Lily stood in front of the sheer rock wall that reached for the sky, wondering how anyone thought it was climbable. Josh had even called it an “easier climb,” a five-seven, apparently. Whatever that meant.
He’d headed off into the woods, saying he needed to use the loo, so while she waited for him to return, she sat on a nearby boulder and pulled on the rental climbing shoes. She grunted as she squeezed her foot inside like she was Cinderella’s stepsister with the glass slipper.
“What’s wrong?” Ethan asked.
She checked the shoe’s tag. “I think they’re too small.”
“They’re supposed to be. It makes it easier to cram your foot into tight spots.”
Like your backside? But she thought better of voicing that one out loud. She’d given him enough of her cool sense of humor already that morning—emphasis on the cool. However, at the thought of his backside, she couldn’t help but check him out in those shorts. The harness hugged all the right places.
She finally jammed her foot into the shoe. She supposed they would fit better if she weren’t wearing socks. But thinking about how many people might have worn the rental shoes before her made her shudder. Socks weren’t optional.
When she tried to tie them up, Molly kept tugging on the laces with her sharp puppy teeth like they were little snakes. I’ll protect you. Get off her!
Lily hoped she was as good at killing real snakes. “So, this place is called Rattlesnake? Does that mean that’s because there are lots of rattlesnakes? Because I left my snake spray back at the lodge,” she said wryly.
“Just avoid things that rattle,” Ethan said.
He picked up a fallen twig and tickled the pup’s nose with the leaves on the end. It quickly became the new enemy, so Lily could finish tying her shoes.
Molly pounced, devouring the leaves. Kill it! Kill it!
He ruffled her floppy ears. “You love it out here, don’t you? I think we’ll get along just fine.”
Leading the puppy over to where their bags leaned against a tree, he secured her leash to the trunk, giving her enough room to explore but not get lost. Pouring water into a dish, he fluffed up his sweatshirt on the ground for her bed.
“You know,” he said, overly focused on his task. “I could have taken you rock climbing.”
He sounded a bit sore, but Lily was too miffed with him to care.
“You said you were busy. I didn’t want you to feel guilty about not having time to do something today.”
“Well, if I’d known you really wanted to climb,” he mumbled. “But I thought we were taking a break from risky activities. I would have taken you somewhere else, though. This place is okay, but it’s a little touristy for my liking.”
It was true. Five minutes after their shuttle arrived, two others showed up with tourists in their rental equipment. Even though they’d found a quieter spot along the cliffs that weaved through the forest like a ribbon, she could still hear laughter drifting through the trees.
“And this isn’t the best run to start you on,” he continued. “I would have expected someone who climbed in South America to know the difference between a five-seven and a five-nine.”
She wondered if he’d brought a ruler in case they needed to whip it out later and measure—and she didn’t mean the climbing route. “If you don’t like it here, then why did you come?”
“I couldn’t let you go alone with a complete stranger.”
Picking up the harness, she turned the straps this way and that, trying to make heads or tails of it. “He’s not a stranger. I met him on the plane. In fact, I knew him longer than I knew you when I agreed to come on this trip.”
“But you don’t know what his ulterior motives are. At least I know what my intentions are.”
“Do you?” she shot at him.
He blinked. Some of that false bravado he’d been wearing since she’d knocked on his door that morning slipped away and the normal Ethan peeked through. “Okay, that’s fair.”
She bit her lip. At least he didn’t deny it, but when he said nothing else, it was clear he didn’t really want to go there. Taking the harness from her, he untangled it. He kneeled on the ground in front of her and held it out for her to slip her feet through.
She rested her hand on his shoulder to steady herself as she stepped into it. “Why do you assume his intentions are bad, anyway?”
His shoulder rose under her hand as he tightened the straps around her legs and waist. “I don’t, really. I just feel responsible for you.”
She scowled at him. “I’m a big girl, and I can take care of myself.”
“I know. I didn’t mean … Sorry.” And he looked it, probably remembering what she’d shared about her home life. “I’m only being—”
“Jealous?”
Again, he didn’t exactly deny it. “I assumed you would want me here to … I don’t know.” He ran a hand through his hair until it stuck up. “I obviously assumed incorrectly.” He stood and turned away.
“And you’re also incorrectly assuming that I wouldn’t welcome some of Josh’s ulterior motives.”
He held up his hands. “Fine. Suit yourself.”
