“Don’t get lost. Easier to do than you think.”
“I’ll be careful.” It couldn’t be that tough to find her way around. First she’d go up, then come down. The laws of gravity had never done her wrong yet.
She picked her way along the path worn through the thick brush. Jagged rocks poked out of the carpet of pine needles, and pine boughs hung low ahead of her. Every so often, she’d stop and listen to the melody of larks and jays, and the lazy hum of flies.
The warmth of the sun heated the blend of fragrances. She took a deep breath of the rich, earthy air. Excitement rose as she fingered a patch of spongy moss on a rock beside her. This was what she’d gone to school for—to study creation in all its natural beauty.
Lord, You’ve outdone Yourself with the beauty of the Rocky Mountains.
At the top of the ridge, blue sky framed layer upon layer of barren mountaintops. She maneuvered around a large rock and found a comfortable spot at the base. Below her, a small barn and pens bordered the edge of the fire pit. She recognized Gabe’s house. The memory of the taste of grilled fish and roasted potatoes renewed her appetite. All the ordinary food had tasted extraordinary that night. The entertainment hadn’t been bad, either.
She nestled back and stared at the green metal roof capping the log house, a smile teasing the corner of her mouth. A wet fish in one hand and the awkward handle of the knife in the other…Gabe’s solid palm wrapping around her grip, guiding her as she cleaned the fish…his strong chest supporting her.
She frowned and took a breath, this time to clear her head. Succulent beef ribs, chilled macaroni salad and hot apple pies. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the picnic tastes melding together until the clean scent of summer sunshine on a cotton shirt penetrated her defenses.
“Keeping an eye on me?”
Melanie screamed, sending an echo through the valley beyond. She clutched her chest as she twisted around. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!”
Gabe eased beside her and sat on a smaller rock. “I didn’t sneak. I made enough noise to scare every whitetail and muley away for a mile.”
“Lost in my thoughts, I guess.” Her palm flattened over her pounding heart. “Sorry.”
“You shouldn’t be walking off by yourself. You’ll get lost. Deer and elk aren’t the only critters up here.”
Melanie glanced over her shoulder. The well-defined trail she’d followed up didn’t seem to exist any longer. Not wanting to confess she’d imagined herself above the cardinal rule of responsible mountain hiking, she nodded toward his house. “I see help.”
“Umm, you and the mountain goats.” The casual shrug he gave her sent tingles skittering up her back. He stretched out to the side and selected a pinecone. “Nothing prettier than summer in the Rockies. Jason enjoying his vacation?”
“Better than I’d hoped.” It was true. Since they’d become involved in the ranch, Jason hadn’t played his video games but a couple times. And those times had been with Gabe. “He’s living the dream of any boy. I appreciate you and your family making him feel welcome.”
Gabe frowned. “Don’t you feel welcome?”
I don’t even want to go there. “I appreciate you fixing my truck.”
“Small price to pay for a party planner on such short notice.” He picked at the pine needles stuck to the cone. “Having Jason around has been great. I hope we haven’t put you out too much.”
Melanie looked into the depths of his gorgeous, root-beer-colored eyes—something she’d been avoiding since yesterday. She didn’t want to admit she’d had fun on the swing. She tilted her head and gave what she hoped appeared a careless shrug.
“If Jason has a great time, so do I. The only thing I’m worried about is his disappointment after the barbecue. Life back home pales compared to the cowboy life he’s living.” Her gaze roamed around the mountain range before her—better that than the cowboy at her side. “This is going to be a tough act to follow.”
“Didn’t mean to make things difficult.”
The gentle warmth in his voice rammed a timber in her defenses. She forced a smile. “You didn’t. You’ve given Jason memories he’ll cherish for a lifetime.”
He tilted his chin and grinned. “And you?”
She raised her hands in helpless effort. “Well, if I ever get tired of classifying plants, I guess I can always go into catering.”
“My pleasure, ma’am. Glad we could expand your horizons.” The corner of his mouth lifted and the killer crease in his cheek deepened. “We’d hate to have you go home empty-handed.”
