Grabbing the nylon rope tied to his pack, he made a loop and lifted it over Kyle’s head, pulled it snug around his waist. Gage set his boot against the cave wall and fed out the line as Kyle began his descent. He picked his way down the steep rock face, slipped a couple of times, drawing a gasp from Abby, but Gage kept the rope taut. Kyle made the trip safely to the washed-out trail and disappeared in search of the mules.

“Mateo, you’re next.” Gage pulled up the rope and prepared for the second man to make the trip. Mateo was agile and experienced. He waved when he reached the bottom.

“Your turn, Abby.”

“What about you? Who’s going to anchor you?”

He grinned. “If I fall, I guess you’ll just have to catch me.”

“It’s not funny, Gage.”

His smile slipped away. “Somebody has to be the anchor, honey. I’m biggest, therefore the logical choice.”

He roped her up the same way he had the others. “Mateo will be waiting at the bottom. If you get in trouble, remember, I’ve got you.”

She nodded, adjusted the rope, and stepped out of the cave. The first half of the descent went well as Abby carefully picked her way down the muddy trail. Then the going got tougher. The ground was wet and slick with stones and debris, big chunks of the path swept away.

Gage tensed as Abby stepped on a rock, which twisted beneath her weight, and her feet went out from under her. She cried out as she slid down the mountain and swung out into thin air. The rope went taut in Gage’s hands, and though he maintained control, his mouth went dry.

This was Abby. He couldn’t let anything happen to her.

Gage tightened his grip on the rope and pulled her back far enough for her feet to find purchase on solid ground.

“I’m all right!” She waved and called up to him.

It didn’t lessen the frantic pounding of his heart or the flash of memory that carried him back to another perilous journey. Back to a woman’s terrified cries and his failed efforts to save her.

Gage shook the memory off as Abby reached the bottom and stepped out of the loop around her waist. Gage brought the rope back up, looped the coil over his shoulder, and started down the steep rock face. Where the route got dicey, he tied the rope around a boulder and hand-over-handed the rest of his way down the mountain to what was left of the washed-out trail.

Abby was waiting. She walked over and threw her arms around his neck. “I don’t care if I’m breaking the rules. I’m just glad you’re down safely.” Gage allowed himself a moment to enjoy her embrace, burying his face in her hair.

“You scared me,” he admitted.