When they reached the starting point for their horseback ride farther into the mountains, she’d never been so glad, and simultaneously disappointed, to arrive at a destination. And though the sexual tension coiled inside her loosened its grip, a different pressure built in her chest as they mounted up for the ride. The excursion would take place on property left to the McCalls by their grandfather and a string of ancestors before him. Piper kissed her fiancé and waved goodbye to the group as she left to drive the SUV back to the ranch.
“Move ’em out!” Zane called to the group.
“Next stop, the zip line!” Josh added.
The rest of the group whooped, but Kate’s heart swooped. She tried to brace herself for the slide down a cable, strung over a deep valley, with only a few straps and carabiner clips for support.
They rode higher and higher into the rugged terrain, chatting and tossing bantering jokes up and down the line of horses. Zane took the lead with Roy and Brady bringing up the rear. Josh took his position between Dawn’s horse and Kate’s and pointed out interesting views for Kate to snap photos of as they made their way along the horse trail.
Kate cast an encompassing glance across the scenic view. The towering peaks, beautiful trees, rocks and wildflowers were awe-inspiring. Until she saw the steel cable stretching across the ravine. Her stomach clenched as she looked down, deep into the crevasse that lay below. The drop-off was sheer rock, straight down. The gulf that the cable spanned was hundreds of feet wide and almost as far to the bottom.
She gripped her reins tightly, searching her brain for a way to get out of the feat while still saving face with her client...and without having a complete, humiliating breakdown. Her heart thundered in her chest, and the rush of adrenaline and dread left her shaking to her core.
“All right, ladies and gentlemen,” Zane called to the group, “we are at our first challenge.”
Another hoot of excitement rose from the other guests, Dawn’s cheer loudest of all.
“Remember to dismount your horse to the left and hand off your reins to Roy or Brady. They’ll be leading your horses back to the trailer.”
“We won’t be on our horses anymore?” Brianna asked, sounding disappointed.
“We will. But the horses can’t use the zip line to get across the gorge like we can,” Zane explained, and the group chuckled. “They’ll meet us tomorrow at the trailhead to ride up to the launch point for our white-water excursion.”
Around her, her fellow adventurers were dismounting and chatting excitedly with each other. Kate’s mouth dried, and her legs trembled as she stood in her stirrups to swing down from Lucy’s back. Just as she felt her knees buckle, sure she was going to flop onto her backside in an ignominious tumble, strong hands spanned her waist, lifting her securely to the ground.
Startled by the unexpected help, she spun around to find her nose inches from Josh’s chest.
“Uh, thanks,” she muttered, tipping her head back to meet his gaze. The sun shone brightly just behind his head, and she had to squint against the blinding light. Then he took a small step to the side, giving her breathing room, and his wide-brimmed hat blocked the sun.
“No problem.” The smile he flashed her and the sparkle in his breathtaking blue eyes were every bit as luminous as the sunshine. Her already unsteady legs wobbled again, and she grabbed the strap of Lucy’s saddle to steady herself.
“I’ll take those.” He reached for the reins she’d left dangling from the horn of her saddle, and his arm grazed her ear as he stretched past her. “If you’ll wait over there with Zane, we’re about to go through the zip-line procedure and safety rules.”
She drew a shuddering breath and released the death grip she had on Lucy’s straps. “Right.” As she turned to join the rest of the group gathering around Zane, Josh wrapped his hand around her forearm, stopping her.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She worked to give him a confident smile. “Sure. Just...a little nervous.”
He tightened his grip and held her gaze with a piercing stare. “It’s perfectly safe. I promise. You’ve got this.”
His words, the gentleness of his tone and reassurance behind his smile flowed through her like a balm. She inhaled a steadier breath, and twitching the corner of her mouth in a quick grin, she nodded to him. “Thanks. I’m going to hold you to that promise.” She fumbled for her camera, which hung by a strap around her neck. “I’ll join the others in a second. I just want to snap a few pictures of the zip line for the brochure first.”
“Good deal.”
Josh led Lucy and another horse away and passed the reins to Roy. The two men exchanged a few words, Roy giving Josh a serious look. She heard the foreman say, “Be careful,” before Josh chuckled a response and walked away.
Kate eased to the edge of the steep drop-off and peered down into the forested and sheer rock ravine below. A chill rippled through her, and she purposefully shoved down the clamoring nerves and raised her camera to click off a few shots. Turning toward the group, she took a picture of Zane helping Brianna don a harness and one of Hunter snapping on a helmet. Turning, she took a picture of Roy with the horses. She caught Josh laughing over something with Jake with the zip-line platform and spectacular view behind him. She shielded her eyes from the sun so she could see the small screen on her camera. The shot of Josh and Jake was a winner. Definitely good for the brochure.
“Look at this one,” she told Dawn, angling her camera to show her coworker the shot. “Perfect for the brochure, don’t you think?”
Dawn squinted at the screen. “Oh, most excellent! Good job! Now...” Her friend caught her arm and dragged her over to the harnesses and carabiners piled in front of Zane. “No more stalling. Buckle up!”
Zane had one of the harnesses in his hand and shouted to the group. “Okay, listen up! You’ll each get one of these nifty getups, which I will now demonstrate how to hook on.”
Josh joined his brother, demonstrating the technique by stepping into the harness, clasping hooks, tightening straps and choosing a well-fitting helmet. She tried to listen, but an odd buzzing filled her ears, and her thoughts kept straying back to the old silo in Missouri. The loud cracking sound just before she plummeted. The pain that streaked through her on impact and plagued her for days as she awaited rescue. Her breathing grew ragged and shallow. How could she possibly do this? She cast a side glance to the deep ravine, and the earth seemed to spin.
“Josh will now demonstrate, and he will be waiting at the other end of the line to help you unhook your gear after your ride. Any questions?” Zane called.
“You sure that little wire up there will hold?” Hunter shouted, grinning.
A nervous laugh rumbled around her, telling her she wasn’t the only one with jitters.
“It’s solid steel cable. Professionally installed and tested several times. It’ll hold,” Josh returned. “See you on the other side!”
She rubbed the sudden chill bumps on her arms as she watched Josh hook onto the pulley system with the grooved wheel that would carry him down the sloped cable. He moved to the edge of the platform to launch his descent and found her gaze. He sent her a cocky grin and a wink, then pushed off. Kate held her breath as he whizzed away, and Dawn squealed her delight.
“All right. Who wants to be first?” Zane asked, scanning the group.
“Kate does!” Dawn shouted.
Josh savored the dramatic view of the ravine, relished the warm air whipping through his