Until I Found You (9 page)

Nick reached into his field vest and pulled out a pair of women’s gardening gloves. “For you.”

“Thank you.” She looked up at him, boldly because she didn’t want her nerves to show. No way would she allow fear to stop her from seeing the birds.

Nick matched her gaze. “I’ll be right behind you.”

“No,” she said. “The rope can’t hold us both.”

“It doesn’t have to.” One corner of his mouth tipped upward. “Marcus might need the rope, but I don’t. I’ll climb next to you.”

“Thanks.”

With Nick at her side, how could she not be brave? With her pulse racing, she tugged on the gloves, grasped the rope and started to climb. A few feet up, she noticed a pattern of steps and her nerves steadied. An occasional glance at Nick calmed her even more, and she reached the top with relative ease. When Nick pulled himself over the edge, the three of them walked toward a canvas tent camouflaged with a pile of brush.

“That’s the blind,” Marcus explained. “It has a terrific view of Tin Canyon.”

When they reached the makeshift tent, Marcus pulled back the flap and Nick indicated Kate should go first. On her hands and knees, she crawled into the tiny space meant for two people at the most and scooted against the canvas wall. Nick joined her, followed by Marcus. When she bent her knee, her foot brushed Nick’s boot. He pulled back, but they bumped elbows instead. Kate didn’t mind the casual touch at all. They’d been closer on the motorcycle, but Nick’s mouth hardened into a line. “Sorry.”

“I’m fine,” she assured him.

“We’re in luck,” Marcus said. “Moon Girl is in the cave.” He pressed binoculars to his eyes, then handed them to Nick.

Nick took a quick glance and passed the binoculars to Kate, who focused on the hole in the rocks on the other side of the canyon. The high-powered lenses revealed every detail of Moon Girl’s ugly wrinkled face. She wasn’t beautiful at all—except to a male condor and people who cared about her—yet she displayed a graceful poise that resonated in Kate’s soul.

“She’s amazing.” Kate handed the binoculars back to Nick. When he scanned the sky, she followed with her eyes and saw a second condor.

“Good news,” Marcus announced. “That’s Elvis, and he’s headed this way.”

Nick offered her the binoculars, but Kate didn’t need them to see Elvis swoop into the canyon with something clamped in his beak. “What does he have?”

“It looks like a branch,” Marcus answered. “That’s a good sign.”

“Why?” Nick asked for them both.

“He’s courting her.”

When she waddled on to the ledge outside the cave, Elvis landed next to her with his gift on proud display. Seemingly annoyed, Moon Girl hopped away from him.

“She’s playing hard to get,” Marcus said. “Watch what happens next.”

Elvis spread his wings with a suddenness that made Kate gasp. When Moon Girl twisted her neck to check out the action, Elvis flapped his wings, bobbed his head, and strutted toward her. A foot in front of Moon Girl, he dropped the branch and dipped his head like an awkward teenager. Both ridiculous and majestic, passionate and pitiful, he waited for Moon Girl to decide the fate of his condor heart.

Marcus wrote something on a clipboard. “They usually don’t start the courtship ritual until late November or December. Elvis is confused about the season, but he’s definitely pursuing Moon Girl.”

“What’s she doing now?” Kate asked.

“Thinking things over.” Marcus chuckled softly. “Moon Girl just might have a choice between Elvis and Number 49, a bird we named Admiral because he likes the ocean. He’s older than Elvis and more dominant. He’s shown interest in her, too.”

Kate glanced at Nick, who was silent and snapping pictures. She didn’t want to banter with Marcus about mating, especially at the risk of more tacky jokes. In a way she felt like Moon Girl, only the wrong male was dancing for her.

Marcus’s cell phone went off. He answered, but the call dropped. “That was my boss. I have to get out of the canyon for decent reception.”

The canvas flap swung shut. Nick inched away but not too far. Kate kept her eyes on the condors, but her heart beat with an awareness of Nick, courtship, and the human dance—one similar to the condors but with some variation. Humans didn’t always mate for life, but attraction and love came from the same ingrained instincts that made her root for Elvis and Moon Girl. A wave of loneliness washed through
her. As much as she loved her friends and her work, sometimes she longed for the dance, the special feelings, the mystery of falling in love.

