Oregon Outback by Elizabeth Goddard

Author:Elizabeth Goddard [GODDARD, ELIZABETH]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-62029-008-8
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2012-10-15T04:00:00+00:00

A LOVE RISKED

Chapter 1

Legs burning, he pedaled hard and fast, willing his single-speed mountain bike up the rugged trail, his riding buddy, Rally Hayes, not far behind. As he veered from the track, junipers and sagebrush lashed out at Lucas Love on the right.

The rocky formations, twists and turns of the Dago Gulch in the Sheepshead Mountains tested the skills and endurance of hard-core mountain bikers. An experience with God’s glorious creation, the trails didn’t disappoint.

Lucas never got enough. He loved rising to the challenge, defying gravity when possible. He had two days off from his ATV and recreational vehicle business, Oregon Adventures, and intended to enjoy it to the fullest. He was an extreme sports junkie. Mountain biking, backpacking, hang gliding, mountain climbing. The riskier the better. Forget about that giant mess that he called an office—at least for today. Forget that owning your own business didn’t return the freedom you thought.

Living in that reality was a necessary evil, but it wasn’t living, it was existing.

A glimpse behind him revealed he’d lost Rally around the lofty crags. He was getting too soft to keep up. Getting married and settling down could do that to a guy. That is, if you married a girl who wasn’t an adrenaline junkie, too, like Rally had.

Lucas yanked the handlebars around for a hard stop, the back tire skidding a half circle and throwing pebbles and sand into the air. While he waited for Rally, he took a swig from his water bottle.

Rally appeared around the crag, panting through his mouth. By the look on his face, he was willing himself, willing the bike, up the hill.

“I was beginning to worry.” Lucas replaced the bottle on the holder and laughed off Rally’s glower.

Lucas jumped on his bike and started on the incline again, working his momentum back up. The sound of heavy breathing, wheels crunching against dirt, pebbles, and rocks, came from behind, drawing near and fast. Though Rally hadn’t said as much, Lucas knew it was a race to the top.

He pushed himself harder. The muscles in his legs screamed. His lungs burned. And at the crest, he flew over the rise, releasing a shout.

The bike slammed into the ground, off-trail. His back wheel wedged between two boulders and stuck. Momentum threw Lucas into the air. He flew high, arcing over the trail, his arms and legs flailing, then slammed into the brush, thirty-plus feet from his bike.

After the initial shock fell away, Lucas groaned. He shook out his hands and legs, making sure nothing was broken.

Rally’s face filled his vision. “Are you all right?”

Lucas laughed. “Man, that was great.”

Reaching down, his buddy frowned and gripped Lucas’s arm, assisting him up. “One of these days, you’re going to get yourself killed.”

Dusting himself off, Lucas made his way to the bike and tugged it from between the rocks where it had jarred. “It wouldn’t be the same without the thrill, without the risk, would it?”

Rally helped him free the bike. “You’re crazy, you know that? You’ve got no fear.

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