Angel's Rest (8 page)

“What about the silver?” Nic asked.

“My understanding is that you bought the house and all its contents, so the silver is yours. Although before you get too excited, at today’s silver prices, that stash isn’t worth as much as you might think.”

“Yes, I know,” Celeste replied. “However, it’s reasonable to believe that it’s ore from the Silver Miracle mine, so it does have historical value. I’ll come up with an appropriate use for it, I suspect.”

Zach finished his coffee, and after a few minutes of small talk he took his leave. Nic attempted to take over the pan-washing chore, but Celeste brushed her away as she said, “That young man impresses me. He’s rather new to the area, too, isn’t he?”

“Yes. He got the job when Sheriff Adkins retired a little over a year ago.”

“I don’t see him around town very much.”

“He’s responsible for a pretty large territory. Eternity Springs doesn’t give him much business.” Nic grabbed a clean dish towel. “Although he has begun spending more time in Eternity the last month or so. I think he’s interested in Sarah.”

“Oh?”

“Yep. They’ve had dinner together a handful of times. She refuses to see them as dates, though. She says they’re simply casual meals between friends.”

“I see.” Celeste handed Nic a clean frying pan to dry. “Maybe if she continues to spend time with him, she’ll come to recognize what a catch he is.”

“She already knows he’s a catch, but that doesn’t matter. Gabe Callahan isn’t the only person toting around baggage in this town. Unfortunately, Sarah has carried hers so long that it’s grown to her skin.”

As Nic put the frying pan away, Celeste washed the last
dirty dish. After handing it to Nic to dry, she suddenly snapped her damp fingers. “Oh dear. I just remembered that I have an appointment for a perm at ten. I can’t go to Eagle’s Way this morning. Shall we go this afternoon?”

“I’m sorry, I have clinic appointments this afternoon. I could go Friday morning.”

Celeste rinsed her hands beneath running water, gave a thoughtful hum, then said, “You know, I believe that timing and presentation will be crucial in gaining his agreement. He joined in to help last night, and that’s an important step for a man in his circumstances. Let’s not give him the opportunity to slip back into solitude. Why don’t you go on up now? You propose the plan, then I’ll follow up and close the deal. We’ll give him the proverbial one-two punch.”

Nic slowly shook her head. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Celeste.”

Celeste dried her hands, hung up the towel, and said, “Well, I am sure. I want you to take Archibald up the mountain with you and convince Gabe Callahan that he needs to come back down. It’s important for all of us. The man needs Eternity Springs, but we need him, too.”

Nic considered the idea as she finished drying the dishes and putting them away. “I do think this idea of yours is inspired, and I don’t mind going up there and making the pitch on your behalf. It’s a great excuse to get a peek at Eagle’s Way. The guys who worked on its construction still talk about how elaborate the house is. That said, it’s entirely possible that Gabe might not let me in, Celeste. The security around the place is said to be elaborate.”

“I’m not worried. If Archibald can get past the gate, I’m sure you can, too.”

She had a point. In fact, she had lots of points. This idea of hers was great and it could be huge for Eternity Springs. “All right, then. I’ll give it a shot.”

“Excellent. Now, I’d best get moving if I’m going to
have time to stop by the house before my hair appointment. I’m almost afraid to go over there for fear that the destruction will be worse than it appeared in the darkness.”

“I had an idea about that last night. Although Cavanaugh House is outside the defined historic district, you might qualify for a development grant from the state if—”

“Money isn’t an issue,” Celeste interrupted, dismissing the subject with a wave of her hand. “Family funds.”

Nic wasn’t surprised. Despite being neglected for decades, Cavanaugh House had still carried a hefty price tag. “You never speak of your family.”

“I had a lovely family, but they’re all gone now. I am comfortable financially, so if the subject of fees comes up, tell Gabe I said to name his price. Perhaps that will seal the deal.”

Nic recalled the wad of cash he had shoved into her hand the day they met. “Gabe doesn’t strike me as being overly motivated by money.”

“Then find out what will motivate him and offer him that.”

“I barely know the man. How am I supposed to know what motivates him?”

Celeste reached across the table and patted Nic’s arm. “Listen to your heart, Nicole. When dealing with Gabe Callahan, you can’t go wrong by listening to your heart.”

