Rugged Rockclimber (River's End Ranch Book 8)

by Amelia C. Adams

  But everything on her desk at the moment was small claims.

  Something felt itchy in the middle of her soul, something that didn’t sit right and made her want to squirm around. She couldn’t keep going like this. She’d worked hard to become a partner because she thought she could do some real good with that title, but nothing had really changed—nothing except that she now drove to work in a really cool car.

  She pushed her chair back from her desk and crossed to the door of her office. She needed some answers.

  Mr. Finnegan called out “Come in” when she rapped on his door, and he nodded when she entered. “Hello, Amber. What can I do for you?”

  “Do you have a minute?”

  “Of course. Have a seat.”

  The leather of the chair squeaked when she sat down, and she gave a small nervous chuckle. This was going to take a little more courage than she’d first thought. “Mr. Finnegan, what do you see as my future with this firm?”

  He took off his glasses and laid them on his desk. “Well, you certainly do a good job handling our claims cases. You’ve proven yourself over and over again.”

  “Thank you, sir. I appreciate that. But what about anything larger? I’ve been thinking of going into family law.”

  He tilted his head. “Doesn’t Harold take care of our family law cases?”

  “He does, sir, and I don’t want to take his place in any way. I’d like to work with him, if possible.”

  “But why?”

  Amber hadn’t expected that question, and she paused a moment to collect her thoughts before answering. “I’ve seen my fair share of troubled families, sir, people who don’t know how to navigate their struggles. I’d like to see if I couldn’t help them figure that out, maybe piece some things together for them.”

  “But there’s so much more money to be made in divorces and custody battles,” Mr. Finnegan replied.

  “What?” Had she heard him right? “Are you saying that this firm would rather take families apart than try to help them stay together?”

  Mr. Finnegan held up a hand. “I understand that I must sound cruel, Amber, but you need to think of this as a business. Our client fees run our electricity and pay for our heat and air conditioning, not to mention our salaries. My priority must be finding those cases that will allow us to function. Of course we all want to save the world and make things better, but that doesn’t pay the bills. We’d be working out of tents in the middle of the park otherwise.”

  “Sir, I understand the need to bring income to the firm, but surely allowing me to handle some family mediations once in a while wouldn’t break the bank. And small claims can’t bring in that much money, can they?”

  “We make money when we win. In mediation, is there really a winner?”

  Amber shook her head. “I’m trying to understand what you’re saying, but I just can’t wrap my head around it. I thought the goal was to keep people out of court.”

  “Court is where money is made, Amber. That’s where the winners and the losers are decided. I just need you to trust that I know what’s best for this firm.” He put his glasses back on and studied her. “What did you learn about trust this last weekend?”

  So many thoughts swirled through her head at his question. What had she learned about trust? After a moment of reflection, she said, “I learned that trust isn’t a matter of having the right rope or the best life jacket or the most accurate directions. Those are just tools. Real trust, the right kind of trust, comes from knowing the heart and the soul of a person, knowing that they will be there for you regardless of the cost. It has nothing to do with rock climbing or water rafting, sir. It has to do with souls.”

  She stood up and rested her hand on the desk. “And another thing. I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t spend the rest of my career handling cases that don’t really matter in the long run. I either need to take different cases, or I need to resign my partnership.”

  He looked at her in astonishment. “You’d resign your partnership just what, two weeks after receiving it? Have you lost your mind?”

  “I wouldn’t say that, sir. I’d say that I’ve finally made up my mind.” And it felt so good to say it.

  “If that’s how you truly feel, you must not appreciate what we’ve done for you here at this firm, and perhaps it would be best if we did part ways. Of course you realize this means that the new car will need to be returned to us.”

  “That’s all right, sir. I’d rather buy one of my own anyway.”

  “I’ll get the paperwork drawn up effective immediately.”

  “Thank you, sir, and I’ll go clean out my desk.”

  When Amber stepped into the hallway, she had no job and no car, but she was happier than she’d been in a very long time.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “And so you quit?” Gabriel looked almost as surprised as Mr. Finnegan had.

  “I did. It was impulsive and probably very stupid, but I did.”

  He smiled. “I don’t think it was stupid. I think it was probably the wisest choice you could have made. Now you can focus on creating the type of career you want.” He lifted his water glass. “To Amber Russell, for knowing what she wants and having the courage to go after it.”

  She ducked her head. “I don’t know if I’d go that far. Courage doesn’t seem to be flowing very thick through my veins right now. I’m not sure what my next move should be.”

  “I have every confidence that you’ll get it worked out. In the meantime, let’s celebrate your independence with some cheesecake.”

  “Now see, I knew there was a reason I kept you on board as my friend.”

  ***

  Making the decision to go to Oklahoma had been hard enough, but actually doing it was plenty tricky too. After wrestling with a number of websites, Wes finally managed to book a flight from Spokane to Oklahoma City, and arranged with Frank to fly him to Spokane. Once he was on his flight, there was a stop, and it seemed like it was taking forever to get there. When he finally set foot in the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, he’d about lost his mind with impatience, but he had to take a minute to approve the name of the airport and its inspiration.