Joy faded at the mention of home. She would leave empty-handed, but not the way he meant. The richness and fullness of Hawk Ridge wasn’t something you stumbled across every day of the week. She thanked the Lord for the gift of a few weeks.
Gabe tossed the cone with a flick of his wrist. “So, what’s life like in Colorado Springs?”
“Pretty mundane. I catalog plants for research, and then assemble materials for the guys to work with and write reports to back our findings.” Her life didn’t interest her. His did. “How about you? Is ranching enough to tide you over for this lifetime?”
Gabe studied her with his gentle gaze. “It’s a family project.” He shifted his shoulders until his back leaned against her rock and his elbow rested beside her knee. “Dad has had his hands full with the place for close to fifty years. He knows every inch of the pasture, timber and hills. I’ve watched him my entire life and pray I’ll be as good as him when he’s ready to sit back and relax.”
Gabe spoke with such admiration for his father. She scuffed her foot along the edge of the rock, sending pebbles dancing down the smooth surface. Gabe wanted to make his folks proud.
She’d done nothing for her parents but bring shame.
“Good for you.” She gave silent thanks her voice didn’t catch.
“Maybe. Maybe not.” He tapped a small stone against the larger rock. Flakes of moss danced with each strike. The muscles in his forearm stood out as he gripped the stone and flicked it halfway down the rock face before it struck the ground. “I’m doing what I want to do. Sometimes I wonder if it’s enough.”
“How do you mean?”
“People come and go, market prices fluctuate, ranching practices are refined, yet the Circle D doesn’t change. It’s hard to explain.” He tossed another pinecone down the hill. “Stability is probably a good thing.”
“What would you like to change?”
He angled his chin and looked at her. Stared deep and long without blinking. Melanie wished she could read his thoughts. For the first time in years, she wished she could open up and offer a man more than simple surface placation. She wished she could summon the courage to crawl right in under his skin to encourage, confide, maybe even unite. Her heart pounded in anticipation, and when he looked away—when he broke the fragile connection—she deflated.
“I don’t know. Maybe I’m looking for something that doesn’t exist.” He reached around the rock and twisted to get a good foothold and pulled himself up. “We better get back before they send search parties out after us.”
He offered his hand. She accepted the help, his palm engulfed her hand to her wrist. She scrambled from her perch, not fearing in the least that she’d fall over the ridge. He steadied her while she hopped to the ground and then released her, his fingertips sliding over her knuckles.
“I know it’s bad manners for a man to precede a lady, but for safety’s sake, follow me. I’ll be a lot softer to land on than a tree stump if you slip and fall.”
She searched his face for traces of mockery. No one thought of her as a lady, much less showed concern for her safety. She couldn’t remember the last time a man held a door open for her.
“Glad you know your way down from here,” she puffed.
“I’ve traipsed up and down this mountain a thousand times.”
He took off ahead of her and picked a trail down the mountain, his broad shoulders dipping with each confident
step. Melanie tried to watch her steps, but her gaze insisted his well-worn jeans and crisp cotton shirt were far more enticing, not to mention the wave of thick hair at his collar.
The ranch house came in sight. Melanie shook away her wayward thoughts of gallant cowboys and handsome ranchers. Instead she concentrated on the soft crunch of pine needles beneath her every step, the cloud of gnats buzzing around her ears, the wayward splotch of sunshine heating her face. Gabe stopped at the bottom of the trail and offered her help over a fallen log. His small courtesies touched her heart.
A screen door slammed in the distance. Hank raced across the drive toward them. “Gabe. Quick! It’s your dad.”
Chapter Eleven
How long does it take to run a few tests? Melanie checked her watch again. Two hours and twenty-six minutes since they’d rushed Martin into the emergency room. Didn’t the doctors have any information to share with them?
“Mom?” Jason sat beside her in the waiting room, a knife in one hand and a chunk of wood in the other. “Mr. Martin is going to be all right, isn’t he?”
