Storybook Dad (Harlequin American Romance) by Laura Bradford

if you turn
them out a little bit, you’ll be much more successful.”
    When she was done sharing a few more true tips, she motioned
toward the wall. “Now it’s time for you to give it a go. I’ll be your belay a
few times, then I’ll hook you up to one of the electronic ones.”
    * * *
    H OLD BY HOLD ,
Mark moved higher, Emily’s advice about turning his knees outward helping
immeasurably. His first trip up the wall was about trial and error, his second
time solely about improvement. But by the third trip, he’d discovered that the
best way to move was to do it in two parts—first his limbs, then his weight.
Employing that technique again and again ensured this was his most skillful
effort yet.
    He glanced down over his shoulder as he hit the bell at the top
of the wall, Emily’s enthusiastic praise bringing an even bigger smile to his
face. “Think I’m ready to move on to the next wall?” he called down.
    “Absolutely. But you need to know that the chance of falling
increases as the holds decrease in number.” When he reached the bottom, she
unhooked him from the rope and led him over to the intermediate wall, where she
proceeded to hook him in once again. “Now, if you feel yourself start to slip,
you need to push away from the wall right away. If you keep your feet out in
front of you as the rope comes tight, you can brace yourself and keep from
hitting the wall as you swing inward. Okay?”
    “Feet out, push away…got it.” He moved toward the wall, only to
stop as he reached the base. “Is this your favorite?”
    She shook her head and pointed to the wall behind them. “I like
the expert wall best.”
    Now that he knew a bit more about the sport, he took a closer
look, finding the distance between each hold far more impressive than he’d first
realized. “Actually, I was asking more about rock climbing as opposed to the
other sports you do. Is it your favorite?”
    Her eyes widened with an excitement he envied, and he found
himself hanging on her every word, her enthusiasm for exploration and life in
general transforming her already beautiful face into something truly
captivating.
    “Wow. That’s a tough one to answer. I like climbing because of
the challenge. Being out on a real mountain, it’s almost like a puzzle. You have
to figure out the best hold to get you to the next level.” She wandered across
the room and took a seat on the bottom step of a narrow riser. “Rafting is
exhilarating. One minute everything is calm and peaceful and you’re paddling
along a river, and then all hell breaks loose and you’re forced to think and act
fast. I love that part.”
    He unhooked his rope and sat down, too. “What about horseback
riding?”
    “That’s one of those things I enjoy doing when I need time to
think. I guess I find the cadence of the horse like a lullaby of sorts.”
    “What about when you’re jumping over a fallen tree or a rock?
Doesn’t that kind of mess with the lullaby?”
    She leaned against the upper step and closed her eyes. “Mess
with? No, not really. Alter? Yeah, a little. You know how sometimes an
exhausting activity can clear your mind of things that seemed such a big deal
before you started? Well, working a horse hard does that for me. And the slow,
wandering part gives me a chance to catch my breath and come up with a
solution.”
    Mark’s laugh brought her focus back on him. “So what you’re
telling me is that I need to learn how to ride a horse, huh?” Before she could
respond, he moved the topic into a broader arena, desperate to keep the evening
light and fun. “You ever think about changing the name of your company to
Outdoor Therapy?”
    “Sometimes the stuff on a person’s bucket list is put there for
therapeutic reasons.” She swung her body to face him, hugging her knees to her
chest. “But most of the time, learning how to ride a horse in adulthood, or
rafting your way down a picturesque river, is about a dream. Sometimes it’s a
carryover