by Robin Gianna
“The hiking trail along the river is the easiest, but still beautiful,” Mateo said as the road ended in a parking area. “I figured you weren’t up for a long trek up the steepest trails, though the views are incredible from there.”
“I appreciate that. I’d probably be sucking wind on a steep trail.”
“You definitely need to get out of the hospital more. I see you practically every time I’m there.”
“Maybe.” It was true, she probably did work too much, but taking extra shifts was one more way to try to prove she was worthy of the Davenport name. Not to mention that dating wasn’t high on her list of things to do. She’d learned the hard way that they either didn’t like the work hours she kept, or they figured that she was the key to a fortune, and didn’t really care for her personally at all. Not trusting a man’s attention or words of love to be real was something she’d eventually taken to heart.
Mateo got their gear out of the trunk of the car and set everything on metal benches next to the parking area. Shoving her feet into the hiking boots was a bit of a challenge, but after she got them laced, she stole a look at the man sitting next to her. At his strong jaw, thick black hair, and sensual lips that brought back memories of their searing kisses.
Aside from his obvious sex appeal, she had to wonder if his status as the heir to a dukedom was one of the reasons she found herself so drawn to him? He had family money of his own, and wouldn’t be interested in hers. Plus he’d said loud and clear that he wasn’t looking for a long-term commitment with any woman. Which made him safe to spend a little time with, right? She didn’t have to worry about impressing him in hope of something more.
The thought made her frown. Safe. Impressing others. Was her whole life focused on those two things? Keeping herself safe from heartache and pain? Safe from criticism by accomplishing things people expected of a Davenport? Safe from the hazards of the world, to the point where she wrapped herself in cotton wool to insulate herself?
“You’re scowling.” He leaned closer, his fingertip smoothing across her forehead. “Are you not wanting to hike? We can just have our picnic here, if you like, then drive some more and see the various views from the road.”
“No.” Miranda looked into Mateo’s eyes, then noticed him shoving the backpack that presumably held their lunch to the end of the bench. Her heart warmed at his consideration—when was the last time she’d spent time with such a sweet and thoughtful man, who seemed to really want to do whatever made her happy and comfortable? “I’m just thinking about the way I’ve been living my life. Maybe this trip was meant to help me take a look at that in a way I haven’t been doing.”
“And how have you been living your life, other than working too much?”
“I guess I’ve been worried too much about trying to impress people. Prove I might be worthy of the Davenport name. Not put myself in situations that might be scary or potentially hurtful. I... Maybe I’ve been living my life as a coward.”
“A coward? Now, there’s a word no one would ever use about you, Miranda. Aren’t you the woman who braved going into a collapsing tunnel? Who went up the funicular, even though it scared you? Who came on this trip with me after barely knowing me and having no idea how it would go?”
“I guess.” His words, along with the admiring smile in his eyes, had her smiling back, even though she tried not to put too much trust into all he was saying. But a warm little glow filled her chest anyway. “Maybe it’s being around you that makes me feel more brave than usual, putting myself in situations I normally wouldn’t. So thank you for that.”
He smiled and gently flicked his warm finger beneath her chin. “So I don’t need to feel so guilty about dragging you here to terrify you on the funicular and have to deal with my parents?”
“Like I told you last night, I’m here by choice, and you know what? I’m ready to hit the trail.”
“Bueno.” He shrugged on the backpack, enfolded her hand in his, and they set off.
The farther they walked, the more Miranda was amazed at the beauty surrounding them. Tall beech trees, maples with a few gold and red leaves left, the beauty of the rocky cliffs and the valley, with trout clearly visible in the glassy river as they trekked beside it.
“This is incredible! I didn’t know what to expect, but this is beyond anything I’d imagined. Living in big cities for my whole life, I guess I’ve forgotten how wonderful it is to enjoy nature and open spaces like this. I feel... I feel at peace here, you know?”
“Do you?” He paused, seeming struck by the comment. “I guess I always did too. Whenever I felt buried by schoolwork, or my family was driving me crazy, I’d come out here.”
“How did your family drive you crazy back then? Did you and Emilio have sibling squabbles?”
“Of course.” A smile twisted his lips. “But Emilio and I were close, and did a lot of things together. I only got a little jealous when my parents favored him so much, but it wasn’t his fault. And honestly? He deserved most of the admiration they gave him.”
“How did they favor him?”
“In lots of ways. Hey, look!” He pointed to the sky. “See the eagles? If you pay attention you might see vultures, too, all looking for their lunch.”
It seemed clear he didn’t want to keep talking about his brother and the Alves family dynamics. “Wow, that’s incredible. I’ve never seen an eagle before. The way they fly and glide is magnificent, isn’t it?”
“There are ways humans can fly here, too, Miranda. Base jumping, hang-gliding, parasailing.”
“Um, thanks, but you already know I’ll leave the hanging in the sky to the birds. Parasailing and all that looks too dangerous, as far as wimpy me is concerned,”
To her surprise, he suddenly looked somber, instead of amused, at their banter. What had she said to make him look like that?