Elvis turned his back on Moon Girl and looked over his shoulder. “What’s he doing?” she asked.

Nick lowered the camera but stayed focused on the birds. “Considering the circumstances, I think he’s asking her out.”

“To the Road Kill Café?” A joke . . . or was it a hint? She’d be back in Los Angeles in a couple of months, but why not enjoy the time they had? She brushed Nick’s elbow with hers. “I bet she’ll say yes if he asks.”

With a powerful flap of their wings, the condors took off from the ledge, soared down the canyon, and made a loop that brought them within twenty feet of the blind. Gasping, Kate leaned against Nick—for protection, to share the thrill—maybe because a deep, hidden part of her wanted to fly with him the way Moon Girl was flying with Elvis, wingtip to wingtip, their black feathers glistening in the sun. The sight of the pair brought tears to her eyes, though she couldn’t say why.

Shaken, she looked up to Nick. He turned to her with his chin lowered and hazy amazement in his eyes. They were a breath apart, mere inches. One slight move and they’d be kissing.

N
ick blinked once,
twice, then matched his mouth to Kate’s and kissed her . . . tenderly at first, then with persuasion, and finally reluctance because he had to break away before the kiss went places he couldn’t go.

Lord, help me. I don’
t want these feelings.

Silence.

Really, I don’t.

But even as he prayed, his thoughts wavered between the truth and a lie. Kissing Kate was pure joy, and not just because of the rush in his blood. He cared about her; and because he cared, he had to stop kissing her before he invited her to Rosie’s Cantina in Taft, his own version of the Road Kill Café but with better food. Who really cared if they shared a meal? What harm was there in two friends having dinner together? And what did he do now that they had kissed? A man and woman didn’t go back to being friends after a kiss that clanged like a big brass bell. They rang the bell again, even louder. It was nature’s way . . . and God’s way but in the right time.

Six months down. Six months to go. But instead of drawing strength from his sabbatical like he usually did, Nick wanted to bellow in frustration. Why did God give a man such strong feelings and yet expect him to deny them?

And what about Kate? As mild as the kiss had been, he was certain she heard the same clanging bell. He had to make the situation clear to her, but how did he explain his reason for backing away without telling her the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about his daughter?

Fighting confusion and a whirlpool of emotion, he looked into her sparkling eyes. “Kate, I—”

“Don’t say anything,” she murmured. “It was just a kiss—a nice one. But still just a kiss. It doesn’t have to change anything.”

But it did. Nick had broken his pledge; and if he admitted the truth to God and himself, he wanted to break it again. “It changed everything,” he told her.

“How so?”

Have dinner with me.
But dinner meant telling her about that night on Mount Abel. He’d gladly talk about his faith, but his turnaround would sound crazy without the full story. Instead of answering her question, he dodged it with a shake of his head. “It’s complicated.”

“Then let’s drop it,” she said. “I’m just happy to be here.”

The tent flap swung open, revealing Marcus in a crouch with an excited gleam in his eyes. “Did you two see that?”

Kate scooted an inch away, but her foot brushed his boot as she answered Marcus. “The birds flew right past us. What does it mean?”

“Paired flight is courtship behavior. I’d say Moon Girl is going to pick Elvis over Admiral.” Marcus motioned them out of the blind. “Let’s head back. I’m needed at the flight pen.”

Staying low, Nick made his way out of the tent and offered
his hand to Kate. She accepted it and stood, gave his fingers a squeeze, then let go when he didn’t squeeze back. After giving him a look that conveyed concern, she turned to Marcus. “What’s happening at the flight pen?”

“We’re doing health checks on four of the birds. The odds are pretty good one or more of them will have lead in their blood.”

While Kate and Marcus put on their gloves, Nick took pictures of the cave. To get a better angle, he walked a few paces down a path hugging the side of the canyon. If a man stayed on the path, he wouldn’t fall. But a step in the wrong direction, even a small one, could send him plummeting. He zoomed in on the cave, then aimed the camera into the distance. Dry reddish earth stretched for miles, but the sky radiated a deep and ceaseless blue. Tin Canyon was a simple place. It was home to an ancient species with simple needs. To eat. To breed. To survive.

