They still had several feet to go to cross the line that meant a win, but the forward momentum energized the team and had them pulling harder. Amanda sat back, leaning into her heels, and tugged with all her might. What had started as a friendly obligation had morphed into a do-or-die scenario as the competition progressed. If they were going to have to spend every weekend doing the Eco Challenge, then she wanted to win. She could tell by the way her teammates dug in they felt the same.
Gabe growled and yanked on the rope. Somewhere toward the front, she heard Becca hurling insults at the other team that would have made their daddy’s hair curl. Mr. and Mrs. Bransford were cheering along, adding their own contributions to the trash talk and behind her, Michael was a steady presence, slowly pulling the rope in their direction. He didn’t make quick gains, but he never gave up any ground. He was solid—steady—and for a moment, she thought about the similarities between his tug-of-war style and the man.
“Ready?” he called as the scarf crept closer to their side. “One, two, three...pull.”
The entire team sucked in a collective breath and pulled, sitting back into the effort, never letting up. The ad agency managed to hold on for a few seconds longer before tumbling forward into the mud. Their momentum let up slack on the rope and before she could stop herself, Amanda stumbled backward, falling to the ground on top of Michael.
His big, strong arms wrapped around her waist, brushing the underside of her breasts, and for a moment, she froze, breathing in the scent of him, feeling the way he cradled her against his sweaty, damp chest. She suddenly found herself with an up-close and personal experience with the spectacular body she’d always known was hidden beneath Michael’s athletic wear.
“I don’t mean to be forward,” he said, his voice a steady rumble against her ear. “But if you don’t stop wriggling, this situation is going to quickly become embarrassing. I’m not complaining, mind you. Just figured in the interest of full disclosure...”
He left the rest of whatever he’d been about to say drift off as she scrambled to her feet with the velocity of a scalded cat. She glanced around her teammates, determined not to meet Michael’s gaze for at least a week or two.
AMANDA SCANNED THE rock in front of her. She’d climbed the Ladder dozens of times before but never as part of a timed competition and never with three beginners to get up the rock with her. The rock climbing challenge included a kind of climbing relay where each pair had to tap out at the top of the rock and rappel to the base before the next pair could begin. Points were awarded for both time and for the more subjective category of style.
Jessica had turned into a decent climber. She’d had great flexibility and some natural ability to begin with, but over the weeks, she’d worked hard to develop her technique and it showed. Her husband, on the other hand, might be able to grapple his way to the top, but he wouldn’t be getting any points for style while he did it.
“Are you ready?” she asked, resting a hand on Jessica’s shoulder.
“As I’ll ever be,” said the other woman with a nervous smile.
“Do it just the way we practiced and you’ll be fine. And if you get into trouble, don’t try to handle it yourself. That’s what I’m here for. It’s not worth risking hurting yourself.”
Mr. Bransford snorted, and she could tell without asking his opinions on injuries were different than hers. He’d also been the one to go climbing with Ethan and bring him back in a cast, so his judgment wasn’t exactly something to emulate.
“You’ve got this,” she said, giving their harnesses and ropes one last quick check before the first whistle sounded, telling the team to approach the wall.
Jessica seemed a little shaky until she reached up and pressed her hand against the rock. Amanda saw her relax and smiled. It was the same feeling she got every time she climbed, that sense of rightness with the world. Jessica stretched her dancer’s leg up in a beautiful line and in one fluid move, she positioned herself before the next bit of protection. She barely paused, adjusting the way she clipped in, and then continued her ascent. In moments, she’d made her way halfway up the pitch.
“She’s doing good, isn’t she?” asked Michael, standing close enough to her that she could sense him—practically feel him—along her back, but not so close she could justify stepping away.
“Yes, she is.” Amanda kept her gaze glued on Jessica’s progress up the pitch, hoping if she didn’t look at Michael, he might give up trying to talk to her. It worked for three minutes and then he was back at it, asking more questions and forcing her to acknowledge him. Not that she’d ever really been able to forget about him, but it was easier to lie to herself if he wasn’t in her face.
“She’ll get higher marks for moves like that one, right?” he asked as Jessica used her legs to propel her up the face, her fingertips merely serving to steady her.
“She should. Yes.”Maybe short, to-the-point answers would help him get a clue.
She couldn’t be mean to him. He hadn’t been anything but an annoyingly compliant partner. But she couldn’t let herself get close to him, not without feeling things she had no business feeling. Not while she was seeing another man. Ethan chose to stay home instead of coming to the competition, partly because of the logistics of hobbling around, but more she suspected so he didn’t remind her of the fall. It didn’t stop her from thinking about him every time she looked at Michael’s strong back, which was any time she wasn’t paying enough attention to self-censor.
“That’s it, Jess! You’ve got this,” Amanda called up the face of the rock when the other woman stalled on a particularly tricky place on the climb.
The other woman reached for the fingerhold she knew existed but when she pressed into the stretch with her legs, her foot slipped and she skittered down the surface of the rock.
“Falling!”
Amanda split her attention between Jessica on the rock and her husband on the ground belaying her, but they both did exactly what she’d taught them to do. Peter took up slack so his wife had less distance to fall, and his wife kept her taped hands flat on the rock and her feet on the surface so she wouldn’t bounce around and hurt herself.
For Jessica, Amanda knew it must have felt like she fell forever, but it was actually only a couple of seconds. Long enough to scare her, but probably not enough to knock her out of the competition. There were plenty of climbers with less experience on the other teams. If she found her nerve and started back up quickly, she’d be okay.
“Look at me,” Amanda said, stepping as close as she could to the base of the pitch without crossing the competitor’s line.
The other woman glanced down at her, her eyes wide and frightened.
“I don’t want you to think about anything else. Just concentrate on the rock in front of you. You’ve done this before; you know how to do it.”
Jessica’s nod was tentative, but she turned to face the rock and Amanda knew she’d make it.
“Come on, baby. You can do it,” called her husband. The woman started to climb faster and the tightening in Amanda’s chest relaxed a fraction of an inch.
