Audra Harders - Rocky Mountain Hero

“The best.” Melanie squinted into the sun.

“I’m glad.” Gabe was glad to see her smile. “This tree swing has quite the reputation around here.”

“Oh, really? What does it do?”

Gabe stared into the most incredibly blue eyes he’d ever seen. A blush from the sun settled on her cheeks and a smattering of light freckles dusted over her nose. He swallowed and tried to find his voice. “It makes people throw caution to the wind.”

A light sparked in her eye and he thought he saw her wink. “Me? Throw caution to the wind? Not in a million years.”

Gabe offered Melanie a hand up. Her fingers were warm in his palm. They locked gazes and couldn’t look away. His insides churned.

Then her son Jason ran up and wrapped his arms around her. “You were great!” He turned toward Gabe. “Will you push me, Gabe?”

Gabe nodded. Melanie looked away, breaking the spell between them. She ruffled Jason’s hair.

“Okay. Just once.” She glanced back again with a shy smile. “Then my turn.”

All Gabe could do was nod.

moved to Colorado when she was nine years old and sees no reason to leave the state she loves. Her parents held out as long as they could, but eventually bought a horse for her when she was in seventh grade. Didn’t matter that she was allergic to everything under the sun, especially horses. She’d feed, brush and ride that horse until the sneezing and itching drove her to the showers. Today you’ll find her undergoing allergy shots so she can enjoy all the wonders living in Colorado offers—including riding horses without sneezing.

In fourth grade, she met the most obnoxious little boy in Sunday school—he ended up becoming the love of her life. Talk about overcoming conflict! They’ve been married more than twenty years and she can’t imagine life without her best friend. They have two grown children, and share their Front Range home with three dogs, various sheep, goats, chickens, a fifteen-pound rabbit and a guard turkey.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

—Romans 8:28

To my mom and dad who encouraged me to read and write my entire life.

To my Grammy who always told me everything is possible when you put your faith in the Lord.

To my husband, Gary. Thanks for your faith in me, and for putting up with all the burned burgers on the grill and the unmatched socks in the basket.

I love you.

To my children, Kara and Martin. May you realize your dreams are within your grasp when you place your faith in the Lord.

Thank you my Lord Jesus Christ for listening to my prayers all these years. Without You, my dreams would have been nothing but ashes.

Leslie Ann Sartor, I would’ve given up a long time ago if not for you and your incredible enthusiasm. Theresa Rizzo, you made movie nights and writing retreats an adventure I’ll never forget. All the Seekers who have supported and advised me through the ups and downs of contests and rejections. The Lord knew what He was doing when he brought the 15 of us together.

Connie Rinehold, Narcy Hogan, and Janet Edgar. Each of you saw something in my writing that made you reach out and keep me on track. Thanks for stepping up and making a difference.

Extra special thanks to Melissa Endlich for scooping me off the Island and making my dreams come true.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Epilogue

Letter to Reader

Questions for Discussion

“C’mon! Just a few more gates!” Jason Hunter shook his video game. Beeps and twangs filled the air.

“Jason, shaking it won’t make the game go faster.” Melanie Hunter flicked her gaze between the dirt road and her eight-year-old son. Along one side, rocks and pines lined the steep grade. On the other side, soft road base rimmed along a slope scorched by wildfire burn. In the middle, nothing but rough washboard dirt.

Her tire hit a bump. She clutched the steering wheel. Maybe she should have just dealt with the road construction on the interstate instead of threading around on smaller roads. With all the recent rain, the county road drove more like an all-terrain vehicle track. “Honey, sit back. I can’t see.”

Jason dropped the game onto his lap. “The batteries died and I was winning.”

“We don’t have too much farther to go. I’ve heard there’s a ski area up here somewhere.”

“It’s summertime, Mom. You can’t ski in June.”

“No, but Twin Buttes has lots of stuff to do even if it’s not snowing. We’ll stop there, have lunch and poke around the town.” The frown on his face said he wasn’t buying into the plan. She leaned over and bumped his shoulder. “I’ll bet we can get batteries there, too.”

“Whatever. Couldn’t you have found a job closer to home?”

Melanie sighed and straightened in her seat. Not a job like this. If she got the analyst position in Montrose doing research on high-altitude seeds and plants, she wouldn’t be putting in the long hours at the lab like she was now. Sure, Colorado Springs was a nice city, but it was hard for her to make ends meet on her single-mom budget. Besides, Montrose offered small-town living in the Colorado Mountains. Surely she’d find something to distract Jason from video games and get him outside playing. He needed fresh air and other kids, not dark rooms and Mario Brothers’ parties.

Jason dug into his backpack, pulled out a cord and aimed the plug of his video game unit at the dashboard. He missed the cigarette lighter receptacle and hit the heater knob. “Quit driving over the bumps, Mom!”

Seeing a clear stretch ahead, she leaned over and grabbed the power cord from his hand. She’d find distractions for him later; right now, she needed to concentrate on driving. The truck shimmied in the mud. She jammed the plug into the socket and carnival music came alive from the player. “Jason, sit back.”

“Mom! Watch out!”

The nose of her truck headed toward the slope crest. Jerking the steering wheel, she swerved away from the embankment. Mud and gravel splattered across the windshield as the pickup shimmied across the road toward a gigantic boulder. She yanked the wheel in the other direction, fishtailing the truck.

They skidded toward another boulder at the edge of the slope, the rough and chipped face looming fast. The front corner of her truck crumpled into solid rock, stopping their uncontrolled slide. Her head hit the side window with a thud.

A shrill whistle filled the cab of the truck. She blinked. Jason sat dazed.

Sixth grade…that was as far as she’d gotten. She drew a shallow breath, glad her entire twenty-nine years hadn’t flashed before her eyes.

She wrapped her arms around Jason and squeezed tight. “You all right, big guy?”

“Um hm.” Wide-eyed, he stared out the cracked windshield. Seconds passed before he wiggled out of her embrace. He dumped his video game onto the floor and peered over the dashboard, his hand working his door handle with no success. “Cool. This is better than Cave Raiders any day. Look! Smoke and everything!”

Melanie lifted her fingers to massage the bump on her forehead. Cool wasn’t exactly the word she’d use right now.