Matt reached out and she put her hand in his. That seemed so right. She ignored Adrienne’s frown when she saw they’d reached for each other. Jeanne-Marie didn’t have time to worry about that right now. She wanted to make sure her baby was safe.
“I’m glad you came,” she murmured as they hurried down the main street heading for the cliffs.
“He’ll be all right.” He squeezed her hand slightly and continued their rapid pace.
“He’s all I have. I can’t lose him, too.”
“Don’t be dramatic. He’ll be fine, and probably as hungry as a bear when we find him,” Matt said. He knew she was scared, but he couldn’t imagine the older man putting the little boy in danger. He was probably giving Alexandre some special time together by letting him show his grandfather where he’d climbed.
Jeanne-Marie wanted to race across the distance and find Alexandre, assure herself he was fine. Once they left the town behind, the pathway became rocky and uneven, slowing them down. She would not help Alexandre if she sprained an ankle. She looked at Matt.
“Your knee holding up okay?”
“I’m fine.”
She couldn’t help scanning the cliffs as they approached. Adrienne kept harping that Antoine wouldn’t have climbed today, but Jeanne-Marie couldn’t help but be fearful she’d see her son halfway up some sheer cliff, already envisioning him falling to his death as his father had. Matt was an accomplished climber and he’d fallen. How easy it would be for Alexandre to fall. Please, God, she prayed, keep my child safe.
“Where are they?” she asked. The minutes ticked by. They scoured the pathway, looking to the left and right in case Alexandre and his grandfather were off to the side. From time to time they had to scramble over rocks. Where were they? They were quite a distance now from St. Bart.
They passed others hiking back toward St. Bart and asked them if they’d seen the older man and young boy. They had not. Jeanne-Marie was sick with fear.
“Stop.” Matt pulled her to a halt and waited for Adrienne to catch up. The older woman was breathing hard and now looking worried.
“I can’t believe they would have come this far. We must have missed them,” she said.
“We need to think this through and not rush off with no plan,” Matt said. “I’d thought we’d run into them by now, but it appears they went farther than I would have.”
“Or returned by the sea and we missed them,” the older woman insisted, looking behind them as if expecting her husband and grandson to appear.
“Are we at the spot we climbed?” Jeanne-Marie asked. “It all looks the same to me.”
“Not quite. It’s just ahead.”
“Then I say we go on to see if they’re there.”
“If the hikers didn’t see them, either they left the path or they returned home before we left and we’ve missed them. They could have gone along the sea as Madame Rousseau said and be back at the inn wondering where we are.”
“They would’ve gone back to Adrienne,” Jeanne-Marie said. “Antoine would have taken them all to lunch.”
Adrienne nodded. “I agree they’d have come for me before lunch.”
“I suggest we begin looking off the main path, where there are side paths that have gentle scrambles. We have a man in his fifties and a five-year-old child. He would not take the child up the face, so they have to be somewhere on the flat, but maybe off this path,” Matt said reasonably.
Five minutes later Jeanne-Marie recognized the gentle slope they’d climbed a couple of weeks ago. No sign of Alexandre. Where was he?
Then Matt stopped abruptly. “Wait, listen!”
The faint cry seemed to float in the air, directionless. He tilted his head to hear better. Jeanne-Marie almost held her breath. It was Alexandre.
Matt looked up and scanned the cliff.
“Mon Dieu, he’s there.” He indicated a point about thirty feet up the cliff a few yards beyond where they stood. Alexandre peered over a ledge. There was no sign of Antoine Rousseau.
“He climbed it again,” Matt said. “I wouldn’t have believed it.”
“Where’s Antoine?” Adrienne sounded frantic as she came up and clutched his arm. She scanned the cliff in all directions. “I don’t see him.”
“Alexandre, we see you. Wait there, do not move,” Matt yelled up. “Wave if you hear me, but do not move from where you’re sitting.”
The little boy waved his hand. “I can’t get down. I don’t know where to put my feet. Matt, can you tell me? Grand-père is sleeping.”
A small blue object flew from the ledge, bounced against some outcropping and landed at the base.
