To be honest, Ryder wasn’t sure Elizabeth would even show up. She was dedicated to her work and, frankly, didn’t like being told what to do.
But when Heat Seven was on deck with Hooley shouting, “Forest Boy-City Girl,” Elizabeth ran up beside him.
“Hey,” she said, the high planes of her face shaded by her Ella’s Diner hat. “Did Hooley come up with that name or you?”
“He wanted D and D.” Ryder handed Elizabeth the burlap bag, then stooped to tie their ankles together. “I’m tying you to my banged-up knee. If you can help hold me up, I’ll try to carry more weight on my outside foot.”
“Don’t worry, Donovan, I can hold you up.” He caught her grin, and he tripped a little further down the I’ve-got-a-crush-on-you trail.
They tested the strength of his tie, then dunked their legs into the sack. Try as she might to take the pressure off his knee, Ryder still had to add weight. The ache was turning into a gripping pain.
After a couple of practice runs, Hooley called Heat Seven to the starting line.
“Wrap your arm around me tight,” Ryder said, slipping his arm around Elizabeth’s waist. He tried not to think about being so close to her or how the curve of her waist felt under his hand, but her subtle scent—soap, perfume, and a hint of…chocolate?—refused to let him go. In all the days and nights they’d hung out together, he’d never managed to get this close.
“Y’all racers, ready?” Hooley stepped up to the sideline with his bullhorn. “On your mark, get set…”
At the starter pistol, Ryder and Elizabeth jumped out to an early lead, but after a few yards, they lost their rhythm.
“Ryder, we’re going to fall.”
“No, we’re not. Slow down for a sec…inside legs, outside, inside, outside.” And they were off again, his knee protesting with every move.
The couple next to them tripped and fell in their path. Elizabeth muttered, “Jump,” as they kicked over them. Ryder’s knee buckled, but he wasn’t going to quit now.
They hurdled another couple who’d fallen, landing a bit awkwardly on their joined legs. Ryder breathed through a sharp pain slicing through his leg.
To their left, Ethan and Julie raced with skill. Ethan had been a star athlete at Rock Mill High. On their right, Will and Markey were laughing so hard they kept falling and getting back up.
To his surprise, he and Elizabeth were in third place as they rounded the tree and headed back toward the finish line. Elizabeth’s expression was focused as she whispered, “One, two, one, two.”
In a single moment, he saw her, understood her. She was focused. Driven. Determined. Once she grasped an idea, she owned it. She’d achieve what she wanted in life. And it probably didn’t include being married to a state wildlife officer.
“Oh my goodness, I think we’re going to win.” Elizabeth shot him a sideways glance, her expression so bright he could see nothing else.
“Move over Forest Boy and City Girl.” Crud. Ethan and Julie were right on their tail.
“No way, Ethan!” Elizabeth steered toward the middle of the track to cut them off. The girl wanted this.
Without a word, Ryder gripped Elizabeth tighter and picked up the pace. Except his knee was done. He pushed harder, but right at the finish line, his leg buckled, launching him and Elizabeth face-first onto the mowed ground. They tumbled and rolled, stopping with their noses inches, inches, from the finish line.
“We can’t even win by a nose,” Elizabeth said, her laugh muffled by the grass.
“I’m sorry. My knee gave out.”
“What?” She struggled to sit up, shoving their joined leg from the gunny sack. “Let me see.” She pulled away the rope and inspected his knee as it peeked out from the hem of his shorts. “Hey, can we get some help over here?”
“Elizabeth, shhh, it’s okay, I can get up.” But Jeff and Will were already hoisting him off the ground.
“Let’s get him to the medical tent.”
“Stop, stop.” Ryder pulled away from them. “I’m fine. Just give me a sec…” He hobbled off, embarrassed he’d let his ego shove away good friends. Embarrassed his ego had gotten him in the race in the first place. He was such a sucker for family. For Elizabeth Dorsey.
He found a knoll near the river and sat, the air off the water cooling his warm skin. Rubbing his knee, he kept his gaze away from the race site, hoping the Dorseys’ attention had moved on to the next heat.
“We almost had it.” Elizabeth plopped down next to him. “Stupid hole. That’s why we fell.”
Ryder laughed softly. “You’re a terrible liar, Beth. My knee gave out, and we both know it.”
