Well, I certainly picked that.
I tilted my head to the side as above us, Jay and Liam traded insults. "Sustainable?"
He grinned. "Everyone hears sawmill and thinks of us cutting down large tracts of land willy-nilly. What we actually do is own plantations where we circulate the tree growth. When a plantation is mature, we cut it down and replant it a year or so later once the land has recovered. We offer removal for fallen trees, and we do clearing for roads and houses—this allows us to ensure the trees are harvested in a way that means every part will be used."
I nodded, impressed by his passion.
"We also recover used wood and timbers from cabins, train tracks, decks, and so on."
"Does timber ever reach an end of life?"
"Oh sure," he laughed. "Might be that the offcuts are tiny, or the wood is rotten. So we either turn it into something like a carving that can be sold, or we mulch it for use in gardens."
"Wow. I have to admit, I've never given hardwood that much thought."
"Phrasing!" Jay yelled from above us.
We both laughed, my face flushing a tiny bit.
"How about you? You said you're a podcaster. What's that like?"
We chatted about my job as we waited for Jay and Liam to get through the first obstacle.
"You're up. Take it slow, we're in no hurry," Dane assured me as his husband stood at the top of the platform, watching like a hawk as I clipped on.
Shit.
With a shaky breath and even shakier hands, I began the climb up to the first platform.
It only stood about ten feet off the ground, but that was enough to make me want to puke.
"You can do this, Karen,” I muttered to myself as I shimmied along. “You've got this. You are a badass. You're a wicked woman. You—"
My foot slipped, a startled noise ripping from my throat as I tumbled back a step only to fall into the arms of Will.
"Don't worry. I've got you." His arms were clamped firmly around me. His body was warm and hard as he held me.
"Um." I tilted my head back. "Thanks."
"Anytime."
Will helped me settle back on the ladder, helping me readjust my grip, staying close while I began to climb—it felt nice to have someone watching my back.
"You okay?" Drake asked as I got to the top of the platform, attempting to gracefully heave myself up.
"Yeah, sorry. Didn't mean to freak out."
He grinned, wrapping his hands around my biceps and helping me stand. "Don't worry about it. We had a guy faint last month. Six-foot-two, built like a line-backer, petrified of heights. Took four of us to get him back to the ground. You're doing great."
"You are," Will confirmed, his biceps flexing attractively as he pushed himself up. "I'd hire you."
I laughed, flattered by his flirty tone. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
Drake and Dane put us through our paces, ensuring we were all safe and comfortable working at heights and with the equipment.
"Okay, now it's time to actually glide. Because this is your first time, Dane or I will set up your pulley for you." He demonstrated how to do it while Will hitched his up in such a way I knew it wasn't his first time.
"Now, sit down in your harness, place one hand here and wrap your other around it." Drake nodded when I did as directed. "Perfect. Now lean back, we don't want you getting your hair caught, keep your feet in front of you, then just ride it out."
