Lizzie's palms were sweating, her heart was racing, and as she looked down at her niece, she felt dizzy. What if she slipped? What if Luke couldn't hold her weight? What if Kaitlyn fell before she got there?
"Lizzie," Luke said sharply, pulling her gaze to his. "Look in my eyes. Trust me."
He was literally asking her to trust him with her life and also with Kaitlyn's life. But she did trust him. She always had.
"I do. I'm ready. Let's get Kaitlyn."
* * *
Luke felt real fear for the first time in forever. It was one thing to risk his own life; it was another to risk Lizzie's. But he knew this was the only way they were going to be able to save Kaitlyn. He would make good on his promise. He would bring them both up safely.
He dug into the dirt behind a boulder to give himself a place to stand and a huge rock to block his weight against. He tied the two ropes around his waist, then tied both ends around Lizzie's waist. Once she got to Kaitlyn, she'd undo the top rope and put it around Kaitlyn. Then he gave her instructions on how to make her way down the slippery, steep hillside.
He could see the fear in her blue eyes, and she was literally shaking. He wished he didn't have to put her in this position, but there was no other option.
He leaned over and kissed her hard on the mouth. "You're going to be okay, babe."
She nodded, biting down on her bottom lip. "I've never been this scared."
"That doesn't matter. You're courageous, Lizzie. You are stronger than you know."
"Do you really believe I can do this?"
He met her gaze. "Without one single doubt."
She let out a breath. "Then I better get to it."
She walked over to the edge, dropped to her knees and started to climb down facing the hillside. He let out the rope as she made her way down.
She moved slowly, carefully, and he found himself holding his breath with every step that she took. It seemed to take forever. And he silently prayed that she wouldn't stop, wouldn't look down, wouldn't suddenly freeze. He had confidence in her, but he wasn't sure how much confidence she had in herself.
"Doing great," he called out encouragingly.
Despite his words, his heart was pounding like a jackhammer, and all he could think about was how he wished he'd told Lizzie he loved her. Why hadn't he said the words? He'd never had a problem saying them before. She was the one who'd had difficulty putting that commitment into words. But he hadn't said them—not last night, not now…and he knew why. He was afraid she wouldn't be able to say the words back to him, that somehow he'd be left holding his heart in his hands again.
What a fraud he was, telling her to be brave, when he was too cowardly to speak the truth. He would tell her—later—when she was safe, when she could trust that his words weren't coming just from fear.
"Almost there," he yelled down, adjusting his stance.
"I'm coming, Kaitlyn," he heard her say to her niece.
"I'm scared," Kaitlyn told her.
"We all are," Lizzie replied. "But we're going to be fine. Luke will make sure of that." She stumbled at the end of her words, kicking up some small rocks and dirt.
Kaitlyn cried out as some of those rocks hit her.
"Hang on, Kaitlyn," he yelled.
Liz was close. Another foot, and she'd reach Kaitlyn.
Then things were going to get even more difficult.
Eleven
"I'm here," Liz said, bracing her feet against the fallen tree as she put a hand on Kaitlyn's arm.
"I'm sorry," Kaitlyn said, tears streaming down her face. "I wanted to prove I could climb to the top of the mountain, but then I dropped my necklace and when I went to look for it, I slipped."
"We'll talk about it later." She had a lot of questions, but now wasn't the time.
"How are we going to get up there?" Kaitlyn asked with wide-eyed skepticism.
"I'm going to put this extra rope around your waist, and Luke is going to pull you up. Then I'll come after you."
She undid the knot on the top rope with shaky fingers. She knew Luke wouldn't let her fall, and she had her feet braced against the tree; she just had to trust him and trust herself. When she finally got it undone, she moved a little closer to Kaitlyn and somewhat awkwardly managed to tie the rope around her niece's waist. She made the knot that Luke had showed her and checked it twice to make sure it was strong.
"You're good to go," she said, forcing a smile on to her face. "All you have to do is scramble up the hill. Luke will pull you along."
"What if I trip or I fall?"
"He won't let you fall."
