A Cowboy's Courage

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  “Exactly! I grew up with a nice brick one in my folks’ house but that wouldn’t fit here. You need something more rugged.”

  “I could build you one.”

  She smiled. “One project at a time.”

  “Fair enough.”

  She wasn’t ready to tell him that her time in this house would be limited. Assuming the state took over stewardship of the cave, the house might work as a visitor center or administrative offices, though.

  He held out the tub. “You should get the last one.”

  “Not me. Those were for you.”

  “And I surely appreciate it. They got me over the hump.” He ate the last cookie and tucked the container in her pack. “I’m done for the day. We can go back down.”

  “I can’t say I’m looking forward to that part.”

  “Want me to carry you down? I am a firefighter, after all.”

  “No, thanks. I’ve seen videos of how firemen carry people down ladders, with their head hanging down and their ass in the air. That’s not for me.”

  He grinned. “Just a suggestion.”

  “I’d like a better one, please.”

  “Then let me have the backpack and I’ll start down first.”

  “And I’ll still be up here?”

  “You’ll climb down right after me so I can steady you from below. Unless you want to go down first.”

  “No. No, I don’t.” Panic clawed at her. Sitting still with Trevor inches away was fine. Crouching at the edge of the roof while Trevor started down the ladder… Her stomach pitched. “Let’s not go yet.”

  He gazed at her. “Waiting won’t make it any easier.”

  “It might.” Her teeth began to chatter and she clenched her jaw. Sweat popped out on her forehead. Great. He could probably see that.

  He glanced at his phone. “I know what we’ll do.” He tapped the screen and put the phone to his ear.

  “You’re c-calling someone?” Talk about embarrassing. “D-don’t do that. I c-can—”

  “Hey, Bryce. You in the middle of anything? Perfect. Could you make a little detour to Olivia’s place? Thanks, bro.” He disconnected.

  “You called your brother?”

  “Sure. I thought he might be driving from Nicole’s to the GG about now, which he is. You’re not that far out of his way.”

  “I can’t believe you called your brother.”

  He reached over and squeezed her knee. “That’s because you can’t see how white you are. And you may not have noticed, but you’re shaking like a leaf. If Bryce hadn’t been available, I would have gotten you down somehow, but this way you won’t have to be as scared with two of us to guide you.”

  “This is so humiliating.”

  “Nah. It’s just me and Bryce. My other option was calling the station.”

  “Okay, that w-would have been worse.”

  “And I hear his truck already. That’s the advantage of you being near town. And here he comes.”

  A dusty pickup pulled in next to Trevor’s work truck and Bryce climbed out wearing his all-black, Johnny Cash look.

  Her panic eased a little just seeing him walking toward the house. “He must be performing tonight.”

  “Yep. He and Nicole will do a couple of duets when the band takes a break. It’s getting to be a regular thing.” Trevor stood. “Hey, buddy, thanks for coming!”

  “You bet! Looks like you pulled off all those shingles.”

  “Sure did! Listen, Olivia climbed up here to bring me some cookies and she’s a little nervous about going back down. Got some acrophobia going on. If you’ll come up and steady her from below, I’ll help her get situated on the ladder.”

  “Absolutely.”

  She cleared her throat. “I’m totally embarrassed about this, Bryce.” But her pulse rate had slowed. These two strong cowboys wouldn’t let her fall.

  “Hey, don’t be embarrassed. Ladders are tricky. We’re not all part monkey like Trev.”

  “Thanks.” What a sweetheart. She was so giving him a discount on his tax preparation.

  She clung shamelessly to Trevor as he walked her down the incline to the ladder. He held the ladder with one hand and her with the other as she turned around, searched with her foot and connected with a rung.

  “There you go,” Bryce said from right below her. “Keep coming. I’m here.” He put a hand on her calf.

  “You got her, Bryce?” Still holding her hand, Trevor stretched out flat on his stomach for maximum reach as he kept his gaze locked with hers.

