“Anyway, the girls started out boarding and training dogs and now have expanded to breeding.” Pride stretched from father to daughter, and Bjørn had the urge to call his parents.
Color flashed halfway up the mountainside, yanking Bjørn’s attention. “See that flash of blue among the rocks to our eleven?”
Bjørn eased the cyclic forward to get closer as the color shifted and waved. Was it the missing tourists? He checked the gauges. He sure hoped so, otherwise they’d have to head back and fuel up before searching more.
“Definitely two people.” Will had the binoculars to his eyes. “One isn’t moving from their position on the ground. The other is waving so much she might throw herself off the mountain. She looks like the picture on the driver’s license.”
Bjørn scanned the mountain up and down. The rocky terrain stretched for thousands of feet up and down from the couple’s location. These two had managed to not only get themselves lost, but picked the worse place to get injured. Will waved to the lady, and she collapsed next to her husband. Why hadn’t Bjørn installed the winch system the day before when he’d gotten it? If he had, they could just hover above the ledge and haul the people up.
“The man’s leg is elevated, probably broke it or something. His pallor isn’t great. We’ll definitely have to carry him out.” Will sighed as he leaned forward and gazed at the mountain.
“This terrain is nasty.” Bjørn pulled up on the collective, and the helicopter climbed. “Let’s see if we can find a place to land.”
As Bjørn flew back and forth, searching for a place to set down, the boost of hope that had energized him fizzled to a dull throb. He went back over the slope above the couple. The ledge they were on was narrow, like a giant had taken a spoon and scooped the rock away. It wasn’t wide enough for him to hover with the door parallel to the ledge. However, the mountain depressed more above where the couple waited. He had an idea, but it would be tricky. He blew out a deep breath and turned to Will.
“Here’s what we’re going to do. Someone will need to fast rope down and prepare the couple for transport.” Bjørn pointed to the rocks above them. “The spot isn’t wide enough for me to get in there close with the door, but I can get the front of the skid on that ledge to the right of the couple.”
Will nodded, though his eyes widened as he assessed the area Bjørn indicated.
“Once the couple is ready for transport, I’ll set the skid down. Whoever is left in here will hook in, run a cable to the ledge across the skid, and we’ll guide the couple in.” Bjørn had executed missions in similar situations before, but he’d had soldiers trained for the extreme. “The blades will create wind, so you’ll need to stay low and compensate for that.”
“I’ll rappel down with Kemp.” Violet clicked from her seat, secured a carabiner into a metal loop in the chopper’s roof, and pulled a harness from her pack. “Dad, you and Uncle Joe come across once Bjørn touches down.”
“Sure, take the easy route.” Will rolled his eyes as he climbed into the back, though his tone only jested. “Why don’t you shimmy across the skinny plank?”
“Whine, whine, whine. You’ve always been a big baby, little brother.” Joe joked, and Bjørn wondered how he’d missed the resemblance.
“Three minutes. You were born three minutes earlier than me.” Will hooked the rope system to the carabiner, then secured it to his daughter.
Bjørn liked that this family worked together and had fun doing it. It made him miss his own. Sure, Gunner rented a place outside Seward and they hung out all the time, but it had been a while since all the family had gotten together.
“Kemp, you related to these guys too?” Bjørn gazed through the mirror at the younger man in the back getting geared up.
“Nope, sir.” Kemp’s southern twang was full of laughter. “I’m just here for the show.”
“Whatever.” Violet swatted her hand at him. “Kemp is the best wilderness medic in Alaska. Not to mention, he just signed a sponsorship with Alley-Oop snowboarding gear. He’s the new poster boy of extreme snowboarding. Women flock and fall at his feet. Bjørn, you haven’t heard of him?”
Bjørn snorted and shook his head as Kemp’s neck and cheeks flamed red. “Can’t say I have.”
“All right, you two.” Will checked the equipment again as Bjørn got the chopper into position. “Remember, slow and steady. I don’t want you coming in so hot you bust your legs.”
“Okay, Daddy,” Violet said with mock exasperation. “Bjørn, we ready?”
“You are clear to go.” Bjørn held Annie steady as the two dropped in fast.
“Geesh.” Will hissed. “She’s gonna be the death of me.”
“Glad you got the wild one and not me.” Joe chuckled as he pulled the rope back in.
Bjørn snorted as he lowered the helicopter to wait for the go-ahead. Would this be how he and Gunnar were when they had families? The idea spread warmth through his chest, and the need to cross off “find a wife” on his list burned with such heat, he ran his hand over his heart. He might have to carve out some time to get on that, but where would he even start? He wasn’t about to troll the bars, and he definitely didn’t want a temporary romance with a tourist or seasonal employee. That would be a waste of time. Bjørn shook his head. There’d be time to think about this later. He needed to keep his focus on the rescue, not some elusive future.
When Kemp gave them the thumbs up, Bjørn eased the nose forward, monitoring the rocks above. One clip and he could kill them all. He touched the right skid on the ledge and nodded the all clear. His mouth dried out as Will clipped in and sat on the door’s edge. Making sure he held everything steady, Bjørn let out a long, low breath as Will walked across the skid like a pro.