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‘Then we can just get on and clear it?’
Jaye nodded. They were going to have to make a path through the debris as they couldn’t go around the stones because of the steep slope rising up to the left and falling down to the right of the road.
‘Yes. Shouldn’t be too difficult. I think we can just roll that out of the way...’ He pointed to the right-hand side of the road where a heavy mass of earth, bound together by tree roots, blocked their path.
Jaye got out of the truck and walked across to the boulder. When he set his weight against it and then heaved, the boulder moved three inches and then fell back two.
‘I need you to help me...’ If Megan added her weight to his, the boulder would move. The process might involve touching her, but that couldn’t be helped.
‘Right. Where do you want me?’
There was a good answer to that question. A very good one. Jaye took the second-best option and pointed to the right-hand side of the boulder.
‘Just there. Put your shoulder to it when I say.’
He found a handhold on the side of the boulder and they both pushed. Nothing happened. Jaye leant further in, feeling the warmth of her body, and the boulder slid a couple of feet.
‘Okay, stop a moment.’ He checked again that if the boulder tipped over and rolled down the slope to their right, there would be nothing in its path. The slope levelled out after twenty feet and a pile of rubble was already lodged at the bottom of it.
‘One more try...’
They pushed hard, a cry of effort escaping Megan’s lips. The boulder slid to the edge of the slope and suddenly the handhold that Jaye had found gave way. A sharp pain shot up his arm as his hand caught in a matted tree root, almost dragging his little finger off. His grunt of pain caught Megan’s attention and she whirled around.
‘What...?’ She was off balance, and as the boulder started to roll down the slope, the momentum of her own body carried her after it. At the last moment she threw herself to the ground, trying to stop herself from toppling down the slope.
‘Megan...!’ The pain in his hand was forgotten. Everything was forgotten because although Megan had managed to stop herself from falling, she was sliding over the edge, scrabbling for a hold in the mud. Jaye ran to where she’d been standing, dropping to his knees.
Chapter Ten
A SMALL INCOHERENT cry came from below him. She’d managed to twist round and find a handhold and she was lying on her stomach, her feet sending chunks of mud and stones down the slope as she tried to find a firm foothold.
‘Still. Be still.’
She obeyed him immediately, her gaze fixed on his face, the message in her eyes clear. Don’t let me fall.
The fall wouldn’t kill her, but it could well hurt her. The boulder had broken up on the way down and sharp stones and tangled tree roots littered the slope.
Jaye lay flat on the ground, reaching for her, his fingers just a few inches from her frightened eyes. He felt a searing pain as he grabbed hold of a tree root with his other hand but swallowed it, inching forward and reaching down with the other arm.
‘Okay. I’ve got you Megan.’ He curled his fingers around the top of her arm. He wasn’t going to let go, and if she fell now, he would be going with her.
For one moment her gaze locked with his. They weren’t going to fall.
‘Let go. Hold onto me.’ She had to trust him now. Suddenly that didn’t seem as if it would be so difficult for her.
He felt her hand, gripping his arm, just above the elbow. ‘Good. That’s good, Megan. Now try to find a foothold. Gently... There’s one about six inches to your right.’
She didn’t answer but Jaye knew she’d do it. She was staring at him, her foot moving slowly in the direction he’d indicated.
‘Got it.’
‘Okay. Can you push yourself up a little?’ Lying flat on his stomach, Jaye didn’t have the leverage to pull her up. All he could do was provide a firm hold for her to climb by herself.
‘Yes, I can do it.’ He felt her move, and she grabbed his shoulder with her other hand. It was as if they were moving slowly into an embrace.
‘Good. A little bit more, Megan.’
She moved again, closer still. He could feel her cheek against his. Waiting until she had got both hands on his shoulders, he wound his arm around her back.
