The moment Ethan spotted Lily’s form, laden with a bulging backpack, marching down the trail ahead of him, his knees threatened to buckle with relief. She was alive, unharmed. The figure probably had been a fellow hiker and he’d worried himself for nothing. As he lengthened his stride to shorten the distance between them, the dog at her ankles turned to give a bark in welcome.

Lily glanced behind her. The moment their gazes met, his stomach did a somersault. Then, her expression hostile, she turned away. “Leave me alone, Ethan.”

Her voice, more so than her words, cut him. Barely heard above the rattling tree branches, it was laden with emotion. With pain and distrust.

Give me another chance.

He jogged to her side to cut her off and force her to talk to him. “I can’t do that.” Rain pelted his back, light at first but growing stronger with every second.

Her eyes blazed. “I think you could, if only you’d try.”

She tried to step around him, but he stepped into her path. “Maybe I don’t want to try, then. Give me a chance to explain.”

“You don’t have to explain anything to me.”

At her venomous tone, Wookie whined and huddled against Lily’s leg.

“We’re strangers. I’m leaving in a few days. You’re doing who-knows-what. It doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me.”

She didn’t listen to him. Instead of turning around, she feigned right and then sidestepped him when he tried to block her again. She stormed away, continuing down the path. When he turned, the rain stung his eyes and he raised a hand to shield his face as he followed.

The trail led to a steep ravine between two outcroppings. A rickety-looking wood-and-rope bridge joined the two sides. It swung in the wind, filling him with trepidation. It looked sturdy—in fact, with the glimpses of moss growing along the rope sides it looked as if it had stood for fifty years—but Ethan’s instincts clamored not to trust it. What if the saboteur had come through and tampered with the bridge in some way? Lily could die.

“Wait! Don’t step on that! It’s dangerous.”

His heart stopped beating for a split second as Lily raised her foot. She replaced it on solid ground and turned to face him, glaring as she stormed closer. “You don’t get to tell me what dangers I can and cannot face.”

“That isn’t what I meant. It might be—”

Happily trotting in Lily’s wake, Wookie didn’t follow suit and stop. Instead, she fearlessly bounded onto the wooden planks of the bridge, tail held high. When she reached two feet out, the bridge groaned. One rope snapped with a sound like lightning. As the bridge teetered, Wookie yelped, scrambling for purchase as the bridge hung vertically swaying precariously in the wind.

Ethan couldn’t breathe.

“Wookie!” Lily screamed. “No!”

When she dashed to the edge of the bridge, now hanging by a thread from the second rope, Ethan feared she would plunge into the ravine after her dog. His limbs unfroze and he darted after her, catching her around the middle and pulling her against his chest. The backpack she wore buffeted him in the face, but he didn’t care, not as long as she was safe.

Crack!

The bridge gave way plunging down the ravine, Ethan’s heart plunging with it.

“Wookie!” Lily broke loose and ran to the edge. Ethan rushed after her, culling his fist into her backpack so he could haul her back in case she did something stupid like jump over. He didn’t want to look at what lay below.

“Wookie, it’s okay. Mommy’s going to get you. Stay right there.”

What? Ethan stared over the lip of the chasm to see for himself. The cliff jutted out about seven feet down. Wookie, having landed on that outcropping, huddled next to the rock wall, visibly shaking. She was alive.

Thank God.

Lily struggled against him. “Let me go!”

Turning, he released her behind him and Lily shucked her backpack. She rummaged through it, strewing the contents across the ground. “Rope. There’s got to be rope. We’ve got to find some way to get her! I know her leash is in here somewhere.” Tears coursed down her cheeks, reddening her eyes and mingling with the rain. Above them, thunder rumbled.

Wookie yelped.

“It’s okay, baby. We’re going to get you up again.”

The pain in both sounds wrenched at his chest. He had to do something before the storm got worse.

Frustrated, Lily shoved the backpack away. “Why didn’t you design this thing to have a built in rope?”

There was a latch at the bottom of the bag to hold rope, but it had to be purchased and attached separately. He didn’t answer. His heart thundered as his instincts kicked in. He had to save Wookie from the certain death that awaited her the moment she panicked and slipped into the gorge. That meant going over the side of the cliff. He’d been in dangerous situations before and didn’t think twice about risking his life to save the being most cherished by Lily. But she was right—they needed rope.