His fingers manipulated the small blade, carving a precise groove along a natural vein. Martin had given Jason that knife. Melanie swallowed to loosen the lump in her throat. “I hope the doctors come and tell us soon.”
He blew off the dust he’d created and examined his work. “Hank?” Jason leaned to his other side and held out his project. “Did I do this right?”
Tight lines bracketed his mouth as Hank offered a lopsided smile. “You’re a fast learner. Mr. Martin will be proud of you.”
Jason never took his eyes off of the block of wood. “I want to make this for Mr. Martin. He showed me how to whittle.”
A muscle twitched in Melanie’s cheek. Whittle. Over the course of a week, her son had gone from city smart to country wise. Ever since the older man had taught Jason to fish, he’d followed Martin all over the ranch. In the evening before bedtime, Jason couldn’t wait to share his day with her, every sentence containing any number of names he obviously respected. Especially Mr. Martin.
Melanie glanced at her watch again. Five minutes. Grace sat across the room, her head bowed in prayer. Gabe stood at the window, his shoulder propped against the mullion and arms crossed over his chest. He just stared out the glass.
Looking lost.
She folded her hands and bowed her head. Almost before her eyes closed, her mind stilled. Peace washed over her. Lord, comfort these people. Especially him.
An elbow poked her in the side. She opened her eyes and saw Jason frowning at her. “Mom, don’t fall asleep.”
She reached out and smoothed back his blond hair. “Just thinking.”
His frown lifted and his shoulders relaxed. “You were grinning.”
“I was looking for a happy place.”
“The ranch is a pretty happy place.”
She lifted her eyes and looked across the room at Gabe. “I think it is, too, honey.”
Gabe shifted his weight and settled beside the window. Chin tucked into his shirt collar, he stared with a vacant look.
Unable to sit a moment longer, she walked over to him, reached out and touched his arm. “C’mon, let’s walk.”
Stark pain reflected in his brown eyes. She slid her hand down his sleeve and into his rough palm. As his fingers inter-locked with hers, the sharp edge in his gaze softened. Melanie gave a feeble smile, the best she could manage at the moment, and tugged on his hand.
He followed her out of the waiting room. The late afternoon air cooled her skin and cleared her head. “I love the evenings up here. The day wrapping up and getting ready for bed.”
They strolled in silence, their shoulders bumped as they followed the path that meandered around the commons area of the medical-center-slash-hospital-slash-clinic. The range of medical care available in such a tiny community surprised her as she’d passed it earlier in the week. Now with Martin’s health in question, she thanked the health facility for being well staffed. She pressed her knuckles into his palm, savoring the warmth of his skin. They finished the entire loop and started a second.
“I like watching the sun come up.” Gabe spoke in a bare whisper beside her.
So did she. “Best part of the day.”
“You’ve got the whole day to work, and sometimes you work into the night.” The heels of his boots clicked on the cement walk, his pace easy to keep up with. “It’s all gotta get done.”
She loved the sound of his soft, strong voice. Even in the midst of a crisis, he maintained an even tone, a gentle calm. “I imagine there’s a lot to do to keep a ranch the size of the Circle D organized.”
“Cattle, hay, fence, equipment—it all needs attention. Dad knows how to do it all.”
She stole a peek, the brim of his hat cast a shadow across his cheek making the lines at his eyes appear deep. “You run the place, too.”
“Right now, I can’t think of a thing to do.”
“There isn’t anything more important than being here for your family.”
Gabe shook his head. “Dad wouldn’t have let a little thing like someone getting sick stop him from finishing chores. Zac came down with pneumonia one winter. We all stood around his hospital bed praying for the fever to break. Waiting. Finally, Dad had enough. He told Mom the cattle needed feed. He took Nick with him and told me to stay with Mom so she wouldn’t have to drive home by herself. Dad didn’t shirk responsibility.”
He looked straight down as they followed the path, the very bleakness of his words etched on his face. “I can’t think of a single chore that needs to be done.”
