Daring to Love: A Contemporary Romance (The Armstrongs Book 3) by Jessica Gray

me of all persons to ask for help.
    They got off the chair lift at the top of the mountain and took the smaller, trail-like slope down to the final point of no return. When they stood at the crossing to the Devil’s Nose, the same place where she had panicked before, he was afraid she'd do it again.
    Her face was pale, her look muddleheaded and he could smell her fear. Not simple fear, but a deep, gut-wrenching agony. Suddenly, this didn't seem like such a good idea anymore.
    “Are you sure you want to do this?” he inquired.
    She nodded her head before stepping closer to him, “Can you hold me for a few minutes? Until I calm down?”
    He nodded his head, and then reached for her. Took her into his arms, silently waiting until her shallow breaths became deeper and steadier. He wanted nothing more than to spare her the pain she was experiencing, but she had to do this if she ever wanted to be free again from the horrid emotion that had been overshadowing her life.
    He knew from personal experience. He’d done it a million and one times. Overcoming fear was a relief. It meant freedom.
    "Remember, you are Wonder Woman, and you can do anything you want!"
    She gave him a very small smile, but at least it was a smile. He felt her relax a tiny bit into his arms. After several more minutes had passed with her lying in his arms, she stirred and met his eyes. "Thank you for being with me."
    “I will always be here should you need me. You can trust that.”
    ***
    Charlene was paralyzed by fear. Why on earth did I think this stupid idea to come here was a good idea? It wasn’t. It was a really bad idea. Bad. Bad. Bad.  She’d run, if she could, but her legs wouldn’t obey her orders. Instead, she was barely keeping upright on the top of the Devil’s Nose, doing her best not to hyperventilate. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe In. Breathe Out.
    Finally the panic subsided. Evan held her in his arms and she borrowed his strength. He appeared to have enough for both of them, which was great because she didn’t know if she had anything left. I wouldn't be able to do this without him.
    She gathered all her courage and then pushed out of his arms. Taking a last cleansing breath, she held it for a moment and then released it. "Okay let's go."
    He let go of her hand and instantly a cold wave of insecurity swept over her. The impact took her breath away and she almost stumbled. That’s what drowning must feel like! Now that she wasn't in his arms anymore, all the courage she’d felt a moment earlier started to fade away. But before she could revise her decision, she slid down the slope.
    About 50 yards downhill started the steepest part with nearly 40-degrees, where Devil’s Nose cut a steep white scar between towering cliff faces. The slope fell down almost vertical and steadily narrowed to a constriction with a huge rock in the middle.
    Just to enter the run, she had to drop off a cornice and then back-to-back turns on the narrow and steep slope down to the rock. A heart-in-throat drop that pushed her to her physical and mental limits.
    Charlene carefully steered to the left side of the rock. It was a tricky maneuver, because she didn't have much space to navigate, and had to hit the constriction at the correct angle. To make things even more difficult, the whole area was icy. It was definitely only for advanced skiers.
    The competitive skiers used that rock, well covered with snow, as jump to gain more speed. They often jumped hundred or more yards in the air, until they landed again in the snow.
    Graham had wanted to do just that. He’d done it before. It wasn't that hard if you knew the exact angle, where to take off the rock. But the weather conditions had been bad, he’d probably had bad vision and according to the paramedics a gust of wind must have swayed him while jumping. He’d lost control in the air and crashed hard onto the ground, slithering another 100 yards down, until his head hit a tree at the side of the slope