“This looks like a good place for our lunch break,” Mateo said as they walked on in sudden silence. He stopped to gesture at a large, flat rock jutting from the hillside by the path. “Are you hungry?”
“Famished. I can’t remember being this hungry before.”
The dark eyes staring into hers held an odd expression. Miranda wasn’t sure what it was, she only knew that her breathless feeling came back in spades and her heart beat a little faster.
“I can’t either, mi belleza.”
His gaze lingered on hers, and just as she felt she was drowning in it, he turned away to drop the backpack onto the rock. Miranda couldn’t believe the containers of foods and sandwiches he pulled out, making her mouth water—or was it Mateo that had done that? Thoughts of kissing his beautiful mouth, tasting him again, suddenly seemed even more appealing than lunch, fool that she was.
With the food laid out, his gaze met hers again before dropping to her mouth. Mesmerized, she felt her lips part in anticipation. His face slowly lowered and his mouth met hers, soft and sweet and delicious.
The sound of voices coming from down the trail jerked Miranda back to reality as their lips parted, and she quickly looked down, pretending to decide on a sandwich. Wow, she needed to get her thoughts back on track. If he wanted a quick affair with her, he’d already be pursuing that, wouldn’t he? Instead, he’d backed off each time they’d kissed, or come close to kissing.
Surely she had enough pride not to want a man who didn’t particularly want her, didn’t she? And she was well aware that a simple kiss on a rock in the middle of nature didn’t mean a thing. So why did she keep trying to make it mean something it didn’t?
The family passed by, two parents with three children, the youngest looking only three or so years old. They smiled and spoke in Spanish to Mateo, and he answered back.
“I really need to study Spanish,” Miranda said as she picked up a sandwich. “It would be helpful when treating Hispanic patients in the hospital.”
“It
is very helpful. Some of the EMTs even call me to translate if I’m not on a run with them.”
“So, was that family envious of all this food?” she asked, trying to bring back the pleasant normalcy they’d been enjoying before, squashing the heat she’d felt vibrating between them. Vibrating from her end at least. But she just couldn’t seem to help it.
“They said they’d just enjoyed theirs, so I thankfully didn’t feel a need to offer them some.”
“Looks like Paula packed enough for them and us, too.”
He smiled. “She always fussed over Emilio and me when we were kids. Almost like a second mother to us, you know?”
“How long has she been with your family?”
“As long as I can remember. Raised her own brood, and us, too. All of her adult children now work somewhere on the estate.”
“That’s really wonderful, having a connection like that.”
“I guess it is.” He looked at her as though he hadn’t thought about that before. “I took it for granted, growing up with it. It’s like having a huge, extended family, I suppose. I need to meet with some of them before we go back to New York, talk about the most pressing things that need to be dealt with now that Emilio’s gone.”
“Are you going to try to address some of it while you’re here?”
“I don’t know. First, I have to find out if things are in good shape or not so good. So, how’s the food?”
Again, a change of subject. Miranda wondered if he didn’t want to think about the weight of his family’s expectations in running the estate, or the loss of his brother, or both. She was coming to realize even more how many really tough things he had to deal with right now, and she was glad all over again that she’d come, if her being here helped even a little.
“Speaking of family, I haven’t told you. I got a message that Charles is engaged.”
“Your brother? Is this good news, or bad?”
Trust a man who never wanted to marry to ask that question. “It’s wonderful news. He’s been very alone since his wife died, spending all his spare time taking care of his twin boys. And he’s marrying Grace Forbes, another ER doc you probably know. I’m really happy for both of them.”
“Well, if you’re happy, I guess that’s good.”
His expression showed he couldn’t really imagine an engagement—a real one—being good.
They ate in silence for a while, listening to the sound of the river gently swirling by and the birds chattering in the trees. Even though he’d changed the subject several times, would it help Mateo if he talked a little more about his brother? Maybe offering him her ear was what a friend should do.
“Your brother,” she said quietly. “How did he die?”
“Doing something we both loved to do. That we spent a lot of time doing together.”
“How does that make you feel?”
“The way he died was the result of being very reckless. And I have to wonder if I’d been more in touch with him, talked with him about the problems in his life, that might have helped him feel more at peace. I don’t know, but I do know that being here makes it feel more real than when I was in New York. It seems impossible that he’s not here any more, where everywhere I turn, there are memories of him.”
“Oh, Mateo.” She wrapped her arms around him and gathered him close. “I’m so sorry that you lost him.”
He pulled her close and pressed his cheek to hers. The long, silent connection made her realize it was the first time he’d really talked about it to her. Had accepted comfort from her. And that made anything his parents had to say to her much less important.
Slowly, he eased away. “So am I. For a lot of reasons. But being sorry won’t bring him back.” He gathered up the remnants of their lunch and stuck them in the backpack. “Ready to move on? There’s a waterfall not too much farther on that I know you’ll like to see.”
Clearly, the subject was again closed. But at least he’d opened up a little, and that was a start.