“My car!” Alexandre leaned over watching the toy bounce down the cliff.
Jeanne-Marie stared in fear. She could scarcely breathe. She wanted to fly to her child, yet her feet couldn’t move. “Get back!” she screamed. She looked at Matt. “How did he get up there? How could he? The other day you had to show him every handhold.”
“Apparently so did Antoine. It really is an easy climb, Jeanne-Marie. Now I’ll talk you up. You’ve done it before. It’s the same place.”
“But you were with us. I can’t climb this cliff.” Her eyes returned to Alexandre. He seemed so little against the immense cliff. She wanted to cry. Instead Matt pulled her along to the area directly beneath the ledge. He was scanning the face, studying the rocks and crevices.
Jeanne-Marie yelled up to Alexandre, “Stay back from the edge, sweetie. We’ll come get you, but move back.”
“I lost one of my cars,” he wailed.
“We’ll find it once you get down. Get back!”
Matt needed only a second to plan what to do. “I don’t see his grandfather, but something’s wrong. He wouldn’t take a nap. Madame, you must go back to the village to get help.”
“No, I need to know if Antoine’s all right,” Adrienne said. “Alexandre, where is Grand-père?”
“He’s sleeping. He won’t wake up.” The little boy peered over the edge.
“Get back against the cliff,” Jeanne-Marie yelled. Her heart pounded with fear, her eyes unable to leave the sight of her precious little boy high above her on a rocky ledge.
“You have to go for help, madame. Find the constable and tell him there’s been a climbing accident. He’ll bring rescue workers. Go, speed is of the essence,” Matt instructed Adrienne. “Be sure to tell them we need a medic. And be careful; we can’t afford to have you slowed down by being injured. I think maybe your husband had a heart attack.”
“Oh, no, Antoine!”
Matt looked up again, studying the cliff face. “The sooner you bring help, the sooner we can get to him,” Matt said with what patience he could muster. It was an easy climb, but still a challenge for a child. Had he been in perfect condition, he could scramble up in five minutes and bring Alexandre right back to his mother.
“I can’t climb,” he said aloud. “My arm will not hold my weight. You’ll have to do it, Jeanne-Marie.”
She turned to look at him in astonishment, tears glistening on her cheeks. “I can’t climb, I’m too afraid. You have to go. He’s so little. Please, Matt. I need you to rescue my son.”
CHAPTER TEN
“I WOULD GIVE my fortune to be able to do that, but I can’t. Not won’t, but physically cannot. It’s an easy climb…you’ve done it already. You can do it again. But it still needs both hands and feet, and my arm prevents me from going. You’ll have to climb up, stay with Alexandre and wait until rescue comes. The men who come will be able to get you down with no trouble.”
“I can’t.” She turned and looked at the cliff with horror on her face. Fear pounded through her. All she could think of was how Matt had guided her up and back the last time. She couldn’t do it on her own.
He caught her chin and brought her face around to his. “Yes, you can. This is an easy climb—a five-year-old did it. You’ve done it. I’ll guide you every inch from the ground. We’ll take it slow and you’ll be up with him in no time. You
need to check on Antoine, too. When the rescue workers arrive, you two will be the first down. You can do this. Trust me, I would never put you in harm’s way.”
“If I fall, Alexandre will have lost two parents.”
“Look at me. You will not fall. I can see a clear way up from here. I’ll tell you every move to make.”
“You know what you’re doing and you fell. I have climbed only a few times, never on my own. I could fall and get killed.”
“Or you can climb up the way I tell you and be with your little boy.”
She stared into his eyes, clinging with hers, as if hoping to draw confidence from his gaze. Tears stopped and a certain resolve took their place.
“I’m scared out of my mind,” she said in a wobbly voice.
“I know. But you can do this. Think of Alexandre. He needs you. Trust me, Jeanne-Marie, I would never let anything bad happen to you.”
“Mama, come get me,” her son called.
Jeanne-Marie and Matt both looked up—Alexandre was leaning over the edge again.