Kaitlyn stared back at her. "I couldn't do it before. I couldn't climb up the hill. I couldn't save Mommy. She told me to get out of the car, to look for help, but I couldn't do it. I was too scared."
The words tumbled out of Kaitlyn's mouth and Liz was shocked by a story she had never heard. The first people on the scene had said that Kaitlyn was sitting on the ground next to the car and that her parents had died on impact. But now Kaitlyn was telling her that Kelly had been alive.
"I'm the reason Mommy died," Kaitlyn said.
She shook her head. "No, honey, that's not true. Your mother's injuries were severe. She wouldn't have lasted more than a few minutes. She knew you loved her, and the last thing she would have wanted you to do was put yourself in danger to save her. She probably just wanted to get you out of the car in case there was a potential for a fire or for the car to slip farther down the hillside. You were the most precious person to her. She adored you, Kaitlyn."
Kaitlyn's gaze wavered. She wanted to believe; she just didn't know how.
"This isn't like before, Kaitlyn. You're not alone. Luke is on the other end of this rope. He will get you to safety. I promise you that. You have to trust me, honey." She realized she was saying the same thing to Kaitlyn that Luke had said to her. Maybe that's what all relationships came down to—trust and belief in the other person. "Let go of the tree, Kaitlyn—take my hand. I will not let you fall, and neither will Luke."
She put out her hand. Kaitlyn let go of the tree and then quickly grabbed her hand. "That's good. Now, the other hand. Put it on the ground in front of you." She braced her feet against the trunk as Kaitlyn freed herself. "She's ready, Luke," she yelled.
"So am I," he said. "Just climb up the hill, Kaitlyn. Don't look down."
Kaitlyn gave her one last look of indecision and she smiled reassuringly. "See you at the top."
"Promise you're coming back," Kaitlyn said. "I can't lose you, too."
"I promise," she said, her heart turning over in her chest. "You and I are sticking together."
Kaitlyn took in a deep breath and started to climb as Luke pulled on the rope to help her get up the hill.
Lizzie held her breath as her niece made her way up the slippery, rocky hillside. A few stumbles and heart-stopping pauses, and then she was safe.
"She's okay," Luke said, peering down at her. "Now it's your turn, Lizzie."
She was heavier than Kaitlyn and probably not as nimble, but she had to remember what she'd just told her niece. Trust in Luke. Trust in herself.
"I'll help," Kaitlyn said, moving next to Luke.
Kaitlyn put her arms around Luke's waist, and it was the most touching thing Lizzie had ever seen. She felt an overwhelming rush of love for both of them. They would not let her fall.
She made her way back up the hill, thankful for the rope around her waist pulling her up with assured confidence. When she reached the top, she scrambled away from the edge and took several ragged breaths before Kaitlyn hurled herself into her arms.
They hugged for several long minutes. And for the first time in forever, Kaitlyn was the loving, affectionate girl she'd once been.
"Hey, my turn," Luke said, wrapping his arms around both of them.
She wanted to stay in this warm circle of love forever, but they needed to get off this mountain before dark. She pulled away, and gazed up at Luke with so many words she wanted to say b
ut no time to say them. So she settled for, "Thanks."
"You're welcome," he said with a smile, letting go of her, but not stepping too far away. "I'll make a rock climber out of you yet, Lizzie."
"I don't think so. That adrenaline rush will last me a good long time."
"It does feel a little good though, doesn't it?" he teased.
She had to admit that conquering her fears and climbing both down and back up did make her feel rather triumphant. "Maybe a little," she conceded. "Now let's go home."
"You've got it." Luke collected the ropes and put them back in his pack and then led the way down the path.
Lizzie took Kaitlyn's hand when they had enough room to walk side-by-side, and when they didn't, she followed close behind her niece, keeping Kaitlyn safely between Luke and herself.
When they got back to Wolmer Falls, they took a break by the pools. Luke pulled out water bottles and they each took long, welcome drinks.
