alternating their strength, pooling their resources for one concentration. Their legs braced together to form one strong base. Mentally and emotionally, they took every toiling step with Jake.
Just before he reached Yolanda, a deep current grabbed him and whirled him around. Brit gasped and loosened her grip.
"Hold it! Don't let go! Steady, man, steady." Rudi kept up his encouragement to Yolanda. All the while, he created a buttress with his legs set far apart to keep the rope tight. As Jake lunged and stumbled, Rudi maintained the line that kept him on track toward Yolanda.
"Keep going," Brit murmured and renewed her grip. She released her breath only when Jake started moving forward again.
Finally, he stood before Yolanda, wavering a little in the push of the current. Neither of them moved for a long minute, and Brit wanted to scream with the tension. Yolanda's attention was glued to Jake. He was probably talking to her, instructing, persuading. She shook her head.
"Come on, babe," Rudi muttered to his wife. "Come on."
Yolanda shook her head again.
"Go with him, babe. Go." Rudi's voice rose and he bellowed, "Go, dammit!"
"What are they doing?" Brit asked. "Why won't she go?"
"Too scared. Too scared to budge."
"But Jake needs for her to walk. What'll he do? How'll he get her?"
"Go on . . . you can do it, babe . . ." Rudi seemed mesmerized. He spoke as if in a trance, a direct communication with Yolanda, commanding her, pleading with her at some other level, for she certainly could not hear him.
Abruptly Jake raised his fist in a signal to them. This was it. No more waiting.
"Hold on!" Brit commanded, knowing instinctively that he was going to force Yolanda. Rudi tensed as Jake grabbed Yolanda, pulling her into the water with him.
She struggled frantically and fought him. Arms and legs flailed above the high water line. Yolanda bobbed underwater, then popped up again. The two of them teetered, Yolanda clambering onto Jake's body, trying, it seemed, to climb onto his shoulders.
They grappled. Jake grabbed her roughly and, pinning her arms to her sides, forced her back against his chest, keeping her from clutching at him. She had little choice but to walk—stumbling and struggling—through the water with him toward shore. Jake leaned against the rope, depending almost entirely on the muscle power of Rudi and Brit to pull him across the deadly currents to the sandy bank.
It took them only a few minutes to reach safety. It seemed to Brit like hours. When they were close enough, Yolanda's verbal barrage directed at Jake could be heard. She was furious with him, and left no doubt about her feelings or her future actions toward him. Finally they stumbled ashore and fell, exhausted, onto the pebbles and sand.
Rudi grabbed Yolanda, hugging and cuddling her. "Oh, babe, my sweet girl, thank God you're safe!"
Gasping for breath, Jake looked at the two in dismay. "Sweet? Ha!"
Brit knelt beside Jake, tears streaming down her face. When he turned his weary eyes toward her, she laughed, unable to stop. "You did it!" She felt overjoyed and relieved and weak and exultant all at once. She wanted to hug him but tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder instead. "Terrific . . . great rescue . . ."
He shivered at her touch and tugged at the wet knotted rope at his waist. "We did it together. All of us."
Feeling a little rebuffed, she bent her head and helped him untie the knot at his waist. Her shaky fingers brushed his wet muscled waist. "You're cold. You need ... to get warm."
"Yeah." His devilish dark eyes met hers. "Only one sure way to prevent hypothermia. Body heat to body heat."
"I'm sure a blanket will, do nicely." Brit quickly reached for his clothes. How could he think of anything else at a time like this? "Here's your shirt."
Jake nodded at Yolanda. "She's going to need some warmth quickly, or she'll go into shock.
She can wear some of my clothes. You get the blankets, and I’ll gather some wood to start a
Just before he reached Yolanda, a deep current grabbed him and whirled him around. Brit gasped and loosened her grip.
"Hold it! Don't let go! Steady, man, steady." Rudi kept up his encouragement to Yolanda. All the while, he created a buttress with his legs set far apart to keep the rope tight. As Jake lunged and stumbled, Rudi maintained the line that kept him on track toward Yolanda.
"Keep going," Brit murmured and renewed her grip. She released her breath only when Jake started moving forward again.
Finally, he stood before Yolanda, wavering a little in the push of the current. Neither of them moved for a long minute, and Brit wanted to scream with the tension. Yolanda's attention was glued to Jake. He was probably talking to her, instructing, persuading. She shook her head.
"Come on, babe," Rudi muttered to his wife. "Come on."
Yolanda shook her head again.
"Go with him, babe. Go." Rudi's voice rose and he bellowed, "Go, dammit!"
"What are they doing?" Brit asked. "Why won't she go?"
"Too scared. Too scared to budge."
"But Jake needs for her to walk. What'll he do? How'll he get her?"
"Go on . . . you can do it, babe . . ." Rudi seemed mesmerized. He spoke as if in a trance, a direct communication with Yolanda, commanding her, pleading with her at some other level, for she certainly could not hear him.
Abruptly Jake raised his fist in a signal to them. This was it. No more waiting.
"Hold on!" Brit commanded, knowing instinctively that he was going to force Yolanda. Rudi tensed as Jake grabbed Yolanda, pulling her into the water with him.
She struggled frantically and fought him. Arms and legs flailed above the high water line. Yolanda bobbed underwater, then popped up again. The two of them teetered, Yolanda clambering onto Jake's body, trying, it seemed, to climb onto his shoulders.
They grappled. Jake grabbed her roughly and, pinning her arms to her sides, forced her back against his chest, keeping her from clutching at him. She had little choice but to walk—stumbling and struggling—through the water with him toward shore. Jake leaned against the rope, depending almost entirely on the muscle power of Rudi and Brit to pull him across the deadly currents to the sandy bank.
It took them only a few minutes to reach safety. It seemed to Brit like hours. When they were close enough, Yolanda's verbal barrage directed at Jake could be heard. She was furious with him, and left no doubt about her feelings or her future actions toward him. Finally they stumbled ashore and fell, exhausted, onto the pebbles and sand.
Rudi grabbed Yolanda, hugging and cuddling her. "Oh, babe, my sweet girl, thank God you're safe!"
Gasping for breath, Jake looked at the two in dismay. "Sweet? Ha!"
Brit knelt beside Jake, tears streaming down her face. When he turned his weary eyes toward her, she laughed, unable to stop. "You did it!" She felt overjoyed and relieved and weak and exultant all at once. She wanted to hug him but tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder instead. "Terrific . . . great rescue . . ."
He shivered at her touch and tugged at the wet knotted rope at his waist. "We did it together. All of us."
Feeling a little rebuffed, she bent her head and helped him untie the knot at his waist. Her shaky fingers brushed his wet muscled waist. "You're cold. You need ... to get warm."
"Yeah." His devilish dark eyes met hers. "Only one sure way to prevent hypothermia. Body heat to body heat."
"I'm sure a blanket will, do nicely." Brit quickly reached for his clothes. How could he think of anything else at a time like this? "Here's your shirt."
Jake nodded at Yolanda. "She's going to need some warmth quickly, or she'll go into shock.
She can wear some of my clothes. You get the blankets, and I’ll gather some wood to start a
Similar Books
