by Emily March
That thought left a bitter taste in Lucca’s mouth, and he frowned his way through the rest of his conversation with Tony, ending the call a few minutes later.
Next he turned on the TV and channel surfed for a few minutes, but nothing caught his interest. Finally, he rose and grabbed his coat, thinking he’d head to the pub for company and a beer. But as he reached for the front doorknob, he changed his mind. He went out into his backyard, stretched out on the chaise lounge, and gazed up at the star-filled night sky.
He found the constellation Pegasus and thought of winged horses and lightning bolts and a heavenly body.
Hope.
He wished he were a mythological creature who carried lightning bolts and could strike the ground with his hoof and locate Hope’s Holly.
What a horrible thing. A little girl lost. Even if Holly turned up tomorrow, mother and daughter would still have lost five years. He’d thought it was bad what his mother had gone through when she gave up Zach for adoption, but it had been nothing compared to this. His mother had known where Zach lived and who he lived with, and that he was loved and treasured. Hope had only questions and what must be horrible imaginings.
Today he’d traveled a road that had changed him. Hearing her relive her tragedy and seeing the proof of her strength as evidenced by the life she’d created for herself in Eternity Springs had opened his eyes. She was well on her way along the rocky, winding road to recovery, but after facing a couple of his own demons today, he didn’t think he was more than few car lengths behind her. So if she blew a tire or slipped a timing belt, he’d be there to help. And vice versa.
They were meant to share this road. He knew it in his bones. Because if her strength had opened his eyes, the kiss they’d shared in the locker room had opened his heart.
Hope Montgomery was special; she was medicine for what ailed him and balm to his wounded soul.
Maybe she should change her name from “Hope” to “Cure.”
ELEVEN
After news got around that Lucca was helping with the basketball team, three more boys asked to join the Grizzlies. Technically where state high school sports rules were concerned, it wasn’t too late to add players. The kids were athletes and would have improved the team, but Hope was inclined to refuse them. After all, they hadn’t cared enough when the team didn’t have a coach. Why should they come in to take a playing spot away from one of the boys who’d been willing to suffer through the season with her as their coach?
She took the question to Lucca, expecting him to make a case for the better players. To her surprise, he agreed with her. “Winning isn’t everything. They had their chance. We will do just fine with the players we have.”
“Really?” she asked, not believing it.
“Really. These guys are motivated by the right things—team and a simple love of the game. They have heart.”
So, too, she recognized, did Lucca.
They had their date on Friday night. He took her to dinner at the Yellow Kitchen, and they kept the conversation light, talking about movies and books and music they liked. She was surprised to discover that they shared a joint interest in old horror movies. After dinner, she invited him back to her house to watch Night of the Living Dead, and they ate popcorn and recited dialogue along with the movie before he kissed her good night and departed. Hope floated to her bedroom where Roxy lay sleeping at the foot of her bed. She picked up the dog and cuddled her, saying, “It was fun, Roxy. He had a good time, too. I could tell. He was relaxed. He laughed. It was so good to see him enjoying himself. Lucca Romano could be a good friend. A girl can always use another friend, right?”
Over the weekend following the public date, she fielded all sorts of interested questions from his family and her friends and even casual acquaintances. “We’re just friends,” became her canned response, and while she did receive a few skeptical comebacks, most people seemed to accept her claim. Everyone knew he didn’t intend to settle in Eternity Springs and besides, this time of year, she barely had time to eat, much less indulge in romance. Between bus driving duties, teaching, committee meetings, and volunteer commitments, by the end of the day, she was too worn out to do much more than play with Roxy and veg in front of the TV.
Which was why at eight forty-eight p.m. on Tuesday night when she heard a rap at her front door, she had to drag herself off the couch to answer it. She wasn’t surprised to see Lucca standing on her front porch. She was aware of the significance of tomorrow’s date—the anniversary of the wreck. “Come on in,” she told him.
