Chapter 31
It had been a bit of a rough ride on the ATV, but Hetty gauged the slightly increased ache in her leg and labeled it worth it.
But then, this spot would be worth almost anything. And Spence had said it wasn’t even in the top three on his list, so she couldn’t even imagine what incredible place held that number-one spot.
He’d arranged his work schedule so that he had time to make this trek.
Changed everything for her, as he had for days on end now.
She knew he had made a run to take some regulars up to one of the family-style camps they had set up this Friday morning, but didn’t have to go back for them until Sunday afternoon.
And so here they were, in this place she’d never been and that he apparently never shared.
Until now.
It was strange, she’d always thought she had the best views possible of this beautiful land she lived in.
Because what could be better than flying high above it, able to see for miles and miles in all directions?
What could be better than truly realizing the size and scope of this state she loved, which was bigger than the next three largest states combined?
But she had overlooked the things she didn’t get from altitude, from her plane. The caress of a summer breeze, the scent of things growing so madly fast since they had so little time, the vibrant life of the birds and animals making the most of this short season.
The distinctive calls of a pair of bald eagles, talking to each other, cut through the silence that she’d realized wasn’t really silent at all. It had been Spence who had told her to just sit there, quietly.
“Wait and listen,” he’d said when they’d reached the top of the rise that overlooked their hometown in one direction and a small verdant hillside in the other.
She had, and soon had realized she could hear the rustle of leaves and branches where there was no wind, the differing calls of so many birds and, as they’d waited, eventually the chatter of other, grounded creatures also making the most of the sunshine and warmth.
Things she was never aware of from the cockpit of an airplane. She’d been so busy flying over this land, she’d forgotten the wonder of walking it. She wouldn’t let that happen again.
Hetty smiled inwardly as she thought that Spence would see to that.
“Thank you,” she said softly, not wanting to disturb their temporary neighbors. “I’d forgotten how different it is…down here.”
“If you only see the big picture all the time, you can miss the little details that make it worth it.” Spence spoke as quietly as she had, barely above a whisper, but with the rough edge that made her skin tingle.
“I’m realizing that,” she answered. Then, with a smile, she added, “They must be used to you, the locals up here. They barely turned a hair—or a feather—when we motored up to this spot.”
He gave her a smile. That slightly crooked one she treasured. “They are, I think. This is my closest secret spot, so it’s the one I come to when I need the break but don’t have time for one of the others.”
“Will you show me those, too? When I can make it that far?”
“Everything,” he said in the tone of a vow. “No secrets, not from you.”
Her throat tightened. When Spence Colton made up his mind, he obviously didn’t do it halfway.
“Well,” she said, turning in the ATV’s surprisingly comfortable seat to look straight at him, “in that same vein of no secrets, I had a little chat with my doctor this morning.”
Spence went very still. He of course knew she’d been for a follow-up, since he’d been the one to take her there.
“Not bad news?” he asked, sounding rather endearingly anxious.
“The opposite. She said I’m healing well, and that if I’m careful, I can do anything I feel up to, short of climbing Denali.”
“Well, darn,” Spence said, grinning with obvious relief now, “there go my plans for us for the weekend.”
She took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure why this was so difficult.
The man had been taking care of her for three weeks straight, and once how he felt about her was out in the open, he’d apparently had no qualms about admitting it.
And she’d confronted her feelings for him while she was still lying in that hospital, watching him sleep restlessly in the chair beside her bed.
“I was hoping we could make other plans for the weekend,” she managed to get out, feeling heat rising up to her cheeks.
“Sure,” he said cheerfully. “Where do you want to go?”
She needed another deep breath. Wondered if she was jumping the gun, if it was too soon, if she had misinterpreted—
“Hetty?”
She met his gaze, stared into those eyes she knew so well. “I’ve never been to your place.”
“I know, you never wanted to—” He broke off and she saw his eyes widen. He swallowed visibly. “Hetty?”
“You’ve been in and out of my place picking things up for me for three weeks now. Don’t you think it’s time I saw yours?”
“I…sure.”
He looked a little nervous and she wondered if it was because he was a guy nervous about what mess he might have left behind, or if he’d read her intent.
Her intent that the tour would end in his bedroom.
She’d waited long enough, and the doctor had indeed said, if she was careful, it would be all right.