  “He’s got me.” Olivia didn’t like the idea of him lying so close to the edge. “Let go.”

  “Yeah, I’ve got her, bro. Turn loose.”

  Gripping the ladder with both hands, she lowered her other foot to the next rung.

  “I’m right here,” Bryce said. “You’re doing fine.”

  Trevor crouched near the ladder and watched her descent. When she managed a wobbly smile, he flashed her a grin and gave her two thumbs-up.

  With each step, her fear ebbed. When she was on the bottom rung, she took a deep breath and glanced over at Bryce. “I need to do it again.”

  He nodded. “Okay.”

  “You don’t have to stay. I’m sure you have things that you—”

  “Nothing critical. This feels important.”

  “Yeah, I think it is.” She looked up at Trevor. “I realize I’m a pain in the ass, but I want to try it again and see if I can do it without either of you holding onto me. I’ll holler if I need help.”

  “All righty.” He stood and moved away from the ladder. “Go for it.”

  She climbed the ladder with no problem. That was the easy part. But when she reached the top, she hesitated.

  “Focus on me.” Trevor’s voice was calm. “Hold onto the ladder with both hands and put one foot on the roof. Then push yourself up, step with the other foot and keep walking toward me.”

  Heart pounding, she followed his directions. And made it! Gasping for breath, she stood in front of him.

  “Awesome.” His smile bathed her in warmth. Then he lowered his voice. “I would kiss you right now, but my brother’s here.”

  “Right.” She gulped in air. “Now I have to go back down.”

  “You’ve got this.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Want a hand?”

  “Just at first. Don’t lie down on your stomach like before. Let me mostly do it.”

  “I will.” True to his word, he gave her only enough support to keep her from freaking out.

  Bryce called from below. “Want me to come partway?”

  “No, thanks! Just hold the ladder.” When she reached the ground, she gave him a hug. “Thank you for being here. Between you and Trevor, I felt secure enough to try that.”

  “Want to do it again?”

  “Not right now.” She looked up at Trevor. “I’m going to quit for today. I’ll practice some more tomorrow when Cody and Faith are here.”

  “Sounds good.” Slinging her backpack over his shoulder, he came down the ladder about three times faster than she had.

  That was okay. She’d done it almost by herself and tomorrow she’d get even better.

  “Cody and Faith are coming over?” Bryce pulled his keys out of his pocket. “What for?”

  “Storm’s due tomorrow night.” Trevor handed the pack to Olivia before collapsing the ladder and leaning it against the house. “I needed backup to finish the roof before it hits.”

  “I could help in the morning.” Bryce nudged back his hat. “What time you starting?”

  Trevor laughed. “Too early for you, hotshot.”

  “Hey!” Bryce reared back as if highly offended. “I can rise and shine like the best of them if it’s for a good cause.”

  “How about six?”

  Bryce flinched. “Is it even light by then?”

  “I’ll hook up some floods so we can get an early start.”

  “Okay. Six it is.”

  “And you’d rather
drink castor oil than be here at that hour.”

  “No, I want to help, and if that’s—”

  “I’m kidding.” Trevor punched him lightly on the shoulder. “I’ll be here around seven-thirty or eight. If you can come over sometime during the morning, I’d love to have you, but don’t feel obligated. It’s Saturday night at the GG. You’ll be up late.”

  “Yeah, but I can make it over here by eight.” He glanced at Olivia. “Coffee would be welcome, though.”

  “I’ll have plenty of coffee and chocolate chip cookies.”

  He brightened. “Oh, well, then! Why didn’t you say so in the first place? Count me in.”

  “And the cookies are primo,” Trevor said. “I gorged on them today.”

  “Excellent.” Bryce tugged his hat over his eyes. “Then I’ll see you two in the morning. Unless either of you are coming by tonight?”

  Trevor shook his head. “I have to get some shuteye. Got called to a house fire last night.”

  “And I’ll be baking cookies,” Olivia said, “but maybe tomorrow night I can make it. It’s a treat to watch you and Nicole perform.”