  He’d also found a hotel in town while he was booking his flight, and he asked the cab to take him there first thing. He wanted a quick hot shower before he went looking for Amber. Changed and freshly shaved, he went online and started tracking her down. There she was, listed on the website for her company’s firm. Her picture there with her bio nearly sucked the breath right out of him. He might have doubted this decision a million times on the plane, but seeing her now, even if it was on a computer screen and not in real life, confirmed that yes, he was doing the right thing. He had to know—he had to give this a chance.

  A glance at his watch told him he had about an hour before the office closed. He grabbed his jacket and headed outside to catch another cab, hoping he’d get there before she left for the day and wondering why he hadn’t asked for her telephone number when she left. That would have been the smart thing to do, but he’d totally lost his mind the minute he met her.

  ***

  Wes stared at the receptionist, dumbfounded. “She doesn’t work here anymore?”

  “I’m sorry, sir. She resigned late this morning, and I haven’t seen her since.”

  “Can you help me get in touch with her?”

  “I can’t give out her private information, sir. I’m sure you understand.”

  He nodded. He’d already checked and hadn’t been able to find her address or phone number online—this was his only real lead. “What if you called her and asked her to call me?” He scribbled his cell phone number on a notepad lying on the receptionist’s desk. “Then she’d have the choice to call me or not. Entirely up to her.”

  The woman looked at him as though she wasn’t sure what to think. “Are you the rock climber she met last week?”

  “That’s right.”

  “I should have recognized your name right off. She menti
oned you a couple of times—yes, I’ll give her a call.” She picked up the phone and dialed. “It’s going to voicemail,” she said after a moment. “Hi, Amber. This is Amy at the office. Listen, Wes Weston is here, and he’d like a return call.” She read his number off the notepad. “Okay, thanks. Hope everything’s going all right.”

  She hung up and smiled at him. “That’s really all I can do. She’ll either call you or she won’t.”

  “Okay. Thank you.” Wes turned to leave, but then paused. “Amy, was it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Amber mentioned me?”

  Amy smiled. “Yes, she did.”

  “Um, what did she say?”

  Amy shook her head, smiling. “Not a great deal, but she did mention that she had a great time with you.”

  Wes grinned. “Thanks.” It wasn’t a ton, but it gave him hope.

  Chapter Eighteen

  When Gabriel walked Amber to her door, she gave him a hug, and he kissed her forehead before walking away. Now she had no job, no car, and no boyfriend. This day didn’t look all that great on paper, but she felt better about things than she had in a long time.

  She changed into her pajamas, then decided she’d better call her mother and let her know what was going on. With her job, at least. Maybe she’d leave the men out of it.

  Drat. Her phone was dead. She plugged it in, then went into the kitchen to make herself some popcorn. A movie sounded about right—something cheesy and romantic.

  But the one she chose . . . meh. She woke up as the ending credits were rolling, the half-empty bowl of popcorn dangerously close to tipping over on the couch. She set it on the table, then checked her phone. It was charged now, but it was late, and she didn’t want to wake her mother up. There was a time zone difference between Oklahoma and Georgia, after all.

  She was about to put her phone back on its charger when she noticed she had a message. It was tempting to let it sit until morning, but she listened to it anyway, and she almost dropped the phone.

  Wes was here. In Oklahoma City.

  Her heart started to pound harder than it ever had before, and she sat down on the couch before her knees gave out. He was here. He’d come to find her. And she was wearing her pajamas.

  She dialed his number and ran into her room while the call connected. She grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweater, wondering why he wasn’t answering, and then he did.

  “Hey,” she said, suddenly unable to think of anything better.

  “Hey yourself,” he replied. She could almost hear the grin in his voice, and at that moment, she wanted nothing more than to see him and throw herself in his arms.

  “Where are you staying?”

  He named the hotel.

  “Meet me at Fuzzy’s Taco Shop in fifteen minutes.” She gave him the address. “It’s about halfway between where I am and where you are.”

  “Fuzzy’s Tacos? The tacos aren’t fuzzy, are they?”

  Oh, she’d missed him so much.

  “Just be there.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it.”

  ***

  Wes couldn’t sit still. He’d checked his watch three times in the last minute, and finally, he couldn’t stand it anymore. He walked out of the restaurant and stood outside, looking up and down the street. Where was she?

  Finally, a cab pulled up out front, and Amber hopped out. She leaned back in to say something to the driver, and then she turned, saw him, and stopped. Then she was running toward him, and he caught her up in his arms and buried his face in her hair.

  “What took you so long?” he asked when he finally set her back on her feet.

  “I don’t have a car anymore, and it’s hard to find a cab this time of night.” She smiled up into his eyes. “Did you find any fuzz in the tacos?”

  “No, but I haven’t ordered yet.” He cradled her face in his hands. “I had to see you. You’re just as beautiful as I remembered.”

  “It really hasn’t been long enough for you to forget what I look like,” she reminded him.

