"Great?" She laughed bitterly. "I realize now that he wasn't thinking of me. He had a standing order with the florist so that I'd get them no matter where he was. . . . Someone else was remembering for him. And since he died unexpectedly, he hadn't canceled the order, and no one else thought to do it."

She looked at him. "He didn't remember me. He never remembered me."

The tram jarred and she flattened her palms against the sides. "I've tried to be strong. I've tried to be the fun, wild woman just like all the women he loved. Then I've tried to be the good, kind, respectable woman that I thought I should be. But now all of a sudden I haven't a clue who I really am-or even who I want to be."

"You might not know who you are, but I do."

She looked at him.

"You are the strongest woman I know. Strong and smart and sexy."

She snorted. "Yeah, real strong. Cowering on the floor."

He touched her chin again. "Strong"-he kissed her on the forehead-"smart"-he kissed her on the

temple-"and sexy." He lowered his mouth to hers.

Her breath sighed out of her. He kissed her softly, gently.

"Happy birthday," he whispered.

She smiled through the tears that she was righting to hold back, the sound of sirens in the distance

getting closer.

"That would be our rescuers," he said with a smile.

"What are they going to do?"

"We'll see. Hopefully they'll be able to unstick the gears."

A few minutes later a handheld bullhorn beeped on. "Prescott, are you up there?"

Ben stood and glanced down through the opening. The officer below smiled. "What the hell are you doing up in that tram?"

"Just wondering how much trouble I could cause today."

"Yeah, a real troublemaker," the man said with a chuckle. "We're going to have to use ropes and pulleys to get you down."

Julia gave a tiny cry.

Ben grimaced. "What about the gears?"

"The operator sent for a technician, but it could be hours before it's fixed. If you'd rather stay put until

then ..."

"Nope. Ropes and pulleys will have to do," he confirmed.

When he looked at Julia, she was frozen on the floor.

"It's easy, really," he promised. "And we didn't get that far along, so we're not that high up."

Trembling, she peered out, then shuddered. "I can't."

"You got a lady up there, Prescott?"

"Yep."

"You dog."

The officer's laugh in the megaphone echoed against the mountain.

"Great," Julia snapped. "He thinks I'm one in the long line of your conquests."

"That's my girl. Just keep thinking of that."

"About all your women?"

"Yeah." He smiled. "Think about the long lines."

She stood abruptly, only to get another look out, and she grabbed the sides.

Ben handed her the video camera and searched inside the bench. "Ropes and rapelling equipment,"

he muttered.

He got to work with the ropes and harnesses that he found in the storage bench. One long rope was

secured to the tram, then tossed down to the men on the ground to keep the tram steady. Julia shook as he looped the harness between her legs. "All you have to do is hold on to the rope as I lower you." She looked him in the eye, but when he tried to take the video camera from her, she clutched it close.

"I'm not going through all of this and not get my shots of the city."

As always, she made him smile.

"All right, hold on tight."

He guided her toward the edge, and she trembled.

"Sit on the edge and let your legs hang over."

Stiff, her fear coming off her in waves, she did as he instructed. But just when he started to lower her

over the side, she grabbed him in a deadly grip. "I can't, Ben," she said raggedly.

"Sure you can, sweetheart."

Her fingers curled into his jacket. "No, really. I can't."

He placed his palms on either side of her face, forcing her to look at him. "You can. If there is anything

I have learned about you these last couple of months, it is that you do whatever has to be done regardless of what it costs you. You'll do this. And I'll keep you safe. I promise."

She looked at him forever, hope and fear mixing together.

Shaking herself, as if accepting that she had to do this and refusing to be brought low by fear, she curled her newly short nails around the rope and the video camera. When she slid over the side, she gasped at that first startling moment of dangling in the air.

Both firemen and police officers held the rope steady as Ben worked to lower her. When she finally reached the bottom, she didn't grab on to anyone. She let them do their work to free her, then she leaned against an outcrop of rock while Ben secured a second harness around himself.

He'd been rapelling since he was a kid. In seconds he was over the side, slipping down in one fluid motion. The men he had worked with on a daily basis for years slapped him on the back. But Ben's only focus was on Julia.

It was like she had waited to make sure he got down safely, then she could leave. And that was what she was doing. Walking, barely steady on her feet, toward the parking lot.

"Hey, Julia," the operator said. "I'm sorry about all this."

She lifted her hand in a "don't worry" wave, as if she couldn't get the words out of her mouth.

When she got to her car, however, she went still. She jerked around. "My purse."

"As soon as the technician gets the tram working again," the operator said, "I'll get it for you. Don't worry."

"But I don't have any keys."

"Oh, ah, well..." the operator stammered.

Ben could tell Julia needed to get away from there before she truly lost her composure. "I'll take you

home," he said, "then we'll get your car later."

He saw relief flash across her face, but only for a second before she shook it away. Without a word, she climbed into his SUV, then stared out the window the entire way home. She only muttered and mumbled responses to his attempts at conversation. When he pulled into the driveway, she slid down from the high seat, then shuddered when she had to turn around and ask him if he had a key to the house.

He opened the back door, and she swept passed him.

"Julia-"

"I don't want to talk about it, Ben. But thanks. Thanks for getting me down. I've got to get ready for

the grand finale of Primal Guy."

"We really need to talk."

"No, we don't, Ben."

Then she headed out of the kitchen and closed herself inside the study.

To: Julia Boudreaux From: Andrew Folly

Sincerely,

Andrew Folly Station Manager, KTEX TV, West Texas