Both the rebellion and the activity felt good. The exertion of Ali's feet hitting the rocky soil raised her heart rate and invigorated not only her body but also her mind. Her head cleared of the frustration and anger the session with Dr. Sacher had brought, and she broke into a smile as she dashed under the mighty evergreens lining the trail.

Among the trees the path became both darker and softer from the higher amounts of composted vegetation, which made it soft enough to clearly show hoof prints scattered along the way. Thankful for a sign she was on the right trail, Ali followed the tracks into a wide meadow with wildflowers in rich purples and oranges and where the fresh scent of pine mingled with the sweet aroma of native clovers and copper mallows.

Taking a deep breath, she relished the rich fragrance. The last few weeks of relative inactivity, however, made the muscles in her sides twitch from the strain. She pushed on despite the increasing ache forming in her calves, with only the cool rustling of the wind in the treetops and the rhythmic stomping of her sneakers breaking the silence.

Concentrating on where to place her feet among the roots, ruts, and rocks while trying to keep a steady pace, Ali jumped when a low rumble erupted from the sky. Looking up, she saw the clouds were denser and darker than they'd been just minutes earlier. When a gust whipped a strand of hair out of her tight ponytail and across her face, she tucked the lock behind her ear and sped up. She hadn't even run another two hundred feet before the sound of approaching hooves got her attention.

Riding through the valley below, the group—probably at Liz's urging—was heading back toward the lodge. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, Ali ducked into the shadow of a knotty oak before watching the slow procession pass below her. She took the welcome opportunity to catch her breath, but frowned when broker Dave came into view.

Although he was focused on chatting up a ball-cap-wearing soccer-mom-type woman, spotting the man whom she had successfully avoided since Saturday night at the bar made Ali glad she'd ducked out of sight. The decision was reinforced when the group's leader motioned for the riders to pick up the pace. The wrangler—probably the Jules that Liz had mentioned earlier—would no doubt have also asked her to return to Pebble Creek out of caution, and Ali wasn't ready. The release and sense of freedom running had given her in just a short amount of time were much more useful than any forced therapy session.

A little summer shower wasn't about to scare her into hiding now.

Ali waited for the horses to pass before continuing in the opposite direction. She followed the ridge above the valley, occasionally climbing over smooth boulders and rounding scraggly bushes as she made her way farther and farther up the mountain. Dust covered her bare legs and sweat dripped down her face in sticky streaks by the time she realized the trail below was nowhere in sight. Stopping to survey her surroundings, she wiped her brow with the back of her hand just before a cold water droplet landed on her nose. Another hit her shoulder, followed by a steady stream as the sprinkles quickly developed into a heavy rainfall.

Ali sighed. At some point, she must have turned off the marked route without even noticing and now everything around her looked the same. Pines and meadows, grasses and rocks intermittently covered the whole area in every direction, leaving no well-worn paths or other telltale signs to follow.

A bright streak of lightning struck against the darkened sky, causing Ali to flinch ahead of the inevitable thunder. Seconds later, the sound reverberated through the air and made the ground shake.

Disoriented and keenly aware of Liz's warning, Ali looked around but was only positive of one thing. Pebble Creek had to be somewhere down below. Finding the exact way she came would be nearly impossible and probably wasn't worth the effort, so she started down the grassy embankment, cautiously avoiding rocky outcrops slippery from the rain. A wrong step would add a broken ankle to her already useless wrist, but hesitating was out of the question.

The ominously swaying trees signaled the worst was yet to come.

Halfway down, a thorny branch snagged her soaked shirt, and Ali reluctantly paused to free herself. She tried to wipe the cold water off her face, but the wind threw it back into her eyes, distorting her vision.

She was exhausted, but she couldn't stay put; even if she had to wait out the storm, it had to be somewhere more protected from the elements.

Movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she whipped her head around just as a small predator—a fox or perhaps a coyote—scurried across a clearing about twenty feet away. She followed the animal with her eyes as it ran toward the base of a rock face in the distance, and although it was gone as quickly as it appeared, a prominent hole in the mountainside directly ahead showed the promise of respite from the storm.

Ali rushed toward it, just barely keeping her balance as her feet skidded on the muddy terrain. The rain kept pouring and thunder struck around her as she came upon what may have originally been a small stream or even a dry creek bed. The water still appeared quite shallow—no more than a few feet deep at most— but the torrent caused by the deluge was already at least a yard across. Finding a relatively unhindered spot free from rocks and vegetation, Ali leapt across.

The wet soil on the other side gave way as soon as her feet hit the ground, and she fell to her knees.

Slamming her palms into the soaked grass, Ali saved herself from a full-on face plant but cried out from the pain that shot through her bound wrist. Scrambling up, she continued toward the rock face. The closer she got, the stronger the wind became, making her haste even more critical.

After covering the length of a football field, she climbed onto a downed tree trunk to get closer to the cave's elevated opening. To secure a better grip, Ali wiped as much mud off her hands as she could, briefly sulking at the pathetic state of her previously flawless manicure. With a scowl, she extended her arms above her head to reach the ledge. It was higher than it had looked from across the valley. She raised her right foot and was searching for a fissure or bump to use as leverage when a horse neighed nearby.

"Ali!" called out a voice right as her foot slipped, and she scraped her bare knee against the jagged surface.

Lowering herself and turning around, she saw a rider mounted on a black stallion stopped at the flow's edge. The harsh rain pounded on both, cascading down the wrangler's hat and duster and drenching the animal's shiny coat. Ali squinted through the downpour and desperately hoped to see Winston's bushy beard or even Jules's blond hair under the dark Stetson. But she knew deep down who was stopped fifty yards away.

When a momentary lull in the wall of water between them revealed Hank Mathis's face frozen into a stern expression, a knot formed in her stomach.

She could have easily handled refusing any of the nameless staff at the center, but she already had enough awkward encounters with this man. She didn't need to add to the list. Ali turned her back and began to climb again, biting her lip and hoping he'd get the hint.

"Ali!" he yelled again, obviously not easily deterred. "It's not safe here. You need to come with me."

Finding a firm footing, she pulled herself up on the ledge before glancing over her shoulder. As she had feared, horse and rider were galloping toward her. Retreating into the shallow crevice—only about ten feet wide, but stretching deep enough into the mountainside to keep her out of the rain—Ali tried to wave him off. "I'm fine. I'll wait out the storm and walk down when it's over."

Hank pulled the black beauty to a stop and dismounted. After leading the animal to a nearby cluster of trees, he tethered the reins to a thick branch and headed for the cave. He hopped on the fallen log and effortlessly climbed the ledge before standing to face her.

"What the hell are you doing?" He removed his hat and shook off the excess water.

She didn't appreciate his tone. "Staying out of the rain," she stated what should have been obvious.

"Oh yeah?" he asked, looking her up and down. "How's that working out for you?"

She drew her arms around her chest, suddenly conscious of her sopping clothes sticking to her body. "Thank you for your concern, but as I've already said, I'm fine." She peeked around his lumbering frame. "Your horse isn't safe there, though. The lightning has been getting closer, and those trees are pretty exposed."

He slapped the hat back onto his dark hair. "I don't think someone who's had half the lodge looking for her for the past hour should be giving me lessons on the best safety practices. Especially when you're the one who's bleeding."