She huffed. If she were honest, she’d kind of wanted him to fight for her a little, but he just wasn’t “in that place.” Nothing had really changed for either of their circumstances.
Suddenly, the bushes rustled behind her. Insides shriveling, she leaped away from them. Molly got to her feet and barked like she was the alpha in these woods.
Lily recalled the tiny can of bear spray in her jacket pocket and wondered if she could get to it in time. A moment later, Josh emerged from the leafy underbrush. She must have looked terrified, because he gave a sheepish grin.
“Just me. Sorry I took so long in the loo.”
Molly grumbled and laid back down on her makeshift bed. Now I like him even less.
Lily moaned, relieved she didn’t have to wrestle a bear. “There are facilities around here?” she asked hopefully.
“Yup. Right there.” He pointed to the base of a tree. “Or there. Or over by that bush …”
Groaning, she decided to hold it until they got back to the lodge. She turned her focus to her next great adventure: the sheer rock wall.
Two ropes already ran up to the top and back down again. When they’d first arrived, they’d hiked up there using a well-worn path. While Ethan and Josh had secured their rented ropes to an anchor bolted near the edge of the cliff, Lily had been amazed—and skeptical—that a few knots and carabiners could keep them from falling to their deaths. But she trusted the guys to know what they were doing. And, also, their knots had appeared the same, so that was reassuring.
Giving the rock face another wary look, she plopped her helmet onto her head and fastened it. “Shall we quit faffing about and crack on?”
“Absolutely,” Josh said. “You should probably start on mine since it looks like a five-seven.”
“Maybe it is in South America,” Ethan cut in. “Yours is more like a five-nine. Mine is much easier for her to learn on. But she’s a big girl,” he said, only moments after needing the reminder himself. “Why don’t we let her decide? Lily, do you want my route—?”
Josh gestured to the rope in front of him. “Or mine?”
She rolled her eyes. The measuring had already begun. Standing back, she considered the giant rock wall, but whatever differences the men saw were invisible to her. Finally, she went to stand next to Josh.
Without a word, Ethan strapped his helmet on and dipped his hands into the bag at his waist. His fingers came out white with chalk. He rubbed his hands around before climbing onto the wall a few meters from her, maneuvering over the dips and swells while sticking close to the ground.
Molly suddenly leaped off her makeshift bed and raced for him. She reached the end of her leash and came to a sudden stop. She stretched it to its limits as she barked up at her owner, warning him.
Dad! Do you know you’re not on the ground anymore? Are you aware that you can fall? If you want to go up, why don’t you take the path? Dad! Dad! … Dad?
Crouching in front of the pup, Lily gave her a soothing pat. “It’s okay. Look. He’s fine.”
Lily’s lack of panic seemed to pacify Molly, who huffed. Humans.
Settling the dog back on her bed of clothes, Lily turned to the wall and clapped her hands. “Now, where do I start?”
Josh finished fastening one end of the rope to his harness. “Come on. I’ll get you tied in.”
They’d gone over most of the basics on the ride there, but she still didn’t feel totally prepared as she walked up to the rope dangling from above. However, before she could run away, Josh threaded the rope through the metal device hooked onto the front of her harness. He tied an extra knot and grinned at her as he tugged hard enough to make her stumble against him.
She laid a steadying hand on his chest, getting the impression of firm muscles beneath. However, unlike with Ethan the night before, she didn’t let her touch linger.
She snatched her hand back. “Sorry.”
As she approached the rock face, the rope tightened, snugging the harness between her legs—in all the wrong places. She stared up at the steep climb, studying the tiny juts and cracks.
“Do I just start climbing?” she asked uncertainly.
“There are technical terms we’re supposed to say, but I’ll teach you those later.” He waved her on. “You’re good to go.”
Running her hand against the stone, she tried to find her first handhold. The surface was cold and a tad damp, which could make it slippery. And how was she going to hold her entire body weight on ledges so small?
But she’d survived her first two outdoor sport experiences—barely—so she knew she could do this. Kicking her shoulders back, she wedged her foot into a crevice and pulled herself up. The second she tried to grab the next handhold, she slid back down to the ground.
She scowled at the rocks. “I’m not sure I’m strong enough for this.”
“You look plenty strong to me,” Josh said.
He gave her an appreciative grin that made her glad she’d worn a fitted tank to show off her toned arms.
“Sure,” she said. “I mean, I flip people around in bed all day long at work. I’m stronger than I look, but I can’t imagine pulling myself all the way up to the top.”
