Her Forever Family (13 page)

“Oh, Hannah, it’s not the Olympics. Today is just supposed to be for fun.”

“I know, but I had a hard time making the El Paso team and with this being my first Round Up I was hoping to draw somebody a little closer to my ability.”

“You definitely got a tough break pulling Alison
Stone for the climb. But take it one inch at a time and do your best, Hannah. If you don’t make it to the top it won’t be the end of the world.”

“No, but it might be the end of my rescue career. If a woman can’t hold her own during these games the guys sure don’t want you covering their backs in a crisis. To the Rock this may only be for braggin’ rights, but it’s a do-or-die event for me.”

The blast of a warning whistle from the direction of the field ended the conversation. The girl named Hannah took off in a run, a trim figure in royal blue heading toward the starting line of the obstacle course. Her female friend took a seat several rows above Ethan. As Ben climbed to his spot the woman gave him a long look. From the crease of suspicion between her eyes he knew the scrutiny had nothing to do with being a former Dallas Cowboy or a candidate for Congress. Her perusal had everything to do with his being a fan of the woman they revered.

Alison Stone. The Rock.

T
wo hours later Ali felt like one of those mud creatures at the Renaissance Faire. Several tumbles during her leg of the relay left Ali filthy, limping and behind in the point count. She might be able to climb a smooth cliff like a tarantula but when it came to her ability to shimmy up a rope in pouring rain or duck-walk through a low tunnel flowing with two inches of water, her thunder thighs would forever be a liability.

She was reminded a dozen times during the race that her upper-body strength was not sufficient to offset the weight of the cellulite stubbornly clinging to the muscles below her waist.

The heavy rain finally passed them by and now all that remained was a steady drizzle that wasn’t enough to wash away the crud clinging to her water-resistant clothing and exposed flesh. Knowing the man she loved was watching, Ali couldn’t help but feel a bit self-conscious about her bedraggled appearance. She was far
from vain, but come on, a lady in her late thirties still had plenty of pride.

She dutifully shook hands with her opponent, a slender young woman dressed in that incredible shade of royal blue that flatters every skin tone. The girl had either drawn a pass or her teammates had elected not to include her in the relay because she was still clean, dry and annoyingly gorgeous. By comparison Ali was a frump, so she moved away as soon as introductions were made.

“Who’s this Hannah Cerasoli kid?” Ali whispered to Harry as he attached the safety line to her climbing harness.

“She’s a newbie with the El Paso unit. Right outta college and about to get her first public whuppin’.”

Ali groaned at the news.

“What?”

“Not only a rookie, but a baby rookie at that,” she huffed. “Couldn’t they pair me with somebody who’d make this a fair fight? Now I’m gonna seem like a show-off instead of an experienced climber out to beat my own time.”

“Your reputation precedes you so enjoy the trip and don’t worry about the perception on the ground. Just focus on the summit and let me guide you.” Harry gave the harness a final check and the belay system a hard yank.

“You’re good to go and I won’t take my eyes off you. Show ’em why we call you the Rock.” He planted a peck on her cheek and moved aside. As soon as she cleared the first six feet he’d step back into place as her belayer, the person on the ground responsible for the rope feed.

Ali said a quick prayer, took some deep breaths to
steady her insides, squatted a few times to loosen up tight muscles, then spotted her first handhold and prepared to begin. She glanced right to her opponent, a few seconds behind in preparation. When the girl finally took her position she nodded at Ali.

Together they signaled, “Climb ready?”

“Climb on,” came their belayers’ response and the competition began.

Ali moved upward, hand over hand as she searched for a route, her feet following by instinct. She kept her eyes fixed on the surface beneath her gloved fingers, her mind laser focused on reaching a point one hundred feet above the ground. In the periphery of her vision she knew an opponent was nearby and in the distance there was cheering. But Ali was alert only to the sight of the next grip and the sound of her belayer’s commands.

“Twenty feet, Rock,” Harry called, giving her a height bearing.

Ali apologized to God for dissing her thighs earlier. Now she was grateful for the thick muscles that propelled her higher, making the climb less stressful for her shoulders.

“Forty feet, keep moving.”

She heard a ragged intake of breath from the woman in blue, judged the sound to be at least ten feet below. Ali knew her time was excellent despite the slippery nature of the synthetic stone tower. As she closed on the next height marker a gasp from the spectators penetrated her thoughts.

“Sixty feet, Rock. Stay focused, keep climbing.”

