Free Her Mountain Man by Cindi Myers Page A

the rock all morning, or are you going to climb?”
    He looked up and saw Josh several yards above him. Silently cursing his inability to concentrate, he quickly hauled himself up beside his friend.
    They made it to the top of the wall without further comment, setting anchors along the way, then hurried back down. Indy greeted them enthusiastically as they dropped to the ground, barking and licking Paul’s face. “Good boy,” Paul said, rubbing the dog’s ears.
    The two men rested a moment against the sun-warmed rock, enjoying the view of the hot-springs pool a short distance away. A few swimmers did laps in the lanes on one side of the steaming pool, while a trio of small children took turns on the water slide. The familiar sights made Paul feel more at home here than any place he’d lived since leaving his parents’ place for Everest the summer after he’d graduated from high school. Until he’d decided to move to Ouray, he’d drifted from place to place. Ouray was the first community where he’d felt like putting down roots.
    “Speaking of hot chicks, I saw Kelly at Smuggler’s last night.” Josh returned to his favorite subject—women.
    Paul began gathering his climbing gear. “Was she with that real-estate guy?”
    “I don’t know. She was on her way back from the ladies’ room when we passed in the hall. Then I lost her in the crowd.”
    “She was probably with him. Keith somebody or other. She seems really into him.”
    “She told you that?”
    “Sure. Why not?”
    Josh shook his head. “How is it you stay friends with all the women you used to date? All my ex-girlfriends would just as soon cut out my liver and feed it to their dog.”
    “That’s because you let things get serious and then you break it off. They end up angry and hurt. The women I date are friends. I never let things get too deep. We have a good time, but keep it light.”
    “Yeah. And why is that?”
    “Why is what?” Paul took off his climbing helmet and added it to the pile of gear.
    “Why are you only out for a good time? Don’t you want to find someone to be with long-term?”
    Long-term? A word that meant commitment, even permanence. “I don’t live the kind of lifestyle that’s compatible with relationships,” he said. “My future’s too uncertain.”
    “Everyone’s future is uncertain,” Josh said. “As for your lifestyle—mountain climbing didn’t stop Victor Winston from having a family.”
    Paul remembered the hurt in Sierra’s expression when she’d talked about her father. “Maybe all that will happen for me later,” he said. “Right now I’m too busy to settle down.”
    The two friends carried their gear to Paul’s Jeep. “Where’s your next expedition?” Josh asked.
    “I’m not sure. I’m considering climbing in Nepal next summer.”
    “So you’ll be here for ice season.” In winter, a portion of the Uncompahgre Gorge at the south end of town was transformed into walls of thick ice, which drew professional and amateur climbers from around the world.
    “Maybe,” Paul said. “I’ve been invited to join a team that’s climbing Fitz Roy Mountain in Argentina this winter. I haven’t decided yet.”
    “You ought to stick around,” Josh said. “A lot of female climbers show up for the Chicks with Picks events. You might meet somebody who wouldn’t freak out about the whole mountain-climbing thing.”
    There were a few professional women climbers who might understand the attraction of peak-bagging. He knew of at least one couple who climbed together, though the thought made Paul shudder. Having someone he loved climbing with him would be too much of a distraction. Worrying about her safety would be too stressful, the possibility of seeing her suffer too painful.
    He shoved the last of the gear into the Jeep and closed the tailgate. “I don’t know about dating a woman climber,” he said. “I couldn’t impress her with my exploits. And if she was a better climber than I am, I