Miracle Road

Gabi let out a groan and buried her head in her hands as Celeste laughed out loud.

It was a beautiful summer afternoon. Temperatures hovered in the mid-seventies. Snow-capped peaks climbed into a sapphire sky dotted with puffy white clouds. The road wound around a mountainside to reveal an alpine meadow carpeted with wildflowers. “Oh, how gorgeous,” Hope observed. “What are those purple-blue flowers called?”

“Gentians. They’re one of my favorites,” Celeste said. “Up near Heartache Falls they … oh dear.”

Hope braked to a stop as they came upon a small herd of bighorn sheep congregated on the road in front of them. Celeste clucked her tongue. “These animals are becoming my nemesis. This is the third time they’ve delayed me this month. Sarah Murphy will have my guts for garters if we’re late to the shower.”

“We have plenty of time,” Hope assured her.

“Yes, but Sarah is not her usual cheery self these days. I need a distraction. What’s the latest on your project, Maggie?”

Gabi rolled her big blue eyes and groaned a second time. Her mother sniffed with disdain, then beamed at Celeste. “Actually, I have exciting news. Jim Sutton has accepted my offer for his great-grandmother’s Victorian on Aspen Street. With a little renovation, it will make a perfect B&B.”

“That is exciting news,” Celeste said.

“Congratulations.” Hope’s brows knit as she tried to place the house. “On Aspen, you say? Which house is it?”

“The yellow one between Fifth and Sixth.”

Hope realized Maggie must be referring to the dilapidated three-story whose faded, flecking paint sometimes floated on the air like dandruff. She pictured an overgrown yard, broken shutters, rotted gingerbread trim, and plywood-covered windows.

“It needs a little work,” Maggie added, as if reading Hope’s mind.

“And Murphy Mountain is a little hill,” Gabi drawled.

“Now, honey …”

Gabi slipped on a pair of designer sunglasses. “Zach is quaking in his hiking boots. I heard him tell Savannah to be quick and hide his tool belt.”

“I promised I wouldn’t ask your brother to help,” her mother protested. “He’s the sheriff, for heaven’s sake. He doesn’t have time to be my handyman.”

“I’m the sheriff’s deputy,” Gabi whined. “Why am I instructed to report for cleaning duty first thing Saturday morning?”

“Zach gets newlywed dispensation. Besides, he and Savannah won’t be home from their trip to South Carolina to visit her nephew until late Friday night. I won’t try to drag him out of bed early Saturday morning.”

“He’s so your favorite.”

“Right now, yes.”

The exchange surprised Hope. In her experience, mothers denied the existence of a favored child even if the charge was true. Taking her attention off the bleating roadblock that was finally beginning to move, she glanced into the rearview mirror to observe the Romano women.

Gabi caught her look and flashed a grin. “It’s okay, Hope. Zach is due a turn at being favorite.”

She wanted to ask why, but she wasn’t that nosy. Celeste obviously didn’t share her concerns. “Hope moved to Eternity Springs in January, so she wasn’t here for all the excitement last August. She probably doesn’t know your family history. Tell her about Zach, Maggie. She loves happy endings as much as I do.”

“It is a happy ending, isn’t it?” Maggie sighed with pleasure, then explained. “I’ll share the short version, Hope. Our family is dealing with a rather unique situation. I got pregnant with Zach when I was fifteen and I gave him up for adoption. Gabi and her brothers tracked him down and we were reunited last year, so I have a lot of pent-up love to shower upon him.”

Oh. A lost child, found. Hope’s throat grew tight.

“Mom has always been a big proponent of sibling equality when it comes to parental favoritism, so my sibs and I understand it’s Zach’s turn,” Gabi added. “That doesn’t mean the rest of us won’t complain about it. Especially under current circumstances. I can’t be your handyman, either, Mom. It’s too big a job. You need a contractor—shoot, you need a miracle worker—if you’re going to turn that broken-down behemoth into a bed and breakfast.”

“I know, Gabriella. I actually have something different in mind. Someone different. I know a man who is good with his hands who desperately needs a project. He’s a hard worker who needs a miracle.”

“A miracle? Who do you know who needs … oh. Lucca.”

“He’s one of your twins, isn’t he?” Celeste asked Maggie. “The one who coaches for Colorado?”

“No. That’s Anthony. Lucca took the Landry University Bobcats to the Sweet Sixteen last March. Then he … well …”

“He wigged out,” Gabi said, a bite of temper in her voice. “He quit his job and took off, didn’t tell the family where he’d gone. He invested his NBA contract money wisely, so he has the means to do that sort of thing, but running off without any word like he did … he acted like a total jerk and it hurt us. I’m warning you, Mom. It’s going to take some time for me to forgive him. And what makes you think he’ll come here anyway? According to Max and Anthony and Zach, he’s perfectly happy lounging in his Mexican beach chair and getting drunk on tequila and tugging the ties on bikinis. He has absolutely no intentions of ever coming back.”

Maggie squared her shoulders. “He’s my son. I have not begun to utilize all the weapons in my arsenal. He will come.”

Hope followed college sports, so she’d made the connection between her new friends and the well-known collegiate basketball coaches. She’d been aware that Lucca Romano had publicly crashed and burned and alienated the power brokers in his professional field, and soon after meeting Maggie and Gabi, she’d yielded to temptation and Googled him for more detail on the incident.

Hope recognized that the man had suffered a tragedy, and she sympathized with his pain. She did not, however, respect the way he’d chosen to deal with it. Quit everything, quit on everyone, and run off to become a drunken beach bum? It demonstrated a distinct lack of character as far as she was concerned. His mother must be so disappointed in him.

“I hope you’re right, Mom,” Gabi said. “I’m not so optimistic. I’m afraid you’re going to be hurt.”

“He’ll come,” Maggie replied, her blue eyes gleaming with confidence. “Now, look at that beautiful iron sculpture up on our right. It’s an eagle in flight. How graceful.”

Celeste nodded. “That’s our Sage’s work, a gift to Jack.”

“So this is Eagle’s Way?” Hope asked. “We’re here?”

“Yes.” Celeste checked her watch, then beamed. “With three minutes to spare, thank the dear Lord.”

They drove through an open gate and along a road that wound through a meadow painted with wildflowers. The large, sprawling house was built in the traditional mountain-log-home style, with windows facing what had to be one of the best views in Colorado. “Wow,” Hope said.

“Wait until you see the inside,” Celeste said. “And the patio and pool area. Gabe Callahan is a landscape architect, and what he designed is perfect for such a heavenly spot.”

Jack Davenport stood on the front steps, and he waved at Hope to pull her car onto a circular driveway where Cam Murphy, Gabe Callahan, and Colt Rafferty stood acting as valets. “Hello, dears,” Celeste said, climbing from the car. “I’m surprised to see you here. I thought the girls decided they wanted a traditional females-only baby shower.”

“We’re just here to provide muscle,” Jack said. “As soon as everyone arrives and all the loot is hauled inside, we have a date with fishing rods and the creek.”

“You have a lovely home,” Hope told him.

“Thanks. We do love it up here.”

Just then the front door opened and Nic Callahan called, “Thank goodness you are here. Sarah and Cat are ready to get this party started.”

“Are we the last to arrive?”

“Rose is running late, but she had a patient. She’s asked us to start without her.”

Hope stepped into the great room, and her gaze was torn between three gorgeous sites: snowcapped