A cry of distress ended Ali’s concentration. She
turned her head away from the wall, glanced down and to the right. Twisted in her ropes, Hannah Cerasoli was in big trouble. She couldn’t climb higher and beginning the rappel wasn’t an option. Her belayer was giving instructions Hannah couldn’t possibly follow, tangled as she was.

“Don’t stop, Ali!” Harry shouted. “Get to the top and you can check her on the way down.”

He was right to urge her onward—the girl wasn’t going anywhere. But from the frantic look on her face Ali could see Hannah was about to panic. In the couple of minutes it would take to finish the climb and get back down to the girl, she could be in a full-blown anxiety attack.

“Give me some slack,” Ali instructed. As soon as she felt Harry loosen his hold she began to traverse away from her climbing path, then down and across where Hannah was struggling to control breaths that were turning to gasps.

“Stay calm, Hannah. Use your training.”

Ali reached the girl, placed a protective arm around her heaving shoulders. She kept her voice soft, not wanting others to hear. “Don’t look up or down, just keep your eyes fixed on the tower. I know you’re afraid, but if you don’t moderate your breathing you’re gonna hyperventilate.”

“Not afraid,” Hannah wheezed. “Asthma.”

Ali narrowed her eyes, searched the color of Hannah’s face and lips for critical signs. “You have an inhaler?”

She nodded. “Left sleeve. Zipper.”

“Hold me steady, Harry,” Ali shouted. She unzipped
the pocket, pulled the purple inhaler free and held it to Hannah’s mouth while she drew in the medication. Her breathing improved within seconds.

“Thank you, Father. You are a good God,”
Ali gave praise. Hannah nodded agreement.

“So sorry,” she whispered.

“I’ll lecture you about this another time,” Ali warned, assuming the role of the troubled-kid magnet she’d always been. “Right now let’s get you untangled and down from here.”

“No!” Hannah insisted. “Help me to the top or I’ll be off the team. Please, Rock,” she pleaded.

Ali glanced at her watch. The record time she’d hoped to set had passed ninety seconds ago. She heaved a sigh. No reason to hurry now.

She made quick work with Hannah’s snarled rope and gave thumbs up to her belayer who returned the gesture. The spectators and teams on the ground applauded but sounds of disappointed murmuring floated upward as they assumed the ascent was over.

“Pride can get people killed, Hannah. Promise me you’ll confide in your captain and make this right with your team.”

“I promise.” Her voice was shaky but strong, her eyes wide with sincerity.

“Alrighty, then.” Ali gave the girl a smile of encouragement. “Let’s not waste this perfectly good adrenaline rush.”

“Climb ready?” the two chorused.

“Climb on!”

The women resumed their upward motion and the
small crowd below them erupted in cheers that continued until they planted their team flags at the summit.

“Dad!” Ethan threw his arms around Ben’s neck for the first time in years. “Is Ali the coolest lady ever, or what?”

Unwilling to spoil the spontaneous moment, Ben remained passive, only giving Ethan a light pat on his back. The boy returned to excited clapping and cheering while Ben savored the
normalcy
of his son’s behavior. It had to be further confirmation they’d be okay, that Ethan could weather whatever storms lay ahead.

“Why do you think she did that?” His eyes were wide and engaging as he waited for a response.

“Good question, son. What’s your guess?”

Ethan, puzzled over the notion, then surprised Ben with a thoughtful answer. “Ali takes care of people. If she was OCD she’d be a compulsive helper.”

“That’s a perfect observation,” Ben smiled his agreement, wondering if anybody would say the same of him. He was known as a “good guy,” but a compulsive helper, probably not. The realization was a small hammer that began chipping away at his self-image. “I think Ali simply loves others more than she loves herself.”

“Yep. And it’s okay if we love her back, Dad.”

A fresh gust of wind caught the tail of Ben’s yellow slicker and slung clinging raindrops across his face, like chilly punctuation to Ethan’s comment.

As the boy regularly noted, he was ill but not stupid.

“That’s a very grown-up thing to say. Are you sure about that?” Ben’s question was hopeful on many levels.

Ethan nodded. “Ali helped me see that feeling
guilty about the past won’t change what happened, and holding on to sad feelings might keep me from getting better. I promise to try harder, Dad. I want you to like me again.”

“I love you, son.” Ben fought to hold a powerful surge of emotions in check. Change of any kind had to come in very small doses with Ethan. A journey of a thousand miles began the same as a hundred-yard dash—one step at a time. Ethan had made the mental connection and the verbal commitment. With God’s help the rest would follow.

