Derek found only slight comfort in her statement about the gunfire.
He’d never been so happy to see another living soul as he had when he spotted the ranger and her dog. He’d been rushing through the wilderness for what felt like hours. Trying to quickly navigate these mountains had been challenging, at best. As an attorney, he got his adrenaline rushes in the courtroom.
He observed the woman for a moment.
She almost looked too young to be a park ranger. She had auburn-colored hair that had been pulled back into a neat ponytail. Now that Derek thought about it, her hair and her dog’s hair almost matched. Both were a lovely shade of a rusty red.
Ranger Mercer put her radio back on her belt. “Help is on the way, but they’re probably thirty minutes out still.”
“Thank you.”
“Where’s your brother?” Ranger Mercer asked as she began walking in the direction he’d emerged from. “I want to see him myself.”
“We set up camp down by the river,” Derek said. “We’ve been backpacking through the area for the past three days.”
She nodded, but her features still looked tight. She was apprehensive about all of this also, wasn’t she? Anyone in their right mind would be.
“How did he hurt his leg?” she asked.
Derek took a deep breath. He usually had an even disposition. He had to for his job as an attorney. Besides, all those years in JAG—the justice branch of the military, also known as the Judge Advocate Generals Corp—had trained him to stay cool under pressure. But seeing his brother hurt and having to leave him...it had Derek rattled.
“He was climbing up some rocks when he fell. His leg got caught between two boulders. He managed to get himself out, but his leg...it was torn up.” His voice cracked as he remembered seeing the injury. “Just looking at it, the bone was obviously broken. He’s in a lot of pain and can’t walk.”
Her expression remained even. “How long ago did this happen?”
“Probably an hour.” Derek continued walking beside her through the forest. The woman seemed to know where she was going, and she kept a steady pace as she moved. Thank God he’d found her when he did. She was an answer to prayer, for sure.
“You did the right thing by coming to find me.”
“That’s good to hear, because I hated to leave him.” Derek prayed that William was okay. Derek didn’t see how a rescue helicopter could get down to the thickly wooded area. He had no idea how his brother would be rescued, considering there was no way William could walk right now.
“These mountains aren’t for amateurs, that’s for sure.”
Derek frowned at her words. She was right. This trip had been tough, had made both Derek and William dig into their adventurous side. The slopes were steep and rocky. The area was lonely and not well traveled. Plus, the weather had been iffy.
“This trip was my brother’s idea,” Derek said, squeezing through the trees. “I was just trying to help him out. He had an especially bad breakup a couple months ago, and I think he needed to get away.”
None of that really mattered anymore, did it? All that mattered was helping his brother. William had always been the troublemaker of the two.
He was younger than Derek by two years, and something about his little brother had always been rowdy. William had been the one in detention. The one who’d gotten into fistfights. Yet he’d also been the one who was the captain of the football team and homecoming king. Derek, on the other hand, was the responsible one. He’d played baseball, studied hard and worked part-time jobs to save money for college.
“What’s your brother’s name?” Ranger Mercer asked, clucking her tongue at her dog as the leash pulled tight. The canine seemed eager to move ahead.
“William.”
The ranger’s dog continued to lead her through the wilderness, acting like he knew exactly where he was going. As they moved forward, he remembered the sound of bullets just a few minutes ago.
“Where are the two of you from?” Ranger Mercer asked.
“I’m from Washington, DC. I’m a lawyer there. My brother works in finance in New York City. We don’t get together that often, but we both thought this trip might be good for us.”
“Seems like an interesting choice of places to meet.” She glanced back at him, as if trying to study his expression.
“My father used to take us camping and hiking in this area when we were boys.”
“Sounds nice.” Her voice softened.
“He passed away a couple years ago. We thought this could help us get some closure.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Derek was also. It had been one of the most challenging times of his life. Only a year later, Derek’s fiancée had left him at the altar.
To this day, Derek had a hard time trusting people. When the people you cared about the most let you down, whom could you put your faith in?
He still wasn’t sure about the answer to that question.
They continued through the wilderness. Thankfully, Derek had a good sense of direction. Otherwise every path would look the same.
Finally, Derek heard the river in the background. In this section, the rapids skipped and hurried over large boulders. Not far from here was Beaver Falls, a one-hundred-foot waterfall. The rapids grew more turbulent as they inched closer to the drop-off.
Earlier, he’d thought the sound was soothing. Now it seemed a grim reminder of what had happened.
Thankfully, they were almost to the area where he’d left William. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Derek knew he didn’t have much time.
Even though the park ranger had called for backup, Derek knew that getting out to this area was going to be difficult for the rescue teams. It wasn’t easily accessible, which was one of the reasons that he and William had wanted to come here.
No, Derek corrected. It was one of the reasons William had wanted to come here. Derek would’ve been just as happy hiking the Appalachian Trail or a