“The rope bridge.”

“What?” She shoved her wet hair out of her eyes as she glanced up.

He pointed. “The bridge has more rope than needed to cross the ravine, so that the wind doesn’t pull it too tight and snap the rope. It’s already broken. If I can catch the rope, I can cut off enough to use to save Wookie.”

Lily wiped her eyes and sat up. “What do you need?” Her expression dimmed for a moment as she dropped her gaze. Then, determination overtaking her expression, she vowed, “I will help.”

“I’m going to lie flat on my stomach and dangle over the edge. I need you to hold my legs, sit on them if you have to, so I don’t fall.”

She nodded. “I can do that.”

As the storm surged around them, picking up in strength, Ethan tried not to think about the danger to himself and Lily. He breathed deep, as he’d been trained whenever he had a gun in his hand and aimed at a target. For the moment, no thoughts of fear entered his head. He laid on his belly on the cold, rocky and muddy ground and shimmied toward the edge of the cliff.

“Are you ready?” he called over his shoulder as his torso kissed the open air.

“Ready.” Lily clasped his ankles and leaned her inconsiderable weight against him. He hoped it would be enough counterbalance.

With a deep breath, he thrust his front half off the side of the cliff and reached for the rope. His fingers slipped, but he caught it on the second try. Bracing his hand on the cold, rough cliff face, he shut his eyes and tried to ground himself. The blood roared in his ears, but above that he heard the whimpers of a dog.

Wookie had offered him nothing but unconditional acceptance and affection. She deserved better by him than him giving in to vertigo. Wrapping the rope tight around his fist twice for leverage, he pulled the rope tighter as he walked his hands up the cliff. His muscles screamed at the full brunt of his weight.

He might have kept up his fitness level by hiking, but his arms had gone softer than they used to be. He should start lifting weights again. He gasped a mirthless laugh at his wayward thoughts as he thrust himself over the lip of the parapet and onto solid ground once more. He flung himself onto his back, the rain pelting his face as he caught his breath. The rope gave at first, then pulled back, pulling him an inch closer to the edge. Gritting his teeth, he told himself that he didn’t have the luxury of waiting for his heartbeat to slow. Wookie was still in danger.

Sitting up, he dug in his heels and used his full strength to pull the rope as taut as he could. His muscles bulged as he held the length steady. “Tell me you have something to cut this in that bag of yours.”

“Oh.” Lily bounced to her feet and rummaged through the bag. “I have a kitchen knife.”

“Just cut,” he said, grunting from the effort of holding the bridge steady. He didn’t have the strength to counteract the depth of the anchor at the other end. Either they cut the rope or he’d have to admit defeat and relinquish his hold.

Ethan wasn’t the kind of man who easily admitted defeat.

His arms shaking, he held the rope as tight and steady as he could while Lily sawed on the tough fibers with a paring knife. As she reached about halfway through the cord, the strength of the wind and Ethan’s pulling proved too much. It snapped, the far end fluttering into the chasm. The wooden planks, still held up by the other side of the bridge, rattled against one another. He fell backward, knocking his head against the ground.

Ow.

As his ears rang, Lily materialized by his side, touching him tentatively.

“Are you okay?” He read her lips more than heard her words.

His groan reverberated through him. “Yeah. Help me find a place to tie the rope. A tree near the edge will be best.”

She jumped up to do that one, pointing at the nearest tree to Wookie. Would it hold his weight? With the rain pummeling him, he couldn’t seem to think straight. He got to his feet and strode to the tree. The trunk was thinner than Lily’s waist, but the roots seemed to dig deep. He nodded and knelt by the tree, unraveling the fibers digging into his hand and cutting off his circulation. As he revealed his chafed skin, sensation jolted back into him, the raw skin from the rope burn protesting the cool rain. He flexed his hand and looked at the end of the rope for the first time since he’d grabbed hold of it.

“It’s been cut.” Those clean ends were certainly not made by nature.

Lily hovered over his shoulder. “The saboteur?”

“Is Pittman trying to kill somebody? The trails will close soon. It’s just been us on them, this past week. Unless he’s trying to keep people off his land…”

Still, a sick feeling churned in his stomach as he wrapped the rope around the tree, tying a knot and testing it.

