Only the kids went on the next two rides as Hank and Ali both opted out of the twirling teacups and the tilting pirate ship. Somehow Sarah had no such objections to heights or rotating as she did to dark rooms, and she ran back to them with a huge grin.

"Let's do the giant swings next." She jumped up and down.

"Oh, yeah. That's one of my favorites," Ali agreed, but Hank looked more dubious.

"Which one is that?" He squinted in the setting sun, glancing up the midway.

"That one." Colin pointed to a tall ride full of blinking lights. Plastic seats hung by long chains from an umbrella-shaped canopy, and although the line snaked around a cordoned-off area, it seemed to move quickly. "Please, Uncle Hank." Colin tugged his sleeve. "Let's all go."

He took a step backward, nearly running into a young couple. "Whoops. Sorry." Digging into his jeans pocket, he pulled out his phone. "I'm going to sit this one out. I need to call Liz and let her know we're okay, but you guys go ahead."

He appeared much too frazzled to just be worried about checking in with his sister, but seeing no real reason to argue, Ali took the kids by the hand and walked to the end of the queue. They managed to get on the ride without having to wait a full turn, and soon they were buckled into the swinging chairs. When everyone was secured, the operator started the machine and cranked up the music. The seats lifted a few feet off the ground before the entire canopy began turning. As the speed of the rotations increased, so did the height of the riders dangling in the air.

Ali grinned as Sarah and Colin rocked their swings and kicked their feet in delight. Keeping her eyes above the orange-tinted horizon, she watched the blur of passing trees, rides, and buildings as the swings continued to float through the air in a counterclockwise direction.

"I'm flying!" Sarah exclaimed, letting go of the chains and holding her arms out.

Ali shuddered at the sight, gripping her chain with that much more force. After a few more turns around its axis, the canopy slowed and lowered the riders back down to the ground.

"That was so fun!" Colin gushed as they left the ride behind. "Can we do it again?"

Taking a deep breath, Ali focused on trying to get the world to stop spinning. "Sure. But how about something a little less . . . um, centrifugal, first?"

"What does that mean?" Sarah asked Hank, who was waiting by the ride's exit.

He smiled. "It's a fancy way of saying that Miss Ali is dizzy."

"Oh, I'm fine now," she insisted, but stepping forward, her foot landed in something—whether a scoop of melted ice cream, a piece of fallen cheese, or an item she was better off not knowing about—and she lost her balance. Tumbling forward, she threw her hands out, expecting to hit the pavement, but instead fell against something much more pleasant.

"Are you okay?" Hank had his arms around her as she once again found herself pressed against his chest. Warm and firm, she could feel his heart thumping under his T-shirt. And even this close, he smelled divine.

"I swear I'm usually not this clumsy," Ali said, pushing away and lifting her shoe to get a better look at the sole. "But I stepped in . . . oh, gross."

The children giggled while she wiped the sticky mystery goo on the concrete, but Hank was more sympathetic. "Life is full of the unexpected," he said, in spite of this now being the third time she'd either run or fallen into his arms.

"That it is," Ali replied, unsure of how literally she was supposed to take the observation that sounded more like something you'd find on a Pinterest quote board. "But I'm fine. What's next?"

Hank turned to the kids. "Your mom wants you guys home soon, so how about one more ride and we'll hit the road?"

Faced with an array of choices, Sarah and Colin began to spout off ideas for the final activity. "There's the coaster . . . I wanna try shooting again . . . can I have cotton candy . . . we haven't been to the fun house," they spoke in near unison.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. How about the Ferris wheel? Do you guys like that?" Hank pointed to the vintage ride.

"I'm not great with heights, so I'll skip out on this one," Ali whispered to him after they joined the end of the line.

"I'll keep you company," he said, nudging her elbow in solidarity.

This was her chance. Judging by the speed of the ride, she'd have at least five minutes relatively alone with him to talk about anything she wanted. But what exactly was that? Dear god, she had no idea! At least she had time to wrack her brain for a safe but amusing topic of conversation while Sarah recalled every detail from their day.

"Remember that chicken with the funny tail? The feather bent into an O shape? Or how about that goat with the black horns? I really liked those soft bunnies, too. Can we get one, please?" The little girl didn't even seem to take a breath as she prattled on.

When it was their turn to get on the giant wheel, Hank guided his niece and nephew toward an empty pod, but the operator stepped in. "They're too small to ride alone," the teen drawled.

Hank glanced back at Ali and shrugged. "I guess I have to go with them, then."

The boy continued to quote regulations. "Only two riders per seat," he said.

Fearing a denial, the kids panicked. "I want to go on it," Colin said, pouting, while Sarah appeared to be on the verge of tears.

Ali stepped forward. "Fine. Let's do this."

Taking Sarah's hand, she headed for the pod. But as soon as they were latched in and the wheel began to turn, she already wanted to get off.

Even though it was still just a few feet off the ground, the metal pod swung with every move or gust of wind, and a bubbling unease formed in the pit of Ali's stomach. Colin and Hank were climbing into the next pod directly behind them, forcing her to turn to get a glimpse of the man she should have been chatting with safely back on the ground. She didn't totally regret coming along—Sarah's huge smile next to her made up for the anxiety—but she would have still preferred to spend a little time with Hank firmly back on the ground.

The day had been fun, and perhaps—if they had a chance to get to know each other better—he would bend or even break his rumored resistance to getting cozier with a Pebble Creek guest. Even if it was for just a few weeks, she would jump at the chance to . . . well, to jump that cowboy.

Ali held back a smile as her cheeks flushed at the thought, but the wheel jerked and the pod started rising. "Yay!" Sarah cheered next to her, but Ali kept her gaze ahead and her breathing even. Looking down would definitely make her lose it, and she squeezed her eyes shut against the sun's last rays in the swiftly approaching dusk when they reached the top.

"How are you doing up there?" Hank's question was full of amusement, and as they started the slow descent, she couldn't resist taking a peek. Gripping the thin metal bar standing between her and the dark ground a hundred feet below, Ali opened her eyes and immediately wished she hadn't. She glanced up at Hank. He was turned in his seat, staring down at her, but his bright smile wasn't enough to keep her from feeling as though she'd crash to the ground at any moment. The floor beneath her feet threatened to drop out, and Ali could already feel her body tumbling uncontrollably through the air.

Shutting her eyes again, she willed herself to stop shaking. "I've been better."

Hank laughed, the pleasant sound full of sympathy rather than malice. "Only one more turn to go."

"Alejandra! Alejandra Barros, is that you?" called out a woman's voice from below.

Briefly forgetting her current worries, Ali looked down. It didn't take long to find who'd been yelling because as the pod lowered, a young woman with long blond hair waved at her from the middle of the queue.

"Who's that?" Sarah asked.

"I'm not sure," Ali quietly admitted, trying to place the familiar face, but suddenly blanking on where they may have knew each other from.

"Hey, Alejandra!" the woman called out again. "I knew it was you."

"Hey! How are you?" she yelled back, hoping her continued lack of recognition didn't show.

"What are you doing in Colorado? Are you down here training for nationals?" asked the woman.

Knowing full well that Hank was within earshot, Ali's heart sank.