Miracle Road: Eternity Springs Book 7 (20 page)

“You helped me do it.”

“Exactly. You’ve spent your time bearing your burden by yourself. Now it’s time to rely on family and friends, time to reach out. Time to share the load.”

“Great minds think alike.” He gently brushed a stray curl away from her eyes. “You know, Ms. Montgomery, I get the sense that you are speaking to yourself as much as to me.”

“You’re right. I am.” She released a long sigh. “I hate to be pitied, Lucca. It rubs me the wrong way.”

“Note the lack of pity here. Sympathy, yes. But no pity. Even the hint of pity is curb-stomped by admiration.”

“I’m glad.” she smiled up at him. Lucca Romano could be a very nice man when he wanted. “Thank you.”

“Yet another thank you. Aren’t we just a mutual admiration society today?” Hope gave a little laugh at that. Lucca stepped closer and slipped his arm around her waist. “Since I’m speaking about admiration, Ms. Montgomery, allow me to mention how much I admire your mouth and how you use it. Use it on me now, would you?”

Lucca dipped his head and kissed her. She tasted of butterscotch and tears and … Hope. It began as a sweet kiss, a comforting kiss, but as their lips clung, fire kindled, and his hands began to roam. He backed her up against a locker and just as things got interesting, he heard a knock on the door. A man’s voice called, “Janitor.”

They didn’t speak as they walked home, the mood between them comfortable. Lucca held her hand, and he kissed her thoroughly again at her front door, serenaded from inside by her barking dog. He wanted to ask her to invite him in, but he knew this wasn’t the right time. “We still on for dinner Friday?”

Her teeth tugged uncertainly at her bottom lip. “You haven’t changed your mind?”

“Not at all. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll see you before then, of course. We have practice on Thursday.”

“We do?”

“Yeah.” He gave her one more quick kiss. “We do. I’m actually looking forward to it. G’night.”

The bright smile she gave him warmed him the rest of the way home.

Later, after almost killing himself by attempting to eat the truly bad Mexican casserole Gabi had deposited in his fridge after cleaning out her own prior to her trip, Lucca settled into his living room recliner and called his twin. “Guess what I did today,” he began.

“All right,” Tony replied. “You tried to hang a picture for Mom at the B&B and she changed her mind seventeen times.”

Lucca laughed. “No … only because we still have lots of work to do over there before we get to picture hanging. I helped coach at the local high school’s hoops practice.”

“Did you really?” Tony’s voice echoed delight. “Well, hot damn. So, how’s the team?”

Lucca started to reply “Pitiful,” but changed his mind. “Full of heart, but shy on natural talent. Except for one kid. He could be a player.”

“Oh, yeah? Tell me about him.”

For the first time in longer than he could remember, Lucca and his twin talked hoops. It was something they’d done most all of their lives, and it was part of who they were as men, professionals, and brothers. “Damn, I’ve missed this,” Tony said when the topic wound down. “I can’t tell you how glad I am you called.”

“Me, too.”

His voice cautious, Lucca asked, “So, when do you think that you’ll come back?”

“Back where?”

“To coaching.”

“You mean collegiate coaching?”

“Yeah.”

Lucca rose from the recliner and began to pace the room. It took him a few moments to figure out what to say, and then he only punted the question. “I don’t know, Tony. I’m not sure that’s what I want. I love the game, but even before the trouble I’d grown disenchanted with the big-business reality of college sports. That and the ‘me’ attitude of the players.”

“Now you sound like an old fart: ‘These young whippersnappers.’”

“I know.” Lucca rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll tell you this much. I had more fun with these high school kids than I’ve had in a while. On a team like this, they do it out of love for the game, not because they’re shooting for the NBA.”

“But—”

“Let it go, bro.”

After a beat, Tony asked, “So how is Mom?”

“She’s not driving me
quite
so crazy. Having Richard around has helped in that respect. I think she’s driving him crazy instead, poor guy. But I have to tell you, she’s still not acting like herself. She’s distracted and flighty and—are you ready for this? She colored her hair.”

“That’s not a big deal. Mom has colored her hair for some time now. You know how women are about gray hair.”

“I’m not talking a touch-up. I’m telling you she’s now a flaming redhead with highlights.”

“What?”

“Gabi and I decided just yesterday that we have a role reversal thing going on. It’s like we are the parents and Mom’s the teenager.”

“That’s scary.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Maybe it’s menopause. You could ask her.”

“You can kiss my ass. Better yet, why don’t you ask her? And I’ll be sure to pick you up off the floor when she’s finished with you.”

“She called me this morning about Thanksgiving. She wanted me to promise that I’d be there. I told her I had a tournament beginning Friday, but she got all teary on me.”

“What did you do?”

His brother sighed. “I told her I’d show. I’ll have to leave by four o’clock, though, and I reserve the right to change my plans if the weather looks chancy.”

Thanksgiving. This would be the family’s second holiday season without their father. He hoped like hell it would be easier than the previous year. Mom had cried through the whole meal.

His thoughts turned to Hope, and his heart did a little lurch. Bet she dreaded the holidays. He’d have to rope her into the Romano family orbit and help her get through them.
Unless she spends them with Daniel Garrett.

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.”

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 arrived 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?”