Authors: Elaine Cantrell
***
The next morning Peyton awoke with a start. Something was pulling her toe. “Wha…”
“It’s me,” Jake softly called. “Wake up. We have to get breakfast.”
Peyton sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “I’ll be right there. For a minute, I thought a bear had gotten me.”
Jake chuckled and vanished. By the time she dressed and joined him, he had already started the coffee. “I’ll help the guys with the horses if you can fry the bacon,” he said.
“I can do that. What are we having besides bacon?”
“Scrambled eggs, homemade bread and butter, and hash browns.”
Peyton pulled a frying pan from the table where Jake had put their supplies. “How can we make bread here?”
Jake grinned. “We could make fried bread, but our guests probably expect something else. The guys brought fresh bread with them when they came up.”
Peyton tilted her head. “Listen.”
He stood still and listened. “I don’t hear anything.”
“Nothing but the birds and the wind,” Peyton agreed. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
A look of surprise flashed across Jake’s face. “I’ve always thought so, but most women seem to prefer shopping and cities to the great outdoors.”
“I’m a versatile kind of girl. I like both.” She smiled at him. “Thanks for bringing me along. I’m having fun.”
“Glad you’re enjoying yourself,” he mumbled before hurrying toward the horses. Peyton scowled at his retreating figure. What was with him? What had she said to send him running away this time?
The smell of frying bacon and hot coffee soon roused the sleepers in the tents. Mr. Feldman stretched and yawned. “I slept like a log.”
“Didn’t talking about ghosts scare you?” Peyton teased as she passed him a cup of hot coffee.
Feldman gave her a smile. “Afraid not.”
After they finished their breakfast, they mounted their horses and set out for their next stop at Bannister’s Cave. “Tell me about the cave,” Peyton urged as she and Jake rode side by side through the valley. Once they left this protected space, they’d have to ride single file because the trail was so narrow.
“The cave was discovered in 1801 by a man called Joshua Bannister. He charted part of it, but he died before he could finish. I doubt that it matters, though. People have explored the cave for years, and they still haven’t mapped it all. The part we’ll explore is about six hundred feet deep and almost two thousand feet below the mountain’s surface.”
A frisson of unease ran up Peyton’s backbone. “The cave must be tremendous!”
“It is.” He gave her a stern look. “Don’t go getting any ideas about exploring new territory. I have no intention of losing a member of my party.”
“You don’t have to worry about me.” Peyton shuddered. “I don’t like caves.”
The crestfallen expression on his face surprised Peyton and made her reconsider her spur-of-the-moment decision to hold the horses while the others went in the cave. “Aren’t you coming in at all?” he asked. “There’s a huge lake under there which is worth seeing, and everybody always likes to look at the blind cave fish.”
Peyton blinked. “Why are they blind?”
“There’s no light in the caves so they evolved without eyes.”
“That’s gruesome.” She shivered again. “What will we do after we explore the cave?”
“We’ll go back to the camp and spend the night. Tomorrow morning we’ll take a short detour to look at some wild horses, and afterwards we’ll go back to Rest Thy Head.”
Reggie grunted when Peyton bounced in her saddle. “Wild horses! How exciting!”
“Isn’t it? I love watching them.”
Peyton’s heart contracted when she saw the loving expression on his face. “Maybe it’s because they’re so free and independent,” she said. “We’re bound by chains of duty and convention, but they go wherever the wind blows them.” Of course in Jake’s case, he might admire the wild creatures because they lived in a place where no one could stare at them.
They rode for another hour before they came to the caves. Peyton’s stomach lurched when she saw the yawning black hole in the side of the mountain. She hung back as Jake gave miner’s hats with lights to everyone and warned them to stick together. “We might never find you if you veer off on your own.” He gave them all a serious look. “And I’m telling you the truth, not trying to scare you.”
Peyton debated for a moment, but when Jake gave her a look of hopeful inquiry, she decided to go too. It would be a shame to miss the underground lake. Besides, who could resist the look on Jake’s face? She sure couldn’t.
Everyone but Peyton entered the cave laughing and talking, but they hadn’t gone more than a few feet when the light faded. The entire group drew closer together.
“If it wasn’t for our lights it’d be really dark,” Peyton muttered to Mrs. Feldman.
“If you’re interested in finding out what total darkness looks like we can cut off our lights,” Jake offered. He sounded hopeful.
