Trailing off, River swallowed hard.

“Things happen on climbs,” Easton told her, voice quiet as the wind died down to a whisper. As if the Old Man himself were listening. “You can’t plan it, and you can’t avoid it. You can only survive it.”

“Which is why we brought you.” Turning her head, she looked up at him. “So far, you haven’t let any of us eat it, no matter what we’ve thrown at you.”

“And you won’t now, not if I can help it,” he told her firmly. “Which is why I need your help.”

“Uh-oh.” River dug the heel of her palm into her tight neck muscles. “As reassuring voices go, that one isn’t making the grade.”

Dropping his arm to wrap around her waist, Easton drew her in closer to him. “I’m calling the climb as over, River. Jessie’s a midlevel climber at best, and he’s spooked from this. Bree’s accident got in his head. That happens sometimes. Not his fault. He did his best, but Jessie’s climb is done. He needs off this mountain.”

There wasn’t anything River could do to argue that.

“And Bree?”

“Ben thinks two broken ribs. Maybe more. She’s tough, but that kind of pain up here…” Grimacing, he glanced at Bree’s tent, where Ben was still tending to her. “You’re going to need to talk to her. She’s insisting on summiting and won’t listen to us. She doesn’t want to let you down.”

“You think she’ll listen to me?” River wasn’t so sure.

“I think those two are as loyal to you as they are to this film. Jessie’s going to go where we point him for now, but Bree’s determined to go up. If she falls and one of those ribs punctures a lung, she’ll be in trouble.”

When Easton hugged her waist tighter, River accepted his silent offer of comfort. Allowing herself to rest her weight against his, River closed her eyes. She wouldn’t say it, because no movie would ever be worth more than her friends were to her. But to come so far, with the summit so close she could almost taste it…

“I’m sorry. I know how important this was to you.”

River turned in his arms, shaking her head. “Not as important as they are. I’ll talk to Bree.”

The soft pressure of his mouth to her own was exactly what River needed. Then she followed Easton back to the others.

As soon as River ducked into the tent, Bree let out a sigh of relief. “Good, you’re here. River, talk to them. These two are convinced we have to go back down. Tell them I’m fine. A couple of bruised ribs—”

“They’re probably broken,” Ben spoke up, earning himself an annoyed expression from Bree.