Tempted on Base (Hearts on Base #12)

Chapter 1 Monroe

MONROE

The sun was high enough to burn off the morning chill, but the canyon still smelled of cool stone and dust as Lila and I hiked a narrow trail at Devil’s Hollow.

“Remind me again why I let you talk me into this?” I asked, tugging at my backpack strap.

I loved the outdoors, the fresh air, and the sun on my face, but our hikes had been at Eagle’s Crest Trail—flat terrain, familiar, and safe.

That was, until I caught my ex there groping a woman.

Regardless, Devil’s Hollow was none of those things, and if Lila hadn’t shown up at my door determined to drag me out, I would be home reorganizing my closet and pretending today didn’t exist.

Lila huffed, flicking auburn strands from her face. “Because if I didn’t drag you out here, you would be cleaning your spotless stove instead of facing what today really is.”

If I scrubbed hard enough, maybe I could erase the memory of signing those divorce papers or that image implanted in my brain of Ryan’s tongue down another woman’s throat.

She wasn’t wrong, but I had plans with my fifteen-year-old son, Ethan, though that was a poor excuse since he slept until early afternoon.

“Do we really have to talk about my divorce?” Just mentioning that word had my insides knotting with anger.

A year after signing the divorce papers, I was still in the furious stage and couldn’t seem to shake out of it.

Every time I thought about my ex, I wanted to scream my head off or hunt him down and swing my fists at him.

But I couldn’t. Ryan was stationed overseas at the moment, which was probably good for him, or rather, the both of us.

“We’re not talking about it. We’re celebrating it,” she said cheerfully. “You can’t keep allowing that jerk of an ex-husband to live rent free in your head.”

I snorted as my boots crunched over the loose pebbles along the trail. “Let me guess. You brought champagne for the occasion.”

Lila Grant was one of my best friends in the world. She’d moved to Colorado from the East Coast five years ago to accept the guidance counselor’s position at Pine Valley High. We hit it off her first day when she’d spilled her high-energy drink on me during a school-wide assembly.

“No, that’s for later,” she said from behind me. “This morning is all about breathing in fresh air, clearing your mind, and finding a sense of peace and maybe a haunted ghost or two.” She giggled. “You never know. You might meet a hot guy in the caves.”

I rolled my eyes. “Highly unlikely.”

I’d been to the caves before, and all I’d taken away from them was nothing.

They were big holes carved into rock, but they certainly drew the tourists into Pine Valley.

Still, I hated that she remembered my divorc-er-versary.

She and my other longtime friend, Evelyn, had been by my side through the entire divorce process.

But after I’d signed away my last tie to my high school sweetheart, Ryan Blake, and stormed out of the county clerk’s office, both Lila and Evelyn had been waiting to whisk me away from the hell I’d been in.

At times, I thought I was still pining for the asshole.

I’d given him too many chances to change, trusted him when I shouldn’t have.

A small part of me still loved him. After all, he’d been my first everything.

Sometimes, I thought that I’d fallen out of love with him long before I found him cheating.

No matter. The sting was still there, rubbing anger into a tailspin.

We stopped at a juncture where one trail went up and the other down. I took out my water bottle and chugged a few swallows.

“It sure is beautiful here.” She sat on the edge of a rock, opening her water flask. “We need to do this more often.”

The crisp fall air was helping clear my head as I eased onto a large boulder next to her. “You’re right. Up here, problems don’t exist.” Or rather, they felt less painful.

We sat in silence for a moment as I scanned the canyon. The sun was high in the clear blue sky, the scents of fall wafted in the air, and a few hikers and rock climbers were out enjoying the weather like Lila and me.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Lila said, her gaze angled toward the horizon. “You think that you’ll change your last name anytime soon? Maybe that would help you get over Ryan quicker.”

I shrugged. “Honestly, it’s the trust he broke between us that pisses me off, and I’m mad at myself for not seeing the signs.” If there had been any. “One day, I will.”

She gave me a sidelong glance. “Would you ever take him back?”

“Hell, no. Once a cheater, always a cheater.”

“That’s great to hear. I think it’s time for you to—”

“Don’t you dare say it.” I narrowed my eyes at her.

She gave me a pouty look. “What? Come on, Monroe. You need to spread those beautiful wings of yours and start dating.”

