A Cowboy for the CEO

Chapter 22: High on You

That tiny act was enough to boost Ali's spirits, and they finished the rest of the trust fall without incident. Team four eventually moved to a new clearing farther into the woods just as the others started to assemble.

Her team woefully underperformed in the first challenge, coming in last for Bridge Out, where they had to use just three planks of varying lengths to get all ten members across five large gaps in a low walkway. While they probably wouldn't have beaten team two, who completed the task in record time, they would have avoided embarrassing themselves if most of the group didn't have their own opinions about how to approach the puzzle. Still riding high from her confrontation with Sheridan—a well-placed dis always felt good—Ali held back and let the others debate their conflicting ideas. Ultimately that wasn't a wise decision, so when they tried the same haphazard tactic with the spider web obstacle, she took charge right away.

"We need to have the two biggest girls go first and last, climbing through the bottom spaces," Ali said as she pointed to the geometric voids formed by bungee cords stretched between two trees, resembling a vertical spider's web. "They won't need any help getting across to the other side, but then they can serve as support for the lighter girls, who can be passed through the higher holes. Just remember that no part of your bodies can touch the ropes, or we'll have to start again."

The women looked at each other, some nodding in agreement, while others appeared to take more time to think it through.

"Or we could try all doing our own thing and come in last again," Ali added, pointing to the other teams, who already had one or even two members on the other side of the obstacle.

Hank stepped in. "Well, ladies?"

Murmurs of "It's worth a shot . . . fine . . . why not," ran through the group before one of the heavier-set women approached the web. "I guess I'll try this one?" She looked to Ali for confirmation as she stood in front of a larger opening.

Following the plan, the women of group four slowly passed through the obstacle—whether on their own or assisted by their teammates—making sure not to touch the cords. The carelessness of the other teams in this regard worked in their favor, because they had to start all over when even one person incurred a fault. Although team four made up a lot of time, they still came in second. Once they reached their stride, the Zigzag Balance Beam obstacle—which consisted of getting everyone on the team across a narrow, twisting beam while holding hands, without stepping to the ground—and the Log Jam, where they had to rearrange themselves in a new order while balancing on a log, went similarly: although they continued to work together, the members of Ali's group still couldn't win a task.

"There's one more group challenge," Hank announced as they walked, weary and heads down, to another spot in the forest. "It's your last chance to show you can beat the other teams, but if any of you need to sit it out, we can take volunteers to do two turns instead."

A blonde named Lina jogged to Hank's side. "Why would we want to sit it out?"

He slowed to wait for the stragglers in the back. "We're almost there, and then it should be fairly obvious." After shepherding the entire group to a gallows-like structure, he remained in the back as Major Jeffries once again took over.

Stepping to the rope dangling from a swinging arm, he spread his legs and put his hands on his hips. "This is the Pelican. It's a rope swing with attitude, if you will. To complete the challenge, you must hold on to the end of the rope on this side and cross onto the platform on the opposite side without touching the ground. As there is only one of these structures, each team will be timed and the group that gets eight members across the quickest wins."

Squeezing through the crowd, Ali stopped next to Hank and crossed her arms. "You meant me, right? When you suggested we could sit it out?" She spoke just loud enough over the surrounding murmurs so he could hear.