I unhooked my backpack and pulled the first aid kit out of the front pocket just in case.
The man in danger announced to his partner, “If I fall to my death, spread my ashes in the ocean.”
His partner laughed. “Blitz, you’ve got five feet to go. You’re not dying today, although that was a heart-stopping possibility a moment ago.”
All I could think about was Ethan in the same predicament as I breathlessly watched the guy lower himself to the ground.
I really wanted to scream at him for how idiotic it was to rock climb, but instead, I was rushing to his rescue with a first aid kit that wouldn’t have saved his life if he’d fallen.
“Are you okay?” I asked, noticing scrapes and blood on his nicely toned forearms.
He unclipped from his frayed rope with a fluid movement and tore off his helmet, revealing sweaty brown hair and a cocky grin flashing through his wince as he rubbed his shoulder.
“Just a little malfunction up there.” His voice was rough but steady.
I blinked at him. “You almost died.”
He waved me off, his blue eyes glinting in the daylight. “Not the first time.”
I shook my head at the handsome climber. “Adrenaline junkie, I take it.”
“My mom tells me I have nine lives,” Blitz said as he swept his gaze over me.
His quip didn’t go unnoticed, but I was having a hard time thinking all of a sudden. The tall stranger had an aura about him that gave me butterflies for some odd reason. Or maybe it was his dimples or the way he was smiling at me. Like he knew me and my deepest thoughts. Because for the first time since my divorce, I was thinking about how it would feel to be in the arms of man, but not just any man—the one standing before me.
“It’s true,” his partner said, breaking me out of my trance. “This big guy can withstand a nuclear bomb.”
I snorted, my brain kicking into gear. “Don’t cockroaches fall into that category?”
Rubbing his shoulder, he chuckled. “Are you calling me a cockroach, Sunshine?”
“If the shoe fits,” I volleyed back, my nerves rattling to beat the band. “And my name isn’t Sunshine. It’s Monroe.”
“Do you need medical help?” Lila interjected with a laugh in her voice. “Is your shoulder busted? You hit the cliff several times.”
“I’m good. I don’t need anything.” Blitz was looking at me as he answered Lila, his smirk deepening, his stark blue eyes pulling me in like a strong undertow. “I don’t usually have such a pretty audience coming to my rescue.”
“And I usually don’t see irresponsible climbers almost falling to their death,” I fired back, that mom and teacher in me ready to scold and punish.
Lila snorted as did Blitz’s friend, who looked to be in his late twenties, rugged and fit, as he grinned like the whole canyon was a playground.
“I’m Dax, by the way.” He removed his helmet, revealing a thick crop of dirty-blond hair to match the colored scruff on his face. “This is my buddy, Blitz, but that’s his call sign. His real name is Jace.”
“I’m Lila,” she said. “So, Jace, you’re a pilot?”
Call sign? Pilot. Uniform. Military. That was my cue to leave. Military men were one thousand percent off-limits.
He flinched at her question as he nodded. Odd. I got the feeling she’d hit a nerve.
“Best fighter pilot the Air Force has,” Dax bragged.
My phone rang, interrupting the conversation.
I fumbled for my cell in my backpack, and when I saw Ethan’s name on the screen, my heart stuttered. As handsome as Jace was, my son came first. Besides, since Jace wasn’t in need of Search and Rescue or an ambulance, my time here was done.
“Ethan, what’s wrong?” I asked, walking away.
“Chill, Mom. It’s nothing. I’m hungry, and there’s no food in the house. Also, I can’t find the allergy meds.”
