Angel's Rest(22)
“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.”