Stover followed RJ, Curry followed Stover, and the rest of his team fell in behind them. Since they had to go single file, they created a long chain of ATVs headed up into the mountains. Each guest had been told to keep the person in front of them in sight at all times. That way, no one would get lost on the trail.
At several points along the way, they had to slow even more than they were going already to allow people to catch up on the rocky patches that were a little more challenging than others. Everyone enjoyed splashing through a small stream and the short stop they made at the old mining ghost town.
When they finally reached the bluff, RJ had them park their ATVs far from the edge, up against a stand of evergreen trees. Guests walked to the bluff and stared out over the view as RJ explained to them which peaks they were looking at. Then she gave them a little history about the mining in the area and some of the original settlers.
When everyone seemed to have their fill of the view, they remounted their ATVs and RJ led the pack back.
Brianna couldn’t get her ATV started, so Max went over to help her.
JoJo followed on foot.
Brianna stood beside the vehicle, wringing her hands as Max straddled the seat, checked the gear shift, clamped the brake, turned the key and hit the start button. It cranked for a second, and then died. When he tried the second time, it roared to life. He put it in neutral, set the brake and got off. “It’s all yours.”
Brianna backed away, holding up both hands. “I don’t know if I can drive back. I’m looking at that downhill slope, and it’s scaring me. Going up I was just fine,” she said. “I don’t know why but looking down that slope is making me dizzy.”
“There’s only one way off this mountain,” JoJo said, “and that’s to go back down.”
Brianna shook her head. “Then I’ll walk. I don’t think that I could drive that ATV down the hill.”
“Do you think you could ride on the back of one?” JoJo asked.
Brianna bit her lip. “I don’t know. It’s making me dizzy just looking down the path.”
JoJo couldn’t fault her. She’d run into people who’d had that same issue. Going up, they were fine. Coming back down, they freaked out. Each time she’d been able to get them down from the mountain by having them ride on the back of somebody else’s ATV with their eyes closed.
“You can ride with me,” JoJo said. “All you have to do is hold on and keep your eyes closed. I’ll get you down the mountain.”
Brianna stared at JoJo. “But you’re shorter than I am. I would still see the trail ahead of me.”
“Not if you have your eyes closed,” JoJo reminded her.
Brianna shook her head.
“Would you rather ride on the back with me?” Max offered.
JoJo’s jaw tightened. The last thing she wanted was the pretty little female riding on the back of an ATV with Max, but then, they had to get moving or they’d lose sight of the rest of the group.
Brianna chewed on her lip a bit more, looking up at Max. “I think I might be able to ride down with Max,” she said. “He would completely block my view of the trail below.”
JoJo nodded. Max’s broad shoulders would easily block her view. She cocked an eyebrow. “Are you up for that, Max?”
He nodded. “I’m up for it.” He leaned close to JoJo and whispered, “But I’d rather ride with you.” Then he gathered her into his arms and kissed her full on the lips in front of Brianna and the others who had yet to follow RJ from the top of the bluff. “Are you going to be all right?”
JoJo nodded. “I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll be one ahead of you then,” he said.
He mounted the vehicle.
Brianna mounted behind him and wrapped her arms around him, snuggling close.
JoJo ground her teeth as she climbed on board her ATV and cranked the engine. As they fell in line with the rest of them, JoJo hung back just a little bit with a view of the entire parade of vehicles. She counted. They’d started out with eighteen vehicles, counting hers. She moved along slowly, tallying the riders ahead of her. When she got to sixteen, she frowned. The seventeenth was her, and that was all there were. Somebody had been left behind.
The group kept moving down the hill and were just rounding a corner in the trail. JoJo thought about hurrying forward to catch up with Max to let him know that she’d be heading back to look for the straggler. But then she thought it would be faster if she just did it and then caught up.
She found a wide space in the trail, turned around and headed back up to the bluff. When she reached it, she couldn’t find the other vehicle. She parked hers, got off and walked toward the tree line. The sun shone brightly on her, making the shadows even deeper beneath the trees. It wasn’t until she’d reached the tree line that she saw the other vehicle. JoJo frowned. She didn’t see the rider anywhere near the ATV.
As she approached the vehicle she called out. “Hello?” Thinking someone had had to make a pit stop in the woods, she didn’t want to embarrass him or her. She called out again. “Hey, just answer me. Let me know who and where you are.”
A twig snapped behind her. Before she could turn, arms clamped around her, trapping her arms within them. Someone taller and stronger than her lifted her off her feet and carried her toward the edge of the cliff. She fought, kicking and screaming as loud as she could, but she knew the people on the ATVs wouldn’t hear them over the roar of their engines. Unless Max turned around and came back