  “I know, but it felt like forever. Amber, last weekend . . . it was magic. And it meant something. And I can’t forget that it happened or pretend like it didn’t change me. I need to know if this could turn into something, if we were brought together for a reason. Kelsi’s making you up a room in the main house right now—the main house, mind you, where only the special people stay.” He touched the tip of her nose. “Will you come home with me and give this a chance?”

  “You . . . you want me to come back to Idaho?”

  “I know it’s crazy, but yes, I’m asking you to do that.”

  Her eyes were suddenly filled with tears, and he didn’t know what he’d said or done to make her cry. “I promise, every day will be an adventure. I’ll show you all the spots on the ranch, including the blacksmith shop that doesn’t have a blacksmith yet. That’s a tourist attraction for sure. You just stand there and imagine. All the onion rings you can eat at the diner. Dancing in the dining room, snowshoeing—well, once it snows—and rumor has it, we’re throwing a wedding pretty soon.”

  “And will there be you?” she asked.

  He grinned. “Oh, yes. Lots and lots of me. In fact, so much me, you’ll get sick of me.”

  “Sold,” she said, and she grabbed his collar and pulled him down for a kiss.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Amber took a deep breath and stared up at the cliff. She knew she didn’t have to do this—Wes had told her a dozen times that he’d love her even if she never went near the cliff again, but she wanted to conquer it. She wanted to face this fear and grind it into dust.

  The last three days had been a whirlwind. She’d packed a couple of suitcases, taken her houseplants to the neighbor, and locked up her apartment. She’d left word with her landlord that she’d either be back to stay or to clean out the rest of her things, and she paid a month’s rent in advance. She’d taken a minute to look into what it would take to pass the bar in Idaho, just in case things worked out there and she wanted to pursue family law in her new state. Then she’d gotten on a plane with Wes, glad she didn’t have a car to worry about, or a job, and now she was staring up at the face of a cliff she never thought she’d see again.

  Wes’s arms came around her from behind, and she leaned back into his warm embrace. She didn’t care that Noah and Paislee were also there—she figured they were old enough to handle seeing a little cuddling. “Are you ready?” Wes asked in her ear.

  “No, but let’s do it anyway,” she said.

  Wes would be climbing right next to her, showing her what to do step by step. Noah had promised to keep a really tight grip on the rope so if she did slip, she wouldn’t fall so much as an inch, but she’d just dangle where she was. She figured she could handle that. It was the rapid descent toward sudden death that gave her the willies.

  Wes checked her harness one more time, and the tension on the rope, and all the clip thingies and pulley thingies and whatnots. Then he gave her a kiss on the forehead. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

  And that was the definition of trust, because she knew he meant what he said.

  She let out a breath and then reached out to grab the first handhold she saw. She dug her fingers into it while she gripped the cliff face with her toes and hoisted herself up. Wes made his first move as well, staying right by her side on his own rope with Paislee as his anchor.

  Then it was her left hand’s turn. And then her right. It was easier to find handholds than footholds because she could look up and see where to put her hands, but with her feet, it was a matter of feeling around with her toes. A few times, she didn’t know where to place her feet and almost panicked, but Wes would say “A little to the left” or something like that, and she’d find purchase.

  “You’re doing great, Amber,” Noah called out from below, and she grunted in reply. This was hard. It was seriously hard. She’d never tried to hoist her own body weight almost straight up into the air like this, and it was takin
g all her strength, even though she was pretty sure that Noah was lifting a little of her weight with his tension on the rope. She was glad of that, not sure she could do this otherwise. She was using muscles she was sure she’d never used before.

  She swallowed, forcing down the fear, looking over at Wes for strength. He was there. He had this.

  Finally, after what seemed like forever, they reached the ledge Wes had said was their goal. They locked themselves in place so the rope couldn’t slip through the clip thingies, and he wrapped his arms around her. “I’m so, so proud of you,” he said. “You’ve done something only a small handful of people ever do in their lives.”

  “Rock climbing?”

  “No, looking their fears in the face and showing them who’s boss. That’s one of the many things I love about you, Amber—you might be scared, but you’re always willing. Thank you for coming home with me.”

  She looked into his eyes, those gorgeous eyes. “I had to, you know. You gave me no choice.”

  “I didn’t? I thought I left it entirely up to you.”

  “No, sir, you certainly did not. You held me with these amazingly strong arms and kissed me with those incredible lips, and I had no choice whatsoever.”

  He grinned. “I guess I really am a heartless monster.”

  “Oh, absolutely.” And as long as she didn’t look down or think about the harness that was digging into her or look up or look to the sides, this really was a very romantic spot.

  Wes must have thought so too, because he’d claimed her lips again, and drat. She had no choice but to lean into the kiss and enjoy every last minute of it.

  “So, I confess that I had an ulterior motive for wanting to climb with you today,” he said when he finally released her from his heartless, heartless grasp.

  “You mean it wasn’t just to keep me from freaking out and having a panic attack and having to call out your sister with a helicopter and a ladder and a St. Bernard?”