He braced his boots against a boulder near the edge of the plateau, made sure the rope ran over one of his boots to stop it from chafing on the rocks, and began to pull. He easily took Eloise’s slender weight, steadily pulling her up the cliff face with the rope. Her hands appeared first, red from the cold, groping around in the snow. He looped the rope around his left arm, making sure it wouldn’t slip from his grip and holding her steady, and then reached out with his right arm, stretching for her. He snagged her right wrist and she twisted her hand and grabbed onto his wrist, locking them together. He leaned backwards and hauled her up, pulling her over the edge and onto the plateau with him. She slumped face first on the snow, breathing hard, and he pulled her closer. Snow built up around her shoulders and against her face and she scowled at him. She could be angry about the cold all she wanted. All he cared about was making sure that she was away from the edge and safe before she relaxed and took a break.
