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propelled him back ward, until his back connected with the wall. When she inhaled again, his gaze fixed on the flaming eye. As he stared, it blurred into a fiery glow. His breath came in short gasps. Micah squeezed his eyes shut, tried futilely to embed himself into the wall, scarcely felt the warm, wet flow down his legs.
    The rest of the memory had been mercifully blocked from his mind, but his body still carried the scars from that day. He forced himself to grab the pen off the nightstand and relive the memory again.

CHAPTER FOUR
 
    Hanna settled into her desk chair and started a to-do list: help with dinner cleanup, get groceries, cancel the help-wanted ad for the trekker.
    Satisfaction flowed through her as she mentally checked off the task of finding a guide. That was one big burden off her mind. And the phone calls she’d made this afternoon totally relieved her of all skepticism about Micah Gallagher. The pastor had great things to say about the man. Words like
integrity
and
hardworking
had been used to describe him. And the fact that he attended church every week further convinced her that he wasn’t a thief or mass murderer.
    She had almost decided against calling the foster father, but her inner sense of security demanded she be extradiligent about screening her new climber. The foster father had reiterated everything the pastor had said and had added
independent
and
loyal
to the list of adjectives describing him. Micah’s climber friends were both away on trips of their own, but the receptionist confirmed that Micah had been lead trekker for the past few years.
    She would offer Micah the job this afternoon if she saw him again. He obviously needed a place to stay, so she’d just need to subtract the cost of lodging from the figure she’d planned to pay. Having him right on site was a positive, anyway. If guests decided on a spur-of-the-moment trip, he’d be available. He might not even want the job when he heard what she paid. His salary was probably higher at the Majestic than she could afford.
    Part of her almost wished he would turn down the job—the part of her that was drawn to him. It had been a long time since she’d been drawn to any man, and her one and only experience with a relationship made her even more timid about having Micah around all the time. In many ways it had been a typical college romance, but Hanna had only been able to open her heart to a point. Jess had been patient, but even after a years time, she’d not been able to endure his touch. Understandably, Jess grew weary of feeling rejected.
    The relationship likely would have ended on its own, but when Gram needed help with the lodge, she’d taken the opportunity to escape, putting college on hold indefinitely. Jess had seemed almost relieved, but not nearly as relieved as she had been. It had been too soon, she told her self She just needed time.
    Avoiding relationships had been easy these past few years at the lodge. There weren’t many young, single men around, and those who did come stayed briefly. Even her church lacked eligible bachelors and was filled with seniors and middle-aged married couples. No, there hadn’t been much opportunity for dating, and Hanna was glad.
    But now that would change. At least it would if Micah took the job. He’d be living on the grounds, eating meals with them when he wasn’t on a climb. What worried her the most was this attraction she felt.
    She breathed a laugh. She’d just been without a male companion for too long. Maybe she’d forgotten what it was like to be around a man. But she knew it was more than that. Micah had a certain presence. A strength. And that strength drew her and repelled her at the same time.
    You’re thinking too hard, girl.
She suddenly remembered her intentions to work on the van and added it to the list. She had to get the thing running before next week when she started shuttling guests to and from the airport. Almost every registrant had requested the service