Human beings had the same needs, but they also had an intelligence that set them apart from the beasts of the field. Condors acted on instinct and the drive for self-preservation. Men had the capacity to make moral choices that sometimes called for sacrifice. Silently Nick prayed he’d make the right choices for himself and Kate, then he snapped a picture of the empty plains. Humbled by the vastness, he joined Kate and Marcus for the walk to the flight pen.

While Kate and Nick were visiting the condors, Leona went with Dody to Hair We Are for a shampoo and cut. Even seventy-year-old stroke victims liked to be pampered now and then, especially when the pampering included seeing old friends. Hair We Are didn’t have the ambience of a fancy spa like Eve’s Garden, but Leona felt as famous as
Eve Landon when she walked into the shop and Chellie, the bleached-blond hairdresser, shrieked with delight.

Word of Leona’s visit spread like wildfire. Before Chellie finished styling Leona’s hair, at least ten people came to say hello. Maggie dropped by for a quick hug. So did Art with chitchat about longtime
Clarion
advertisers, and Krista Romano, the editor of the high school paper who contributed weekly articles to the
Clarion
. Poor Krista didn’t know what to say to an old lady who couldn’t speak, but she smiled and told Leona she was praying for her.

Dody needed her roots touched up, so Leona moved from Chellie’s swivel chair to a seat under a beehive dryer. A dozen more people came to see her—the president of the Chamber of Commerce, Travis from the pizza place, realtors, clerks, even Captain McAllister from the fire department. Leona felt like royalty, but her heart ached in the face of an uncertain future. She didn’t want to sell the newspaper, not even to Nick. She wished Kate were with her now. If her granddaughter experienced the love of this small town, maybe she’d change her mind about returning to Sutton. If Kate took over the paper, Leona’s dream would be complete. Well, almost. More than anything, she wanted her granddaughter to know the love of God and the love of a good man—like Nick.

The afternoon invigorated Leona’s spirit, but it also stretched her to the point of utter exhaustion. She perked up, though, when Nick’s motorcycle rumbled into the parking lot shared by Hair We Are and the Clarion. He might have already taken Kate home, but a few moments later—long enough for them to see Maggie next door—Kate and Nick walked into the beauty shop together. With just a glance, Leona knew something was different between them. Maybe it was the way Kate’s smile beamed, or how Nick placed their
helmets side by side on a chair in the waiting area, though he seemed unusually somber.

“Kate!” Dody declared from Chellie’s chair. “This is a surprise.”

“We just got back,” she called across the salon. “Maggie told us you were here.”

She and Nick crossed the room to Leona. Kate greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, then stepped to the side. Nick squeezed her hand. “We saw some old friends of yours.”

“Caaaahn—”
Condors.

“That’s right.” he answered. “Kate will give you the details.”

Chellie interrupted. “So, Nick. Did you take the Harley?”

“Yes, we did.”

The slight emphasis on
we
gave Leona hope, but then she wondered if Nick was merely discouraging Chellie. Friendly but cool—that was Nick’s reputation when it came to women, especially the hairdresser who flirted with him shamelessly.

Kate tilted her face up to Nick. “It seems silly for you to take me home when you have a story to write. I bet Dody will give me a ride.”

“Of course,” Dody answered.

“Are you sure?” Nick said to Kate.

“Positive.”

Leona wished he had protested a little harder. The two of them made a striking couple, in spite of whatever differences kept them apart. Nick politely said good-bye and left. Kate sat under the dryer next to Leona and let out a happy sigh. “What a day! I never dreamed I’d enjoy a motorcycle ride.”

While fluffing Dody’s hair with a pick, Chellie peered over her head at Kate. “So was that a date? If it was, it’s front-page news.”

Kate crossed her legs with a casual air. “A date? Not even close. We work together.”

“Too bad,” Chellie replied. “I’m beginning to think Nick is damaged goods. You know, a ki-dult or something.”

Leona poked Kate’s knee to get her attention.
A what?