Gabe tugged off his work gloves and surveyed the retaining-wall construction with a practiced eye. “Much better,” he muttered. Now Davenport wouldn’t have to lie about the scrapes from the turn on the side of his SUV.

He stuck the gloves in the back pocket of his jeans and
shifted his gaze toward the house itself. An unbidden memory invaded his mind.
He was seated at his drawing board in his home office sketching a landscape plan for Eagle’s Way when Jennifer breezed into the room, her eyes sparkling, a smile as big as Texas on her face. “Mission accomplished!” she’d exclaimed. “It was a hard-fought battle, but the good guys persevered. Ta-da!”

She whipped the plastic sack sporting a toy store logo away from a box. “One birthday Xbox for Nathan, coming up.”

Gabe shook his head. “Unbelievable. How long did you stand in line?”

“Only five hours. I made the right decision going to the independent rather than the big-box store. Lots less people to compete with.”

“You win the Best Aunt of the Year Award with that one, Auntie Jen.”

“What can I say? I love my sister’s son.”

Gabe set down his pencil and studied the box. “You bought games to go with it?”

“Two of them.”

“Hmm … you know, hon, just to be safe … maybe I should hook this up and make sure it works. I’d hate for Nathan to be disappointed if—”

Jennifer tugged the box from his hands, clucking her tongue. “That’s pathetic, Uncle Gabe. You have to wait just like all the other boys. Now, get back to your drawing board and design a spectacular pool and spa for Jack Davenport. He’s promised me that we can vacation there when construction is done. I’ve never been to Colorado, and I’ve always wanted to see the Rockies.”

Gabe closed his eyes and swayed as he was buffeted by a wave of grief and regret. Despite Jack’s offer, they’d never taken that Colorado trip. By the time Eagle’s Way was ready for visitors, Jennifer was pregnant with Matt.
Once he’d been born, they’d decided to wait until he was older to take that particular family vacation.

Until he was older
.

His throat tight, his body tense, Gabe sucked in a deep breath of cold mountain air. Memories were dragons and he had not the weapons to battle them. That’s why he’d acquiesced to Jack’s suggestion that he spend a few weeks at Eagle’s Way. Memories didn’t haunt every room of this house. Up here in this high valley, even down in town, he could … breathe.

Gabe exhaled heavily and turned away from the house. His gaze skimmed across the snow-dusted mountaintops before lifting toward the clear blue sky. Sunshine warmed his face. The tension within him eased. Jack had been right. There was something special about this place. Maybe he’d stay on a little longer.

He’d need another project, though. Something physical. Maybe after lunch he’d give the house a good going over and see if the contractor had made any other mistakes that needed fixing.

He turned to head into the house to make a sandwich, then pulled up short upon seeing the faded blue pickup truck driving the winding road leading to the house. He didn’t recognize the truck before sight of it was lost to the cover of the trees. Frowning, he tried to recall if he’d forgotten a scheduled delivery. No, he didn’t think so. The housekeepers Jack retained came on Thursdays, so it wasn’t them, either.

Gabe kept his gaze focused on the road as he walked toward the drive, and when the truck emerged from the cover of the forest, he was able to make out two figures inside the cab. Looked like a couple of women. And, as the truck drew closer, he saw a third form. A dog.

The
dog. Along with Nic Sullivan and a woman he didn’t recognize. What brought them to Eagle’s Way?
Maybe she was bringing him the jacket he’d left at her house last night.

She waved hello when she saw him, and he returned a nod, then motioned for her to pull around the excavator to park. The moment she opened the driver’s-side door, the boxer pushed past her and scrambled out, barking excitedly as he bounded toward Gabe. The mutt looked so goofy with his ears flopping and his crooked tail wagging that Gabe couldn’t help laughing—until the dog jumped on him. He pushed him away saying, “Hey, dog. Stop that. Get down.”

“Watch out for the mouth,” said a pretty redhead whom Gabe didn’t know. “He’s been drooling on me all the way up from town.” She extended her hand adding, “I’m Sage Anderson, Mr. Callahan. Hope you don’t mind my tagging along on Nic’s errand. I’m a painter, and if you don’t mind, I’d like to take pictures of the peaks from this perspective for my work.”

“Sure. That’s fine.” As Sage grabbed a professional-quality camera from the truck cab and headed out across the lawn, he looked at Nic and asked, “What errand?”

