From the first day they’d met, he’d taken her adoration and devotion for granted. They had been so crazy about each other, so hot for each other, that it had never entered his head that she would ever look at another man.
But something had obviously changed over the years and now it seemed that Jake knew things about Christy that he didn’t. Private, intimate things. Like the fact that she’d never really been happy as a practice nurse. And the fact that she missed bits of her old life.
Alessandro stared out of the window and his mouth tightened.
He should have known those things about his wife.
Why hadn’t she told him? Why had Jake been easier to talk to? Experiencing self-doubt for one of the few times in his adult life, Alessandro cursed softly and reached into the back seat for the rest of his gear.
He’d get this rescue out of the way and then he was going to sort this out.
He loved her. He loved her desperately and keeping his distance from her was turning him into a crazy man. But if she was in love with Jake then he’d give her the freedom she wanted. Wasn’t that what you were supposed to do with someone you loved? Set them free?
* * *
Christy lifted the pack onto her back, careful not to look at Alessandro.
He didn’t think that she could do this, but she was going to prove him wrong. Prove that she was more that just the mother of his children.
‘According to the call we had, he was one of four walkers taking a path just below the summit,’ Alessandro said as he assembled the advance party. ‘They called the police on a mobile and one of them had a global positioning instrument so we’ve got a good idea where they are.’
‘Weather’s looking unfriendly,’ Jake observed as he lifted his pack onto his back and settled it comfortably. ‘Might need to carry him off the hill if the helicopter can’t fly in this.’
Alessandro nodded. ‘That’s a distinct possibility. One of his group reported that he had breathing difficulties so we’re carrying an oxygen cylinder just
in case. All right, let’s go.’
He strode out in front and Christy walked behind him, hoping that she wasn’t going to fall down gasping for breath because that would be too humiliating for words. She was fit, she reminded herself. And she knew these mountains as well as she knew her own back garden. The fact that she hadn’t been part of a proper rescue for a few years really didn’t signify. Once it had been a huge part of her life. The regular training sessions, callouts, social events—she’d done it all and she’d loved every minute of it. And all that knowledge was still there, she reminded herself.
All the same, she was quite relieved to be sandwiched between Alessandro and Jake. Having someone in front and behind made it easier to resist the temptation to slow the pace.
They walked steadily for two hours in decreasing visibility and deteriorating weather conditions and then heard shouts from up ahead.
‘Bingo,’ Jake murmured, as they pushed on through the swirling snow and mist and finally saw torches and bright jackets on the path ahead.
By now Christy’s cheeks were stinging with cold and her eyelashes were wet and clumped together. But she loved being outdoors in the mountains. The wind had picked up, the weather was wild and unforgiving and it all seemed as far from the rain-washed streets of London as it was possible to be.
The injured man was sitting propped against a rock, covered in several coats. There was blood on his forehead and he had a hand on his chest, his face crumpled in pain. Hope lit his eyes as he saw them trudge towards him through the mist and snow.
Crouching next to him, offering moral support, was one of his fellow walkers, and he stood up as they arrived, his relief plainly visible on his tired features. ‘Boy, am I glad to see you! My first aid isn’t up to the challenge, I’m afraid. He fell about twenty feet,’ he told them, ‘and since then he’s had real trouble with his breathing. It’s really noisy. He was really struggling so I sat him up—I hope I did the right thing. I know you’re not supposed to move an injured person, but—’
‘You’ve done well,’ Christy assured him quickly, heaving her rucksack off her back.
Alessandro was already reaching for the oxygen, his movements as decisive as ever.
That was one of the things she loved and admired about him, Christy thought to herself. Some doctors were fine as long as they were in a hospital, surrounded by high-tech equipment and a phone to give them access to doctors from different specialities. Alessandro was equally cool and self-assured when he was halfway up a mountain in a blizzard with a potentially seriously injured patient.
He was a man who thrived on challenge and she’d always found his inner strength and bold self-confidence incredibly seductive. There was no situation that Alessandro wouldn’t be able to handle.
Ignoring her aching shoulders, she dropped to her knees beside him, trying to ignore the angry howl of the icy wind that threatened to obliterate her vision.
‘His name is Simon Duke,’ the friend volunteered, ‘and he’s fifty-two.’
‘Did you see what happened?’ She knew that an account of the accident might give clues as to the injuries they were potentially dealing with.
‘We’ve been out since early this morning. We’d just started our descent when Simon slipped.’ He pulled a face. ‘I’ve been climbing and walking in the mountains for most of my life. I never thought I’d be calling on the services of the mountain rescue team. To say that I’m finding this highly embarrassing would be a major understatement.’
‘It happens to the best of us,’ Jake said cheerfully, squinting through the blizzard as he heaved the pack off his back and removed the oxygen cylinder he’d been carrying. The snow was now blowing horizontally and their packs had started to freeze. ‘I must say, you chose fabulous weather for your walk.’