“Just let him do all the work,” she’d said in a teasing tone that made Hetty like her even more.
She’d even dug into a supply drawer and come up with a box of condoms, which she’d tossed to Hetty with a grin.
That box was now tucked away in her purse, which was locked in his SUV back at RTA where they’d picked up their ride.
* * *
Spence’s home was nothing like she’d imagined.
The cabin-like two-bedroom place not far from the RTA office had large windows facing downhill toward the sound.
To the rear, it was tucked into a stand of trees, and knowing Spence’s penchant for being outside whenever possible, she’d bet there was a deck out there.
The inside was…cozy. Warm. Welcoming. She thought she recognized Abby Colton’s fine hand in the décor, but the color scheme was pure Spence: evergreen, blue, and the gray of a young Sitka spruce. Like the one masking the cave.
And it was tidy. Tidier than her own place sometimes got.
Sure, there were some boots by the door, but that was typical of just about anyone up here.
There was a jacket tossed over the back of a chair, and an empty coffee mug on the counter between the kitchen and the living room, but other than that, if there was a mess, it was hidden.
In the bedroom?
She wondered when Spence Colton’s bedroom had become the focus of her existence. That night in the cave? Or when he’d kissed her in his parents’ house? Or when Dr. Masters had given her the okay to…what? Jump him? No, she was supposed to let him do all the work.
Her pulse kicked up at the images that brought to mind.
Trying to slow herself down, she looked around the living room.
Her gaze stopped dead at the unexpected item on the wall above the couch.
A large, framed photograph of, of all things, a big city.
She scanned for any landmarks she’d recognize that would tell her what megametropolis it was, but found nothing.
Finally, she looked at Spence. “Well, that was the last thing I would have expected to see on your wall.”
He started to respond but stopped. Then the words finally came. “You want to know why?”
She went very still inside, sensing there was much more to this than the surface question. “I want to know everything,” she said quietly.
She saw him swallow, as if her words had reached him beyond their mere definition. It was a moment before he said, “It’s all about the sequence.”
She blinked, not understanding. Instead of explaining in more words, he walked toward the couch.
She made herself look at more than just the way he moved, and saw he was looking at the picture.
When he reached the couch, he turned around and sat down.
And was, she realized, facing the large windows with the spectacular view down to the sound, with the mountains on the other side sharp and clear on this cloudless day.
If anything, an image of that panorama was what she would have expected to see on his wall.
It’s all about the sequence.
It hit her then. He’d walked over facing the city and then…turned his back on it. Turned to face the reality outside. His reality, the place and the life he loved.
“It’s there to remind you how glad you are to live here,” she said.
“And not there,” he said. “I knew you’d get it. Because you get me.”
“More now,” she admitted.
To her surprise, he shook his head. “You got me back when I needed it most.”
She knew he meant back in school. “I always knew how smart you were, you just had this glitch. It took until I realized how brilliant you were at math, unless it was a word problem, to put it together.”
“But you did. I thought I was just stupid, like everybody said.”
“Surely your parents didn’t.”
He shrugged and looked a little sheepish. “No, they didn’t. They told me just the opposite. But at that age, what do your parents know?”
She laughed. “I was always amazed at how smart Mom got after I turned twenty-five.”
“Yes. Mine, too.”
“They are very smart,” she confirmed.
“But they think…” He shifted his gaze back to the window.
“They think what?”
“That we…belong.” He looked back at her, took a deep breath and added, “Together.”
And there it was. The opening she’d wanted. And, for the first time, she didn’t hesitate. “Told you they were smart.”
“Hetty…”
“I’d run to you, like in the movies, if I could.”
He was on his feet in an instant. He didn’t quite run, but only because the room wasn’t that big. Still, he was with her in mere seconds, close, warm, his arms around her as he looked down at her.
“You’re sure, Hetty? Because if you change your mind, I’ll stop, but it may kill me.”
She smiled up at him, letting all the feelings that had been swirling between them show. “When do I get to see the bedroom?”
He swore under his breath, low, harsh, and so hungry, it made her flush with heat.
“By the way,” she added, feeling a little giddy, “the doctor says you have to do all the work.”
“My pleasure,” he said, and he sounded every bit as hot and eager as she felt.
The promise of that night in the cave was about to be kept.