“No!” Nanette Bradley, Peyton, and Mrs. Feldman firmly ordered.
“Okay, okay, I was just offering.”
Jake led them further into the cave, but Peyton lingered to tie her shoe which had come untied and almost tripped her.
“Hurry,” Mrs. Feldman ordered. “We’re falling behind the others.”
Peyton did hurry, but she caught her toe on the uneven cave floor and went sprawling. She heard a sharp crack and screamed as the cave floor gave way beneath her. She fell for what seemed like a long time before landing with a bone jarring thump that made her bite her tongue. Her hat had fallen off and seemed to be rolling away, taking the light with it. She grabbed for the hat and gasped when her hand encountered icy water.
Her hat! Her hat was falling rapidly into a huge pool of water whose bottom she couldn’t see. This must be part of the lake Jake had told her about. Oh, why was this ledge on which she had landed so narrow? If she moved wrong, she’d be in that terrible, cold water, and she was already shivering. Without a quick rescue, hypothermia would set in, and if that happened she probably couldn’t keep herself on the little ledge.
From far above she heard Mrs. Feldman screaming and the sound of running feet. Moments later a light shone down on her, and Jake, his voice rough and frightened, yelled, “Peyton? Can you hear me?”
“Yes! Get me out of here! I’m on a ledge right on the edge of a huge pool.” Her voice reverberated around the cavern and made her cringe.
“I’ll get a rope,” Jake shouted. “Don’t try to move.”
“Just where does he think I would go?” Peyton muttered. She pressed her back against the cave’s cold, wet, rock wall and shivered. It felt as if the temperature was somewhere in the fifties. Her jeans and light jacket provided little protection against the cold and damp.
“We’re all still here, Peyton,” Mr. Feldman yelled. “Hang on.”
“Thanks. Don’t leave me,” she shouted back. She was grateful for their words of reassurance and the light their hats gave her as they leaned over the abyss.
Moments later a thick rope struck her shoulder. “I’m coming down,” Jake yelled.
Peyton would have liked to move over for him, but the narrow ledge defeated her. She pressed herself against the wall and tried to make as much space as she could for him. Jake landed on the ledge with his left foot, but his right foot hit the lake. He slipped and fell into the dark, cold water.
Peyton screamed, the echo filling both her ears and the dreadful, monstrous cavern. “Jake! Jake! Where are you? Jake!”
“What’s going on down there?” Feldman boomed.
“Jake fell in the lake!”
Jake broke the surface of the frigid, dreadful water and reached for Peyton’s hand. She took a firm grip, and he heaved himself up on the ledge beside her, gasping. “Man, that’s cold.”
Peyton held on to his arm and refused to let go in spite of the fact he was getting her so wet her teeth were starting to chatter. “Are you okay?” she begged. She touched his face even though his scarred side was all she could reach. Nothing could happen to Jake. That was something too horrible to contemplate.
He removed her hand from his face. “I’m fine. Let’s see about getting out of here.”
He fashioned a loop for Peyton to put around her waist and said, “Hang on tight and don’t let go.” Then he yelled to Mr. Feldman, “Pull her up now.”
Quicker than she’d ever have thought possible, Peyton reached safety. “Hurry. Drop the rope for Jake.”
She saw why it had seemed so easy for Mr. Feldman to pull her up. Jake had tied the rope to his horse’s saddle, and the horse had done the work. When Jake too scrambled away from the hole in the floor Peyton threw herself in his arms. “Are you alright? I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to fall. I stumbled on something, and …”
“Hush, Peyton. I know you didn’t do anything wrong.” He chuckled. “That’s why Mr. Feldman and the others had to sign a waiver before they came on this trip.”
Mr. Feldman laughed too. “I think everyone’s explored as much as they want to today. Why don’t we head back to camp now?”
“I don’t mind following the trail to the lake if you want to go,” Jake insisted.
“No, I don’t think so.” Mr. Feldman stared at Jake. “I can see you shivering from here. Let’s go back.”
Peyton didn’t complain at all.
When they reached the entrance, her knees almost buckled because in the sunshine she could see that blood covered the entire front of her blouse. Frantically, she searched for a wound, but she found nothing, not until she looked at Jake. His whole face looked bloody. “Jake! You’re bleeding. Where are you hurt?”