“I’d love to, but I can’t. I’m on my way to Aspenglow. Mom called with a trumped-up reason why she needs me over there tonight. She’s so transparent. She wants to make sure I’m not going to jump off Lover’s Leap tomorrow.”
“Does she have need to be concerned? I know what a beating anniversaries can be.”
He waited a couple of seconds before he answered. “I’m … fine. No jumping on the schedule. But I’d like to ask you for a favor, Hope. A big one. Could you take a personal day off from school tomorrow and spend the day with me?”
“Absolutely,” she agreed without hesitation.
“Thank you. Be ready at nine, dress warmly in layers, and wear good boots. Bring an extra set of clothes in case you get wet. I’ll bring all the other supplies. You’re not claustrophobic, are you?”
“Claustrophobic? What are you planning?”
He flashed a grin. “Spelunking.”
Hope gawked at him. She distinctly remembered Maggie saying not long ago that Lucca seemed to have developed an aversion to being indoors. “Caving? You want to go caving?”
“I do. I figure since chances are I’m going to be in a cold, dark place anyway, I might as well find one that’s interesting. Zach told me about a cave not far from here that is easy and safe to explore. It’s on private property—Cam Murphy’s mountain.”
“Umm … I don’t climb ropes, Lucca.”
“You won’t have to. The most difficult thing we’ll encounter is one little stint of belly crawling. I’m actually an experienced caver, Hope. It was a hobby of mine back before …” He shrugged, then added, “I know what I’m doing. You’ll be safe with me.”
“Okaaay,” she said slowly. “Sure you wouldn’t rather do a hike? I think the sun is supposed to shine tomorrow.”
“Nope, I think I’d better do the cave. Is nine okay?”
“Nine is fine.”
He leaned down and kissed her quickly. “See you tomorrow.”
Hope shut the door and leaned against it, thinking. Anniversaries were big, bad, heart-wrenching things. They returned every year, and everyone reacted to them in their own way. How would Lucca handle tomorrow? Would he be a lion with a thorn in his paw? A grizzly bear waiting to roar? As his friend, how could she best help him get through the day? Should she attempt to distract him? She had intended to seek him out the next day at lunchtime and offer a horror movie marathon beginning after school. Caving was an option that wouldn’t have occurred to her in a million years.
She’d have preferred the movie marathon. The thing about caves … you could expect bats. Bats terrified her. Too many horror flicks, she guessed.
She pushed away from the door and walked to her bedroom, where Roxy lay curled up on the bedside chair she’d adopted as her own. Hope sighed and spoke to her dog. “Well, I’m going to look on the bright side. Maybe this is just what I need. I do too much sitting this time of year, and I haven’t been getting enough exercise. A day of caving might be just what I need to kick-start my energy level.”
She called Principal Geary to arrange her day off and then phoned Christy Hartford to ask if Roxy could spend the day at her place. With preparations made, she called it an early night, went to bed, and dreamed she was a character in another old sci-fi horror film—The Mole People. She spent the night being chased by monsters through tunnels beneath the earth. She woke up tired and wondered if she could talk Lucca into another type of outing. But when she a
rrived home from her bus route and dropping Roxy off at the Hartfords, she found a note on her door. I’m up early. Come on over when you’re ready. L
“If he’s wearing a monster mask, I swear I’m not going into a cave with him.”
When he answered the door, she took one look at him and forgot about her nightmare. Judging by his drawn face, his troubled eyes, and the lines of fatigue in his brow, he was dealing with one of his own. Then he gave her a relieved smile. “Hello, beautiful. Ready to go?”
“Well, that depends. Are you feeling okay?” She reached out and touched his arm. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
He covered her hand with his for a moment, silently accepting her unspoken comfort. “I didn’t sleep well last night. Not a big surprise, considering what today is, but the weird dreams I had didn’t help. Our talk about old horror movies stirred up my imagination. I had dreams about The Mole People.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“You know the movie?”
“I dreamed about it last night, too.”
