A Cowboy's Courage

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  “Yes, but…one more person could easily become two.”

  “You mean if he told Mandy.”

  “Right, and after all, they’re married, so I hate to ask him to keep a secret from her. And she’s trustworthy, but then she might feel it was safe to tell just her mom. And her mom might mention it to Kendra, thinking Kendra must already know. That’s how word gets out, one person at a time.”

  “Especially in a town the size of Eagles Nest.” He gazed at her. “Okay, here’s how I see it. The sooner you get the state to take over, the more likely the cave will be protected before word gets out.”

  “I agree.”

  “Zane is the quickest path to that goal because he already has contacts. Now that he’s running a larger facility, he deals with the folks in Helena all the time. We need him. But he can’t tell Mandy.”

  “Is it fair to ask that of him?”

  “Maybe not, but we have no choice. He knows how things are around here regarding gossip. He’ll want to help you push this through ASAP so he doesn’t have to keep it from Mandy for too long.”

  “You’re making a lot of sense. All right. I like that plan.”

  “Good.” He glanced around. “I get why this is so important. I won’t pretend that I’m thrilled about caves, but when you come upon something that no one else has ever seen…”

  “It’s mind-boggling. I mean, how often does that happen?”

  “For most people? Never. And I’m only the third person to see it.” His color had improved. His shoulders had relaxed a bit, too.

  “As far as I know, we’re the only three. Edward and I didn’t explore every chamber, but wherever we went, we found no other footprints, no primitive tools, no signs of a cooking fire. Just us and the bats.”

  “How many bats are there?”

  “I have no idea and you don’t want to know.”

  “You’re right. I don’t. But I can already tell I’ll get better at this. Next time I promise not to swear.”

  “You’d come down again?”

  He regarded her steadily. “This cave is important to you.”

  “Very important.”

  “Then it’s important to me, too.”

  “Thank you.” She was grateful for the support, support she desperately needed.

  She wished he was doing it for the sake of the cave, though. That might be a part of his motivation because he seemed impressed with this discovery. But his last statement left no doubt. Mostly he was doing it for her.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Trevor made it out of the cave more gracefully than he’d gone in. Olivia waited until he was above ground before she turned off the lanterns, which he appreciated.

  In retrospect, he was embarrassed about the way he’d cussed during his descent. No telling what he’d said, either. The words had spilled out of him in an involuntary rush. She hadn’t seemed to mind, but he hadn’t come off as heroic as he would have liked.

  Still, he’d survived the experience without passing out. He’d been super worried he might do that. If he’d lost consciousness while hanging onto that rope, he could have broken his neck or hurt Olivia by landing on top of her.

  Dreaming up imaginative swear words had kept him from thinking about descending twenty-five feet beneath the surface of the earth. The mine shaft had only been about ten. He doubted he’d ever be a fan of underground exploration, but those formations had captured his imagination. He was glad he’d gone down there and he’d do it again, as many times as she needed him to.

  She was stoked about the way the cave adventure had gone and he was happy about that, too. Watching Olivia get excited about an idea was a major high for him. That she’d included him in the planning stages of this project gave him hope for the future.

  He took off Edward’s miner’s hat the minute he was out of the cave, though. He’d buy another one before he went down there again.

  But he was eager to deliver on his end of the bargain and hook her up with the right people at the state level. Zane would have info but he could be on a Wild Creek Ranch trail ride right now.

  As they neared the house, he pulled his phone from his pocket. “Mind if I call Mandy and find out where Zane is this afternoon? He could be on a trail ride with Mom and not available. But if we’re going to the ranch for a ride, maybe he’d be able to meet us for a private chat about this.”

  “Good idea.”

  “We’ll only talk to Zane and we can keep the details vague if you want.”

  “No, I don’t want that. When we meet him, I want to tell him the whole story. If he’s going to help get me to the right state agency, he should know what it’s for. I might not tell the state official the details until I’m sure they’re on the same page with me, but I can tell Zane.”

  “Then I’ll call Mandy.” He sat on Olivia’s porch steps and located the number.

  Mandy answered, but she seemed distracted instead of her usual peppy self.

  “Hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time. I wondered where Zane is this afternoon. I’d like to talk with him about something.”

  “He’s…um…right here, Trev.”

  After what sounded suspiciously like a rustle of sheets, Zane came on the line. “Hey, bro. What’s up?”

  Trevor groaned. “I interrupted something, didn’t I?”

  “Yeah, but it’s okay. I marked my place.”

  In the background, Mandy chuckled.

  “Damn, I’m sorry. Tell Mandy I’m sorry, too.”

  “I will. Whatcha need?”

  “Advice. About something important. Olivia and I are coming over to the ranch to ride Bonnie and Clyde for an hour or so and I thought maybe—”

  “I’ll be there when you get back. See you then.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Welcome.” Zane disconnected.

  Olivia sat beside him on the steps. “What was that all about?”

  “I called while they were having sex.”

  “In the middle of the afternoon?”

  “What’s wrong with that?”

  She flushed. “Nothing. I was only saying…oh, forget it! I don’t know what I was saying.”

  He smiled. “I think you were trying to say that a little afternoon sex would be great right now.”

