Chase had near-miraculous healing powers.
“Your wound looks excellent,” Lily said, spraying a liquid bandage over the rapidly closing lacerations before applying a waterproof outer covering. “You’ll need to be careful with heavy upper body activity.”
“I can probably manage that.” Chase grinned. “I’m a woman of many talents.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “Really. One minute you’re the sexiest woman to draw breath, the next you’re insufferable.”
Chase caught Lily’s hand as she started to turn away, tugged her just a step closer until Lily was nearly standing between her spread thighs, and murmured, “You don’t help my restraint by saying things like that.”
“I haven’t noticed an overabundance of that no matter what the conversation.” She smiled when she said it. Chase had unfailingly given her space, while managing to let her know at every opportunity exactly what she wanted. She wanted Lily. Being wanted had never been a major motivator in her relationships—the absence of drama, now that she looked back at her short-term liaisons, had been the important component. Her daily life had always been so filled with demands and stress, she’d wanted the opposite in her personal life. Chase shattered that mold, and to her surprise, she didn’t mind a bit.
“You have no idea how hard it is for me not to touch you.”
Actually, she did. Keeping a professional distance while tending to Chase’s injury wasn’t hard, but every other time she was near her, not touching her was a conscious act of will. If she didn’t know one touch would lead to another kiss, one she was absolutely certain would end them up in bed, she wouldn’t have resisted this long. She’d never in her life been so attracted to a woman. Hadn’t even realized she could be so primally driven. Her body had become a stranger to her.
She handed Chase her shirt. “I’ve seen today’s schedule. Promise me you’ll be careful.”
Chase studied her gravely. “I won’t take any risks. No matter what you might have heard about me.”
Lily touched her fingertips softly to Chase’s jaw. “I don’t listen to anyone but you. But I will worry, because I care.”
Chase turned her head and brushed a kiss against Lily’s palm. “So I’ll be extra careful, because I do too.”
* * *
Marty had been looking forward to this since the first day of camp. They weren’t the only experienced wilderness enthusiast in camp, but the skill levels varied so much that the first few weeks of camp had been a little basic. Today might be an intro climb, but every climb was a challenge. They were almost the first to arrive at the meet point, but finally everyone assembled. Ford showed up alone, something that seemed to be happening more often lately.
“All right,” Chase called, “everyone line up for gear check.”
When the check was done and the group set off up the trail, Ford fell into step beside Marty. “This is a skill I can’t imagine I’ll need very often. Like never.”
“Would be helpful if your car went off the road and you had to climb out of a ravine,” Marty said helpfully.
Ford rolled her eyes. “Charming.”
“Think of it as an excellent upper body workout. That has to be helpful when you’re sailing.”
“Yes,” Ford said. “And I could get that while actually sailing, dimwit.”
Marty laughed and so did Ford.
When Chase called a halt, Ford muttered, “I thought they said this was a freaking climbing wall. That’s a cliff.”
Marty kept silent. Pointing out that it was a climbing wall, only a natural one, and that if Ford looked closely, she’d see the natural foot and hand holds as well as a few strategically placed pitons, did not seem like a good idea. They were figuring out that Ford tended to have a negative view of most of the events, but when it came time to participate, she tried. And usually excelled, even when some people—frequently Shannon lately—made sarcastic comments about her efforts. Funny, today Shannon seemed to ignore Ford—although Marty caught her watching them every once in a while.
“How many of you have done any kind of climbing?” Chase asked.
“Yo,” a guy called.
Susie, one of the youngest and most athletic girls at camp, raised a hand. Marty followed suit.
“Good,” Chase said. “You’ll go first.”
That suited Marty. They liked climbing with no one above them. And climbing walls could get crowded. Even ones like this.
“I’m going to drop guidelines from the ridge up there,” Chase said, pointing. “Before you begin your ascent, you’ll clip onto one of those lines and get an all clear from Alisha or Philippe. No one steps onto the wall until that happens. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Marty said automatically and heard a few snickers.
“Got it,” the guy called, and Susie added, “Certainly.”
A few people snickered at that too.
“Right.” As Chase checked her lines and adjusted her harness, she said, “Today’s objective is to reach the top.”
“No shit,” someone muttered.
Chase glanced over the group and grinned. “No shit.”
That got more laughter.
“It’s not a race—in fact, speed is not your friend when you climb. On the other hand, do not freeze. Do not look down. Look to your next hand or foot hold and move on to it. Let your body take control. Don’t overthink your moves. That’s it. See you at the top.”
“That’s it?” Ford glanced at Marty. “I don’t think I can do that. It’s gotta be like three hundred feet or something to the top.”
“I think it’s more like eighty,” Marty murmured. “And you can do it. I bet you’ve done plenty of climbing around the sailboats.”
“Yes,” Ford said, “but falling into the water is a lot different than falling down a cliff.”
“Good thing you’re not going to fall, then.”
