Page 13 of First Bride to Fall
She locked on his dreamy brown gaze, seriously wanting to believe it. This was so not the fun adventure she’d anticipated. If she didn’t risk the climb down, though, she’d wind up dying up here anyway. Single and unloved. Romantically unloved, that was. At least she wouldn’t have to marry Aidan then. That would mean she wouldn’t get a chance with Grant, either, and she needed for that to happen. After the brave front she’d put on for her sisters, she couldn’t shy away from this challenge now.
Operation First Bride was in full play.
Only it wasn’t exactly working out swimmingly.
It was more like she was drowning in it.
“I’ll send you a text when we make it down,” Grant called down to Jordan. “If you don’t hear from me shortly, call the park rangers.”
Thepark rangers? If she wasn’t so cold, she’d have flushed with embarrassment. She was making such a mess of things. Still, she couldn’t move. Her heart pounded, and her palms felt damp. But of course they were. She was standing in the pouring rain. Maybe she was having a panic attack.
The group peeled away with Jordan in the lead, and Nell experienced a sudden shock of abandonment. But it was okay. Things were okay. Grant was still with her.
He ran a hand through his damp hair. The man was hotness personified from his wet jacket to his saturated khaki-colored hiking pants, his plastered-to-his-body clothing hugging his rock-hard frame. Oof. If she wasn’t so terrified, she’d be drooling.
One of the coupled-up women waved enthusiastically to Grant. So did her friend. The Gomez mom shared an equally smitten-looking wave. Oh well. Nell couldn’t fault them for their taste. She also couldn’t help but notice that Grant hadn’t picked up on any of the fan-girl adoration. Well, good. Because the only person’s adoration Grant needed to pay attention to was hers. Once she figured out how to appeal to him.
She was obviously failing at that now with her freak-out-in-nature moment. But it wasn’t her fault about the heights. She knew she had her limitations around lighthouses and such, but she’d never scaled a mountain. So this element of fear was brand new. Still. She wasnotgiving up. Charlotte’s annoying hen imitation came back to her. Or, chickening out.
Thunder clapped again, and the group hastily retreated, disappearing down the rocky trail. Rainwater rushed in rivulets, their footsteps kicking up mud splatter as they went.
Nell’s panic spiked.
She was going to be trapped up here indefinitely. With Grant. Which meant, when she ultimately died of hypothermia, she’d be bringing him down with her. Not an ideal way to begin—or end—a happy relationship, with both of them drenched and shivering. He might never even want to talk to her again after this. Assuming they made it down alive.
“Here’s what we’re going to do,” Grant said, bending enough to meet her eyes, his hands on her shoulders. Likely to keep her steady. “I’ll go down first, and you follow. If you slip or anything, I’ll be there to catch you, and hey, it’s not even that big of a drop.”
Nell nodded. That didn’t sound too bad. She could do this.
Maybe.
If they went really, really slowly.
Grant nodded, then released her. As she watched, he wrapped the rope around his back, bent his knees, and eased himself over the rocky ledge, stabilizing himself with the rope.
“Now, you come next,” he instructed once he’d reached the bottom. “Get the rope around your back like I showed you. Good.” When she had it positioned the right way, he nodded. “Get down low first when you’re coming off the summit.”
She inched toward the ledge, and her knees shook. “My dad always says, just because someonetells youto jump off a cliff—”
He full-on chuckled. “You’re not jumping.”
“Feels like!”
She bent her knees, and moisture seeped through her running pants, chilling her. She never would have picked them out for the hike if she’d had any idea how uncomfortable they were. She’d kind of assumed they be like leggings. But no, they were tighter—everywhere. And not at all waterproof. Cold rain prickled her cheeks as she scooted backward toward the ledge, peering over her shoulder.
“You’re doing great. Keep going.”
She did, but her movement must have been imperceptible, because Grant said, “Nell?”
“I’m trying!”
He inhaled deeply below her. “Okay. It’s okay. You’re doing fine,” he said kindly. “Like I said, it’s a very short way down.”
She swallowed hard and inched along.
“Great,” he said. “Now, keep coming. Little by little easing your grip on the rope.”
She accomplished that, too, but her whole body shook. He’d said he’d catch her, but what if she slipped right through his arms and landed on her head?
