“I’m not sure if that was a compliment or not.”
With another giggle, River bit her lower lip. Never had he wanted a pair of goggles off more. He was dying to see her eyes again, eyes bluer than the glacier they were on. Easton touched his finger to her nose, nudging them down a smidge.
Damn, she took his breath away.
“Have you ever climbed it?”
Lost in her eyes, Easton barely heard—much less comprehended—what she was saying. Especially when her voice grew smoother, richer. He was drowning in her, and there was nothing that could make him come up for air.
“Hmm?”
“Have you ever climbed the icefall?” River repeated.
“Skirting it is safer. Over here, the ice blocks aren’t as broken up and unstable. Those tip and crush people.”
“I didn’t ask if you guided people up it. I asked if you—Easton Lockett—ever climbed the icefall.”
“Yeah,” he murmured. “Once with Ben. The second time, I soloed.”
And if his sister ever found out, Ash would kick his butt from there to Moose Springs.
“Let’s climb it.” Her whole face lit up at the idea.
“Right now?”
“You and me,” River breathed. “Right now.”
In that moment, his mind raced, calculating the day it was, the time of year, the supplies they had. Could they? Because damn, he wanted to. Every time he saw the icefall, he wanted to test his skills over there again. But the clients who trusted him to get them safely up to the summit and back down had always been more important.
“You have a movie to make.”
“So? Let’s make the movie over there.”
“Because even expert climbers get hurt trying to cross them. It’s probably not one of the best places to encourage visitors to come see.” Easton squeezed her hand. “I’m not a superstitious guy, but until this climb is done, let’s not have you over there.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. The footage we’re getting from here will be good enough.” After a moment, River looked back up at him. “But someday, let’s come back here. You, me, and the marmot. We’ll climb it.”
There was nothing else he could do but nod, a slow, stupid smile crossing his face.
“Yeah,” Easton promised her, meaning it completely. “One day.”
• • •
They spent the night at the icefall, then woke up the next morning to the toughest climb so far. Easton led them in a straight path up the mountain along the steepest trail they’d encountered. For the first time, they were required to use their ice axes to aid their climb, and it didn’t escape River’s notice that slipping here could result in sliding down several meters or more if they were unlucky. She was glad Easton had insisted on the spiky crampons strapped to their feet.
The higher they climbed, the clearer the mountain range stretched around them…and below them. They were now seeing the tops of other peaks that had seemed to rise into the sky at lower elevations. The view was breathtaking and disconcerting at the same time, making her heart beat faster.
She’d never experienced anything as exhilarating as this.
The wind had always been a constant above the tree line, but as they approached the campsite Easton had picked out, River found herself growing increasingly distracted by the wind’s shrill shrieking. Rising in pitch and volume, it only grew until Easton led them into a protected shelter of rock beneath an overhanging cliff face. The site was level and out of the elements as much as one could be when on the side of a mountain. Buffered from the wind, the noise was still loud, if not unbearable.
“You found us the luxury suite,” River called to him.
“What is that?” Bree asked, twisting around.
“It’s the wind coming through the Veil. It’s above us, about a thousand feet up.” Ben pulled out a small bag of foam earplugs from his pack. “Here. They won’t be as soft as normal, so don’t shove them in too far, but they should help.”
He wasn’t wrong. The temperature had dropped to ten below, so she made quick work of molding the earplugs to fit inside her ear canals. Easton’s eyes followed her movements, and she had the sense he wasn’t pleased with her fingers being outside her gloves.
Easton nodded his head toward the peak above them. “When we’re above the Veil, it’ll be better.”
When Easton unshouldered his gear, Ben followed suit, dropping his pack next to Easton’s. At a nod from their guide, Ben started to unpack a series of ropes and stakes.
“I haven’t been up here since May,” Easton informed them, arms crossed over his muscled chest. “I don’t know the condition of the line I set through the Veil, so Ben and I are going to go check it. You three are setting up camp, including our tents. We’ll be a while.”
“Does that mean you’re taking us through?” River perked up.
So far, he’d been unwilling to commit to that or to taking them all the way to the summit.
Easton nodded, smiling at her. “Jessie and Bree are getting better by the day. The skill set is there. As long as the conditions in the Veil are passable, I’ll take them through.”
He’d said Jessie and Bree. River wasn’t sure if it was a given she was going too or a given she wasn’t. At this point, Easton should know better than to try to leave her behind. “What about me?”
The marmot chirped as it scuttled behind Easton’s feet.
“You and the fluffball have to go home. Feel free to fill out a comment card.” Easton’s teasing look turned more heated as his voice grew huskier. “You’ve always been ready, River.”
Well, if he wanted to put it that way…
“Are you filming this?” Bree muttered to Jessie.
“What do you think?”
The smugness in Jessie’s voice made River suddenly realize how close she and Easton were standing. Like there were only two people on this mountain instead of five. At least it was freezing cold so no one would see the flush of heat on her neck and cheeks. Easton didn’t seem bothered at all. Instead, he looped an arm around her waist as if it was completely normal to stand with her like that.
“Stay hydrated and stay in camp,” he rumbled before glancing at her crew. “No adventures without me, people. This isn’t the right site for it.”
“I’m not getting a cheerful, ‘everything’s super safe here, guys’ vibe,” Jessie drawled.
“It isn’t.” Easton added, “If we don’t radio or return by morning, call for help. Absolutely no rescue attempts in the Veil. River’s in charge. She’s the only one who can get you two back down the icefalls if something happens to us.”