Beth Cornelison - Rancher's High-Stakes Rescue

A peal of laughter drew her attention in time to see Josh lift Connor and drape the boy upside down over his shoulder. Connor laughed as Josh spun around, then planted the dizzy boy back on the ground.

“Yeah, see how funny it is when he throws up on you, Doofus!” Piper called to her brother.

After a few more minutes of racing around the yard with the boy, Josh jogged up, panting, with Connor on his heels. “Tag, man,” he gasped, slapping Brady on the shoulder. “You’re up. I’m dying here.”

“Thanks for wearing him out,” Brady said, pushing to his feet. “The kid is gonna sleep well tonight!”

“He’s not the only one,” Josh said, taking the chair Brady vacated.

“So the itinerary posted in the guesthouse says tomorrow we learn to saddle and ride horses and get a glimpse of other aspects of ranching life.” Kate ran a finger down the side of her glass, wiping off the drips of condensation.

“Yep,” Josh said. “Bright and early. We’ll start with a hearty breakfast, then gather up in the corral behind the stable.”

“I just remembered I never called Dean back,” Dawn said. “Will you excuse me?” Dawn rose from the table, wearing a smirk.

But Kate was having none of Dawn’s ploy. She already saw a battle with her attraction to him ahead and the day’s travel was catching up to her. “I’m going to call it a night, as well. Thanks for everything.”

Josh touched the brim of his hat and winked at her. “See you in the morning.”

Kate took her trash to the waiting receptacle, then headed into the guesthouse. Dawn wasn’t on the phone when she got there, lending more credence to her theory about her friend’s continuing efforts to play matchmaker.

Dawn grunted and frowned at Kate from the kitchenette, where she was pouring herself a glass of wine. “Why are you in here instead of enjoying Josh’s company?”

“Because, like I’ve said, this is a business trip. I’m not looking for a hookup.”

Dawn set the wine bottle down and licked a drip of the merlot from her finger as she pinned a hard look on Kate. “Are you sure that’s all it is? Is everything okay?”

Kate blinked, a bit startled by the question. “Of course. Why?”

Her colleague twisted her mouth and gave her a narrow-eyed scrutiny. “You just don’t seem that excited to be here. You’ve acted rather reluctant since we landed this account and scheduled this trip. What’s wrong? What am I missing?”

Kate waffled briefly between telling Dawn the whole truth and brushing off her reservations. “I’m just tired.”

Dawn continued to stare at her.

“Really! This place is great. The people are super friendly, the scenery is awesome, and it’s an exciting account to be working on. I just...” Shoot. Why did she add the unfinished addendum?

“If something about this account is bothering you, if you feel we need to go a different direction on some aspect of the campaign, you should tell me.” Dawn strolled into the common area with her wine, obviously waiting for Kate’s explanation.

“No, no. It’s nothing about the account or our plans for the ad campaign. It’s me.”

Dawn raised her chin. “So there is something?”

Kate closed her eyes and let her shoulders droop. “Ugh. Okay, yes. I didn’t want to say anything because it’s my issue to work out. But...” She moistened her lips, then took Dawn’s hand and led her to the couch. They sat facing each other, and Kate rubbed her hands on the skirt of her dress. “I’m chicken. All these ‘adventures,’” she said, drawing air quotes with her fingers, “scare me.”

Dawn’s face split with a grin. “Seriously? That’s all?”

Kate straightened her back. “All? Dawn, day after tomorrow, we’re supposed to leave on a camping trip filled with all kinds of dangerous and death-defying stunts. I can’t do it! Just the thought of all those high places and steep drop-offs leaves me in a cold sweat.” She raised her damp, trembling palms to show Dawn. “Look!”

Dawn laughed and grabbed Kate’s hands, then clutched them against her chest. “Oh, Katie! You’re supposed to be a little scared. That’s part of the thrill, the adrenaline rush. Facing down that instinctive fear and conquering it is what makes these kinds of adventures so exciting!” She squeezed both of Kate’s hands, smiling her enthusiasm.

Kate shook her head. “You don’t get it. I used to be adventurous. As a kid, I did all kinds of stupid, daring, dangerous stuff.”

“Well, there you go! You’ve got the adventurous spirit in you. Just dig it out and wear it pr—”

“No.” Kate jerked her hands back and ran her fingers through her hair. Her gut quivered as memories of her days spent in the bottom of the silo, injured, scared, alone, reverberated through her mind’s eye. “I lost that spirit a long time ago. I almost died once. I fell—” She swallowed hard. “I shouldn’t have been climbing on that roof, but...” She paused and took a deep breath to calm the jangle of nerves.

Dawn’s forehead was wrinkled with curiosity. “You almost died? When? What happened?”

Kate balled her hands into fists and told her coworker the whole story in digest version. She finished by saying, “That’s why this whole adventure trip scares me so much. I don’t think I can do it. I still have nightmares about being in that silo, about falling, about being lost.”

Dawn leaned back against the cushions of the couch and shook her head slowly. “Wow. That had to have sucked.”

“To put it mildly.”

“But...” Her friend arched one eyebrow, and her gaze glinted with challenge. “What better time to get past those fears, huh? Face ’em down. Conquer them!”

Kate was shaking her head before Dawn even finished.

“Come on, Kate! Zane and Josh know what they are doing. You heard them out there tonight.” Dawn waved a hand toward the door. “They’ve been doing this stuff for years. They’ve taken every safety precaution, had the equipment inspected. It’s all perfectly safe. Josh and Zane are pros at this, and they will not let you get hurt.”

Kate worried her bottom lip with her teeth. She’d told herself all of the same things a dozen times, but nothing could calm the drumbeat of dread deep in her soul. Instead of arguing points that she had no good defense for, she aimed a finger at Dawn and said, “That’s another thing.”

Dawn blinked. “What is?”

“Stop pushing me at Josh and vice versa. I don’t need a matchmaker.”

Her friend’s grin turned smug. “But he’s so good-looking and so into you.”

“I know he’s good-looking. I’d have to be blind not to notice that. But I’m not in the market for a vacation romance.”

“Oh, girl...why not? If I weren’t with Dean—”

“Because I’m... not ! I have my reasons!” she said in a tone sharper than she intended.

Dawn drew back slightly, and her face reflected a degree of hurt and remorse.

Lowering her voice, Kate continued, “I’ve been down that path before and it was a disaster I don’t care to repeat. So...please drop it. No matchmaking.”

The front door of the guesthouse opened, and two of the other guests strolled in, holding hands and smiling warmly at each other. Both couples joining them on the adventure trip, Paige and Jake McCall and Brianna and Hunter Mansfield, hailed from Louisiana. They’d been invited because Brianna was a friend of Piper’s from college, and Jake McCall, a former navy SEAL, was Zane, Josh and Piper’s cousin.

“Beautiful evening for a walk,” Paige said. “The moon is almost full.”

“Oh, how romantic,” Dawn said.

“Exactly,” Jake replied with a wanton wink. “Well, good night.” He headed down the hall to their bedroom, towing his chuckling wife in his wake.