Melanie squeezed his fingers and rubbed her shoulder against his sleeve. “Your dad hates feeling helpless. He needs to fill time with physical activity. He needs to fix it. Not everyone is like that.” She stepped closer beside him. “Offering comfort with your presence is a gift you have. Gabe, you’re a different man than your dad.”
A growl rumbled deep within his chest. “You got that right.”
“It’s not a bad thing. When your dad is out of danger, you’ll collect your thoughts and finish what needs to be done.” She nudged him. “I’m sure whatever chore you think of will still be waiting for you when you’re ready.”
He leaned closer. “You’re right. No one’s racing to go muck out stalls for me.”
“No, but people like being around you.”
He threw her a sideways glance. “Do you?”
“Sure.”
“Why?”
Why? She’d been asking that same question for days now. She walked along the path, careful not to step on the lines, a childhood habit. Why did she look forward to seeing him in the morning, or talking to him throughout the day, or wanting him to push her on the swing again just to feel his touch? Why did she trust him with her son?
Why did she want to trust him with herself? “You make me feel safe.”
Steps slowed and he came to a stop. His eyes grew round as he tipped back his hat and stared at her. “Safe?”
Her cheeks burned as she scrambled to call back the truth she’d unwittingly blurted. “Well, you are a stranger after all.”
“Hard to remember that.” He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “Seems like you’ve been here longer than a week.”
She took a step back. He held firm and tugged her closer. A surge of panic raced through her until she recognized the vulnerability in his rich, dark eyes. “This has turned into the most bizarre vacation I’ve ever experienced.”
She wanted to bury her face in his shoulder, to feel his arms wrapped around her. She wanted to hug and be hugged in return. To offer comfort more than words. She wanted to know what safe and trust really felt like.
“Gabe! There you are!” The frantic tone of Jennifer’s voice from the front doors of the emergency room cut the air. She ran down the sidewalk toward them, her white lab coat fastened by one button. “I just heard about your dad. I was in the clinic. Oh Gabe, I’m so sorry!”
Melanie snatched her han
d from his, her sense of caution returning in full force. Her palm tingled as she jammed her hand in her pocket. She stepped aside as Jennifer drew closer.
Gabe opened his arm and Jennifer plowed into his chest. Her arm snaked around and caught Melanie, drawing the three of them together. Melanie folded in, her cheek pressed to Gabe’s chest. Jennifer tightened them into a huddle.
“Jen, he’s okay.” Gabe wrapped his arm around Melanie to steady them all.
“A heart attack isn’t anything to sneeze at.”
Melanie snapped alert at the mention of this news. “Is he all right?”
Jennifer sniffed and turned in Gabe’s arm, her slender fingers pinched his sleeve as she nodded. “My dad was still at the clinic when Sandy in Emergency called. The initial tests show Martin has some blockage. I guess he’s had symptoms for a while.” She blew her nose in a tissue clutched in her other hand. “It could have been so much worse.”
“Could have been, but it’s not.” Melanie surprised herself as she offered encouragement. These lives mattered to her. She belonged here, at this moment, in this place.
Ever since she’d revealed her pregnancy, her folks, Paul, her church family…everyone had abandoned her.
She hadn’t belonged anywhere.
Until now. Gabe, his parents, the community—they all believed in her. They cared.
Gabe slid his hand up to her shoulder. She wrapped her arm around his waist and leaned into his strength. She caught a glimpse of his tired sigh, his eyes moist beneath lowered lashes.
She cared about them, too.
“My dad’s a tough old bird.” The words rumbled in his chest. “He’ll be chopping wood again before the end of the summer.”
Jennifer lifted her gaze and nodded at Melanie. “I called the prayer team. Julie and Keith are coming over to the hospital.” She angled her face toward Gabe. “Have you talked to your brothers?”
“I haven’t had a chance. I’ll call them as soon as I know Dad’s all right.”
“We haven’t seen Zac in a long time.” Jennifer pulled away from Gabe and wiped her nose. “It’ll be good to see him again. And Nick.”
Rocky Mountain Hero Page 10