Last Chance Hero (10 page)

“Well, it's getting a little tight, that's for sure. I'd hate to have to snap the thing up.”

Andy laughed and turned to Jess. “This is Rob Ellis. Rob was my hero growing up. He made moves on the field you'd swear couldn't happen. He was just the best there was.”

“A lot of good that did me.” There was a note of bitterness in Rob's voice that belied his smile. “But I've got a lot of hopes pinned on my boy. You think he's got a chance to go the distance?”

“Your boy?” Andy's confused frown dissolved into a delighted grin. “Ellis! Of course! I don't know why I didn't make the connection. Man, you've got a kid in high school? I can't believe it.”

“Yeah, sometimes I wonder where the time went myself.” He hitched his jeans. “But here's the thing. I really want Zach to have the chance I never had. By the time you were playing, we were right smack in the middle of the Glory Days and all over the news. Scouts actually came to watch you play. But when I played, we were just another fly-speck high school in the middle of nowhere playing other fly-speck schools just like it, and nobody gave a darn.”

“I wouldn't say that, Rob. You were Last Chance's golden boy. I think if we'd have had a town square, they would have erected a statue of you right in the middle.”

“Yeah, well, Last Chance doesn't offer full ride scholarships to Pac-12 schools, now does it?”

There was no mistaking the bitterness in Rob's voice now, and Andy's smile faded. “Yeah, I caught some breaks, all right. I'm the first to admit it.”

“Hey, I didn't mean to get all gloomy on you.” Rob's smile was back, even if it didn't quite reach his eyes. He slapped Andy on the shoulder. “You deserved everything you got and then some. But I'm thinking that just with you being here, the team's going to get some attention, and then if they start winning, why, the scouts'll be swarming. My boy'll get his shot, like I never did.”

“You never know, Rob. I wish I could look into the future for you, but I can't.” The pleasure that had spread over Andy's face at seeing an old friend had faded, and he just looked tired.

“Well, keep an eye on him. He's got all the raw talent he needs; he just needs some development. The coach we had last year was worse than useless.”

“That's what I'm here for.” Andy extended his hand. “Rob, I can't tell you how good it is to see you again. I know I don't need to ask if I'll see you at the games.”

“Oh, I'll be there. I bring my own video camera to film the games so Zach and I can go over them together.” He clapped his hand into Andy's. “It's been a real pleasure. I'm looking to see some great things from the team from here on out.”

With one last slap on the shoulder, Rob turned to go, but before Andy could sit down, he turned back.

“One more thing. I just can't help thinking that if you'd played Zach a little more last night, the score might have been less lopsided.
I've seen him play a lot more than you have, and I know what he can do. I can guarantee you that three of those turnovers would not have happened if he had been on the field.” He raised his hand in a salute. “Well, that's it. Good seeing you, Andy. Ma'am, a pleasure.”

Andy slid back into the booth, and Jess watched Rob make his way back through the diner to the door. When she looked back at Andy, he was staring out the window again, watching Rob Ellis climb into his truck.

“Is he one of the Saturday morning biscuits and gravy quarterbacks Juanita was talking about?” Jess smiled when Andy turned to look at her.

“Rob? Maybe. I guess. But you know? Everything he said was true. He was good, more than good. He just played in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Is his son as good as he thinks he is?”

“Yeah, Zach's good. I don't know if he wants it as bad as his dad does, though.”

“Did your dad turn up at the games with a video camera too? And bug the coaches for you?” Jess grinned.

“Nope, Dad didn't make it to a lot of my games.” Andy just glanced down at his watch and signaled Juanita for the check. “We need to get going if we want to see those cliff dwellings. They're in a canyon, and you lose the light early.”

A
ndy had second thoughts about taking Jess to the Gila Cliff Dwellings almost as soon as they got in his truck and headed out. After all, if some of the other prehistoric sites had been described as cities carved from stone, Gila could barely be considered a village. It was sort of the Last Chance of cliff dwellings, but maybe that was what made the place so special to him.

“I hope I haven't oversold the place.” Andy glanced over at Jess. She looked good sitting on the other side of his truck, like she belonged there. “Don't be expecting the Seven Wonders of the World. It's pretty small.”

“What? No pyramids? You might as well turn around and take me home.” When Jess turned to smile at him, he noticed how the sun shining through her reddish-gold hair made it seem to glow. “Actually, just getting out of town is a treat. I haven't had time to do much exploring. I had no idea there were so many mountains here. I guess I pretty much thought it was all desert.”

“Seriously?” Andy kept his eyes on the road. It was too easy to get distracted if he looked over at her. “How much time had you spent here before you moved?”