“That’s a kid-adult,” Kate explained. “A guy who doesn’t grow up. He lives with his parents and plays video games all day. That’s not Nick.”

Chellie reached for a can of hairspray. “He sure spends a lot of time away from Meadows. You’d think he’d be ready to settle down.”

Leona wondered about that, too, but Chellie’s tone rankled her. The hairdresser had no right to judge Nick. In Leona’s opinion, he’d shown good judgment in avoiding Chellie.

Apparently Kate agreed, because her lips thinned to a line. “He’s a working journalist. He gets paid to travel and write about it. And he’s good at it. Then there’s the travel book. He’s had more success than most of us ever will.”

Chellie gave an offhand shrug. “He’ll probably never settle down.”

You don
’t know that,
Leona thought to herself.

Dody interrupted. “I want to hear about the condors. What do you say, Leona? Shall we ask Kate to tell us about her day?”

“Yes.” Pleased with the clarity, she tried a second word. “Condors.” Plain as day!

They chatted awhile about the birds, particularly Kate’s adventure in the flight pen with a female condor named Big Bertha. Using a giant net, Kate had helped to capture Bertha for her regular health check.

“Weren’t you scared?” Chellie asked.

“A little, but Nick and Marcus helped.” Kate brushed a stray hair off her leg. “Mostly I felt bad for Bertha, but Marcus said she’s been handled enough to know what’s coming. She wasn’t afraid, just annoyed.”

Chellie snipped Dody’s bangs. “By the way, I know about Maggie. What’s going to happen when she leaves?”

A painful silence filled the small shop until Kate reached for Leona’s hand and squeezed. “We don’t know yet.”

Dody eyeballed Kate via the mirror. “Any chance you’ll stay and take your grandmother’s place?”

Leona’s heart burned with the same question, but she couldn’t ask it without pressuring Kate. God bless Dody, who always spoke her mind.

Kate’s warm fingers tightened on Leona’s cool ones. “Yesterday I would have said no way, but after today I have to admit, it’s a little bit tempting. I love it here.”

Daring to hope, Leona put her free hand over Kate’s, making a sandwich of their fingers, like when Kate was little and they played the slapping game. Today neither of them let go.

When Chellie set down the scissors, Dody inspected her new hairdo. Leona and Dody paid Chellie, then ambled to Dody’s car. Kate helped Leona into the front seat, then climbed in the back. As Dody pulled out of the parking space, she spoke to Kate in her Texas drawl. “I want to hear more about Nick. You may work together, but when a man takes a gal for a ride on a Harley, it’s not work for him.”

“You’re right,” Kate said with a little laugh. “We had a wonderful time, but Nick and I are just friends.”

“Freh—?” Leona had three hundred freshly planted daffodil bulbs that made her think otherwise. Nick didn’t plant the bulbs for her. He’d done it for Kate.

“Yes, friends,” Kate insisted.

Except Leona saw a familiar sparkle.
Oh, honey!
You’re blushing like you did when you were sixteen
and had a crush on that forest ranger.

“I like him,” she admitted. “But we both have boundaries. We have to respect each other’s choices.”

“Oh, heavens!” Dody declared. “All this talk of respect is fine, but it wouldn’t hurt to let Nick know you’re interested. In my day, a gal put on high heels and a pretty dress to let a man know she liked him.”

“He knows.”

Dody paused to navigate a left turn, then heaved a sigh. “If you want my opinion, things are all mixed up now. No one knows what to do or what to expect. In our time—” she glanced at Leona to include her—“men were men and women were women.”

“We still are,” Kate replied. “But the rules are different.”

“There
aren’t
any rules,” Dody protested. “That’s the problem. Anything goes. People do whatever they want, and no one thinks about tomorrow, the day after, or what happens to children.”

Leona hurt for her friend. Two years ago Dody’s middle daughter and her husband had split up after nineteen years of marriage. They told Dody they didn’t make each other happy anymore, and now her grandson divided his time between two households and a therapist’s office. Before Leona’s stroke, she and Dody talked about the situation all the time. When Leona patted Dody’s shoulder, the touch carried the weight of those conversations.