca asked, her voice trembling as she shivered. Her body was going into shock.

“Only one night, but it was scary and I was relieved when rescuers found us...me,” he said. “And now I help other kids who need it.”

“I’m glad you found me,” she said, as the litter reached them. “What’s that?” Fear was back in her voice.

“It’s kind of like a stretcher. It will help me get you back up the mountain safely, without hurting your leg.” Too much.