“I thought you were asking me to give you something else to think about.”
Her heart was racing, her body was on fire, and she had a feeling she’d think of nothing but how good he felt for the rest of the day. “Get away from me!”
“That’s not something I hear very often, but if you insist.” He moved next to her, the king of all smirks plastered on his all-too-handsome face.
She scowled, her trepidation smothered by frustration, and focused on beating his cocky ass up to the top. As she scaled the rope web, her frustration fueled her determination, pushing her into that age-old zone in which she used to disappear when she climbed. She’d forgotten how freeing it was to be suspended high above the ground, her fingers gripping the rough rope, heart thudding against her chest. Dare climbed right beside her, matching her pace as she climbed faster or slowed to find her grip. Adrenaline coursed through her as they neared the top. She pushed herself to climb faster, and Dare’s foot slipped, slowing him down enough for her to grab the top rope first.
Happiness like she hadn’t felt in years whipped through her. “Yes!” she hollered, throwing one fist toward the sky as he climbed to the top beside her.
“Way to go, Mancini!”
“That was so fun!” She schooled her expression, leveling him with a stare. “Even if you did let me win.”
He laughed. “You know me better than that.”
No, she knew him exactly like that. “Race you down!”
They raced all over the ropes course, conquering catwalks, tube nets, swinging platforms, Burma Bridges, and climbing on, up, over, across, and through dozens of cargo nets. They tied on the multivines, but again, Billie was sure that was all Dare’s doing. He probably could’ve beaten her one-handed. He was big and muscular, but he was lightning fast. He always had been. They egged each other on as they went from one course to the next, and for their big finale, they went on the free-fall simulator and came away cracking up. Billie was exhilarated. She felt younger and lighter than she had in years.
“I had forgotten how incredible this feels,” she said breathlessly, leaning on Dare’s shoulder.
“To fall off a platform?” he teased.
“All of it.” The air feels electrified, I’m breathing deeper, and my cheeks hurt from smiling! She kept those details to herself. “From the climbing to the racing to just being with you and having fun.”
He slung an arm across her shoulders, pulling her against his side. “I missed you too, Mancini.”
Why did that feel so good to hear?
They headed out of the aerial park arm in arm, following the crowd to the alpine roller coaster, and stood at the wooden railing, watching the cars take off. Billie’s pulse quickened with memories of taking that wild ride. Thirty-five hundred feet of heart-pumping thrills. Unlike normal roller coasters, the cars were affixed to the track, designed to take the downhill, winding hairpin turns at breakneck speeds. The track was built hanging over the sides of the mountain, and each car was separate. Riders could go alone or with someone sitting in front of them, and the rider controlled the speed of their car with the throttle. She and Dare used to go as fast as they could and compare times when they were done. As she watched wide-eyed thrill seekers climbing into the cars, the girl she’d been battled with the woman she’d become, egging her on, just like she and Dare used to.
“Do you remember the first time you rode this thing?” Dare asked.
“Kind of.” She didn’t know why she said that. She’d never forget that day. They were nine years old, and their families had come to the park together. Eddie’s parents couldn’t go, so he’d ridden with her family. Once their fathers had realized that parts of the track were built over the side of the mountain, they’d tried to talk them out of riding it, but they’d known even then that there was no stopping the Daredevils. Eddie had decided to hang back and watch the first two times Billie and Dare had ridden. Another thing Billie had always appreciated about Dare was that even as a kid he hadn’t made Eddie feel bad for holding off on doing anything scary. He somehow knew she really wanted to do it and that it was okay to egg her on but not do the same to Eddie, like most boys would. Instead, he’d built Eddie up and told him he was smart to check it out first. When she and Dare were waiting in line, she’d been as nervous as she was excited. Dare had noticed that nervousness and had taken her hand and said, You’re the bravest girl I know. Thanks for doing this with me. That was all it had taken to bolster her confidence.
It was quite possible that she’d loved him even then, because as she thought about that day, she remembered a different type of nervousness had settled in after he’d said that.
Butterflies in her belly.
The sounds of the roller coaster and riders screaming with fear and delight as they sped past pulled her from her memories.
Dare took her hand, just like he’d done all those years ago, and said, “You were the coolest that day, acting like you weren’t scared when you must have been ready to piss your pants.” He leaned on the railing, still holding her hand, forcing her to do the same.
This was who Dare had always been. The friend who took care of her, who presumed she’d want to hold his hand, and knew when she needed to even if she’d never admit it to herself. She’d missed these parts of him so much, it brought a wave of unexpected emotion.
A little while later he pulled out his phone and thumbed out a text.
“Hot date tonight?” She said it teasingly to hide the streak of jealousy she’d tried to ignore nearly every damn day of her life.
“Hell yeah. I’m with you, aren’t I?” He winked.
A thrill skittered through her, and she told herself not to go there. She couldn’t afford to get tangled up in the guilt that would cause. His phone chimed, and he read the message, then pocketed his phone with a pinched expression and leaned on the railing again.
“Everything okay?” she asked carefully.
“Yeah. We got a new kid staying at the ranch. I just wanted to check on him. It’s his first day.”
“Is he doing okay?”
“According to Cowboy, he’s ornery as fuck, which is par for the course. The kid’s got grit. I think he’s in a tough situation. New to town and might have left someone special behind.”
“That is rough. What’s he there for? Drugs?”
Dare shook his head. “I haven’t gotten that far yet, but I doubt he’s done more than drink and maybe smoke some weed. He’s just getting into trouble, and his parents want to straighten him out.”
“Is that what you do? Straighten kids out?” She knew what the ranch was known for, but she was curious about Dare and what he did for the people who came there.
“It’s not my job to straighten them out. Only they can do that. I talk to them and hopefully find the right keys to unlock the chains tethering them to their demons. If I’m lucky enough to figure that out, then I open a door and show them how to get there so they can leave those monsters behind. But it’s up to them to muster the courage to get to the door, to walk through it, and not stumble back.” He studied her face with a thoughtful expression. “You found those keys for me.”
She was shocked. “I did? When?”