As she jogged down the lodge's private access road the following day, Ali's stomach did the sort of flips she only ever had at the beginning of a relationship. Given her track record of choosing convenience over commitment, this didn't happen very often, and she wasn't sure how she really felt about opening herself up to them. Her pragmatic side warned her to keep things with Hank casual; she certainly wasn't sticking around for long. But the romantic in her squashed those worries. She was here to get back her old mojo, and if seizing the opportunity with him was part of that process, then so be it.

The familiar black truck was already parked at the intersection when she arrived, and she enthusiastically climbed in. "Have you been here long?"

"Nope." Hank shook his head, but instead of putting the still-running car into gear, he hesitated. "I hope you don't mind, but I brought some driving music." Turning the stereo on, he skipped a few tracks until he found what he was looking for. After a few beats, Ali's jaw dropped as "Brown Eyed Girl" began to play.

"You big, fat jerk!" She playfully punched him in the shoulder.

He grinned, bobbing his head with the music while turning up the volume. "I thought you'd enjoy the nostalgia."

"Oh, no you don't." She swatted his hand away from the controls. "And who owns CDs anymore, anyway?"

He sang a few words of the chorus before responding. "I borrowed it from Dave."

Ali couldn't help giggling, but things became more interesting when Hank reached over to kiss her. Although she had a few instances now of comparing it to, it still didn't fall short of her daydreams. Better yet, as his mouth left hers, she was already craving for more.

"Thank you for the flowers," she said once they started driving as she touched his hand resting on the gearshift.

"No problem." He glanced at her with a smile. "Sorry I couldn't see you again last night, but something came up."

"That's okay. I had today to look forward to," she admitted. "A hike, huh?"

"I hope you're up for it. There's a perfect place just next door." He turned the corner and stepped on the accelerator.

True to his word, within a few minutes they were turning into another hidden entrance leading farther into the wilderness. Coming to a lowered—and padlocked—gate blocking the packed dirt road, Hank stopped the truck and switched off the engine. "We'll need to walk the rest of the way."

"Are you sure?" Ali pointed to a sign on the horizontal bar that read no access.

"Tourists have to go around to the main entrance, but since Pebble Creek's property borders this public park, we can take this shortcut," he said, squashing her concerns.

Trusting his judgment, Ali got out and took Hank's hand. They walked on a forest path for a few hundred feet before the trees disappeared and the landscape opened up to one of the most amazing views she'd ever seen. The large rocks, jutting cliffs, and deep crevices, all composed of the same red sediment, reminded her of a mini Grand Canyon, and Ali tried to stop to take in the breathtaking scenery.

Hank wasn't so ready for a break. "Come on." He pulled her along, not wasting time in starting their trek. For the next hour or so, they didn't talk much, but this didn't mean there was a lack of communication. Instead, they spent a lot of time touching as they helped each other—which was almost exclusively him helping her—climb up, across, and down the various obstacles along the way.

She appreciated his eager assistance but urged him to go ahead whenever possible for purely selfish reasons. Ali shouldn't have been surprised at how good Hank looked in cargo shorts. His legs perfectly matched the rest of his lean, muscular body. Still, it was nice to slowly get to know more of him, even if it wasn't through talking.

Although Hank was clearly more skilled at navigating the uneven terrain, Ali had no problems in keeping up with the physical exertion. Years of show jumping had provided her with a solid cardio basis, and they only paused a few times to grab water from his backpack. Soon they'd stopped on a wide plateau that was high enough to give a great view of the park.

"Wow." Ali gazed over the surroundings after chugging half a bottle. "This is unreal."

Finishing his own drink, Hank wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "They don't call it Garden of the Gods for nothing," he said. Stepping behind her, he pointed to a large rock formation in the distance with one boulder perched precariously on top of another that—for all intents and purposes—shouldn't have been able to stand. "What do you think of that one?"

"That it makes me dizzy just looking at it," she admitted, taking an unplanned step backward and trying to focus on the impressive sight instead of the cavernous abyss below.

Stopping her from retreating any farther, he wrapped his arms around her torso. "You really have a fear of heights?" he asked.

Ali nodded. "Yup. I can't explain it and there's no reason behind it, I just get this feeling like I'm about to plummet to my death any time I'm more than a few feet off the ground."

"You were fine on the giant swings," he recalled, still holding her close.

"Aha. But I didn't look down. Otherwise it would have been game over." She laughed, attempting to turn around, but Hank kept a tight grip.

"So that's your secret," he whispered into her ear before kissing the smooth skin below.

Ali's posture relaxed and she let herself give in. She closed her eyes and tilted her head to give him better access to the rest of her neck. He gave a soft grumble as if to thank her for the assistance and carried on. Only when his lips had traveled all the way to her collarbone did he pause, but just long enough to scoop her up into his arms.

"Oh!" Ali exclaimed in surprise, wrapping her hands around his neck as her feet left the ground.

Squinting in the bright sunlight, Hank smiled down on her. "Don't worry. I won't let you fall," he said hoarsely before closing the gap between them.