He shrugged as if it didn’t matter. “I cut my head when I fell in the water. I don’t think it’s serious. Scalp wounds always bleed a lot.”
“But you may need stitches! There’s no doctor here. What should we do?” Her voice rose with every word.
Jake refused to pamper her. “I can’t do anything about that right now, and you certainly aren’t going to work on me.” His voice fell. “I’ve had enough stitches to last me a lifetime.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean…”
He put his arm around her and gave her shoulders a squeeze. “I’m okay. Let’s mount up and get back.”
The trip back to camp seemed to take an eternity. Was Jake really okay? Head injuries could be serious, but he was blowing it off like it was nothing. Should she insist on taking him down the mountain to the doctor? Oh, thank goodness, the camp was coming into view. Where were Jake’s men? Maybe one of them could help him. “Where are your men, Jake?”
“Fishing, I guess. I told you; I’m fine.”
He didn’t look fine to her. Under the blood that still covered his face, he was way too pale. She bit her lip. “Maybe I should take you back to town.”
Jake gave her an exasperated look. “I told you I’m fine.”
“Okay, I’ll leave you alone, but you have to go lie down for awhile. I’ll get dinner.”
“And I’ll help,” Mrs. Feldman put in. “Go on, Jake. Sometimes head wounds are more serious than people think.”
“Well… all right. I do have a little headache.”
Peyton’s heart jumped, but Jake quelled the protest she’d been about to make with a stern look. Honestly, the man could be so stubborn!
***
“Jake? Are you awake? It’s dinner time.”
Lost in a pleasant dream, Jake smiled. Peyton’s voice was as pretty as everything else about her. He turned over to throw his arm around her and encountered thin air.
A soft hand gently shook his shoulder and woke him. “Jake? How do you feel?”
Jake stretched and smiled at Peyton. “My head’s a lot better. What did you cook?”
“Fresh trout.”
“Where’d you get it?”
Peyton brushed her hair back. “Oh, we went fishing while you slept. Can you sit up?”
“Yep.” Jake sat up and sniffed appreciatively. “That smells good.”
“It will be. It’s fresh, you know.”
The urge to hold her hit him with the force of a wrecking ball. Unable to resist, he pulled her against him. His breath almost left him when she hugged him back. For a brief moment, he allowed himself to feel the warmth of her curvy body and bathe in the feminine scent clinging to her, but almost immediately he pulled out of her arms. “I’m okay. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Oh, but…”
He ran his hands through his hair and got to his feet.
“Jake, stop. We should talk…”
Without a word he left the tent with Peyton trailing along behind him. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to her. As he well knew, talking wouldn’t change a thing. His heart warmed as everyone exclaimed and fussed over him. He had avoided people for months, assuming his scars would frighten them, but none of these people acted like his scars were a big deal.
For that matter neither had Andy. Somehow, since Peyton’s arrival things had changed. He knew he still had his scars, but maybe he shouldn’t see himself as a freak anymore. Naturally, he wasn’t handsome like he used to be, but it didn’t seem to matter so much now. Maybe…maybe a girl like Peyton wouldn’t…
No, forget about it. He had seen Patrick kiss her. Even if she did agree to go out with him, he’d never betray Patrick. A brother didn’t do a thing like that to a brother.
Chapter Ten
Peyton awoke bright and early to start breakfast. Jake could say what he liked; she still thought he needed to rest as much as possible. She paused for a moment to admire the glorious morning, filling her lungs with fresh air and soaking up some sunshine before she started the coffee. Yet by the time the frying pan came out, Jake had gotten up.
She scowled at him. “Go back to bed. Let me take care of you.”
He grinned at her, a cocky little twitch of the lips that made her smile back at him. “I’m fine today so I intend to help you with breakfast.”
“Oh, but…”
“Forget about it. I’m helping.”
Together they cooked breakfast for everyone. As they all sat down to eat, Jake stared at the sky. “Today should be a nice day. We’ll start down the mountain, but we won’t go too far before we make a detour to see the wild horses.”
Nanette Bradley clapped her hands and looked delighted. Peyton had noticed how much Nanette seemed to like her horse. “How close can we get?”
“Not too close. They live in a valley similar to this one, but to get into the valley you’d have to go through miles and miles of tough mountain terrain. All we’re going to do is look down into the valley. There’s a good vantage point where you can often see them.”