Page 3 of Make It Last

With my friends keeping me distracted, I lost track of time until Lacey glanced over and said, “Hey, Tanner!”

I blinked and followed her gaze. Holy hormones.

Tanner was the quintessential rescue guy. Tall with brown hair and rich brown eyes that locked onto me when he stopped beside our group. He looked like he’d stepped straight out of a calendar shoot titled Hot Wilderness Rescuers of the Year. Or maybe a well-curated influencer feed. He looked over his shoulder at another guy approaching. This guy was also tall and annoyingly attractive. My hormones were quiet on him, though.

Lacey stood, hands on her hips. “What’s the plan, guys?”

“We’ll carry her down,” Tanner said.

“Carry her?” I echoed, alarmed.

“Yeah, best option,” he replied casually. “He can get your gear, and I’ll carry you on my back.”

“Excuse me?”

He looked down at me again, his gaze steady and calm like this was all in a day’s work. “Yep. It’s probably the quickest option. Or we could do a sling between us, but that’s more awkward, and it’ll slow things down a lot.”

The other guy nodded. “Honestly, I agree. Piggyback’s the best option.”

“Can I have some names, please?” I asked, staring up at them.

“This is Tanner,” Lacey said, gesturing to Holy Hormones himself. “And this is Kincaid.”

Amy caught my gaze and wiggled her brows. She was enjoying this too much.

The next thing I knew, Tanner had me on his back. He carried me almost easily, like this was something he did all the time. Maybe it was something he did all the time.

“I can’t believe this,” I muttered under my breath.

They even had this kind of harness that helped me stay secure on his back without having to cling for dear life. Not how I’d envisioned this trip going.

“I bet you can’t,” Tanner said with a chuckle, “I don’t imagine anyone plans to break an ankle and get carried off a glacier.”

He smelled good, carrying scents of evergreen and a citrusy soap. My hormones were doing cartwheels.

“I’m doing my best to hold on to my dignity,” I replied.

I caught the curve of his smile when he turned his head slightly toward me. My face was practically tucked against his shoulder. I could kiss him. Honestly, it was tempting.

But no. I had sworn off all men. All of them. For the rest of my life.

“We’ll be down in no time,” he said.

“It took us over an hour to get up here,” I pointed out.

“Yeah, but you were going up. We’re going down. Plus, I know this trail by heart.”

He adjusted me on his back, and I could feel the way his muscles moved under me—steady, strong, solid.

I cleared my throat. “So, uh, Tanner, nice to meet you.”

Chapter Two

Tanner Houlton

Tan the Rescue Man

“Nice to meet you,” I replied. “Honestly, I don’t actually know your name yet.”