“Really? Why, Ms. Montgomery, I think we’re a match made in heaven. So, before we go, let’s make sure your gear fits okay.” He picked up a bright yellow hard hat with an attached headlamp from a table and set it on her head. “Comfortable?”
“It’s fine.”
“Good.” He handed her a backpack, asking, “Can you manage this?”
She tested its weight. Not bad at all. “Sure.”
“Great.” He picked up a backpack twice the size of hers. “Let’s hit the road, then, shall we?”
Once they were in his truck and on their way, she peeked into the pack. A flashlight. A map of the cave. Energy bars. Glow sticks. A small first-aid kit. A large, folded black plastic garbage bag and smaller plastic bags. A roll of toilet paper. Oh, man. She hadn’t even thought along those lines.
“There are water bottles in the back. Let’s not forget to get them.”
Her thoughts still on the toilet paper, she asked, “How long do you expect this exploration to take?”
“I don’t have a timetable. Do you? Is there something you need to get back for?”
“No.” She’d once managed to last a nine-hour plane trip without using the lavatory. She could avoid needing the toilet paper. “I’m all yours.”
He shot her a grin. “I like the sound of that.”
Hope settled back in her seat, a self-satisfied little smile on her face.
Twenty minutes later Lucca pulled his truck off the road and parked. “It’s a ten-minute hike from here.”
“Lead the way, Magellan.”
She studied Lucca as he donned his pack and checked his map and his compass. He looked better already, she decided. He has purpose, something to do to occupy his body and mind on this most difficult of days. She understood how much that helped, and she was glad she’d decided to spend today with him.
They headed out. The ten-minute walk took them almost twenty, but Hope dawdled. It was a gorgeous day for a hike, the air crisp and clean, perfumed with pine and alive with birdsong. Patches of snow clung to shady spots and she spied animal tracks … deer? No, bigger than deer. Elk, most likely.
Which brought up a concern. “Um, Lucca? You know … we do have bears in Colorado. And mountain lions. They like to live in caves. I’ll bet they don’t like unexpected guests.”
“Don’t worry. I have this covered. I told you I’m experienced. Besides, Zach was out here just yesterday and he said everything checked out fine.”
“Oh. Okay. Well, good.” She went for an enthusiastic smile … but missed, judging by the amusement on his face.
“Don’t worry, honey. You’ll love this. I promise. Even though I haven’t been there myself, my brother gave me a detailed description of what’s inside. You don’t need to be afraid. The worst thing that could happen is that when we get there, I fail my little personal test and can’t make myself go inside. In that case, we’ll find something else to do.” He grabbed up her hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. “Trust me.”
Trust him. Well, she’d already done that once, hadn’t she? She’d gotten naked with him. There’s a level of trust. “Okay.”
“Good, because we’re here.” He pointed toward a rock wall and a somewhat oval-shaped hole about waist high off the ground, some six feet wide and four feet high.
Warily, Hope eyed the opening. “You’re going in first, right?”
“Of course. Now, strap on your hard hat and knee pads, and get your flashlight. You can lean forward and look inside before you step in. You might feel more comfortable then.”
“Okay,” Hope repeated. She could do this. All she needed to do was to remember that B-movie horror monsters never lived in Colorado. “What about you? Are you okay?”
“So far, so good.”
He stepped through the opening, and she saw his flashlight flash around the walls. “No moles, humanoid or otherwise. There are bats down deep, but we’re not going that far. It’s safe for you to come in.”
“Bats. Of course. Better than bears, I guess.” Hope stepped up to the hole and studied the interior as he’d suggested. Well, it was a cave. Whoopee.
She slipped her backpack through the opening. “This is payback for my choice of music at Fun Night, isn’t it?”
“That was torture. This is adventure.” Lucca pulled on his pack and switched on his headlamp. Grinning, he held out his hand toward her. “According to Zach’s map, we can walk upright for quite a bit. Ready?”
“Ready.” Hope switched on her own headlamp and took his hand. Lucca led her into another world.