Chase turned, stepped up to the wall, and without even seeming to pause to look, practically floated up the rock face, one fluid swing and push after another. In no time she hung just below the lip of the crest and, holding on with one hand, swung the other arm up to grasp the ledge. Her other arm followed and, for a second, her legs dangled in the air as she pulled herself up and over.
Ford snorted. “Even if I make it all the way up, I’m not sure I can pull myself over the top like that.”
“I’m pretty sure Chase and some of the counselors will be up there. They won’t let you fall.”
“Theoretically.” Ford squinted at them. “You’ve done this before, haven’t you?”
“A few times, yeah.”
Ford rolled her eyes. “You’re so full of it sometimes.”
Marty’s chest warmed, not from embarrassment, but because the way Ford said it had held a hint of friendliness. Not sarcasm.
“Could be,” Marty said.
When it was their turn to go, Philippe stepped over, checked their harness, and said, “Looks good. Have a good climb.”
Marty checked the tension on the guideline just to be sure and assessed the wall. They’d been studying the wall while Chase climbed and had mapped out a course that looked doable. There were plenty of hand and foot holds, but they had to account for their height and their leg reach and how strong their arms were relative to their legs. Philippe tapped them on the shoulder. “Go.”
Marty stepped close to the nearly vertical cliff face, judging the incline to be perhaps fifteen degrees, decided on the first handhold, stretched up an arm, gripped, and rose. From there, they forgot about the sounds from below or the voices from above, aware only of the sun on their back, the rough rock beneath their fingertips, and the next crack to wedge a toe into. The slight swing of their shoulders to stretch out and up for a new handhold, the push of thigh and the curl of knee to set a toe and push up, became a rhythmic counterpoint to the rush of their breath and pounding of their heart. They had no idea how long it took before an arm and a hand stretched down.
“Forearm grip,” Chase called.
Marty pressed close to the cliff face, braced their thighs to steady themself, and reached. Their hand closed around Chase’s forearm. The guideline tightened even more, and in the next instant, they were standing on level ground. The exhilaration of having completed the climb rushed through them then.
“Very nice,” Chase said, focused on the next climber. “Water and some nutrition back there a ways.”
Marty grabbed a PowerBar and some electrolytes and waited a few feet back from the ledge. Ford came up before too long, and when she got her feet under her, Marty said, “Nice going.”
Ford’s face was flushed, her eyes gleaming. “That was awesome!”
Marty laughed. “Told you.”
Ford rolled her eyes and punched Marty lightly on the shoulder. “Yeah, yeah, I remember. I’m starving now.”
Grinning, Marty said, “Come with me.”
“Hey, Ford,” Shannon called a few minutes later. She’d been one of the last to emerge over the top right after Derek, a guy from cabin one who always seemed to have something sarcastic to say. They stood together now, apart from the others.
Ford nodded to Shannon. “Hey.”
“What are you doing over there? Can’t find any better company?” Shannon smirked. “Come hang with us.”
Marty knew how this was going to end. Ford would suddenly act as if standing next to them was risking something contagious and hurry away. That’s how groups worked. No one wanted to be associated with the outsider. That’s also why teams did work. When everyone had the same goal and trusted each other to look out for one another. Marty steeled themself for the disappointment and reminded themself of what their father always said.
You just need to find your team, Marty.
They just needed to find their team. That would happen. Sometimes, though, it was hard waiting.
“I’m good,” Ford said.
Shannon snorted and turned her back. “Yeah, looks like it.”
“How do you know her?” Marty asked quietly.
“We were in the same prep school until last year. Then Shannon transferred,” Ford said quietly.
“Oh, so you’ve been friends for a while.”
Ford gave them a look. “No, not exactly.” She shook her head, making a disgusted noise. “Actually, not at all. But when she showed up here, at least we had something in common.”
“I don’t know about that,” Marty said softly.
Ford glanced over at Shannon and Derek. “Yeah, me neither.”
* * *
From Lily’s vantage point at ground level, the rock wall seemed dauntingly high. And despite Chase’s assurance that there were plenty of hand and foot holds, Lily was having a hard time imagining herself climbing it. Chase, on the other hand, scaled it with the speed and agility of a monkey clambering up a tree. Watching her climb was like watching an artist bring an image to life with a few magical strokes of a brush. Clearly she was an artist, and just this small exhibition of her skill underscored how much she had lost, and how very much she must miss it. Lily watched her guide the kids up the wall, calling encouragement and instruction. She was good at teaching, despite her frequent protests.
“You don’t have to go up, you know,” a low voice said from just behind her shoulder.
Lily smiled and turned to Natalie. “What, and be the only weenie in the whole group?”
Natalie laughed and shaded her eyes with a hand to her forehead. “I see they managed to get all of them up there this year. Usually there is at least one who freezes halfway up.”
“Oh, that must be traumatic.” Lily had already imagined herself in that position. Maybe weenie wasn’t such a bad designation after all.