“What are you two looking so serious about? Come down here and help us celebrate!”

The solemn look passing between father and son turned to joy at the sound of Ali’s voice. As it had for weeks, her arrival made their happiness and their circle complete. The bleachers thundered beneath their feet until they reached the ground. Ben refused to hold back any longer. Words of love were out of the question in this public place, so he pulled her close, pressed her ear to his chest and let the beat of his heart speak for him.

She gave him a mighty squeeze and tilted her damp head up so their eyes could meet.

“Ali, what you did up there was one of the most unselfish acts I’ve ever witnessed on any playing field.”

“Oh, you would have done the same thing.”

“I don’t think so.” He chuckled. “In my sport that would amount to giving possession of a fumbled ball back to the opposing quarterback and then escorting him into the end zone.”

“Okay, maybe not.” She laughed, a husky sound that
never failed to make his pulse quicken. “What’d you think about all that?” She looked to Ethan.

“I think you were awesome and I want to try to climb the rope that dumped you on your tail end.”

“Oh, don’t remind me.” She rubbed her backside. “My hardest fall of the day. I’m sure I knocked a couple of crowns loose when I hit that landing mat soaked with rain.”

“Yeah, you should have seen how high the water flew up in the air. You’re so heavy it looked like you did a cannonball.”

Ali’s exaggerated look of insult made Ethan give her a brief side squeeze before stepping away. Ben winked when she caught his eye. There was so much he wanted to tell her once they could be alone. And this time he wouldn’t let her give him the brush off.

“Ethan, if you really want to try the rope climb we’ll get you into a harness and you can give it a go.” She turned to Ben. “You’re gonna spot for him, okay?”

“I’ll do my best if the Rock will agree to coach me and stick to us like glue.”

“It’s a deal.”

Thirty minutes later Ethan had traded his yellow rain suit for a safety helmet and rigging. One of the rope specialists was giving final pointers. Ben hadn’t felt such trepidation for his son since the day they took the training wheels off his bike and he promptly rode down the driveway, across the street and collided with the neighbor’s Porsche. But Ali was close by with all the guidance they both needed. She wouldn’t let them do anything dangerous.

“Excuse me, Mr. Lamar.”

“Yes,” Ben turned toward a young man with an expensive camera slung around his neck.

“I heard you’re going to be running for Congress. I’m with the Young Republicans and it would be a coup to get this photo of you and your son up on my blog today. Would you mind, sir?”

The kid was nice enough to ask but such courtesy would be rare in the future. Ben had always been fair game for the press. Now, anytime he took Ethan out in public he’d be in the spotlight too.

Ben glanced toward Ali.

There was neither judgment nor encouragement on her face. She brought her shoulders to her ears, indicating it wasn’t her decision to make.

A shrill beeping turned more heads her way.

“That’s a 911 from dispatch. I’ve gotta go.” She did a three hundred and sixty-degree pivot, obviously searching for her teammates.

“Wait!” Ethan cried. His face contorted, his eyes fearful, his alarm as real as it had been on the day Ben foolishly left his son at the camp in Big Bend. The outcome had been nearly disastrous and Ben’s gut clenched at the reminder.

“I have to go. You two will be fine by yourselves.”

“But you promised!”

“I promised to keep my end of the agreement and I have. Now you have to do your part, Ethan.

Her cell phone screeched again, she turned away.

“Ali, please.” Ben needed her to stay, to see this effort through with Ethan who’d worked so hard all day, was
making such incredible progress. Whether she would admit it or not, the three of them were becoming a family. “There are at least a hundred other rescue professionals out here today. Send somebody else. We can’t do this without you.”

She stepped close to keep their conversation private from the young reporter.

“I’m honored you feel so strongly, but it’s simply not true. You and Ethan are father and son. It’s time you started trusting one another instead of leaning on somebody else. You have big plans, places to go, things to do together and people wanting to take your picture. I’d say today is as good a day as any to get started.”

She planted a quick smack on Ben’s cheek and when she stepped back her eyes gleamed with that secret pain he’d seen a number of times before. Could it be that Ali’s matter-of-fact words were as much to convince herself as they were to encourage Ben?

Without giving him the time to find out, she reached toward Ethan.

“You’ll do great,” she insisted. She wrapped her knuckles on his safety helmet. “Knock on wood!”