“Not that much, I guess. I came out to talk to Dr. Benavides, of course, and to meet the other doctors in the practice. I didn't
have time to do a lot of sightseeing then, though. It was sort of a quick visit.”

“How did you wind up here, anyway? I guess I just assumed that you wanted to live in New Mexico, but it doesn't sound like you'd even been here before.”

“You don't have to know every inch of a place to think about living there.” Jess was beginning to sound a bit defensive. “And for your information, I have been to New Mexico before, just not this part.”

“Oh, where have you been?” Andy had a feeling it was time to let the subject drop, but he really was curious.

“Well, we drove through the southern part when I was in middle school, and I've also been to Santa Fe.”

Santa Fe. And she didn
't see the mountains.
Andy opened his mouth to say something and closed it again. It definitely was time to let the subject drop.

“Of course, I was only about five at the time, and the only thing I can remember is Native Americans selling jewelry from blankets on the sidewalk,” Jess went on. “But I did not move to a state I had never even visited. So there.”

“Okay, then.” Andy didn't even try to hide his grin. “You're practically a native. Well, it's a great big state and I'd love to show it to you. Maybe after football season is over, we can do some exploring.”

“I'd like that, although finding time when we're both free might be a little tricky. Dr. Benavides is trying to ease into retirement, so I'm taking more of his patients, when they let me, and my branch office in Last Chance opens this next week. So even though deep in my heart I'm thinking I'll probably have more time than I know what to do with, I'm really hoping that will change soon.”

“Hey, congratulations.” Andy glanced over at her again. “So
Last Chance is finally getting its own doctor. Good for us. Shall we hope for an outbreak of plague? That ought to get things going.”

“Right. That's exactly what we should hope for.” Jess shot him a look. “No, I'm not looking for an epidemic. Just wishing a few more local folk would be as pleased in practice as they are in theory.”

“You just need to give it a little time, that's all. They'll come around. If you've got Dr. B. on your side and he's trying to retire, that's all you need. You'll be busy.”

Jess made a little sound in her throat and reached for the volume knob on the radio.

Taking the cue, Andy stopped trying to be helpful. But he couldn't help it. He had this pep talk reflex that triggered every time he sensed discouragement. It was useful in the locker room, and face it, if he hadn't been able to talk himself through some mighty tough times when he was a kid, who knows where he'd be now? But clearly Jess had heard all she wanted to hear.

He let the sounds of his classic country station fill the cab of his truck, and as they drove, any tension there had been between them dissipated into the warm, early autumn afternoon. He even found himself singing along with an old Kenny Rogers tune, and when he caught Jess smiling at him, he cranked up his volume and beat the time on the steering wheel to see if he could make her laugh outright. She did.

The parking lot was empty when Andy pulled in, and the only sound he heard when he got out of his truck was the rustle of a soft wind through the cottonwoods and pines.

“It's so quiet. Are you sure it's open?” Jess got out of the truck and stood by the door.

“It's open. There's a pay station at the trailhead.” Andy joined her and took her hand. “We just lucked out. No one's here but us. Come on, but don't look until I tell you to.”

“All right. Just don't let me walk into anything.” She kept her eyes on the ground in front of her as Andy led her along the asphalt path.

“Here.” Placing his hands on her shoulders, Andy turned her to face the looming cliff in front of them. “Look up.”

Jess slowly raised her head. “Oh my.” The words came in a whisper.

High above them, carved by the winds of millennia, caves peered out across the valley like hooded eyes. Even from where they stood below, crumbling stone walls were visible in the shadowy interiors. Andy let silence reclaim the moment before he spoke again.

“Come on, let's go up and look.” He led the way up the winding path until they reached the first of the caves. It ran deep into the mountain, with low stone walls still marking off the rooms.

“Who lived here?” Her voice was hushed and reverent.

“An ancient people. They were long gone before the Mescalero and the Navajo ever came to this area.”

“Why did they leave?”

“No one knows. Maybe there was a drought and the creek down there dried up; maybe they were forced out by invaders. As you can see, there are only a few dwellings, so the population couldn't have been that big. The first Europeans to explore the ruins found tools here, and corn in the storage bins. It was as if the residents all walked off one day and never came back.”

Jess found an outcropping of rock near the edge of the cave and sat on it, wrapping her arms around her knees and hugging them close. Andy joined her. The narrow valley below them was already caught in shadow, although the sun still painted the tops of the cottonwoods yellow-green and warmed the face of the pockmarked cliff where they sat.

