‘Yes, the signal is good.’

‘Keep it switched on. Dr McNeil is bringing equipment from the surgery. If the helicopter is delayed, then that will change the way we manage Matt’s injuries.’ Ryan stepped into a harness and adjusted it with hands that were steady and confident. ‘Keep the phone line clear—if I need to talk to you, I’ll call.’

Nick stepped forward and caught his arm. ‘Ryan, for goodness’ sake, man, I’m telling you we should wait for the helicopter.’

Jenna couldn’t breathe. If Ryan agreed to wait for the helicopter then Lexi might drown. But if Ryan went down there—if he put himself at risk for her daughter and the two boys…

‘You’re wasting time, Nick.’ His eyes flickered to hers and for a brief moment the connection was there. ‘It will be all right. Trust me.’

And she did. Although why she should be so ready to trust a man she’d known for weeks when a man she’d known for years had let her down, she didn’t understand. But life wasn’t always easy to understand, was it? Some things happened without an explanation.

‘What can I do?’ Her mouth was so dry she could hardly form the words. ‘How can I help?’

‘You can stay there, away from the edge.’

Nick caught his arm. ‘Ryan—’

‘I’m going to abseil down, and I want you to lower the rest of my pack.’ He adjusted his harness for a final time and held out his hand. ‘Do you have a radio for me?’

Nick gave up arguing, but his face was white and his eyes flickered between the rising tide and the sky, obviously looking for a helicopter. Hoping.

Jenna felt helpless. ‘I want to do something. If the boy is badly injured you’ll need help. I can abseil down, too—’

Ryan didn’t spare her a glance. ‘You’ll stay here.’

‘It’s my daughter down there.’

‘That’s why you’re staying up here. You’ll be too busy worrying about her to be any use to me.’

‘Don’t patronise me.’ Anger spurting through her veins, Jenna picked up a harness. ‘You need me down there, Ryan. Two of them are in the water, one of them injured, and one of them is stuck on the rock face. He could fall at any moment. You can’t do this by yourself, and Lexi is just a child.’

Ryan paused. Then he looked over his shoulder, down at the jagged rocks. ‘All right. This is what we’ll do. I’ll go down there first and do an assessment. If I need you, Nick can get you down to me. But watch my route. Have you abseiled before?’

Jenna swallowed, wishing she could tell him she’d scaled Everest four times without oxygen. ‘Once. On an adventure camp when I was fifteen.’

‘I love the fact that you’re so honest. Don’t worry—Nick can get you down there if I need you. Hopefully I won’t.’