Feeling a flush of heat in her cheeks, River still grinned. “Okay, that’s getting cut. What about the rest of it? How did I do? We can start over if you want.”

“We’re good. I’ve got what I need.” Jessie shared a look with Bree, who failed to hide the triumph on her face.

“What?” River didn’t understand whatever passed between them, but neither answered.

As they took down the cameras and settled into a game of UniMagP, River tried to pretend that she wasn’t keeping the radio glued to her hand. She tried to read when the game was over, but eventually, she gave up and picked up the radio.

“Easton? How about giving a girl a check-in?”

Silence.

“Easton, Ben, if I’m in charge, that makes me in charge of everyone. Give me a progress update. Over.”

A crackling static noise made her fingers reflexively tighten on the radio. “Someone’s pushy,” Ben joked through the radio, his voice nearly lost beneath the roaring of the wind. “We’re taking a break right now. Boss man says to tell you someone else came through here and made a mess of his lines. He’s been swearing up and down this mountain, but we’re almost done fixing the new ones.”

Nodding, River said, “Tell boss man he’d better get back down here soon.”

“Ten-four.”

That low chuckle was undoubtedly Easton. He must have been standing right next to Ben. For some reason, hearing his voice helped calm the nerves that had been spiked from knowing they were up there, doing something dangerous without River to keep a watchful eye on him.

Them. Watchful eye on them.

When she set the radio down, she saw her coproducer watching her knowingly. “You really do like him, don’t you?”

River didn’t need to answer Jessie. They both knew she did.

• • •

They’d been gone a total of four hours before they got the second call.

Frankly, Easton was surprised she’d lasted so long. River wasn’t the type to sit around wondering what was happening. If he hadn’t been so close to camp, Easton would have radioed her in a few minutes anyway. His respect for her as a mountaineer and as a woman far outweighed his respect for her patience.

“Easton, Ben, it’s River. Over.”

“Riverover? Not sure what that means,” Easton teased her.

There was a pause, followed by an audible sigh of relief. “You may be the most annoying human being alive. You know that, right?”

“Have you met my best friend?”

“Yes, and I’m increasingly aware of how you and Graham are made for each other. How soon will you be back?”

Easton answered, taking his long, sweet time to do so. “We’re coming around the outcrop now. Don’t be worried about the blood.”

“The blood?”

Ben shot him a wolfish grin when Easton didn’t answer her. “That was mean.”