it.” At least he hoped so.
“Do you have any questions?”
“When can I get started?”
That earned him her brightest smile yet.
She stepped up to the ice. “Let me set these anchors and we’ll get you going.”
Tilting his head back, he watched her pick her way up the wall of ice. She definitely knew what she was doing. And in a matter of minutes, she was beside him once again, a rope running from her belay device up the steep slope and back to the ground.
She attached the other end of the rope to the device on his harness. “Are you ready?”
“I was born ready.” He stepped up to the ice, not nearly as confident as he wanted Taryn to believe. Took a deep breath.
“Now, when you’re going to start climbing, you say ‘belay on.’”
“Belay on.” He lifted his foot to jam his crampon into the ice—
“On belay.”
“What?” He glanced over his shoulder.
“Means you’re good to go.”
“Oh.” Apprehension knotted in his gut as he eyed the slippery slope once again. “You’re sure this will hold me?”
“Yep.”
“If you say so.” He reached both tools over his head. Looked for indentations in the ice. Swung. Perfect. He dug his crampons into the ice and moved a couple steps before moving the first tool. Right hand. Right foot. Left hand. Left foot. He was doing it. He was actually ice climbing.
“Keep those heels down,” Taryn hollered up at him.
He complied, his calves burning.
Right. Left. Right.
Pausing, he glanced down. He’d gone farther than he thought. He was a good thirty feet up. The sun broke through the clouds then, making it difficult to judge where to land his next swing. Too bad he didn’t have his sunglasses. Then again, when he left the house, he’d had no intention of ice climbing.
He let ’er rip, little pieces of ice pelting his face.
Right foot.
Missed.
He tugged harder on the tool, but it wasn’t secure.
Panic coursed through him as it slipped from the ice. His body tensed. He was going to fall.
Next thing he knew, he was swinging gently through the air, thanks to the belay.
“Everything okay up there?”
He struggled to catch his breath. “I think my life just flashed before my eyes.”
“Was it worth watching?”
He couldn’t help laughing. “Parts of it. Maybe.”
Looking up, Taryn snapped a picture. “You might want to fix that.”
Easy for her to say. She lived for the next climb. He lived for...
What did he live for?
He swung his tool. Landed it perfectly. He’d examine his pathetic life later. Right now, he needed to conquer this ice.
For the better part of two hours, he and Taryn took turns going up and down the ice.
“That’s the most incredible, fulfilling thing I’ve done in a long time.” Despite the cold, he was ready to shed his outer jacket. His body surged with energy and something he’d never felt before. “What did you call it?”
“Call what?”
“The feeling you get from climbing.”
“Empowered.”
“That’s it.” For the first time in more than a decade, Cash felt free. And he owed it all to the spunky girl next door. Without her, he’d still be staring at his laptop at the deli. But she’d drawn him into her world, given him a taste of what he’d been missing. And that was something he’d never forget.
* * *
Taryn loved this part of her job. The look on Cash’s face was priceless. And she couldn’t be more pleased with the way he’d put himself out there. His smile was unlike any she’d seen since he arrived. Genuine. He was truly enjoying himself.
She dropped her helmet.
“Does this mean we’re done?” He watched her coil the rope.
“I’m afraid so.” She sent him an apologetic look, just as sad as he was to see their time on the ice come to an end. “My best friend is getting married tomorrow and I’m the maid of honor, so I need to go help her.”
“Seriously?” He pulled off his helmet, tucking it under his arm.
She nodded, stuffing their gear into her pack.
“Wow, thanks for bringing me out here then.” He grabbed the pack she’d loaned him. “I’m surprised you had any time at all.”
“It’s not a big wedding. And besides that, you need to get back to your grandfather.”
“That reminds me, you did get some pictures of me, right?”
She couldn’t help laughing. “Lots. I’ll give you the memory card to upload to your computer. That way you can show your grandfather right away.”
“Awesome.”
“You got everything?” She eyed him as he slung his pack over his shoulder.
“I believe so.” He stepped closer. “Why don’t you let me take this.” He lifted the rope from her and draped it across his torso. “Now we’re ready.”
The sun shone down on them as they headed to her Jeep.
“So tell me about the ice park,” he said as they hiked. “Do a lot of locals go there?”
“Quite a few. It’s kind of a social event.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know, like a hangout. You want to catch up with people around town, that’s the place to do it.”
“Hmph. Interesting. Adds a whole new meaning to the term watercooler.”
She chuckled. “That it does.”
“Gramps mentioned an ice festival.” Cash sounded as if he was getting a little winded, so she slowed her pace.
“Yep. The biggest one in North America.”
“No
