Cassidy’s smile nearly lit up the room and Celeste had to admit that her mother’s wasn’t far behind.
Thank You, God.
After helping Bonnie in the dining room, Celeste wandered across the foyer into the living room. Cheers and commentary sounded from the men parked on the leather sofas, while Emma and Steven tried to keep Scout from interfering with the Candy Land game they had spread across the floor.
At a small table in the corner, Hillary and Cassidy huddled around a wooden checkerboard. Mom moved a piece and then Cassidy promptly jumped it and added the game piece to her pile. Hillary pouted, but Celeste saw through it. Her mother was enjoying herself. For possibly the first time in who knows how long.
Celeste sighed. This was how a family, a home, should be. A safe haven filled with love and laughter.
This was what she’d wanted all her life. What she still longed for.
Her gaze inadvertently drifted to Gage, and her cheeks heated when she realized he’d been watching her.
He stood and came alongside her. “What’s got you so dreamy-eyed?” The words were a tickle on her ear, sending a shiver of gooseflesh down her arms.
“Oh, noth—”
“Dinner’s ready,” Bonnie hollered from the dining room. Her timing couldn’t have been better.
Celeste took a seat between Gage and her mother.
After prayer, Bonnie lifted her water glass. “A toast to Gage and Celeste for the best fall festival Ouray has ever seen.”
“Here, here,” echoed around the table.
Celeste dared a look at Gage, and the spark igniting in those deep blue eyes nearly knocked her out of her chair.
“Things may have started off a little rocky,” he said, “but once we embraced our differences...” He took hold of her hand. “I think we make a pretty good team.”
Celeste’s heart pounded so wildly she could barely catch her breath. There was one thing she knew for certain.
She was falling in love with Gage Purcell.
Chapter Twelve
The following Wednesday morning, Gage found himself lamenting the fact that his helper, Logan, had called in sick. That meant the tape embedding fell solely on him, taking twice as long to complete. Throw in the fact that it was his least favorite part of any job and his good mood was rapidly diminishing.
The only bright spot was that he’d likely see Celeste a few times throughout the day. Seemed she’d had his emotions tangled in all kinds of knots since the festival. He’d not only come to expect her dropping in, he looked forward to it.
Just then, he heard the door open into the space above the restaurant, sending a jolt of anticipation coursing through his veins.
Since the drywall was now in place, he had to move into the hall to see who was coming. Not that he didn’t have a pretty good idea already.
“Gage?”
He rounded the corner and almost collided with Celeste.
“I’m ready to help you tape and bed.” She struck a pose and Gage couldn’t help grinning like a love-struck teenager. She wore torn jeans, sneakers and a ratty sweatshirt, and her ponytailed hair was covered with a faded Cowboys baseball cap. In a word, gorgeous.
“Have you ever done tape embedding before?”
“No. Is it hard?”
“Not really, though it does take some practice. And it’s messy.”
“That much I figured.” She glanced at her clothing. “Which is why I’m dressed this way.”
“Then I’d say you’re perfect for the job.” Returning to the corner suite, he knelt beside the five-gallon bucket of joint compound and pried the lid off, all the while trying to settle his racing pulse. Funny, he’d allowed other customers to work with him before and none had ever had this effect on him. Then again, they weren’t Celeste. And the fact that she’d changed her plans, along with her clothes, to help him did strange things to his heart.
“This—” he removed the lid “—is why it’s so messy.”
She eyed the thick white mixture. “Looks like frosting.”
“Yeah, but I can guarantee it doesn’t taste like frosting.”
“That’s probably a good thing.”
He sent her a curious look.
“You’d always run out, because Emma would eat it all.”
He laughed. “This is true.” Standing, he gestured to the walls. “Okay, so we’ve got our drywall up. But you see all the nails and seams?”
“Yes.”
“We’re going to cover those up so we’re left with one smooth surface.” He loaded his trowel with a blob of mud.
Celeste watched closely as he spread the joint compound over the horizontal section where two pieces of drywall came together. Her proximity sent a waft of vanilla fragrance swirling around him, making it difficult to concentrate, but he still managed a straight line.
“Now we’re going to take this tape—” he reached for the roll of paper tape that dangled from his belt and pulled out a length “—and carefully lay it over the seam, pressing just enough to keep it in place.”
“So use a light touch?”
“Very. Because I’ll use my taping knife to embed the tape into the mud by gently dragging it across the tape.” He demonstrated, then stepped back to admire his handiwork.
“I get it now. You embed the tape. So it’s tape embedding, not tape and bedding.”
“You are one smart cookie, Miss Thompson.” He offered her his taping knife. “Ready to give it a try?”
She took a deep breath. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” She took hold of the knife. “What if I do it wrong?”
“Don’t worry. The mud doesn’t dry instantly, so you’ve got time to fix any mistakes.” He watched as she slid the six-inch knife across the next seam, impressed yet again by her willingness to step in and help. Tracy had been all about Tracy. She never volunteered to help him with anything unless it benefited her.