“Get back, I’m coming,” she yelled. Taking a deep breath, she looked back at Matt. Recklessly she pulled his head down and kissed him. “For luck,” she said when she stepped back. Turning before she could change her mind, she walked to the base of the cliff. Looking up, it seemed endless. She tried to breathe, but fear clogged her throat.
“Move to your right about four feet. See the rocks jutting out from the base?” Matt asked, coming beside her and pointing to the protrusions.
“Yes,” she said.
“Look here.” He pointed to some others higher up. “Step up there, reach up for this one and hold on with your hand. Okay, good. Now lift your left foot and reach for the rock about ten inches up. Good. Now move your right hand up to grasp that rock a bit to your right.”
Step by step he directed her through the climb. It was an easy trail, and as she climbed, she concentrated on the calm instructions Matt called. She’d done this before. She didn’t find it fun, but it was not impossible. Slowly but steadily she moved up the slope.
Matt watched carefully, scouring the cliff, looking for the easiest way for her to get to Alexandre. Once her foot slipped and Matt caught his breath. She could not fall. Please God, do not let her fall. She quickly put her foot on the outcrop of rock and found a new handhold. In less than five minutes, she reached the ledge, pulled herself on it and swept Alexandre up in a fierce hug, drawing him back against the cliff that rose so high behind them, away from the edge, out of his view.
Matt turned and leaned against the wall. His heart pounded. He’d never felt such fear when he was climbing, but he worried every second that she would fall and be injured or worse. He felt he’d aged five years in five minutes. Yet she’d done it. He’d known she could.
Pushing away, he walked out several yards to look up. He couldn’t see anyone, but could hear her soft voice murmuring to Alexandre.
“Is Antoine there? You two okay?” he called up.
“Yes, but he’s unconscious and his color’s not good. He’s breathing, but his lips look blue—can’t be from cold, he’s in the sunshine.”
Coming down would be harder than going up—especially for Alexandre. On their climb he’d been right beside the boy, ready to catch him in an instant if he missed a step. He wouldn’t risk the child or the mother on their climbing down on their own. He had to bide his time until the rescue people arrived to see her safely down. God, it was terrifying when you saw someone you loved in danger.
Loved? He closed his eyes tightly. Loved. He loved Jeanne-Marie. The fear he’d felt for her safety made it all come clear. He’d been reluctant to leave; only pressing business matters had finally decided on his departure in the morning.
Now he didn’t want to leave at all. Duty called. His heart had been captured again. He hadn’t expected to ever fall in love again. He couldn’t realize his love for her only to have her fall from a cliff. The ironic turn almost made him sick.
Her voice came down. “I’ve loosened his collar, but he doesn’t respond when I shake him. It must be a heart attack.”
“Yes. He’s not in danger of falling over the edge, is he?”
He heard some scraping, then Jeanne-Marie’s head peered over the edge. “I moved him back, but I don’t think he’s going anywhere. You remember how wide the ledge is and it has what looks almost like a shallow cave at the back. I’ll try to get him out of the sun, but he’s heavy, and I don’t know if I’m doing any damage moving him.”
“No visible injuries?”
“No. Alexandre said they just climbed up, and Grand-père was breathing hard and then lay down.” She looked out across the sea. “I see the same view from my house. There’s nothing special about this. I still don’t see why people risk their lives.”
“We can talk about that when you get down. You did a good job and I know Alexandre will forever remember his mother came to his rescue.”
“Thanks to you. I’m still scared out of my mind. They’d better have ropes to get me down so I can keep my eyes closed the entire way.”
He laughed, wishing he could have spared her. Wishing he could have been the one to rescue her son. As climbs went, this one was very easy.
Trying to gauge when Madame Rousseau would return with help, Matt sat on a boulder and watched the edge of the ledge wishing with all he had he could be there with them. Jeanne-Marie and Alexandre weren’t to be seen, but he heard the murmur of their voices. How long would it take the older woman to convince the local Search and Rescue group to mobilize? He hoped not long.
