Mysterious Mountain Man

by Annette Broadrick

  “She thinks she can do it. I’m willing to let her try.”

  They both turned when they heard the door open and watched her walk toward them, carrying her small bag. The businesswoman was gone. In her place was what looked to be a seasoned hiker, if her small boots were any indication. They’d seen plenty of use, as had the jeans that fit her so well. She wore an unzipped windbreaker over a bulky sweater.

  “Sorry to take so long,” she said, pausing beside him and gazing up at his hat. “I don’t think I would have recognized you in your hat and sunshades.”

  “Hell, ‘Becca, you didn’t recognize me without ‘em.”

  She glanced at Betty and gave a small shrug. “That’s true. I didn’t. I’d only seen him in suits before today.”

  “We’ll leave your car here and you’ll come with me in my truck. We better get a move on, so we don’t run out of light.” Jake opened the screen door and ushered Rebecca out. He glanced over at Betty and winked. “See you later.”

  Betty walked over to the screen door and watched as Jake opened the passenger door of the truck and steadied Rebecca as she climbed inside. She heard Mel come out of the kitchen and walk up behind her. “Whaddaya think?” she asked as the truck headed back down the highway toward the mountains.

  “I think our boy’s just met his match and don’t know it.”

  She turned around and, laughing, hugged her man. “It’s gonna be fun watchin’ how it all turns out, though. Bet he’s not goin’ to know what hit him before all this is done.”

  Mel gave her a smacking kiss and returned her hug. “Us poor men never do.”

  Three

  Jake glanced at Rebecca out of the corner of his eye once they were on the highway. She sat comfortably in his pickup truck, looking as regal as if she were in the back of a limousine.

  He returned his attention to the road. The turnoff was unmarked, and he could easily miss it if he wasn’t paying attention.

  He wasn’t certain what had prompted him to agree to Rebecca’s suggestion. Boredom maybe. Perhaps there was a hint of malice, as well. If she wasn’t willing to take his word for it that the trip to his place wasn’t for a city dweller, then he guessed she’d have to see for herself.

  He’d never cared for Rebecca, although he’d kept his thoughts and feelings to himself. He’d been surprised when she’d admitted that he made her nervous. The truth was that he didn’t like the kind of woman he’d taken her to be—rich, spoiled and used to getting her own way. Now he was wondering if he’d been a little quick to stick a label on her.

  Brock had thought his little darlin’ could do no wrong, and Jake had grown weary of hearing her virtues extolled. The only time Brock had hinted that he would like to see Rebecca and Jake as a couple Jake had quickly set Brock straight. He’d been hired to work in the company, not to participate in establishing a family dynasty.

  At least Brock hadn’t pursued that particular subject. Jake couldn’t help but wonder what Brock would have thought about Rebecca’s going to such lengths to save the company that she would seek him out. Jake had a hunch the older man would have voiced strong disapproval had he known.

  Actually, her decision to seek help showed good sense. Jake wondered why Brock hadn’t hired someone to replace him. Maybe he hadn’t had time. From the sound of things, all hell had broken loose soon after he’d left, which didn’t surprise him in the least. Hadn’t he warned Brock that some of his policies and competitive decisions weren’t worth the risks they were taking? Somehow, recognizing his I-told-you-so attitude didn’t make him feel a hell of a lot better. Nor did he want to rush back to Seattle in his savior suit to right all the wrongs that had been committed in the name of big business.

  Jake slowed the truck and turned onto the dirt road that would take them on the next stage of their journey.

  “You okay?” he finally asked when he realized she hadn’t spoken since they’d left the café.

  She glanced around at him as though surprised to see him sitting there, before she returned her gaze to their surroundings. “Yes. I’ve never seen mountains like these before. They’re so stark and forbidding.”

  “They’re a far cry from the picture-postcard look of the snowcapped Cascades, that’s for sure.”

  After a moment she nodded. “That’s true, but still—they’re quite majestic in their own way.”

  Jake realized he was pleased that she could see the beauty of the mountains. He felt like a parent showing off a child. A twinge of guilt caused him to ask, “Have you done much hiking?”

  “Not lately, I’m afraid. I used to spend my summer vacations in the mountains whenever I could. However, these past few years haven’t given me much free time.”

  At least that explained the well-used look of her hiking boots. He cleared his throat. “You’re going to recognize the test of this place once we’re on our feet and climbing. We want to get to my place before dark. Otherwise it’s too dangerous to be moving around up there.”

  He shifted into lower gear as the winding road began to climb into the foothills.

  “What made you decide to live up here?”

  He gave her a quick glance before saying, “Like you, while growing up, I spent my summers in the mountains. I used to worry my mother by disappearing up there for days.”

  She turned in her seat, pulling one knee up so that she was facing him. “Tell me about your mother. Which one of the Abbots is she related to?”

  Jake had never liked talking about himself. Most especially, he’d never been one to discuss his family. So what was he supposed to say in reply? It was obvious that Rebecca was attempting to establish a line of communication between them.

