One Summer in Santa Fe - By Molly Evans Page 0,17

for a water bottle. “Stop and have a drink of water. Your muscles probably need it about now.”

Alex stopped, panted. “Okay.” Alex sipped his water and then returned it to his pack. “Let’s go.”

“Let’s just rest a minute, then we’ll head back down.”

“I want to go to the top,” he said, his dark eyes imploring Taylor.

“Sorry. I think we’re high enough, and going down is a whole different skill set to work on. Your muscles will be too tired if we go any more.”

Nodding, Alex looked down for his first foothold and reached for it. Taylor moved down in sync with Alex. As he watched, he noticed Alex’s leg trembling as he held his weight.

“Are you okay?” Concern flooded him. Now was not the time to have a muscle spasm, but it often happened to inexperienced climbers who pressed themselves beyond their abilities. Taylor would have to take extra care to get the boy down safely.

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” Alex said, and Taylor could hear the false bravado in his voice.

“Alex,” Taylor said, his voice firm, but calm, and Alex looked up.

His face was too red and his breathing was too fast. The exertion was getting to him.

“Piper!” Taylor yelled for her. If anything happened, he wanted her to be on the alert.

She rose to her feet and shaded her eyes as she looked up. “I’m here. How’s it going? You look great up there.”

“Alex is tiring.”

“I am not!”

“I’m going to lower him with the rope, and I want you to help guide him to the ground.” If anything went wrong, he’d never forgive himself.

“Okay. Will do.”

“Uncle T.! I can do it.”

“No arguments right now.”

As Taylor readied the extra rope and rigging, the canyon winds stirred, tugging at his clothing and pulling at his hair. What had started out as a soft breeze had turned ugly. Gusting canyon winds were going to make this more difficult, but there was no help for it. Summer storms whipped up unexpected winds, even when the weather looked calm. Clenching his jaw, he hurried with the rope and climbed down closer to Alex.

“I’m going to tie this to your harness so I can lower you down.”

“This is so embarrassing,” he said in a hot whisper.

“Why, because it’s safe?”

“Because it’s like I’m a baby.”

Taylor heard the shame in Alex’s voice, and he was sorry he’d put it there. “Alex, you’re no baby. This is safety, pure and simple. If you were any other climbing partner who was fatigued, I’d do the same thing, as they would do for me. We’re still fifty feet up and your muscles are too tired to continue as we were.” Taylor shook his head in disgust at himself. “I’m sorry.” He should never have taken Alex so far up, should have watched him closer. After climbing at camp all week, his muscles needed a break to recover.

He knew better. But he’d allowed Alex to talk him into something he shouldn’t have. He’d also wanted to climb, get a little exercise and leave the city behind for a few hours. And he had been looking forward to spending more time with Piper, if he was honest with himself.

Piper watched from below, her heart racing as she watched Taylor move down to Alex and make adjustments to his harness. Anxiety shot through her, reinforcing her decision to stay on the ground. “Everything okay?”

“He’s coming now,” Taylor shouted over the wind that seemed to have a mind to force them into the rock.

Taylor braced himself and even from the ground Piper could see the muscles in his arms and legs straining against Alex’s weight. Her own heart racing and muscles tense, Piper waited helplessly from the ground below. Watching. Waiting. Praying.

“I’ll help you, Alex. Don’t worry.” Taylor would see him safely down. She knew that. But, still, she worried that any number of things could go wrong with the wind crashing around them.

The rope slipped through Taylor’s hands as he eased the boy down. Five, ten, fifteen feet, twenty to go. The strain was getting to him and in the next instant ten feet of rope sizzled through his hands before he could stop it. “Alex!”

Looking down, he watched as Alex slid roughly down the rock before catching a foothold. “I’m okay. I’m okay.”

“Taylor!” Piper’s voice cried over the wind, and he watched as she hurried forward, arms raised, as if to catch Alex.

Damn. This was all his fault. He clenched his teeth, cursing himself silently. If anything happened to either one of