I choked on a mouthful of water. The only guy I’d ever dated was Ryan. I wasn’t sure I knew how.

“We live in a small town where everyone knows everyone. And don’t you dare say that there are always new military men coming into Ridgeway Air Force Base. Because you know military men are off-limits to me.”

Ryan had promised me forever then enlisted and found someone else, and in a flash, our marriage was toast. I wasn’t about to put myself or Ethan through another heartbreak. My life was built on caution now, although I didn’t want to be alone for the rest of my life.

“Maybe after Ethan starts college, I might consider dating again. But not a man in uniform.”

Her expression softened. “How is Ethan doing, by the way? Does he remember the official divorce date?”

The mention of my son had me smiling. “He’s so into football that I doubt it.”

“You’ve done a hell of a job with him. Honestly, I don’t know how you managed to raise a son while Ryan was deployed, go through four years of college, and graduate with honors.”

I’d had the help of Mom when she lived in Pine Valley. But I wasn’t in the mood to rehash my life.

I pointed to where a sheer wall of sandstone stretched into the blue sky. “We should probably continue to the caves.” It was approaching noon, and I had errands to run before dinner.

No sooner had we started on the trail toward the caves than a climber yelled out several swear words, which echoed through the canyon.

Both Lila and I stopped short as a climber below swung wildly, boots scraping the rock face for purchase.

“That is so dangerous,” I mumbled.

“Yeah,” she said. “I never had any interest in climbing to my death.”

Above him, another climber shouted, “You okay?”

“Rope’s caught!”

My heart jumped. “Come on,” I said, already moving. “We should get to the bottom in case he falls.” Not that we could do anything but call for help.

“You’re always rushing to help people,” Lila mumbled behind me. “You know we are not rescue people.”

My instincts as a mother and teacher always led me to be ready to help in any way I could.

Halfway down the winding trail, the man lost control and dropped several feet, slamming the rock face like a rag doll.

“Holy shit,” I breathed out.

“He’s going to die,” Lila said in a shaky tone.

I froze, calculating the distance to the ground, which could kill him if his rope or the anchor gave way.

Pebbles rained down as the climber above him lowered himself to help. “Catch the ledge.”

The dangling man flailed once, twice, then managed to grab onto the ledge.

I exhaled hard and pushed forward, nausea rolling through me as I ran for the canyon floor.

Memories of Ethan trying his hand at rock climbing assaulted me because my son had fallen from a ledge in this very canyon. The only reason Ethan had lived to tell about it was he’d barely gotten ten feet off the ground. But as a result, he fractured his arm.

By the time I was at the bottom, the second climber had reached the one in jeopardy.

Lila, out of breath, sidled up to me with her phone to her ear. “I’m getting Sheriff Hayes’s voicemail.”

Devil’s Hollow was twenty minutes outside of Pine Valley, so the sheriff or any of his deputies might not get here in time. We might have to call Search and Rescue.

The two climbers seemed to freeze in time.

I began praying, something I did on repeat because of my adrenaline junkie son who regularly put himself at risk. But teenagers had that infallibility complex, as if they could do anything. Though, the two men above weren’t teenagers.

Foot by foot, I held my breath as the climbers made their way down the rock face, drawing closer to us.

I unhooked my backpack and pulled the first aid kit out of the front pocket just in case.

The man in danger announced to his partner, “If I fall to my death, spread my ashes in the ocean.”

His partner laughed. “Blitz, you’ve got five feet to go. You’re not dying today, although that was a heart-stopping possibility a moment ago.”

All I could think about was Ethan in the same predicament as I breathlessly watched the guy lower himself to the ground.

I really wanted to scream at him for how idiotic it was to rock climb, but instead, I was rushing to his rescue with a first aid kit that wouldn’t have saved his life if he’d fallen.

“Are you okay?” I asked, noticing scrapes and blood on his nicely toned forearms.

He unclipped from his frayed rope with a fluid movement and tore off his helmet, revealing sweaty brown hair and a cocky grin flashing through his wince as he rubbed his shoulder.

“Just a little malfunction up there.” His voice was rough but steady.

I blinked at him. “You almost died.”

He waved me off, his blue eyes glinting in the daylight. “Not the first time.”

I shook my head at the handsome climber. “Adrenaline junkie, I take it.”

“My mom tells me I have nine lives,” Blitz said as he swept his gaze over me.