  Once again, he wished he hadn’t agreed to bring her back with him. He let out a gusty sigh. “Neither.” When he glanced her way he saw her confusion. Hell, it wasn’t a deep, dark secret, his past. He’d just never considered it anyone else’s business.

  Jake cleared his throat, then said, “My mother was a Jicarilla Apache.” His voice still sounded gruff. He swallowed, frowned, then continued. “She made the mistake of falling in love with the wrong guy and married him despite her family’s objections. When he abandoned her she refused to return to her people. Mel and Betty ended up taking her in and giving her a place to live.”

  She didn’t say anything immediately and Jake held a brief hope that her curiosity was satisfied. He should have known better.

  “How old were you when your father left?” she asked after several minutes of silence.

  His short laugh showed no amusement. “I was little more than a dream in my mother’s thoughts. No one ever said anything to me, but I figure he must have left when he found out she was pregnant.”

  She looked out the window as they rounded a sharp curve, watching the primitive road. Quietly she asked, “Did he ever return?”

  “No.”

  “So you never knew your father,” she murmured in the silence of the truck’s cab. He was relieved not to hear pity or sympathy in her voice and found himself relaxing slightly.

  “Never wanted to,” he immediately responded. “My mother didn’t deserve that kind of treatment.”

  “So Mr. Abbott was a surrogate father for you?”

  Jake mulled that one over for several minutes, recalling his childhood. “I suppose. My mother worked there at the café until she died.”

  “How old were you when she died?”

  He gave her a brief glance of irritation. Damn, but the woman was inquisitive! “Ten.”

  Once again she sounded matter-of-fact when she said, “It’s tough losing a parent, no matter how old you are. I was already in my twenties when my mother died, and it was still a devastating blow. Even then I had my father. It’s a wonder you survived as well as you did.”

  He pulled off the dirt road he’d been following and parked the truck in a sheltered place by a stone overhang.

  “She did what she could for me,” he admitted. “And, as you pointed out, I had the Abbo
tts.” He turned off the engine and looked over at her. “Figure out what you want to take with you up there—” he nodded toward the surrounding peaks “—and I’ll carry it in here.” He opened the truck door and stepped out, then reached behind the seat for a rucksack.

  Rebecca quickly got out on her side and reached for her bag and brief case. “Oh, that’s all right. I can carry them.”

  He shook his head. “I have only one backpack and it’s too heavy for you. You’ll need your hands free.”

  For the first time since he’d seen her walk into the café Rebecca Adams looked unsure of herself. He almost smiled at the expression on her face. “I warned you that it wouldn’t be easy getting to my place.”

  She nodded. “I know you did, but I thought there would be a trail to follow and that we would be hiking.”

  “I’ve never wanted anyone to know where the place is, so I’ve deliberately used different ways to reach the narrow canyon that leads into the meadow.” He could have taken her on one of the easier routes, but he chose not to. He didn’t want her deciding she could find the place on her own some other time and try to come back for another attempt to persuade him to return to Seattle.

  She turned to her bag and opened it, frowning.

  “If you want to change your mind, now’s the time. I can still take you back down to the café. You can spend the night at Mel and Betty’s and—”

  “No. I mean, that’s all right, I can do this.” She sorted through some clothing, then reluctantly handed him a few items when he joined her on the passenger side of the truck. He stuffed them into the backpack while she opened her briefcase and gathered up the files. Silently she handed them to him. Without glancing at them, he opened a side flap and slid the files into the pocket, then carefully made sure the top closed.

  After adjusting the rucksack and its straps, he made certain the doors were all locked on the truck, then looked around at Rebecca. “Ready?”

  She stood with her hands tucked in her windbreaker pockets, gazing at the rough terrain. With a slight shrug and a smile, she nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Something tells me I’m going to be sorry I skipped some of my gym workouts this winter.”

  He almost smiled. She was being a better sport about this than he’d expected. He felt another twinge of guilt, but only for a moment. He had to remember who she was and why she had come to Texas. He couldn’t afford to allow her any advantages where he was concerned.

  Without comment he turned and headed up into the next phase of their journey.

  * * *

  Rebecca didn’t know how long they’d been following what appeared to her as a nonexistent trail. She’d been too busy keeping up with Jake’s long-legged pace. He wasn’t even breathing hard and he was wearing a backpack. She, on the other hand, sounded like a steam engine in dire straits.

  For some reason she’d pictured her visit to the mountains as a long drive along a primitive road, followed by a hike of several hundred feet to Jake’s home. Instead, she was thoroughly confused with all the twists and turns they had taken since leaving the truck.

  Despite her lungs’ strenuous objections, she was determined to show Jake that she had the stamina and willingness to follow him back into his hidden mountain lair. Too bad she hadn’t understood just how accurate a description that had turned out to be.

  She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that when Jake halted she almost ran into him.

  “You okay?” he asked gruffly.

  If she’d had any wind left, she would have laughed. Instead, she took the respite to draw much-needed air into her lungs. “Just dandy,” she finally managed to wheeze.

  He frowned. “If I was going too fast you should have said something.”

  She leaned over, bracing her arms against her bent knees, while she continued to take deep breaths. When she finally straightened she looked him in the eye and said, “But that was the whole point in this exercise, wasn’t it? To show me how out of place I am in your world?”