  “Aren’t we supposed to go riding?”

  “We can do both.”

  They did, too, enjoying a quickie in her bedroom followed by a short but energetic ride that gave Bonnie and Clyde a decent workout. Trevor took Edward’s chestnut gelding, Bonnie. That meant using Edward’s saddle because it had been built specifically for that horse. He chose not to think about it.

  No one was around as they unsaddled the horses so he figured he could ask the questions that had popped into his head during the ride. “If you’ll be deeding your land over to the state at some point, are you planning to rebuild the barn now?”

  “I’m debating.” She grabbed a brush from the grooming tote and swept it over Clyde’s broad back. “I miss these guys, but they seem to love it over here and I can come see them and ride whenever I want. If the project goes the way I hope and the state acquires the land, there will be no reason to have a barn there.”

  “What about the house?”

  “That’s a different story. I want it used for something, either an information center, offices, caretaker’s quarters…something. I’d hate to see it bulldozed and with the new roof and landscaping I can’t see why they would. It’s a ready-made asset.”

  “It is.” But she wouldn’t be living there anymore, as he’d expected. That took some getting used to.

  “I’m so grateful to you for the roof and the Whine and Cheese ladies for planting the shrubs.” She held up the brush. “Need this?”

  “Sure.” He came around and got it. “What about you? Have you figured out where you’ll live?”

  “Not specifically. After living there, I’m used to a more rural setting. I doubt I’d choose to live in town.”

  “But which to
wn?” His chest tightened.

  “Eagles Nest, of course.” She gazed at him. “Did you think I’d leave?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe. I mean, you could.”

  “No, I couldn’t. This is my home. Not just that house, but the beautiful mountains, the friendly town, my great clients, my thoughtful friends. So many reasons to stay.”

  Including me? He wouldn’t ask. “Good. I’m glad.”

  Zane showed up at the end of the grooming session and walked with them over to the pasture gate. He opened it and they turned Bonnie and Clyde out to graze.

  “They seem to have acclimated.” Zane watched them trot over to join the horses who had stayed home from the day’s trail ride.

  “They sure have.” Olivia leaned her forearms on the gate. “I’ve told Kendra she’s welcome to try them on a trail ride, although she probably needs to take both and not just one.”

  “She mentioned that to me. We might give it a shot next weekend.”

  Trevor glanced over at Zane. “Who’s out there today?”

  “Cody and Faith. Mom and Aunt Jo are shopping in Bozeman and Jim’s at home repairing some of our tack.”

  “So that’s why it seems so quiet.”

  “Yeah.” Zane nudged back his hat. “It’s not often nobody’s around. What did you two need advice about?”

  Trevor looked over at Olivia. “Since no one’s here, how about we go up to the house and grab something cool to drink while you fill Zane in?”

  “Sounds good. I’ll get my phone from the truck.”

  “What do you need your phone for?”

  “Pictures.”

  “Oh. Right.” Just his luck Edward would be in them. He didn’t remember what the guy looked like. He wouldn’t mind keeping it that way.

  Moments later they’d settled into the living room, Trevor and Olivia on the couch and Zane in an easy chair, each with a chilled bottle of beer.

  Olivia focused on Zane. “Before I start this story, I have a huge request.”

  “All right.”

  “What I’m about to tell you can’t go anywhere. I’ll specifically ask you not to tell Mandy.”

  He frowned. “I don’t keep secrets from her. I mean, birthdays and Christmas, sure, but not major things.”

  Trevor leaned forward. “Well, bro, this is a major thing and you can’t tell her.”

  “Will it affect her in any way?”

  “Not negatively,” Olivia said. “It could turn out to be a positive, though.”

  “And I have to promise this before you tell me anything?”

  She nodded. “Trevor and I talked this through when we considered bringing you in on the project. It’s highly sensitive. I trust Mandy. I trust the whole extended family. But the more people who know about this, the more likely we’ll have a leak. We can’t afford one.”

  Zane stared at her. “Has an alien ship crash-landed on your property?”

  “No, nothing like that.”

  “Then you must have discovered gold or maybe oil.”

  “Don’t try to guess it,” Trevor said. “You won’t. We just need your word that you won’t tell Mandy.”

  “Damn.” Zane scrubbed a hand over his face. “Now I really want to know, but I hate that I have to keep it from her.”

  “You’ll be able to tell her eventually,” Olivia said.

  “How soon?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  “Perfect.” He flopped back in his chair. “A secret I might have to keep from Mandy for years.”

  “Maybe not,” Olivia said. “It depends on…well, a lot of things. Are you in?”

  “Of course I’m in.” He took a deep breath. “Nobody could resist a buildup like that. But if I get in trouble with Mandy over this, I expect you two to help smooth things over.”

  “We will.” Olivia glanced at Trevor and he nodded.

  “Then lay it on me.”

  She cleared her throat. “Four years ago, Edward and I were wandering the property and found a hole. Air was coming out of it. We did some research, figured out it was a cave, got rope and explored it.”

  Zane sat forward. “There’s a cave on your property? That’s cool but I don’t see why—”

  “Not just an ordinary cave. It has at least five chambers, maybe more. Some are ceiling height, others cathedral height. We found no evidence anyone had ever been there.”