She parted her lips, fully trusting him and eagerly letting him in. Her fingers caressed the back of his neck, the cropped hair prickling her skin while her nose gently collided with his in the frenzy.

He suddenly pulled away, a puzzled expression shadowing his face. "Do you hear that?"

Ali held her breath but shook her head when nothing seemed out of the ordinary. "Was it the wind, maybe?" she guessed, not knowing how he could have heard anything above their own ragged breathing.

He was about to kiss her again when the silence was indeed interrupted.

"Help! Somebody help us, please!" The frantic request came from somewhere nearby.

Drawing away from each other, they both turned their heads, searching for the source. When the pleas sounded out again, Hank returned Ali to her feet and grabbed her hand before hurrying in what seemed to be the direction of the calls.

Luckily, it turned out to be right. Down a steep incline on the other side of the plateau and tucked under an outcrop shielding them from the sun, they found two older couples. One pair was kneeling next to a man lying on his back, while a woman looked on, quietly sobbing into her hand.

"What happened?" Hank sprang into action, joining the two on the ground adjacent to the motionless body and leaving Ali on the scene's perimeter.

"My husband just collapsed," the gray-haired woman next to him explained robotically, a glazed-over look in her eyes as Hank put his ear near the unconscious man's face. "I don't know what happened. We thought he just tripped, but he's not responding."

"He's not breathing," Hank said, reaching for the man's hand. "Has anyone called 911?"

"We couldn't get a signal." The other man stood and pulled out an old flip phone.

"His pulse is weak." Hank dropped the man's limp hand and removed his backpack, tossing it to Ali without missing a beat. "Use my cell and call 911."

Without waiting for her response, he moved to the man's head and tilted it back. Ali dug around the bottom of the bag, finding the phone before dialing.

The emergency operator picked up on the second ring. "Nine-one-one. What's your emergency?"

"There's an older gentleman passed out. His pulse is weak and he's not breathing." She repeated everything she knew about the situation, glancing back at Hank. He had just begun chest compressions, rhythmically pushing with both hands on the man's rib cage.

There were clicks on a keyboard before the woman continued. "Is anyone else there with you, ma'am?"

"Yes. My friend is doing CPR. Can you please send an ambulance?" She began to pace.

More keyboard clicks were followed by a brief pause. "I'm trying to get a fix on your position, but it doesn't seem like you're within the city limits. Can you describe your location?"

"Um, we're at Garden of the Gods. Please hurry." Her hand trembled as Hank proceeded with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

"Ma'am, can you be any more specific?" The operator was polite yet firm in her urgency.

She looked away from the lifesaving activity and scanned the view. "I don't know. We're on a ledge and there's this—"

"Quarter mile southwest of Balanced Rock," Hank interrupted, his breathing ragged from resuming compressions. Ali turned back and held the phone closer to him as he continued. "We're about a hundred fifty feet up on the eastern face. The terrain's too rough for a regular ambulance. Tell them to send a chopper."

She took the phone over again. "Did you get that?"

"Yes, ma'am. That's exactly what I needed." The woman's obvious relief gave Ali hope. "Please stay on the line; help is on the way."

Hank continued to perform CPR while the others looked on until the helicopter arrived. Two air nurses took over, and after stabilizing the patient, who'd thankfully begun breathing on his own again, they loaded him into the chopper. Following the obligatory hugs and gushing thanks from the man's companions, Hank and Ali made the hike back to his parked truck. They walked silently, the ordeal having drained both of their wills for conversation. The drive was just as reserved, although Hank held Ali's hand in mutual support.

"I meant to ask you," he said, breaking the silence, while pulling the truck to a stop at the bottom of the lodge. "How much longer are you going to be at Pebble Creek?"

"I got the thirty-day special," she replied, recalling the date of her return flight.

He pulled his lips into a line and nodded. "Good."

"Why?" she asked, squeezing his hand.

"Well, that gives us a little more than two weeks," he observed with neither delight nor gloom.

"Yup," she agreed, realizing how short that time really was, especially given how quickly the hours passed when she was with him. "Am I going to get to see you again soon?"

"I'm going out of town tomorrow, but I'll definitely be around on Thursday. Is that soon enough?" he asked.

"No." She unbuckled her seat belt and leaned in for a kiss. "But I guess it'll have to do."

He was smiling by the time their lips separated. "You know, you're pretty incredible."

Ali scoffed, her face still just a few inches from his. "Incredibly lucky is more like it. You're the one who just saved a man's life." She searched his light eyes for a hint of how he could stay so calm with everything that had just happened. He may have been reserved in talking about himself, but his actions in a few critical moments revealed more about Hank Mathis than hours of conversation ever could.

He ran his fingers through his hair. "I did what anyone else in that situation would have."

"That's crap, and you know it," she said dismissively. "I don't know anyone who would have not only figured out what to do so quickly, but also gone through with it without batting an eyelash."

"Maybe you don't know the right people." He smiled.

"Well, I do now." She kissed him again before opening the door and jumping out. She was dangerously close to falling head over heels for this heroic enigma of a man, and Ali feared if she didn't leave his presence immediately, she'd insist on going home with him. And she wasn't ready to do that. Not just yet.