  His eyes lit with happiness. “Singing together is a treat for us, too.” He touched the brim of his hat. “See you soon.”

  “Thanks again!” she called after him.

  “Anytime!” He climbed in his truck, backed around and drove away, kicking up dust in the process.

  She gazed after him. “He’s a good guy.”

  “The best.”

  She looked over at Trevor. “You’re pretty special, yourself, letting me work on my issue with the ladder when you’re probably dead on your feet.”

  He regarded her quietly. “Not so dead that I don’t want to haul you into my arms and kiss you senseless. You have guts, lady. That turns me on.”

  She sucked in a quick breath and her heartbeat jumped into the red zone.

  “But don’t worry. I won’t grab you. You want time to think.”

  Any words she might have said stuck in her throat.

  He peered at her. “You do need time to think, right?”

  “Yes.” It was almost a whisper.

  “That’s what I thought. And I need time to sleep. But when you mentioned going to the GG tomorrow night, I had an idea. Would you like to go with me?”

  “Yes.” The word came out a little stronger this time.

  “Good. That’ll be fun. I have the next two nights off at the firehouse, which is great timing, all things considered.”

  “It is.”

  “See you at eight, then.” He touched the brim of his hat the way his brother had and walked over to his truck. As he pulled on his shirt, he turned toward her. “It’s really something that you just up and decided to conquer your fear of heights after all this time. You impress me.”

  “Ditto.”

  He paused, his shirt hanging open, and just looked at her. He took a step in her direction, swore softly and turned back to the truck. “See you soon.” Climbing in the truck, he closed the door with a firm clunk, started the engine and put it in gear.

  If she called out to him, he’d turn off the engine. She kept herself from stopping him and he drove away.

  When the sound of his truck was completely gone, she went into the house. Leaving the backpack in the kitchen, she picked up the rope and the miner’s hat in the laundry room.

  She’d been to the cave twice this past week to check on the bats. She was no expert, but both times they’d acted as if nothing had changed. She was willing to believe they were okay.

  She credited the massive effort by the local firefighters and the other crews that had come to help. The wind must have been blowing away from this grassy slope. If the smoke and ash had filtered down here, she might have found some dead bats.

  Instead the underground world evidently had continued to function despite the drama above. Cool, dank air surrounded her and the steady drip of water combined with the flutter of bat wings and soft squeaks. Her hidden world. Hers and Edward’s.

  Last visit she’d told him about the fire. This time she focused on Trevor. “We’ve become friends, friends who help each other.”

  Leaning against the chilled rock at her back, she turned off the light on her hat. Intimate conversations were easier in the dark.

  “You and I started out as friends. Remember? You quietly smothered the fire I’d accidentally started in the chem lab. I helped you write an essay on Keats that kept you from failing your senior English class.”

  She smiled. Edward had been a brilliant accountant and a lousy writer. “Anyway. Do you remember saying that if someone great came along, I should go for it? And I said I could never love anyone but you?”

  Her chest tightened. “I still believe that. You and I were perfect for each other. But…Trevor’s a nice guy. I’m not in love with him. I just like him a whole lot. And I miss having someone to hold and cuddle with. I didn’t think I would, but I do. I’m considering having friendly sex with Trevor. What do you think?”

  Falling silent, she let the sounds of the cave calm her. Once she let others know about this place, she’d never have it to herself again. She couldn’t come down and have private talks with Edward anymore. But she had to tell someone about the caverns, because a wonder like this should be shared with others who would appreciate it.

  “That’s another thing, Edward. I need a person I can trust to help me decide what to do about this cave. Trevor could be that person. But before I do anything drastic, I wanted to talk it out with you. I suppose I was hoping for a sign or something. How crazy is that?”

  She sat quietly, open to whatever might occur, but nothing did. Except that wasn’t entirely true. The last time she’d been here to discuss Trevor, she’d been confused and uncertain. She wasn’t anymore.