They descended a gentle slope into darkness that deepened as the trail twisted and turned until they moved beyond the daylight from the entrance into total darkness. She had expected bone-chilling cold, but instead, the air seemed warmer than that on the surface. Hope tugged the cave map from her pocket and held it in her headlamp’s light. “We are about here?”
Lucca gave it a look. “Yes, just about. We’re going here.” He pointed to what looked like a lightbulbshaped room another two inches away. “This little section here is the short, narrow passage. There are two spots before then with a bit of a drop-off, and these”—he pointed to three Xs on the map—“are where we might get a little wet.”
“Drop-off?” she repeated. “Drop off to where? Mole People world?”
He snorted. “You know, teacher, fans of B horror movies don’t usually believe they are true. It’s a hop down for me and I’ll help you. Now, come on.”
He led her on a trek that sometimes sloped deeply, sometimes climbed steeply, but always remained dark as a tomb but for the beams of light from the headlamps and flashlights. As the passage narrowed, unease crept up Hope’s spine. She’d never been claustrophobic before, but they’d come down so far. Into the mountain. Thinking about all the rock on top of them … she shuddered. And bats, to boot.
“Here’s the first drop-off,” Lucca said, his voice a hollow echo.
Hope held her breath as he sat, then scooted off into the darkness. She didn’t breathe freely until she heard his feet hit the ground. The darkness was all but absolute. From somewhere below him, she heard the sound of running water. “You know, Lucca, I’m all for adventure, but I think it adds a lot to the experience to be able to see it.”
“Don’t worry. Zach says Cam has left lanterns in the dragon’s lair. We can light up the entire room.”
“The dragon’s lair?”
“That’s what Cam calls it. Says we’ll understand why once we see it. Sit down, honey, and let me help you.”
“Dragon’s lair. Great.” Hope sat and let her legs dangle. As she scooted toward the edge of the rock, Lucca grabbed her around the waist and lifted her, lowering her down slowly, her body pressed tightly against his. When her feet finally touched the floor, still clasping her body against his, Lucca spoke in a gravelly tone, “There. That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
She exhaled a shaky breath. “No fire-breathin
g mole people yet.”
“Gotta go deeper to run into moles. So, what was your favorite Twilight Zone episode?”
“Excuse me? You’re going to bring that up now?”
“I think you’re too obsessed with moles. You probably should be worrying about Martians. Or nukes. Remember that Planet of the Apes plot? A nuke landed in a cave but didn’t explode and they worshiped it as a god?”
“You are really weird, Lucca Romano.”
Laughter rumbled deep inside him, and hearing it, Hope felt warmth flowing through her. That she could give him that on this day was a true gift.
They hiked for another ten minutes before his flashlight picked up a stake with a red plastic flag tied around its top. “Here we go,” Lucca said. “A short crawl, and we’ll be there. You have a set of elbow pads in your pack.”
Hope pointed her flashlight toward the hole in the wall and her stomach fell. It wasn’t much bigger than a rabbit hole. “You’re kidding. You can’t fit in there. I can’t fit in there.”
“Yes we can. Zach gets in and his shoulders are as broad as mine. We have to angle in, then it widens out immediately.”
Dread closed in like the walls of rock around her as she stared at the tunnel. “You’ll get stuck and I’ll have to go for help and I’ll get lost and end up a slave for hairy, hunchbacked, one-eyed creatures mining ore with a pickax.”
“Wow. For such a brave woman, you are sure chicken.”
“Brave? You think I’m brave?”
“You are one of the bravest women I’ve ever met, and you inspire me, Hope. You are the reason why I’m here today and not in a bar drinking myself into oblivion.”
His statement touched her, and while she could easily have returned a flippant remark, she accepted the sentiment with the gravity it deserved. “Thank you. I’m glad I’m able to help.”
After a moment’s pause, she added, “But if you get stuck and I have to make the trip back to the surface alone in order to get help, I’ll make your life so miserable you’ll wish the mole people got you.”