“Sometimes,” Natalie said with a philosophical tone, “but it makes for an excellent lesson on rope rescue.”
Lily narrowed her eyes. “That’s just mean.”
Natalie smiled. “There’s really nothing to worry about. Chase wouldn’t bring them up the wall if they weren’t ready, and if it wasn’t perfectly safe. But it can be pretty scary the first time. So…”
“Check my gear, Lieutenant. I’m going up.”
“Not trying to impress anyone, are you?” Natalie laughed.
Lily drew herself up in mock affront. “Most certainly not.”
“Then enjoy yourself—it’s as fun as it looks.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Lily muttered.
Natalie double-checked her harness and secured the top rope to Lily’s harness herself. “You’re ready. Have you plotted out your course?”
“As a matter fact, I have. The easiest way up.” At least she hoped. With a deep breath, she strode to the wall, worked her foot into the first toehold, and reached for the closest depression where she could get a grip. Like so many things she’d had to do in her life that seemed challenging, even at times undoable, she put one foot—and this time, one hand as well—in front of the other and worked her way up. The muscles in her back began to protest by the time she’d made it a third of the way up. She had a second or two to wonder how Chase’s back was holding up before she refocused on what she needed to do not to end up back at the bottom. When she’d watched from the ground, she’d imagined it would take forever to gain the crest, but in just a matter of a minute, or so it seemed, an arm came into view and she grasped the tanned, muscular forearm the way she’d seen everyone else do. She tilted her head enough to look up.
Chase smiled down at her. “I’ve got you.”
Lily found a burst of energy and propelled herself up and over onto solid ground. When she got to her feet, Chase was very close and their eyes met. “I know. I knew you’d be there.”
“You did great.” Chase’s eyes gleamed. “Ready for a little bouldering?”
Lily tilted her chin. “Can’t wait.”
Laughing, Chase turned away to gather the group.
Bouldering, as it turned out, bore some similarities but, instead of a completely vertical ascent, was more like climbing stairs. Very large stairs that sometimes required one to use hands and feet simultaneously. At last, when everyone was suitably exhausted, Chase had pity on them and led them up an easier trail to the summit.
Lily stood on an outcropping of rock and tried to absorb the view. Chase joined her after all the campers reached the summit.
“I understand now why people climb. At least one of the reasons,” she said to Chase.
“Why do you think?” Chase asked.
Lily swept a hand toward the mountain range off to their left, and the valley and lake below them. She couldn’t even see the camp, shrouded by the forest between them. “All of that. I don’t know where to look first.” She turned to Chase. “What’s your favorite part?”
“Where the lake disappears into the mountains over there,” Chase said, quietly pointing. “I’ve always thought it sort of mystical, how the two join.”
“That’s very romantic,” Lily murmured. “But then, so are you.”
Chase smiled a little ruefully. “I can’t say anyone else has ever said that before.”
“Then they weren’t paying attention,” Lily said.
“No, but you do.”
“I can’t help myself.” Lily tucked her lower lip between her teeth. Most of the campers were too busy with their second round of trail mix and nutrient drinks to pay attention to them, but conversations like this could only go one place, especially feeling what she felt just looking at Chase. “Will you have much work waiting for you when we get down the mountain?”
“I’ll have to answer whatever calls are waiting. So hard to tell. Why?”
“I was thinking we could go for a swim later.”
Chase’s eyes sparked. “I’ll come find you.”
Lily smiled. “Good.”
“Soon as I can,” Chase said.
The hike down was much easier than the climb up, and Lily was secretly glad. She’d thought she was in reasonable shape just from the hours she’d spent on her feet in the ER, but she hadn’t done any concentrated exercise in longer than she wanted to admit. The feeling of straining her muscles, of challenging her body, was a welcome reawakening, but she’d rather not do it all at once.
She took a long hot shower to ease some of the stiffness in her shoulders and legs, enjoying a few visual memories of Chase’s shirt clinging to her shoulders and back, and the way her climbing pants pulled tight against her thighs. Probably not the best thing to be doing when she really ought to be heading down for the day’s windup and the briefing for tomorrow’s activities. She stepped out of the bath and was just wrapping a towel around her torso when a sharp knock sounded on the door.
Chase called, “Lily!”
Lily hurried to the door and pulled it open. “Chase? What is it?”
Chase’s gaze swept over her. “A 9-1-1 call from a tourist just came in. There’s a hiker down on the West Mountain switchback trail. A couple of med students are doing CPR out there. We’re the closest.”
Lily pulled on shorts and a T-shirt and stepped into her hiking boots. “We’ll need a defibrillator and meds.”
“I’ve got a med box. And a portable defibrillator.”
Lily raced down the stairs after Chase. A few heads turned as they ran through the great room and out the door, and sprinted to the Jeep. Within thirty seconds of the time Chase had come to her door, Lily was hanging on to the grab bar as the Jeep hurtled down the mountain.