Road to You by Barbara Ankrum

Author:Barbara Ankrum
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance
ISBN: 9781949068214
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Published: 2018-05-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Noah beat her anyway, reaching the top a full five seconds before she did. He was sitting on the perch as she struggled the last few feet. Reaching down, he swung her up beside him.

Chugging for air, she braced her hands on either side of her knees and bent over. “Did I mention…that I’m…competitive?”

“I got that.” He leaned over and kissed her, quickly, leaving her even more breathless. “I like that you are.”

Surprised by the kiss, she studied his face. “But it’s good you didn’t let me win.” Her hazel eyes glimmered in the sunlight with a hint of gold.

“It would have been the gentlemanly thing to do.”

“Once upon a time, maybe. But in the age of feminism, no. Not with me.”

“Duly noted.”

She smiled, staring up at the blue, blue sky. “I have to admit, I haven’t pushed myself that hard or scared myself like that for a long time.”

“And?” he prompted.

“And…every now and then I think we should scare ourselves silly over something or other, just to stay on our toes.” Instantly, she looked as if she wanted to swallow her words. “I didn’t mean… It’s not as if you and your friends haven’t already had more than your share of… What I meant was—”

“I know what you meant.” He glanced around the ropes course. “I’ve intentionally avoided pretty much everything that reminded me of duty for a long time. Even avoided the guys, to be honest. But I never feel more authentically myself than when I’m with them. Or—” he lifted a rope in his hand “—pushing myself to remember how it felt to commit to something the way I did the SEALs.”

Pensive, she swung her feet against the netting. “If you don’t mind my asking, why have you avoided the guys? Seems like they’re all so supportive.”

He wished he had a good answer for that. “You know how they say you can’t go home again?”

“Thomas Wolfe?”

He raised an impressed brow.

“English lit major in college,” she said in her own defense. “Does that make me sound like a nerd?”

“A little. In a good way. But, the quote’s still true. At both ends. Here with my brothers and back where I came from.”

“But you said—”

“It’s complicated. I can’t really explain it.”

“Okay. So…” She twisted her safety cable in her fingers. “What’s left is…somewhere in the middle?”

“I suppose.” He got to his feet and extended a hand to her. “I’ll let you know when I find it.”

“I really hope you do,” she said with a smile, hopping up beside him.

“Ready for more?”

“Only if doing so doesn’t require me to jump off tall poles in a single bound.”

“How do you feel about zip lines?”

“Ahhhh. I’m…warming to the idea.”

They spent the rest of the morning together on the course, alternately challenging each other and themselves with tasks that looked outwardly impossible but ended up being absolutely doable. He knew, from past experience, the end result. A rush of adrenaline, a feeling of ‘I can do anything,’ that lasted for at least an hour or two.

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