"So, time to fill me in," Luke said. "I didn't hear much of what you and Kaitlyn were talking about." He turned to Kaitlyn. "Why did you come all the way up here by yourself? Were you looking for the gold?"
Liz knew Luke was curious, but she wanted to protect her niece from his questions, in case they triggered more bad memories. "It's okay. She doesn't need to talk about it now," she said quickly.
"I can tell him," Kaitlyn said. "I—I want to tell him, and I want to tell you."
"Okay," she said, thinking she'd gotten past the heart-pounding stuff, but maybe not.
Kaitlyn licked her lips as she faced both of them. "I was thinking about the accident today because it's my mom's birthday. I pulled out the photo albums and when I saw how happy we used to be, it made me sad, and it made me angry."
"That's understandable," she murmured.
Kaitlyn licked her lips. "The night of the accident, my parents were arguing in the car. It was really late at night and we were driving through the mountains. My mom had wanted to leave earlier, but I was at a party with some other kids, and I wanted to stay, and my dad said it was okay." She drew in a breath. "On our way home, it started to rain, and it was hard to see out the windows. Mom was scared. I was feeling sick because the road was so curvy. And then a car came out of nowhere, and the lights blinded me and Dad, too, I guess. My mom screamed and then we crashed through something and we were flying. The car flipped over a couple of times, and I was crying and crying. I thought we were all going to die."
Lizzie's heart tore apart at Kaitlyn's words. Kaitlyn wasn't just describing what had happened to her but the last few moments of her sister's life. A part of her wanted Kaitlyn to stop, but another part of her wanted her to keep going.
"When we finally stopped, we were at a slant. The front end of the car was smashed against the trees. Daddy's eyes were closed, and there was blood coming down his face. Mommy was trying to get her seat belt off, but she couldn't. She told me it would be okay. She said I should get out of the car. See what was around us. I told her I would get help, and she said she was proud of me, that I was being brave." A tear fell from Kaitlyn's eye, and she wiped it away with the back of her hand.
"But I wasn't brave," she continued. "I got outside, and it was really dark and rainy. There was a big hill in front of me. I went over there, and I started to climb up, but I slipped, and then I was too scared to try again." She took another breath. "I went back to the car, and I was going to get in, but it started to slide so I jumped out. I tried to talk to Mommy through the window, but she wouldn't talk back. So I sat down on the ground. Then the firemen came and they took me up the hill, and I never saw Mommy or Daddy again."
Lizzie stepped forward and put her arms around Kaitlyn's trembling shoulders. "Oh, honey, I am so sorry you had to go through that. Your mom wanted you to be safe; that's why she told you to get out of the car. She wouldn't have wanted you to climb that hill if it was dangerous. I know that."
"But if I'd gotten to the road, maybe I could have saved them," Kaitlyn said, pulling away, anguish in her eyes. "I could have waved down a car, but I was too scared so I did nothing. I should have died with them."
She immediately shook her head. "No, Kaitlyn. You deserve to live, and your mother and your father would want you to live. You were their greatest joy. I know they're watching down on you right now. They want nothing for you but happiness and a long, long, happy life."
"You should hate me. You lost your sister."
"Never," she said fiercely. "I don't hate you at all. It's not your fault what happened."
"But if I hadn't wanted to stay at the party—"
"You can't think of all the things that could have happened differently," she told her. "Your dad made the choice to stay later. It was just an accident. It wasn't anyone's fault. I'll tell you that as many times as you need to hear it in order to believe it. Because it's the truth."
"I came up here today because I thought if I could go past Last Chance Rock and be really brave, my mom would somehow know that I wasn't a coward."
"Your mom knows. It was her necklace, the one she gave to you, that led us to you. I think she was watching over you."
A look of wonder came over Kaitlyn's face. "Do you think so?"
"I do." She gave Kaitlyn another hug, then glanced over at Luke.
He was watching them both with compassion and kindness in his warm brown eyes.
"Sorry we put you in the middle of all this," she said.
"I'm not," he replied. "I'm glad I was here to help."
"Me, too." She wished he could always be there to help.
"Can we go home now?" Kaitlyn asked.
