Alec HastingsI had a plan for everything. Gear lists, weather patterns, mountain routes down to the mile.But nothing prepared me for the moment I watched my best friend fall into the abyss.After Finn’s accident, I walked away from the mountains to fix up the abandoned lodge we bought as teenagers so he has a safe place to recover. The man who sold us the place is gone, but his granddaughter, Clementine, is here, and she needs a partner to enter a high-stakes wilderness competition with a cash prize she’s desperate to win.She knows design. I know survival. So we strike a deal: She helps me finish the lodge, I help her win.This year, the annual competition is bigger than ever, so we start training—hard. While I had my doubts initially, Clementine doesn’t quit, even when she should. I’ve summited K2 and Everest, but I’ve never encountered anything like her. She’s too young, too sunlit, too…everything.And the longer we work together, the harder it is to pretend this partnership, and my time in Alaska, is temporary.Clementine LennoxNewly promoted principal dancer with the New York City Ballet.That’s what was meant to happen.Instead, I packed up my dreams and fled to the remote town where I spent my childhood summers. The only goal I have now is paying off the mountain of debt that followed me across the country.My solution? Winning Wild Trails—with the help of legendary mountaineer Alec Hastings.Alec is enigmatic and intense, and though he pushes me to the brink, he’s always there to catch me. His faith in me makes me feel like I still matter…like I’m not a failure.With each milestone I achieve, I prove to myself that I’m more than the sum of my broken dreams—and that I’m allowed to choose myself. And I might have to. Because Alec has always chased the next adventure, and with the clock ticking on our agreement, I have a feeling he’ll be gone when the seasons change.