The afternoon continued. The sun was hot. The breeze from the sea sporadic. His head began to throb again. He was not fully recovered from his own fall. What would he have done if Jeanne-Marie had fallen? He didn’t want to think about that.
He wished they’d brought water. Probably Alexandre wished for food. He looked back down the path, but no sign of anyone.
Then he heard the sound of a powerful boat rounding the spit of land separating them from St. Bart’s bay. In only a moment he saw several men standing on the large boat. The driver brought the boat close to shore and three men jumped out, coils of rope over their shoulders. A young policeman led the way.
With a few succinct words, Matt outlined the situation and urged them to get the woman and child down first.
Jeanne-Marie peered over the edge.
“You’ll be down in no time,” Matt called up.
The men were efficient, scrambling up the rock as if it were a walk in the park. And true to his word, in no time Jeanne-Marie and Alexandre were on the ground.
Matt helped them untangle themselves from the ropes that had belayed them down, then swept Jeanne-Marie into a tight hug. His chin rested on her head, his eyes on Alexandre. “You two doing all right?”
“I lost my car,” Alexandre said, looking around.
“How’s Antoine?” Matt asked, unable to let her go.
“The men were strapping him on the stretcher, then they’ll let him down,” she said, clinging as tightly as he was holding her.
They watched as the Search and Rescue men began to lower the stretcher on its journey down. Two men held the ropes at the top, one accompanied the stretcher lest it get caught on some rocky protrusion. In no time Antoine was on the ground. Jeanne-Marie and Matt went to stay with him while the other men made short work of descending.
“The boat’ll be faster and easier on him,” Matt said, watching as they carried the stretcher to the waiting boat.
Once aboard, the SAR men verified the three of them could make it back to St. Bart on their own, the boat pulled back and swiftly headed for St. Bart.
“Thank you,” Jeanne-Marie called. “Tell his wife we’ll be along as soon as we can.”
“I see my car!” Alexandre exclaimed, running a short distance to pick up a blue object. Sadly he studied it and then came back. “It’s broken.”
“Thank God it’s only the car that was broken,” she said, hugging
him quickly.
“I didn’t fall like my dad or Matt,” he said, looking up the face of the cliff. “But it was really scary, Mama, to be alone when Grand-père went to sleep. I wanted Matt with me. He’s the best.”
“He is, but unless he’s there, you had better never climb a rock again!”
Matt took her chin in his hand and kissed her. “I was scared to death for you,” he said.
“Are you kissing Mama?” Alexandre asked, coming to stand beside them both.
“I am.” Matt stooped and hugged Alexandre and kissed the top of his head. “And I’m kissing you because you’re safe.”
“Oh.” He smiled at Matt. “Are you proud of me? I showed my grand-père how I could climb. He said he was proud of me. Only then I couldn’t go down.”
“Going down is the hard part, remember. You were smart to stay there until a grown-up came.”
“Yes, my mama!”
Alexandre reached out for her hand, Matt took the other. For a moment Jeanne-Marie was as happy as she’d ever been.
When they reached the beach, they veered off the path and walked on the damp sand. Alexandre raced ahead.
“No lasting harm, I think,” Matt said, watching him.
“Kids are resilient. I may never recover, however,” she said.
“Me, either,” he said.
She looked at him. “Why’s that? As you said, it wasn’t that big a challenge. If your arm was healed, you’d probably scramble up it in a heartbeat.”
“I have an entirely new perspective on things.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll tell you later.” He glanced down at her and squeezed her hand slightly.
“I’m so glad you were here. You knew exactly what to do.”
“I’m glad I was here as well.”
The inn came into sight. Alexandre was already running up to the veranda, none the worse for his afternoon on the ledge.
“I’ll need to call the clinic to see how Antoine’s doing. And if he’s conscious, find out what in the world he was thinking letting Alexandre climb.”
“My guess, he knew the child had done it before, and he was there to supervise. If he hadn’t had a heart attack, they’d have been back for lunch with Alexandre thrilled to have climbed with his grandfather. Antoine probably wanted to recapture what is now lost with the death of his son.”
From Daredevil to Devoted Daddy Page 15