“Actually…”

Ethan finished and glanced over his shoulder to find Lily standing with her arms wrapped around her middle.

“The bylaws for Greendale listed inspections in the spring. What if Ruby didn’t check the bridge properly and the inspectors noticed? She’s said herself that she doesn’t get around as often anymore as she used to. The inspectors might think the bridge was too worn for use and she was negligent.”

Even if Carter Pittman had a scheme in place that made logical sense, this time he had endangered lives. It was unforgivable. Ethan would be sure to let the sheriff know of this infraction and the escalation. But right now—

“That makes sense, but we don’t have time to worry about why. Can you untie the rope from the wooden anchor? I’ll fashion that part into a harness to lower me over the side.”

She took a step to do as he suggested, then paused. “Why you? She’s my dog.”

“And I’m trained in this sort of rescue mission. I know I didn’t tell you a lot about myself, and that’s my fault. But I’m a former Ranger. I know what I’m doing.” Though he’d never lowered himself off the side of a cliff with only the worn, makeshift rope from a bridge before.

She held his gaze for a moment, her mouth in a firm line before she capitulated. As she gathered the rope and called reassurances to her pet, he again tested his work on the tree to make sure it would hold his weight. He wouldn’t save Wookie if he plunged to his death alongside her. When he stood and she offered him the rope, he caught her hand along with him.

“I’m sorry. I—” Why had it been so much easier speaking to a door than speaking to her face? He cleared his throat and tried again. “You’ve come to mean something to me and I want to see where this thing between us leads. I know I’ve probably screwed it up by not telling you the truth from the start, but I’m hoping you might be willing to give me a second chance.”

When she continued to stare at him, pressing her lips together, he realized that now was probably the wrong time. But he was about to do something incredibly dangerous for her benefit and if he never got another chance…

“Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”

He pulled his hand away as a palpable relief swept through him at the question. To distract himself from the anxiety biting at his stomach, he started to make the harness, twisting the short length of rope around his middle and joining it with the rope tied to the tree in a sturdy knot. Not the most elaborate of harnesses, but he hoped it would provide him with some measure of support if he needed it.

Softly, he answered, “When people learn I have money, all they see is the bank account. I wanted you to see the man.”

“I don’t care about your money.”

He raised his head. She didn’t? How couldn’t she? Wasn’t it the American dream to get rich and never have to work again?

Her expression fierce, she told him, “You lied to me. That’s unacceptable. I deserve better.”

Yeah. She did.

He didn’t argue, hoping that he would have a chance later on to earn her trust. It began with saving her beloved dog, the one he’d almost scared off with his shotgun the first day they’d met. The one he’d become attached to, that he was willing to risk his own life for. In that one second, Ethan shed the selfish man he’d become, the one that was so afraid of being used for his money and became the guy he used to be. The one that risked it all for those he loved.

“I’m ready to go over the side. I need you to keep an eye on the rope. If it looks like it’s coming loose or going to break, warn me. Don’t try to grab at it or you could go over the edge, too.”

He didn’t want to contemplate that. Instead, he met her gaze and asked, “Are you ready?”

Pressing her lips together, she nodded. “Please be careful.”

Warmth bloomed in his chest. Could she feel some affection toward him, despite the way he’d lied? He took heart in the warning and carefully maneuvered himself over the side of the cliff. Despite the rope hanging from the tree, he tried to rely more on the rain-slick handholds in the rock than he did the rope, just to be safe.

As his head dipped below the lip of the rock, meaning that he was only a foot shy of standing on the ledge where Wookie whimpered, Ethan distracted himself by asking, “Was I crazy this past week? Or did you feel something for me, too?”

A moment’s pause, filled by the howl of the wind and patter of rain against stone. Lily’s voice, when it came, warbled. “Are you sure you want to be talking about this right now? You need to focus or you’ll fall.”

“Actually, I can’t think of a better time. I’m putting my life on the line, here. Lily, you’ve helped me exorcise my personal demons. I’ve felt better, more like myself, since I met you. I’m starting to find a purpose again.”

“I hope that purpose is more than just dating me.”

He didn’t know if he should be discouraged by that answer. To soothe the sting of her words, he joked, “Maybe my purpose is dangling from the sides of mountains in pursuit of lost puppies.”