  She noted a slight ruddiness spread across his high cheekbones. Hah! At least he had the grace to blush. She looked around them but saw nothing that looked like a dwelling. A narrow canyon branched off to the left of where they were standing.

  He nodded toward the canyon. “We need to go that way. We’re almost there.”

  Her knees had the consistency of gelatin. Only her sheer determination not to allow him to win this round gave her enough energy to lift her chin and say, “Okay.”

  “The worst of the climb is behind us. You did well, better than many seasoned climbers.”

  “Does that mean I passed one of your tests?”

  He grinned, darn him, which didn’t help the consistency of her knees at all. “I did warn you, you know,” he pointed out quite reasonably.

  Too bad she was fast losing her reasonable mood. “So you did.” She glanced around them and added, “The light’s fading fast, isn’t it?”

  He eyed her for a moment in silence before taking the lead once more.

  The canyon continued to narrow until they came to the end of it. How strange, she thought. Why would he lead her down a blind canyon? Was he hoping she would make loud objections to the unnecessary journey? Too bad. She was learning a few things about Jake Taggart. By the same token, he was going to learn a few things about her as well. She could be as tenacious as he was. She knew what her objective was, and she didn’t intend to back down from it. However, there was a good chance she’d be too stiff tomorrow to walk out of the mountains.

  A sudden picture of him carrying her out slung over the top of the backpack almost made her laugh out loud.

  Jake’s pace didn’t slacken as he continued toward the blank surface of the canyon wall. He paused by a thicket growing alongside the wall and waited for her to join him. He nodded toward a gaping black hole hidden behind the thicket. “You can go ahead now. There’s only one way to go. You can’t get lost.”

  She stared up at him in disbelief. “Are you telling me you brought building materials through here?”

  “No. There’s another way in, but it would have taken us two more hours to go that way. This is the most direct route.”

  But obviously not the easiest, she realized. They had been steadily climbing without a break, taking the most direct route upward at every turn. Tentatively she edged toward the black hole. “Is this a cave?” she asked, and realized that she was whispering.

  In a normal tone he answered, “Yes. It links this area to the other side.”

  As soon as she stepped inside she paused to allow her eyes to adjust to the darkness. A faint light glowed in the distance, and she discovered that she could see better than she’d guessed she would.

  “Here,” Jake said from behind her, and she turned. He handed her a flashlight. It was small but gave off adequate light for her to watch her footing. She hurried toward the source of light in the distance. She could almost feel the weight of the mountain above her, pressing down on all sides.

  When she stepped out of the cave onto a wide ledge she couldn’t contain her gasp of surprise. This must have been the way the world looked when it was freshly formed. The mountain walls surrounded a perfect valley of trees and grass, with a stream rushing along, bouncing and bubbling across smooth stones and disappearing beneath the mountain once again.

  Deer grazed along the edge of the stream. The buck watched them as Jake joined her on the ledge while several doe continued to eat. “They don’t look afraid,” she whispered.

  “No reason. They’re used to me.”

  He started down a narrow trail that had been chiseled along the edge of the canyon wall until it reached the floor of the meadow. Rebecca caught her breath at the ease with which he moved down the dangerous looking path. He made it look so easy.

  She placed her hand against the side and slowly followed him, leaning away from the sharp drop. It was only when she reached the bottom that she remembered to breathe.

  “I’ve never seen a place so beautiful,
” she murmured. “No wonder you returned here.”

  “It’s a healing place,” he said without looking at her.

  “Yes.” She knew what he meant. The air seemed to shimmer with clarity. Colors appeared brighter, sounds sharper.

  Jake’s stride lengthened once again as he cut across the center of the meadow toward the back canyon wall. Her muscles protested the new pace, and she tried to dismiss the pain by concentrating on her surroundings. The meadow was truly beautiful, its lushness surprising at this time of year and in these barren mountains.

  They were almost upon it before Rebecca saw the cabin. It was built into the rock itself, blending into the natural contour of its surroundings. There was a window on either side of the door and an overhanging roof that sheltered a small porch.

  “It looks enchanted.”

  She didn’t realize she’d spoken her thoughts aloud until he laughed and looked around at her.

  Damn him and his attractive smile. She didn’t need the tug of awareness that shot through her every time he allowed her a glimpse of the whimsical boy hidden deep within the stern man.

  He opened the door and stepped inside, holding it for her. There was an expectancy about him that triggered her curiosity. As soon as she crossed the threshold, she understood why.

  The place was much larger than she had suspected. Jake had obviously built his cabin inside a large cave, carefully adding materials so that the floor, ceiling and walls were covered and sealed. The windows caught the western light, flooding the room with dancing motes of sunshine. The floor was smoothly planed and sanded and shone like golden glass.

  She walked over to the table and touched it lightly with her fingertips. “Did you make this?”

  He nodded. “I made all the furniture. It’s sort of a hobby of mine.”

  She looked around at the four-poster bed, the matching chairs, the kitchen area with the roomy cupboard space and shook her head. “This isn’t my idea of roughing it in the outdoors.”