She was thrilled that Kaitlyn had finally referred to the lodge as home, but as they made their way down the mountain, she couldn't help wondering how long the lodge really would be home. Luke was an amazing man. He'd saved their lives. But would he keep the lodge just to give them a place to call home?
* * *
They made it back to the resort just past seven as the sun set behind the mountains and darkness fell. They'd barely stepped foot on the property when the first of the worried staff members saw their arrival and came running to greet them: Nancy from housekeeping, Tina from the front desk, Jeff the handyman, and Tom all hugged Kaitlyn and told her how happy they were she was back.
Kaitlyn seemed surprised at all the attention. She'd really had no idea that even with her bad behavior, the staff at the lodge cared about her and wanted her to be safe and happy. Liz had never been more proud of her employees. She tried to make light of the adventure, not wanting to put Kaitlyn through any more emotional explanations, simply saying that her niece had finally decided to try a hike, but next time she would go with someone.
After a quick stop to wash their hands, she and Kaitlyn met back up with Luke in the dining room. He'd already ordered everything on the menu, he told them with a laugh, which was fine with Liz, since she'd worked up quite an appetite in the mountains.
Val, the new interim chef, with their sous chef Michelle's help, had landed on her feet quite nicely, and soon they were digging into juicy barbecued ribs and chicken, salad, roasted vegetables, fresh fruit, and twice-baked potatoes followed by a three-layer chocolate cake.
Liz couldn't remember being so hungry. Kaitlyn and Luke also made fast work of the meal. After they finished eating, Kaitlyn went to take a shower, and Luke suggested they take their coffee up to the roof. She was happy to go with him. She needed some space to decompress and escape all the well-meaning questions from the staff, most of whom weren't buying the Kaitlyn-just-wanted-to-go-on-a-hike story.
When they reached the rooftop patio, she took a breath of cool, fresh air and felt immediately better. It was a lovely night, with temperatures still in the sixties.
She sat down on the bench and let out a sigh of relief. "This is good."
"I thought it would be," Luke said, sitting down next to her.
"I can't quite believe everything that happened since we were up here last night." As she finished speaking, her m
emories flashed back to the hours in Luke's bed. It seemed like a long time ago now.
"It's been a busy day," he said with a small smile. "And here I thought there'd be nothing going on."
"You brought the excitement with you."
"Not this time."
"That's true. Kaitlyn was a simmering pot just waiting to blow. I knew in my gut that her mom's birthday was going to bring up some problems; I just didn't know what to expect. And then Shari going into labor four weeks early was quite a surprise. Speaking of which…" She pulled out her phone. "I got this text when we were finishing dinner. It's from Brad. Shari just gave birth to our baby girl. Both doing great."
"That's excellent news."
"It is." She let out a breath as she put her phone back into her pocket. "I didn't even have time to worry about her, but I'm so happy she's all right. I'm also glad Val is a capable chef. Another small miracle. We've had several of those today."
"Yes, we have."
She looked over at Luke and felt a tremendous wave of affection and gratitude toward him. He'd been so calm, so confident, so unwavering through those panicked minutes when she'd realized the trouble Kaitlyn was in. "I don't know what I would have done without you today. I owe you big time."
"I think I like the idea of you owing me something," he replied, his lips curving into a smile. "But in all honesty, you did the hard part, Lizzie. You climbed down the mountain. You put your life on the line for Kaitlyn. All you."
"You're giving me too much credit. You had to pull us back up."
"No big deal. You're both lightweights."
"Well, I still can't quite believe it even happened. It's surreal. When I think of all the things that could have gone wrong, it makes my stomach hurt."
"Don't think about what didn't happen, only what did." He set his coffee mug down on the bench and then took hers out of her hand and set it down as well.
"I wasn't done with that," she protested.
"You'll get it back. But first, I want to collect on your debt." He leaned forward and touched her mouth with his in a kiss that was meant to be tender but immediately triggered a firestorm of heat within her.
Luke (7 Brides for 7 Brothers Book 1) Page 14