“Tiger, get down!” Nic said, ignoring his question to scold the dog. She shook her head and sighed. “He does have more than his share of bad habits. You’ll need to give him extra attention for a while in order to break him of them.”

Gabe opened his mouth to protest, but she forged ahead. “Wow, just look at this house. I admit I was happy to have the excuse to come up here. I’ve always wanted to see it. I hope you’ll give me the grand tour.”

“Whoa. Wait one minute. What do you mean,
I’ll
need to give the dog extra attention?”

She smiled sheepishly but didn’t respond.

“Explain something to me, Dr. Sullivan. What is it
you don’t understand about the sentence ‘He is not my dog’?”

“I’m not the person you need to convince,” Nic shot back. She gave a significant look toward the boxer, who had plopped down beside Gabe. Actually, plopped down on top of his right foot.

Gabe glared down at the dog. “He’s not a person.”

“True, but apparently he considers you
his
person.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Actually, it’s not uncommon at all. I see it all the time in my practice.”

“Well, then, he’ll just have to reconsider.” Watching the boxer, he remembered another pair of big, brown puppy-dog eyes.
Please, Daddy? Please? I’ll take care of him. I promise
. Gruffly Gabe declared, “I’m not keeping that dog.”

When Nic Sullivan simply stared at him, waiting, he raked his fingers through his hair. “Look, I appreciate what you’re trying to do. He’s a good dog. Goofy, but I guess that adds to his appeal. I agree with you that he needs a good home, but that home isn’t with me. Be reasonable. I’m a guest here. I can’t move a dog into Eagle’s Way.”

“Why not? Does Jack Davenport hate dogs?”

“No. He has dogs of his own. But they are well trained and well behaved, everything this dog is not. Besides, I don’t want a dog. Period. Now, can I offer you and your friend something to drink before you head back? The coffee is fresh, or I think there’s some packets of instant hot chocolate if you like that stuff.”

“Here’s your hat, what’s your hurry?” Nic responded in a dry tone. “I’d love a cup of coffee if that’s an invitation to go inside. I really do want to see Eagle’s Way, and I have another reason for coming up here today.”

“You brought my jacket back?”

She snapped her fingers. “Well, shoot. I forgot. I noticed
it hanging on the coatrack, but I walked right past it.”

“So what
does
bring you here?”

She grinned and suggested, “Coffee? And brownies. You didn’t have the chance to sample the Bristlecone Café’s brownies last night, so I brought them along.”

Sighing, he said, “Shall we call your friend?”

“No, she truly did tag along to take pictures, and besides, she has a personal bias against caffeine. She’s an artist.”

Gabe almost asked what one had to do with the other, but instead he focused on the dog and frowned. “Do you have a leash?”

“Yes.”

“Then bring him in. It’s not like he hasn’t been through the place before.” After she grabbed a round dessert tin from her truck and fished a pink-and-purple nylon rope from her pocket and clipped it to the boxer’s collar, Gabe turned toward the house and said, “Follow me.”

He led her around to the side entrance, and their path took them past the pool area. “Oh, wow,” she murmured. “A waterfall into a hot tub? How cool is that? So romantic.”

Gabe felt a stirring of professional pride. He’d done a particularly fine job with the landscape design here, and he found Nic’s enthusiastic reaction gratifying. It had been a long time since he’d taken any pleasure in his work.

He escorted her inside and gave her the two-bit tour. “I can’t believe this is only a vacation house,” she said after exiting the media room. “Scuttlebutt in town is that Jack Davenport rarely visits. Only a handful of people have ever met him. If this place were mine, I’d live here permanently. What a waste to have it always sitting empty!”

Gabe knew that in reality, Eagle’s Way welcomed visitors quite often, although that wasn’t something he could share. “Jack is a busy man.”

“Well, I hope whatever he does with his days is worth the sacrifice.” She reached down to pet the boxer, then said, “What about your days, Gabe? What brings you to Eagle’s Way? Celeste tells me that you are a landscape architect. Are you here working on a new project?”

Avoiding her question, he asked one of his own. “I just met the woman last night. How does she know anything about me?”

Nic explained the older woman’s contact with the hospital project he’d done in South Carolina. “A small world,” Gabe murmured as he gestured toward the cozy upholstered seating group that offered a spectacular view of snowcapped mountain peaks. “Have a seat, Nic. I’ll get our coffee, then you can tell me why you’re here.”