  “That’s impressive.”

  “And it’s still forming, still alive. You can hear the stalactites dripping.”

  “Really?”

  Trevor nodded. “You can. Pretty amazing.”

  Zane’s gaze snapped to his. “How do you know this?”

  “I was there this afternoon.”

  “With your ear to the hole?”

  “No, I went down.”

  Zane stared at him. “Into the cave.”

  “Yes. Saw the first room. Saw and heard the dripping. And the bats.”

  “That’s…hard to believe.” His attention swung to Olivia. “Are you aware that Trev’s extremely claustrophobic?”

  “He told me. I tried to talk him out of going but he insisted.”

  “Hm.” Zane exchanged a glance with Trevor that clearly said what the hell?

  He shrugged. “I had to.” He wasn’t about to explain that he loved this woman and would walk through fire for her. Or descend into a big black hole. “Olivia put lanterns down there. That helped.”

  “I see.”

  Olivia pulled out her phone. “I didn’t take pictures today, but I’ve taken a bunch other times.” She scooted closer to Trevor. “It might make this easier if you come over here next to me so I can show both of you.”

  Trevor scrambled for an excuse to bow out. Couldn’t find one, so he moved over to make room for all three of them with Olivia in the middle.

  Then the torture began. She narrated the pictures with such enthusiasm that he had to look or appear rude. He glanced at selfies of her with Edward, a glasses-wearing, smiley guy wearing the miner’s hat. He was probably nice. Probably a considerate husband. A good lover.

  Stop it! He guzzled some beer. More pictures. Some were just the formations but most included Edward, relaxed and happy, not even slightly claustrophobic. The love in Olivia’s voice twisted the knife deeper.

  She seemed totally caught up in her memories and her dreams for this project. He doubted she remembered he was sitting there. He wished to hell he wasn’t. The picture show seemed endless but maybe lasted five minutes. At the end of it, his bottle was almost empty.

  “That’s incredible,” Zane said. “And nobody knows?”

  “Just the people sitting on this couch.” Olivia tucked her phone away. “But it’s too valuable to keep secret. I want the state to take it over, but their stewardship needs to be mindful or the cave will be ruined. Trevor said you knew the people in Helena I should talk to.”

  “I do. In fact, I was going up there on Wednesday. If you can clear your schedule for the day, you’re welcome to ride along. I can introduce you and you can decide how much you want to reveal.”

  “Not much at first. Not until I’m convinced they’ll do this right.”

  “I have confidence in the woman I’ll introduce you to. Preservation of natural resources is her top priority.”

  She let out a breath. “Just what I’ve hoped for. Maybe the Edward Shaw Caverns will become a reality, after all.”

  Trevor choked on his last swallow of beer. The Edward Shaw Caverns? She’d failed to mention that she was naming the cave after her dead husband.

  He should have seen it coming. But he hadn’t and now he was the poor lovelorn sap who’d agreed to help her turn this cave into a memorial for the only man she’d ever loved or ever would love. Perfect.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Trevor was silent on the drive back. When Olivia attempted conversation, he responded with a word or two but didn’t hold up his end. That wasn’t like him, or at least not like the person she’d known the past few weeks
. He’d never been moody before.

  He pulled up in front of the porch instead of parking. He left the engine running.

  She turned to him. “Aren’t you coming in?”

  He met her gaze, his expression bleak. “I have some thinking to do. That’s better done alone.”

  “I should have warned you about the pictures.”

  “I knew you had them. You offered to show them to me so I wouldn’t have to go down into the cave. I had a fair idea of what to expect.”

  “But they bothered you. I was hoping they wouldn’t, just like I hoped wearing his hat wouldn’t bother you.”

  “Or riding his horse and using his saddle.”

  “Yes!” She unbuckled and turned more fully toward him. “You seemed fine with that.”

  “I forced myself not to think about it so we could enjoy our ride.”

  “Oh.”

  “Look, I know it’s stupid and juvenile to be jealous of a dead man. I thought I could be your lover without expecting anything but friendship in return. But I can’t. What we have here is a love triangle.”

  “How can we when Edward’s gone?”

  “Simple. I love you, but you love him. There’s your triangle.”

  She gulped. “You…you love me?”

  “I’m surprised you don’t know. Zane knows.”

  “How could he?”

  “Love is the only thing that got me down that rope. Well, and swearing. But mostly love.”

  Her heart thumped painfully. “Oh, dear.”

  “I worked through some of my thoughts on the way over here. I’ll continue to help wherever I can with the cave. But I can’t…” He choked and cleared his throat. “I can’t make love to you anymore.” He said it fast and sucked in a quick breath.

  “Oh.” She gripped the front of her shirt because she had to hold onto something and that was the only thing handy. She hadn’t brought a purse and she wasn’t going to touch him. They both might break if she did.

  “See, I was telling myself that if I stuck it out, I had a chance. You might say you’d never love anyone but Edward, but I was hoping you’d gradually change your mind. You’d start to love me. Not that you’d stop loving him, but you’d find a place in your heart for me, too.”