His quip didn’t go unnoticed, but I was having a hard time thinking all of a sudden.

The tall stranger had an aura about him that gave me butterflies for some odd reason.

Or maybe it was his dimples or the way he was smiling at me.

Like he knew me and my deepest thoughts.

Because for the first time since my divorce, I was thinking about how it would feel to be in the arms of man, but not just any man—the one standing before me.

“It’s true,” his partner said, breaking me out of my trance. “This big guy can withstand a nuclear bomb.”

I snorted, my brain kicking into gear. “Don’t cockroaches fall into that category?”

Rubbing his shoulder, he chuckled. “Are you calling me a cockroach, Sunshine?”

“If the shoe fits,” I volleyed back, my nerves rattling to beat the band. “And my name isn’t Sunshine. It’s Monroe.”

“Do you need medical help?” Lila interjected with a laugh in her voice. “Is your shoulder busted? You hit the cliff several times.”

“I’m good. I don’t need anything.” Blitz was looking at me as he answered Lila, his smirk deepening, his stark blue eyes pulling me in like a strong undertow. “I don’t usually have such a pretty audience coming to my rescue.”

“And I usually don’t see irresponsible climbers almost falling to their death,” I fired back, that mom and teacher in me ready to scold and punish.

Lila snorted as did Blitz’s friend, who looked to be in his late twenties, rugged and fit, as he grinned like the whole canyon was a playground.

“I’m Dax, by the way.” He removed his helmet, revealing a thick crop of dirty-blond hair to match the colored scruff on his face. “This is my buddy, Blitz, but that’s his call sign. His real name is Jace.”

“I’m Lila,” she said. “So, Jace, you’re a pilot?”

Call sign? Pilot. Uniform. Military. That was my cue to leave. Military men were one thousand percent off-limits.

He flinched at her question as he nodded. Odd. I got the feeling she’d hit a nerve.

“Best fighter pilot the Air Force has,” Dax bragged.

My phone rang, interrupting the conversation.

I fumbled for my cell in my backpack, and when I saw Ethan’s name on the screen, my heart stuttered. As handsome as Jace was, my son came first. Besides, since Jace wasn’t in need of Search and Rescue or an ambulance, my time here was done.

“Ethan, what’s wrong?” I asked, walking away.

“Chill, Mom. It’s nothing. I’m hungry, and there’s no food in the house. Also, I can’t find the allergy meds.”

“I’ll pick up a Ridgeburger from Maggie’s for you and then swing by the drugstore.” One of my errands I had to do today was grocery shop.

“You’re the best,” he said.

“Love you. I’ll be home soon.” Lila wasn’t going to like leaving, but I would drop everything for Ethan.

After I disconnected the call, I returned to the group. “Lila, we need to head out.” I regarded Jace. “Glad you’re okay.”

I tried not to look him in the eyes, but I couldn’t help it. I swore I felt like I was looking into the crystal-blue waters off the South Pacific.

“Thanks for being there just in case I’d fallen,” Jace said, removing his gloves.

Slinging my backpack over my shoulders, I dropped my gaze to his ring finger—no wedding ring. “You really should rethink rock climbing.”

He chuckled, a sound that reverberated through me. “Not in my nature.”

It made sense that he did things that defied gravity. After all, he was a fighter pilot.

“So, Monroe,” Jace said in that husky voice that gave me goose bumps, “I feel like I owe you a coffee or something for coming to my rescue.”

I waved him off. “Not necessary.”

A phone trilled, interrupting anything Jace was about to say as he plucked his cell from a side pocket on his athletic pants.

I tipped my head at Lila. “We need to go.”

Lila said goodbye to Dax while Jace had the phone to his ear. I started up the trail, my pulse beating like a wild drummer in a rock concert.

“Hot damn,” Lila said, catching up to me. “What was that between you and Jace?”

“Absolutely nothing.”

“Uh-huh. What I saw was fire between you two.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t try to fit a square peg into a round hole, if you know what I mean.”

“No such thing with you and Jace. I say there’s a match made in heaven.”

“He’s military, so that’s a hard no.”

“Keep lying to yourself,” she said. “You should take him up on coffee or a roll in the hay.” She laughed.

“Not a chance.”

As we left Devil’s Hollow, I couldn’t shake the way Jace had looked at me like he’d found a crack in my carefully constructed armor.