Jake ran over to where Max was. “I’ll take over from here.”
When Max got up, Stover tried to lunge to his feet. Jake pounced on him, put his knee in his back and slammed him into the dirt.
Max ran to Gunny’s ATV and retrieved his mountaineering equipment. He checked each item carefully before tying off the rope on a tree, stepping into his harness and attaching his D-ring to the rope. Once he had his equipment in place, he stood on the edge of the cliff his heart racing, remembering the last time he’d rappelled.
“Hey, Max,” JoJo called out.
“Yeah, JoJo.”
“You’ve got this,” she said. “Come on down and visit with me.”
“I’m on my way.” He stepped out over the ledge, let out a little rope, and then jumped. After several bounds, he ended up close to where she clung to the rock face of the bluff. Then he eased himself down to where they were even and walked sideways until he was right beside her. He stepped around her so that he was behind her, holding her up against the wall. “Hey, sweetheart,” he said. “We’ve got to stop meeting this way.”
She laughed and sobbed at the same time. “You did it.”
He frowned. “Did what?”
“Faced your fear and conquered it.” Her voice shook. “Congratulations.”
“I didn’t come down here to face my fear. I came after the woman who has captured my heart.” He leaned close to her and pressed a kiss to her temple. “Okay, so yeah, I’ve faced my fear of ever falling in love, but I’m still afraid.”
“Of what?” JoJo tried to turn her head, teetered and pressed her cheek against the stone wall.
Max leaned into her, holding her against the cliff. “I’m afraid she won’t feel the same.”
“Are you talking about me?” JoJo asked.
“You’re the only one I’ve scaled a cliff to catch.”
She shook her head slowly. “How could I have captured your heart? We’ve only known each other a few days.”
“One of my buddies once told me that you’ll know when you know. You don’t need a month, a year, two years, you just know.”
“How could you say that to me?”
“What? That I think I’m falling in love with you?”
“Yes.” Tears welled in her eyes.
“Does it bother you?” he asked.
“Yes, it does.” The tears slipped down her cheek.
“Why?”
“Because I can’t turn around and throw my arms around you.” She remained glued to the side of the cliff. “I’m even afraid to turn my face enough to look into your eyes. The ledge I’m standing on is barely wide enough for my feet.”
“I’ve got your back, baby.” He tied off his rope to anchor himself then he wrapped his arms around her. “I’m staying here with you,” he said, “until the rescue team can get here.”
“I heard Stover up there,” she said. “What happened?”
Max’s jaw hardened. “That bastard’s going down.”
“Good.”
“Did they do a rape kit when you were in the hospital in Ramstein?” he asked.
“I assume they did,” JoJo said. “I was just out of it for the first couple of days.”
Max laughed. “Well, don’t tell Stover that. I told him that they had a rape kit, and they could pin him with it.”
“I should have known it was him. During my hypnosis session with Emily, I saw my attacker’s eyes. They were light-colored, and his hair was kind of medium. Fits Stover.”
“I bet we can get Hank and Swede to dig into Stover’s deployments and they’ll find out he was there at the same time you were. Any way it goes, Stover tried to push me over the edge of the cliff. That’s attempted murder, in my books,” Max said.
“My God, Max.” JoJo tried to turn her head. Her foot slipped, and she would have fallen if Max wasn’t holding her tightly
Max’s grip tightened around her. “Don’t worry. This old soldier still has some new tricks. I ended up pulling Stover off his ATV, and he landed flat on his face.”
“Where is he now?” JoJo asked.
“Jake took over. He’s holding him until we can get him down the mountain and into the hands of the sheriff’s department.”
“Hey, JoJo!” Gunny called out. “You hanging in there?”
JoJo laughed. “Yes, I am, Gunny.”
“You better. I need help in the bar, and you’re the best bartender I have.”
“What about RJ?” JoJo asked.
“Oh, she’s good too, but the customers like the way you mix drinks.”
“I’ll be back at work,” she called out, “in time for the evening crowd. By the way, who’s handling the lunch crowd?”
“I left Emily in charge,” Gunny said.
“She’ll be a better bartender than even I was,” JoJo said. “She’s good at listening.”
“Hang in there,” Gunny said. “The mountain rescue team is on its way.”
JoJo leaned her head back against Max’s shoulder. “Now that the man who attacked me has been identified, I won’t need a bodyguard anymore.”
Max squeezed her tighter. “You’re not getting rid of me that easy.”
“Good,” she said. “That’s the last thing I want to do because, you see, I kind of like you.”
“What, you don’t love me yet? It’s been a whole what? Three or four days since we met? That’s practically a lifetime.” Max rested his cheek against her hair
“Based on everything that’s happened to us since then? You’re right.”
He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her temple. “Sweetheart, take all the time you need to fall in love with me. Just as long as you do, because I’m pretty sure I’m well on my way to falling in love with you.”
Chapter 17
JoJo sat on the porch swing at the lodge on Lost Valley Ranch with Max sitting beside her, holding her hand. Her heart was full, and she hadn’t felt this relaxed and happy since she’d returned from her stay in the hospital in Germany.
“So what was it like to be hauled up the side of a cliff in a basket?” RJ asked.
“I’m not exactly sure,” JoJo said. “I
