in Scotland a couple of years ago, and it’s exhilarating.’
Phoebe reserved judgement on that, but she queued up with Connor to use the wire, and when it came to getting into the harness he was there to lend a hand.
‘Step into it,’ he murmured, ‘and I’ll do the clasps for you.’
Phoebe had never used this type of harness before, and she accepted his offer of help readily enough, without realising how much intimate contact would be involved. He clipped everything into place, and she was conscious of his every movement, aware of his hands brushing her body, gliding over her jeans-clad legs to ensure that the straps were correctly fitted and shifting to adjust the tension of the bands across her back and chest. He checked the belt around her waist and made sure that the straps were secure around her shoulders.
‘Does that feel okay?’ he asked, when he had finished.
‘Um…yes, thanks,’ she managed, keeping her head lowered so that he wouldn’t be able to see the pink flush of her cheeks. What had she let herself in for? The slightest touch of his fingers caused every nerve fibre in her body to flare in heated response. This was just the beginning of her stay here. How was she going to cope with having him this close for the next couple of days? Her body was betraying her at every turn.
Riding the wire, when she finally set off on the downhill run, was a fantastic experience. The speed of the descent gave her an adrenaline rush, and it was good to be out in the open, feeling the soft touch of the breeze on her face and loving the way it rippled through her hair. The scenery all around was breathtakingly beautiful as she swung through the dappled sunlight in the trees and descended into the glorious open space of the valley below.
Connor had gone ahead of her and reached the end of the trail some minutes before she did. As she felt her feet touch the ground he was waiting, ready to steady her and help her to regain her balance just as he had done for Jamie.
‘Whoa,’ he said, catching hold of her as she began to spin round in a dizzying circle. ‘I have hold of you.’
He certainly did. She couldn’t be anything but conscious of the way his arms were wrapped around her, and she was fairly sure that her dizziness had nothing whatever to do with her landing. His warm, sure touch had a lot to answer for.
‘Are you steady now?’
‘I am. Thanks.’ She straightened and pulled in a quick breath, knowing that she ought to put some distance between them and at the same time revelling in their closeness. What on earth was wrong with her that she should be feeling this way?
Throughout the rest of the day they moved from one pursuit to another, letting Jamie choose what he wanted to do.
‘For a boy who started life with a heart problem, Jamie is definitely making up for lost time,’ Phoeberemarked to his mother. ‘He seems to have packed so much into today.’ They were walking slowly back towards the courtyard shopping area after their evening meal, and Jamie was with another boy, heading for the quad bike circuit just a few yards away.
‘You’re right. I’ve been amazed at how he’s kept going. Mind you, we’ve been careful to have restful periods in between. As Connor said, Jamie’s chosen those for himself, so he’s obviously aware of what he can do and what he can’t. I’m just pleased that he hasn’t needed to have any extra medication.’
‘He might only need this one course of beta blockers to keep the hypertension in check,’ Connor murmured. ‘He’s on a very low dose at the moment. See how he goes over the next day or two. I’ve had a word with the local doctor, and he’ll be on hand to advise you if any problems crop up when we’re not here. In the meantime, it looks as though he’s coping very well. As his strength builds up, so will his stamina.’
Jamie was driving his quad bike around the circuit by now, following in the wake of his new friend.
‘I think I’ll
Phoebe reserved judgement on that, but she queued up with Connor to use the wire, and when it came to getting into the harness he was there to lend a hand.
‘Step into it,’ he murmured, ‘and I’ll do the clasps for you.’
Phoebe had never used this type of harness before, and she accepted his offer of help readily enough, without realising how much intimate contact would be involved. He clipped everything into place, and she was conscious of his every movement, aware of his hands brushing her body, gliding over her jeans-clad legs to ensure that the straps were correctly fitted and shifting to adjust the tension of the bands across her back and chest. He checked the belt around her waist and made sure that the straps were secure around her shoulders.
‘Does that feel okay?’ he asked, when he had finished.
‘Um…yes, thanks,’ she managed, keeping her head lowered so that he wouldn’t be able to see the pink flush of her cheeks. What had she let herself in for? The slightest touch of his fingers caused every nerve fibre in her body to flare in heated response. This was just the beginning of her stay here. How was she going to cope with having him this close for the next couple of days? Her body was betraying her at every turn.
Riding the wire, when she finally set off on the downhill run, was a fantastic experience. The speed of the descent gave her an adrenaline rush, and it was good to be out in the open, feeling the soft touch of the breeze on her face and loving the way it rippled through her hair. The scenery all around was breathtakingly beautiful as she swung through the dappled sunlight in the trees and descended into the glorious open space of the valley below.
Connor had gone ahead of her and reached the end of the trail some minutes before she did. As she felt her feet touch the ground he was waiting, ready to steady her and help her to regain her balance just as he had done for Jamie.
‘Whoa,’ he said, catching hold of her as she began to spin round in a dizzying circle. ‘I have hold of you.’
He certainly did. She couldn’t be anything but conscious of the way his arms were wrapped around her, and she was fairly sure that her dizziness had nothing whatever to do with her landing. His warm, sure touch had a lot to answer for.
‘Are you steady now?’
‘I am. Thanks.’ She straightened and pulled in a quick breath, knowing that she ought to put some distance between them and at the same time revelling in their closeness. What on earth was wrong with her that she should be feeling this way?
Throughout the rest of the day they moved from one pursuit to another, letting Jamie choose what he wanted to do.
‘For a boy who started life with a heart problem, Jamie is definitely making up for lost time,’ Phoeberemarked to his mother. ‘He seems to have packed so much into today.’ They were walking slowly back towards the courtyard shopping area after their evening meal, and Jamie was with another boy, heading for the quad bike circuit just a few yards away.
‘You’re right. I’ve been amazed at how he’s kept going. Mind you, we’ve been careful to have restful periods in between. As Connor said, Jamie’s chosen those for himself, so he’s obviously aware of what he can do and what he can’t. I’m just pleased that he hasn’t needed to have any extra medication.’
‘He might only need this one course of beta blockers to keep the hypertension in check,’ Connor murmured. ‘He’s on a very low dose at the moment. See how he goes over the next day or two. I’ve had a word with the local doctor, and he’ll be on hand to advise you if any problems crop up when we’re not here. In the meantime, it looks as though he’s coping very well. As his strength builds up, so will his stamina.’
Jamie was driving his quad bike around the circuit by now, following in the wake of his new friend.
‘I think I’ll
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