  She let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, sweetie. I need to go bake a whole bunch of cookies for tomorrow. I love you.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Trevor went to bed so early that he was awake at dawn. He was up and dressed in time to help with the chores down at the stable and grab a quick breakfast before heading off to Olivia’s. Because he’d helped feed and muck out stalls, Cody and Faith figured they’d be over a little sooner than they’d expected.

  When he turned down Olivia’s road, a cloud of dust ahead of him meant Bryce had beat him there. He chuckled. Evidently his brother’s pride was on the line. Either that or a batch of chocolate chip cookies was calling his name.

  Trevor loved cookies, too. But their importance was eclipsed by the woman who came down the porch steps as he pulled into the clearing. Damn, she was gorgeous.

  All that silky dark hair drove him nuts. She’d tied it back with a red ribbon that matched the red shirt she wore. Had he ever seen her in that color? Maybe not. Looked nice on her.

  She gave him a wave and walked over to greet Bryce, who’d just parked his truck. She seemed happy this morning and he’d take that as a good sign. He wouldn’t count his chickens, yet, but…what the hell? Bryce was wearing a hard hat?

  Trevor pulled in next to him and climbed out. “What’s with the hard hat, bro?”

  Bryce gave him a shit-eating grin. “I’ve always wanted to wear one of these and I’ll never have a better chance. Got me a tool belt, too.” He reached into the truck, grabbed it and put it on. “Whatcha think?”

  Olivia stood behind him, hand over her mouth, shoulders shaking in silent laughter.

  Somehow Trevor managed to keep a straight face. Bryce’s goofy streak had gone underground in high school when Charity had gotten ahold of him. If Nicole had restored it, good for her. “Aside from the fact you have no tools in that tool belt, you look awesome.”

  “I figure you’ll supply me with the tools. There was a limit as to how much I’d invest for this caper. Then you like the outfit?”

  “Love it. I’m waiting for you to start singing Wichita Lineman.”

  “Bingo.” Bryce clicked his tongue and pointed a finger at him. “If I’m
getting up at dawn, I’m sure as hell gonna have fun doing it. I have a complete working man’s playlist right up here.” He tapped his hard hat.

  “Then you might break into song at any moment?”

  “Count on it. This roof will go on ten times faster with me singing. See if it doesn’t.”

  “Can’t wait.”

  Olivia surveyed the two of them. “And I thought this day would be a grind.”

  Bryce stuck his hands in the pockets of his tool belt. “Not if I can help it.”

  “I can’t decide whether to offer you two coffee or not. You both seem wired already.”

  “I’ll take coffee,” Bryce said, “with a side of chocolate chip cookies, please.”

  “Make that two coffees with a side of cookies.” Trevor eyed his brother. “And don’t think Olivia will slip you more cookies because you’re funny and you can sing. She’s smarter than that.”

  “No, I’m not.” She gave him a saucy look. “I’m a sucker for funny guys who can sing. Follow me, gentlemen.” She walked toward the porch.

  Bryce lowered his voice. “She’s into you, bro. I can tell. Capitalize on it.”

  “How can I when you’re strutting around in your tool belt claiming all the attention?”

  “Strap on your own tool belt and she’ll forget all about me. You have one, right?”

  “Of course I have one. And a spare I could have loaned you. I hope you didn’t pay a lot for yours because I hate to see you wasting your money on something you’ll use once.”

  “Chill, Trev. I borrowed it off your boss Greg. Same with the hard hat.”

  “Okay, that’s good. I thought they looked familiar. Hey, the joke was great. You don’t have to keep wearing the hard hat, though. The tool belt will come in handy, but the hat is overkill.”

  “I like the hat. Nicole likes it a lot, too. I might have to buy one.”

  “Oh, for God’s sake. I don’t want to know what sexual fantasies you and Nicole—”

  “No, I mean for the act.”

  “What act?”

  “Mine and Nicole’s. She has some great ideas and Mandy can make any kind of costume we ask her to.”

  “So you’d wear a hard hat and a tool belt to sing Wichita Lineman?”