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Crystal squeezed her eyes shut, trying to process everything before gazing back at the guy.
“Wait, are you saying this dog is named Bear?”
“Yeah, ‘cause he looks like one.” The man nodded and grinned.
No shit.
Her legs and arms shook as she tried to keep a firm hold on the tree.
No bear. Just a dog named Bear. Relief was short-lived as she gauged her distance from the ground. She’d never be able to climb down. The only way she’d made it up was the fight-or-flight response that kicked into high gear, and now she was exhausted.
Lights flashed, and a police car rolled up to the nearby road. Followed by another.
Thank God. Help was on the way. Someone must have called 911. She rested her head against the tree and fought off a dizzy spell.
She couldn’t look down anymore. It freaked her out.
When the cops arrived, they asked some questions about her condition, and she answered to the best of her ability. Their voices floated up to her like she was in some space bubble. If only.
Her arms prickled, and she slanted an eye open.
She gasped at the sight of ants crawling all over them.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Zach drove the perimeter of his camp and tried to banish thoughts of Crystal from his brain. He’d watched them film her fishing scene from across the lake and had been proud of her. She’d used his method to catch fish, and damn if she hadn’t looked confident and sure of herself. He’d cheered inside when she’d reeled in a couple. She’d caught, cleaned, and cooked them without wearing gloves. As squeamish as she was, that took guts.
He hadn’t been able to see her face from the distance, but he’d bet she’d squinched it up in that cute, disgusted way. To her credit, she hadn’t stomped her feet or flung her hands.
Two days had passed since then, and the producers had kept her busy, making up for lost time no doubt. More promotional gifts must have come in for Crystal because her tent glowed with solar lights, and she’d hung a flag banner. It gave the place a homey and fun vibe. Even though Crystal hated camping, she was trying to make the best of things.
He stopped the UTV in a shady spot and took a sip of water. A yearning tugged at his heart. He’d wanted to see her face when she’d brought in those fish. And when she’d gutted and scaled them. And when she’d fried them up and took her first bite. Andwhen she’d opened the glamping decorations, he could picture her eyes dancing with excitement. This wasn’t going anywhere good. He had to stop thinking about her. Obsessing was more accurate.
Setting the canteen back in the cup holder, he pressed the accelerator. When he rounded the corner to Crystal’s camp, he spotted two police cars with lights flashing.
His stomach flipped and crash landed. Had something happened to her?
He jumped from the UTV and surveyed the scene. Several people stood at the bottom of a tall maple tree, looking up. Trevor, Sydney, a man with a huge black dog, and three cops. Zach spotted Crystal high in the tree, arms wrapped around the trunk.
An electric shock ripped through his chest. A million questions barraged his brain, but he shoved them aside. First things first. He hurried to the cops. “I run this camp. What’s going on here?”
A police officer turned and told him they had called dispatch for a ladder truck and EMTs since the woman sounded pretty shaky.
“How long until they get here?” Zach asked.
“We just radioed it in. Haven’t heard back yet,” the cop said.
Zach squinted up at Crystal. She was flailing a hand, swiping at her arm. Shit. She was panicking. If she didn’t keep her focus, she might fall, and that was a hell of a long way down.
He ticked through his options at warp speed and did what he always did in a crisis.
Took action.
No time for standing around when she was in danger. If nothing else, he’d secure her until the truck arrived.
He grasped a branch and hoisted himself up. He’d climbed more trees than he could count growing up, and his militarytraining included rescue missions carrying people, so he had this.
Sydney yelled from below.