An hour later, he and Celeste were each working their own wall, though he stayed in the same room just in case she had any problems.
“So who’s minding things downstairs?” He glanced over his shoulder.
Celeste was on a ladder, tackling a vertical seam near the ceiling. “Karla and Leslie.”
“Leslie? That’s your new waitress, right?”
“Yes. And she’s definitely a keeper.”
Funny. Gage was beginning to think the same thing about Celeste.
He shook his head. Lord, are You sure about this? Because falling in love again has never been on my radar.
Sneaking another peek at the woman in question, he saw her start down the ladder. She missed the last rung, though, landed hard and stumbled backward, running into him.
Turning, he caught her by the arm. “You okay?”
“Just call me Grace.” She chuckled.
He couldn’t help smiling. “So does joint compound also work as a facial masque?”
“What?”
He tapped his nose to indicate she had some on hers, and her eyes crossed as she tried to look, which made him laugh all the more.
“Here, let me help you.” He tugged the rag from his back pocket and wiped away the wayward blob. “There. You’re back to beautiful.” He shrugged, realizing what he’d insinuated. “Not that you ever left.”
A shy smile graced her lips and her cheeks turned pink. “Thank you.”
“No. Thank you. You didn’t have to help me, you know?” He inched closer, taking hold of her free hand. His heart felt like a jackhammer against his chest. “But I’m glad you did.”
She peered up at him with those dark eyes that made him feel as though whatever was going on between them was really possible. That they were possible.
Sounds of an old-fashioned telephone echoed through the empty r
oom, ruining the moment. Celeste took a step back as he yanked his cell from his hip.
“Hello.”
“Gage. This is Tom Milner from Branson Mining.”
Turning toward the window, Gage quickly forced his mind to shift gears. “Yes, sir.”
“We’re looking for a foreman for the Golden Girl mine and were wondering if you might be available to come by our office Friday afternoon for an interview. Say one o’clock?”
Gazing down on Main Street, he mentally sifted through his calendar. “That should be fine.”
“Excellent. We’ll see you then.”
Gage ended the call, stupefied. After all this time. And a foreman position, at that.
“This is amazing.” He faced Celeste again.
“What is?”
“That was Branson Mining. They want to interview me for a job.”
Her mouth fell open. “Gage, that’s wonderful. That’s what you’ve been waiting for.”
“I know.” He ran a hand through his hair, still in disbelief. Then he looked around the room, reality smacking him in the face. “Uh-oh.”
“What?”
“This.” He swept the barely roughed-in room with his arm. “If I get the job with the mine, there’s no way I’ll be able to finish this by January. Between the girls and work—”
She stopped him with a hand to his chest. “Gage, ever since you told me you were a miner and that you were merely biding your time as a contractor, I knew this was a possibility.”
“But we have a contract.”
“Oh, who cares about some silly old contract? I have something better.” She smiled up at him.
“What’s that?”
“A plan.”
His gaze narrowed. “What kind of plan?”
“Do you think you could have one of the suites complete before the ice festival? And maybe the entryway and hall?”
He contemplated the timeline. “Probably.” He’d have to get his mother to help with the girls, though.
“And don’t worry about Cassidy and Emma. They can hang out with me.”
“How did you know I was thinking about them?”
She sent him an incredulous look. “Since when have you not put their needs first?”
That made him grin again. “Point taken.”
“Good. Okay, so I’ve already committed one of the units for the ice festival, but I can pull the ads for the rest. Which means I won’t need them ready until the high season. Do you think you could have everything completed by May?”
He was not only impressed but beyond appreciative that she’d thought this out. “That I know I can do.”
“Great. Then I guess that leaves just one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
She took a step closer. “Do you think you’ll be meeting your friends up at Bachelor-Syracuse anytime soon?”
“We have nothing planned. Why?”
Pink tinged her cheeks once again. “I’d like you to take me into the mine.”
“But I thought you were claustrophobic.”
“Mind over matter, right?” She shrugged it off. “I want to see what you do. Why you’re so passionate about mining. Besides, as long as you’re with me, I know I’ll be okay.”
There went that jackhammer again. Celeste might be okay, but his heart was in big trouble.
* * *
“You’re sure you want to do this?”
Celeste tightened her grip on Gage’s hand Thursday morning, determined not to let this mine tunnel get the best of her. People had been going in and—more importantly—out of here for over a hundred years. They did tours, for crying out loud. Which meant she had nothing to fear.
So why were her palms so sweaty?
Not very attractive. Still, that didn’t stop Gage from holding on to her. For that, she was grateful.
“I’m sure.” And she really was. She wanted to do this for Gage. To see what it was that put a spark in his eye whenever he talked about mining.
Unfortunately, that meant walking some fifteen hundred feet into a mountain.
