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As they set off up the mountain she glanced at him questioningly. ‘Are you going to hold my hand all the way up in case I trip?’
He didn’t laugh, his features strained and taut. ‘If I could stop you going I would.’
‘I’ll be fine, Sean.’
‘Too right you will—’ his voice was a low growl ‘—because you’ll have me breathing down your neck.’
The thought warmed her insides and for a brief moment she allowed herself the luxury of pretending it was because he really cared. Gazing at those powerful shoulders, she felt her heart flip and a lump form in her throat. She loved him so much. For a brief moment her hand covered their baby. He saw the gesture, his eyes lifting to hers.
Then the moment passed and they were tramping up the mountain at a steady pace behind the rest of the mountain rescue team in search of Geoff Thompson, their torches cutting through the darkness and the swirling snow.
* * *
It was Red, Lucy’s search dog, that found Geoff nearly three hours later when they’d almost given up hope. Barking to indicate what she’d found, the dog stood stock still, waiting for the rest of the team to join her and her handler.
‘He’s down on that ledge.’ Lucy shone her torch down the side of a gully onto a lump perched on a narrow ledge above a sheer drop.
‘Oh, great!’ Jack brushed snow out of his eyes and breathed out heavily. ‘Well, now we’ve got a problem. That ledge is too bloody narrow to take a chicken, let alone one of us. OK, let’s think this one through.’
They argued the options for a few minutes and then one of the team hurried over, his face anxious.
‘We’ve managed to talk to him, but he’s threatening to jump if we try and rescue him. He says he just wants to be left to die.’
Jack closed his eyes and muttered something unprintable. ‘Oh, great. This I really need. Right, then, we need the doc.’
‘I’m here.’ Ally slipped off her rucksack and huddled deeper inside her coat. It was freezing. The darkness and bitter cold seemed to seep inside even the most sophisticated outdoor clothing. They had to get Geoff down the mountain fast or he’d die of hypothermia.
‘Go with Ted and see if you can talk some sense into him,’ Jack ordered, flashing his torch at the equipment officer. ‘We’ll prepare for the worst.’
Ally frowned. ‘What’s that?’
‘Some poor sod having to rope up and go over the edge to save him,’ Jack said wryly, walking over to consult with his team.
Ally moved as close to the edge as was safe and called down, her words muffled by the falling snow. ‘Geoff—it’s me, Dr McGuire.’
For a moment there was no answer and she thought he couldn’t have heard her, but just as she opened her mouth to shout again she heard his voice.
‘I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want to talk to anyone.’
‘Geoff, please!’ Ally lay down and wriggled closer to the edge. ‘I just want to help.’
‘No one can help.’
‘For goodness’ sake, someone get a rope on the woman before that cornice gives way!’ Jack’s voice drifted through the darkness and Ally shifted to allow them to secure a rope to her waist, her mind on Geoff rather than her own safety.
She thought fast, choosing her words carefully. ‘Geoff—this isn’t the way. Think of Mary!’
‘I am thinking of Mary—that’s why I’m doing this. She’d be better off without me.’
‘That’s not true.’ Ally shivered slightly and wondered what state Geoff was in. If she was this cold then he
must be freezing. ‘She loves you so much.’
‘Well, I don’t deserve it.’ Geoff huddled down, his outline barely visible in the darkness. ‘Nothing I do ever turns out right. Look at me now! I tried to throw myself off the edge but I got caught on this stupid rock.’
Ally exchanged a look with Jack. ‘Are you hurt, Geoff?’
‘I don’t care if I am!’