“Don’t worry,” he said. “You’ll get the hang of it. You can do it.”
He sounded so positive and encouraging, but a pat on the back wouldn’t get her to the top. She was certain there was more to it all.
She heard Ethan snort softly somewhere above her. When she eyed his route, she had to look up to find him. She supposed he wasn’t dangerously high without a rope, but she imagined if he fell wrong, it could easily snap an ankle.
Maneuvering like Spiderman, he pressed his back against the side of a rock slab that jutted out, and he wedged his foot into a crevice. He let go as though he were relaxing on a sandy beach and not defying the laws of physics.
“The key is to not completely rely on your arm strength,” he called down. “Instead, use your legs and glutes for most of the work. Imagine you’re squatting on the ground. You wouldn’t pull yourself back up to a standing position. You’d use your legs to push up.”
Okay, that was feedback she could use. She moved closer to the wall again, practicing what he’d told her to do.
Ethan craned his neck a little and examined the contours of the rock. “Move your hand a few inches to your right. Okay, good. Put your left foot on that ledge by your knee. Start there.”
Josh huffed quietly and muttered, “She’s doing fine on her own.”
But Lily followed Ethan’s instructions, and the position felt a little more natural. When she struggled, she remembered his advice and focused on simply standing up into the next position. After only a few moves, she glanced down to find herself already a few feet off the ground, then a few feet more. With each move, she found it was easier to spot the next hand- or foothold.
“You got this!” was all Josh said. Which was a lot less helpful than Ethan’s comments.
She rose higher and higher, the rope taut as Josh tightened it below. He kept it snug all the time, so she felt secure. However, as the ground slowly slipped away, each handhold felt more precarious, like the rock face that had probably been there since the dawn of time would suddenly crumble now that she was on it.
Logically, she knew she wouldn’t fall, but she couldn’t convince her pounding heart or shaking muscles of that. When she hesitated, Ethan called up.
“Look to your left!”
She peered down, feeling slightly dizzy as she discovered how far she’d climbed. He stood on the ground beside Josh as they studied her movements up the wall. Molly stared at her, head cocked to one side. No pressure or anything.
Ethan cupped a hand around his mouth as he shouted. “You see that slab that sticks out kind of like a triangle? Try turning to your right and lean against it like you’re chilling against a wall, waiting for someone. Then you can brace against it as you launch up for the next handhold.”
She turned and leaned back, imagining she was waiting for a train in Worcester. Cool moisture seeped through her tank top. Now that she wasn’t kissing the rocks, she could see over the tops of the pine and fir trees. The land dipped down, giving her a glimpse of what the birds saw when they flew, which was both beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
Searching above her, she spotted the next handhold she wanted. But she was too short to reach it. Tensing her legs, she launched herself up. Her fingers grazed it, but she missed.
She fell back, away from the face. It was only half a second before the rope tightened and the harness bit into her legs. However, it felt like her stomach continued a speedy descent to splat on the ground.
Physically, she was secure, like she sat in a chair—albeit an uncomfortable one—but her brain wouldn’t accept that she was safe while dangling thirty feet above the ground. She’d barely settled into the harness before she dropped an inch. Then another.
She gripped the rope for dear life. “Hey!” she called down to Josh. “No scaring the first-time climber.”
There was a second’s hesitation before he answered back. “I didn’t do anything.”
The pause made her look down. When she caught sight of Ethan’s face, it lacked that mountain-man confidence she relied on during their excursions. He scanned the length of the rope running to the top. Even from way up there, she could see the whites of his eyes as they widened.
He ran for the rope he’d set up on his run and tied himself in like he’d done it a thousand times, then he clipped the other end to Josh’s harness like he was supposed to belay both of them at the same time.
“I hope you had a hearty breakfast,” he told Josh.
“Don’t worry. I got this. Get up there.”
“Lily, reach out and take hold of the wall again.” Ethan practically leaped onto the rock face. “Get into a comfortable position and hold on.”
She didn’t ask why. Part of her didn’t want to, and by the urgent tone of his voice, she didn’t think she had the time to ask. She reached out and pulled her body close to the wall again. Sliding her feet around frantically, she groped for a decent ledge. Suddenly, her body felt as heavy as a boulder.
Her arms stretched painfully as it battled the sudden weight. Something whizzed by her and smacked the ground below: the rope.