“You’re not very convincing.” He stopped them and turned to look at her, killing the headlamp on his helmet. “I appreciate that you’re willing to do this, but you don’t—”
“Yes. I do.” She shrugged. “It’s a silly fear that I need to overcome. Besides, I really want to see this world through your eyes.”
Wearing a childlike grin, he gave her hand a squeeze. “Then I guess I’d better make things interesting enough to take your mind off of your fears.”
“I’m counting on it.”
He clicked his headlamp on again as they continued.
She drew in a deep breath, forcing herself to study her surroundings. The sandstone tunnel actually wasn’t as narrow as she’d imagined it would be. Twelve to fifteen feet across, perhaps. Maybe ten to twelve feet high.
The air was damp, though not musty or unpleasant, as drops of water trickled down the walls.
“What’s that yellowish-white coating on the walls?” Thicker in some areas, it had kind of an icy appearance.
“That’s calcite.” He paused and, since they were a good fifteen feet away from the nearest lightbulb, aimed his gazillion-watt flashlight at the wall for a better look. “A by-product of water continuously trailing over the same area. You’re welcome to touch it.”
She stepped across the old rails that Gage had said once carried the ore cars in and out of the mine and ran a hand over the surface. To her surprise, it wasn’t slick at all, but porous. “I guess it’s the calcium in the water that causes it?”
“Exactly.” He again offered his hand as she returned to his side. “Are you warm enough?”
His concern made her heart stutter. As long as you keep holding my hand.
She tugged at the hem of her jacket. “No complaints here.” Nerves aside, with the mine at a constant temperature of fifty-five degrees, it was warmer in here than it had been outside.
“Mines have a lot of different levels,” said Gage. “We’re on level nine, which means there are eight levels beneath us.”
“Wow. How do they get from one level to the next?”
“Elevators, which used to be steam powered, ladders and tunnels. Believe it or not, there’s an entire infrastructure inside the mountain. That’s where my job comes in.”
“How do you know where to go? I mean, to dig the tunnels.”
“Easy. We follow the vein.”
“Vein?”
He aimed his flashlight at the wall. “See this line?” He highlighted a half-inch-wide thread that angled upward.
“Yes.”
“That’s a vein. If they found one that was gold, silver or some other desired mineral, then they’d start dynamiting to create a drift or tunnel.”
“You mean they dynamited this tunnel?”
“Over a hundred years ago, at the lightning-fast speed of three feet per day.”
She glanced at the expanse in front of, then behind her. “It must have taken them forever to make this.”
“Pretty much.”
“Do you still use dynamite today?”
“Yes.” He started walking again, seemingly unfazed by the fact. “Though we no longer use the rod-and-hammer method. Larger mines will use special boring machines. Either way, excavating tunnels nowadays is much faster.”
Some fifty feet later, Celeste saw something that sent a chill down her spine. While the tunnel continued, a gate bearing a DANGER: KEEP OUT sign now spanned its width.
“What’s back there?” She slowed her pace, still clinging tightly to Gage’s hand.
“A cave-in.”
That stopped her dead in her tracks. “A what?”
“Don’
t worry.” He tugged her against him, his smile coaxing. “We’re going in here.”
She followed him into what appeared to be a room on one side of the tunnel. In it was a bench and some old mining equipment, and one of the walls was covered with one-inch holes.
Gage proceeded to explain how miners lived a hundred years ago. How they worked by the light of a solitary candle, one man wielding a sledgehammer, while another held a steel rod. Working together, they’d drive the rod deep enough to insert a stick of dynamite.
After lighting a candle that was perched near the wall, he reached for her hand. “Do you trust me, Celeste?”
Peering into Gage’s sapphire eyes, she realized just how much she’d come to trust him. Probably more than she’d ever trusted anyone before. He was a man of honor. “Of course.”
Suddenly, they were in utter darkness, save for the candle flickering against the wall.
She sucked in a breath.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you.” He slid his arm around her waist and held her close. “Close your eyes for five seconds. Give them a chance to adjust.”
She complied, her breathing evening out.
“Okay. Open them.”
While still dim, the whole room appeared illuminated now, yet only from that single candle.
“This is how they worked?”
“Yep. So the man holding the hammer would aim for the shine.” He pointed to the end of the rod. “And that’s how they got the job done.”
“Incredible.” She puffed out a laugh. “Makes me feel like such a wimp.”
Placing a finger under her chin, he tilted her face to look at him. “You are hardly a wimp, Celeste. You left your life in Texas to start a new one in Ouray. That took a lot of courage.”
“I could say the same about you.” She laid a hand against his chest. Felt his heartbeat beneath her fingers. “Coming back here with the girls.”
“Yeah, but I grew up here, so it’s not the same.”
“If you say so.”
He grinned. “Thank you for allowing me to share this with you. It’s not exactly what I do, but it gives you a little insight.” His arm tightened around her. “You’re not shaking anymore.”
“I have you to thank for that.”
A Father's Second Chance (Contemporay Christian Romance) Page 13