“A waterfall sounds wonderful.” The bleakness, the pain she could see in the depths of his eyes had her reaching to cup his cheek in her palm. “Just remember that I know well how much it hurts to lose someone you loved dearly. That it’s the kind of pain that takes years to heal. The pain of losing my mother is still with me, and I have a feeling I’ll miss her, miss getting to share important things in my life with her, forever.”
He nodded, turning his head to press his mouth against her palm. “Talking with you is making me realize I can’t keep just shoving it down and pretending it isn’t there, when being home just brings it to the surface anyway. It’s time to start dealing with it, I guess. I’m just not sure how.”
He tugged her close against him and she lifted her mouth to his, intending the kiss to be comforting, to show she cared and was here for him, a chaste kiss before she pulled back. But his palms came up to her face and he kissed her slowly, sweetly, until one hand slipped into her hair and tilted her head back, deepening the kiss. Making her feel weak in the knees and way too hot in all her clothing layers, and she clutched the heavy coat covering his wide shoulders to keep from melting to the ground.
A piercing shriek, then alarmed shouts came from quite a distance away, sending their lips popping apart and both their heads swiveling toward the sound. There was no sign of anyone on the path, but as the shrieking grew even louder, Mateo took off running. Miranda, her heart pounding and already out of breath from that kiss and from trying to catch up with him, focused on getting to whoever needed help without breaking her neck on the stones and tree roots trying to trip up her feet as she ran.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE SHRIEKS WERE eerily similar to the way Emily had sounded after falling from her father’s shoulders, and Mateo knew it must be one of the children that had passed by earlier, or possibly a different family coming from the opposite direction. He knew not to panic, but also knew it could be something serious, and the only way to find out what they might be dealing with was to get there fast.
Miranda followed him, but he couldn’t hear the sound of her steps anymore. Whatever had happened, he and Miranda could deal with a medical emergency. And if it was more than that, if there was some kind of rescue needed, he always came prepared.
Rounding a curve in the path, he saw the woman they’d seen before clutching two of the children close to her sides as she stared down the steep embankment toward the river, crying out to whoever was below. Mateo ran up next to her, looking down to see that the man who had passed them earlier was picking his way down, sliding at times as he went.
“Hang on!” the man yelled, obviously panicked. “I’m coming to get you. Don’t let go!”
Mateo’s chest tightened when he saw the gravity of the situation. The tiniest child was hanging on with only one arm to a scrubby, leafless bush growing straight from the side of the embankment, his feet and other arm dangling and swaying over the river. The water wasn’t running fast enough to take the child downstream very quickly, but if he fell? He definitely could suffer a serious injury on the rocks below.
“I’ve got a rope.” Mateo pulled the deceptively thin line from his pocket and moved toward the embankment, working as fast as he could to wrap and secure one end around a sturdy tree.
“Oh, my God, will that hold both of you?” The woman stared up him with wide, terrified eyes.
“Don’t worry, it’s stronger than it looks.” One last wrap, and it was ready. “I’ll get the child. Stay where you are,” he yelled to the man below, “because you’re as likely to fall as he is.” He knew too well how true that was. He couldn’t count how many times a second person, or more, had lost their footing trying to help someone else.
“Oh, my God, please help them,” the mother cried as he unrolled the line and began to rappel down to the boy.
“I’m almost
there. I can get him and hand him up to you,” the man said, grabbing a root to stop from sliding before staring up at Mateo with wild eyes.
It was never good to have the rescuer as freaked out as the one in danger. “Let me. I’m a search and rescue specialist, and an EMT. You can trust me to get him, I promise. Stay right there.”
Doubtless because Mateo had already moved past the man, he stayed there, gripping the root. When he got parallel to the boy, Mateo braced his leg against the rocky embankment, grasped the rope tightly with one hand, then curled his free arm around the child, holding him close to his body.
“I’ve got you, okay? Don’t be scared, and don’t look down. Are those your parents up there?”
The boy kept crying, but nodded through his tears, clutching at Mateo’s coat.
“Look at them, okay? Wrap your arms around my neck and hold tight. All set? Up we go now.”
Mateo wanted to make sure the child didn’t look down at the river and get so scared he tried to loosen himself from Mateo’s grip. That seemed counterintuitive, but he’d had more than one soldier or patient do exactly that, making it very hard to hold onto them, but at least this little guy probably weighed only thirty or so pounds.
“You stay there,” Mateo commanded the father as he pulled himself and the boy up the rope, passing him. He’d learned that sounding firm and authoritative was important in this kind of situation, when people were panicking and not thinking straight. “I’ll send it down for you after he’s safe. Don’t move.”
The man nodded, stilling hanging onto the root, and Mateo prayed it would keep holding him for a few more minutes. He looked up to see if the mother was ready to take the boy, or if he’d need to bring him all the way over the ledge. Miranda was standing there, her arms open, reaching instead as the mother kept her other two safely away from the edge.
“Ready for me to hand him over?” Mateo asked as, with one more hard pull, his head rose above the ledge. “Don’t try to take him straight from my arms. Let me get his bottom safely sitting before you take over.”