Jess lifted her face to its rays and closed her eyes. “That sun feels good, and I'll bet the people who lived here liked it too.” She
opened her eyes and looked at Andy. “Do you think that's why they chose these caves to build their homes?”

“Probably didn't hurt.” All Andy's trepidation at bringing her here had fled. She seemed to see here what he did. “Plus there was the water and the ready-made shelter.”

“I still wonder what made them leave.” She closed her eyes again. “Listen. The wind in the trees almost sounds like they might be coming back.”

“Well, if they are, they'll be taking off again. Here come the invaders.”

Below them, in the parking lot, two passenger vans came to a stop and about a dozen boys poured out, joined by a few adults. As the adults tried to gather the boys and give instructions, and as the boys yelled over each other and scattered, Andy reached for Jess's hand and pulled her to her feet.

“It's going to get real busy here in a minute. Let's try to get a head start. There are a few more dwellings I want to show you.”

Andy led as they made their way across the cliff face single file, stopping in each cavern for a few minutes, but the spell had been broken. The tumult behind grew closer until the first boys caught up with them in the last cave.

“Okay, can we go now?” The tall, skinny blond kid who got there first called back to the nearest leader. “Boooring.”

“Really? You think this is boring? Did you even look at it?” Jess smiled at the boy and her tone was teasing, but he just glanced at her and headed back the way he came.

“Charming child.” Jess raised an eyebrow as she turned back to Andy.

He shrugged. “He's what? About thirteen? Comes with the territory. At least he's been here, and maybe someday when he doesn't have to be so cool, he'll remember and come back.”

“I'll bet you never found this place boring, not even when you were thirteen.”

“I had a different kind of life than these guys.” Andy reached for her hand as they headed back down the path to the parking lot. “My guess is that this is a scout troop working on some merit badge or other. I never had much time for things like scouts.”

Andy realized as he spoke that he had left himself open for the next question—
What kind of life did you
have?—
but Jess never asked it. She just stopped, looked back up at the ancient ruins, and sighed.

“This was amazing, Andy. Thank you so much for sharing this place with me.” She looked at him with a pensive expression he couldn't quite read. “I'm so glad we had it all to ourselves for a while. It was like going seven hundred years back in time.”

“All part of the service.” Andy opened her door and walked around the truck and climbed in the driver's side. Being with Jess was easy and made him feel good. He never worried that she was more interested in the football player than in the man. She had made it abundantly clear that the football player didn't impress her in the slightest. There was something freeing in that, and he realized he wasn't ready to let the day go. Not yet. “Since you're not sure when we can do this again, why don't we take the scenic route home so I can show you a little more of the country?”

He saw her glance at her watch and frown.

“Hey, if you've got to get back, I understand.” He pulled out onto the highway. “It was just a thought.”
Take it easy, Ryan. Don't push
it.

“Oh, why not?” Jess grinned at him as she relaxed against the seat. “The day's pretty much gone anyway, and besides, I'm curious about what you call scenic if this isn't it.”

The western sky had gone through crimson and coral and was already shading to deep purple by the time Andy drove his pickup back into Last Chance. He had been right. As hard as it had been to imagine, the narrow road that wound through the mountains on their way home could indeed be called the scenic route. The afternoon had been just what she didn't know she needed, and Jess felt as relaxed and peaceful as she had in a long time.

“Hungry?” Andy slowed as they approached the Dip 'n' Dine. “Want to get something to eat before we call it a day?”

“I don't know.” Jess looked out the window at the couple heading for the last car in the parking lot. “It looks like they're trying to close. I went in at closing time last night. It's not a mistake I want to make twice.”

“Seriously? That doesn't sound like Chris.”

“Oh, I never saw Chris. I'm not sure he was even there. It was Juanita who made me aware of the protocol.”

“Ah, that explains a lot. Okay, no Dip 'n' Dine.” He picked up speed again. “So, how about my place? I've got a couple steaks I can grill.”

Jess hesitated. There was nothing left of the sunset but a deep red glow on the horizon, and the stars were coming out. It had been a lovely day, but it was over.

“It's just that I feel responsible.” Andy looked so serious when he glanced over at her. “If it weren't for me dragging you off, you'd have a houseful of groceries by now and probably be insisting that I have dinner with you. Fixing you a steak is the least I can do.”

Jess laughed. Maybe the day didn't have to be over just yet. And truthfully, she was curious. The paved street that ran past the house she rented from Rita turned into a dirt road at the end of the block, and she had wondered where Andy wound up when he drove past. “Okay, since you put it that way. I guess it is your fault that I'd be eating my last yogurt for dinner if I went home.”