There were worse causes to pursue. As he glanced down to judge the amount of space he had left, he spotted Wookie, shivering and whining in the rain with her tail tucked between her legs. With her fluffy fur plastered against her body, she looked terrified. He hadn’t realized from the size of her fur that she was so small. His heart twisted to see her so distraught, but as she looked at him, the trust in her eyes gave him the motivation to continue.

“I’m almost there, girl,” he murmured.

Louder, Ethan called, “You haven’t answered me, not really.”

“I don’t think we should be talking about our relationship when you’re dangling from the end of a rope.”

Our relationship. He grinned. “So you do have feelings for me.”

“Fine. Yes, I like you too. It seems silly when I barely even know you—”

“Not silly. I barely know you and I feel the same way.” The tips of his toes met solid rock next to Wookie’s shivering form. He lowered his weight slowly, frowning as he tried to gauge whether or not the outcropping would hold his weight. By the time he had one foot solidly on it, he was certain that the rock—unlike the bridge—wasn’t going anywhere. With an inward sigh, he leaned down to scoop the dog off the rock.

The rope leading above grew taut. He had no more room to descend. He swore.

“Ethan? What’s going on?”

He could barely hear Lily above the roar of the wind. It gained strength, lashing him with rain as if in punishment. He raised his voice, hoping she would hear. “I need to put all my weight on the rope. Is it holding?”

Lily answered something that sounded like, I think so, but her answer was muffled by the wind.

He gritted his teeth and prayed. No way was he going to leave a helpless animal on this ledge to be scared to death. Releasing his grip on the rock wall, he bent so the rope supported him around the middle. His legs lifted a foot above the rock as he reached to scoop the dog off the ledge.

The frightened animal scurried away from his fingers.

“It’s okay, Wookie. I’m here to help. Come here, please. I know you’re afraid.” He spoke meaningless platitudes, barely able to hear the sound of his own voice and unsure if the dog heard him. But something in his demeanor must have prompted Wookie to scuttle closer, because he was able to scoop her into his arms a moment later.

When he grabbed the rope with one hand and righted himself, his knees were weak. If not for the rope, he probably wouldn’t have been able to support his weight.

“I’ve got her,” he called.

“Wookie!”

A moment later, Lily’s soaking wet head peeked over the lip of the chasm. The tears in her eyes mingled with the raindrops and dripped off the edge of her nose.

“Wookie, thank God!”

She reached down, but he shook his head. “Let me climb up partway and I’ll hand her up to you. Don’t lean into the ravine.”

After all, there was nobody to hold her steady if she lost her balance. With a grateful, teary look Lily disappeared from view.

Ethan let out a sigh, knowing the wind wouldn’t let it carry. He glanced down at the dog, who huddled against the warmth of his chest. “You’re a lot of trouble,” he informed Wookie, “but I know you’re worth it.”

It took a moment of maneuvering, but he managed to slip Wookie beneath his shirt, above where the harness would prevent her from falling through. Her head and neck stuck out the collar, her wet hair tickling the underside of his chin.

“Let’s do this,” he muttered under his breath, unable to hear his own voice. He still didn’t trust the rope entirely, so he searched for handholds in the rock to heave himself up.

The worsening conditions hindered him. The cold sting of the rain had numbed his fingers. The surfaces of his handholds were slick, and he could barely see through the torrent. He couldn’t hear Lily above or even the sound of Wookie’s breathing. The strength of the storm continued to intensify, as frightening as a hurricane.

But Ethan was determined. Slowly, he made progress, until his head was nearly on the level with the ground again. Close enough. He moved gingerly, fearing for Wookie’s safety. Without her stuck inside his shirt, he would feel free to be a bit rougher and scramble up to safety.

Fisting his hand around the rope, he used the other arm to remove Wookie from his shirt. The dog trembled and started to whimper again. “Lily,” Ethan shouted, though he couldn’t hear the response. Instead, he mutely raised his arm as high as he could. Frightened, Wookie scratched as she tried to escape. Her claws left gouges in his forearm. He gritted his teeth. A moment later, the slight weight was lifted from him.

His turn. He found a solid handhold of the lip of the chasm and released the rope to find the same with his other hand. A gust of wind buffeted him and his foothold slipped. Unprepared, he lurched face first into the rock wall.

With a spike of pain, everything went black.