get to the restaurant.”
She drifted off almost immediately but awoke before they reached Gunnison when Lucca tapped his brakes too hard and muttered a curse. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up. Some fool on a bike just had to pass me for the fourth time, and he cut in too close. If I wasn’t paying attention, I’d have hit him and the woman he’s got clinging to him like wallpaper. Idiot. Driving recklessly on these roads is asking for trouble.”
“Why four times? Did you speed up to pass him back?”
“No. They’re stopping at every scenic overlook so the chick on back can take photographs. They stay long enough for me to drive past them, and just when I think I’m done with them, here he comes again. Guy’s driving a crotch rocket, too. Not even a big old Harley.” He spared her an apologetic glance. “Sorry, honey. Go back to sleep. Hopefully, they’re tired of stopping.”
Hope checked her watch. She’d slept for over an hour, and she felt much better. Now she was curious about the motorcyclist who had given Lucca a slight case of … not road rage. More like road annoyance.
“I’ve slept long enough,” she told him. She studied the area surrounding them. Having made this drive herself plenty of times, she knew they’d reach Gunnison in another half hour.
“There they are again,” Lucca muttered as they approached a turnout with a historical marker sign.
Hope took in the bike. Sleek and powerful—so different from the big, bulky Harleys you saw in the mountains so often. The woman was standing on the ground, but she wasn’t taking pictures this time. The man’s back was to the road, shielding the woman from view, but his position didn’t hide the helmets discarded at their feet or the fact that they were wrapped in a passionate kiss. Hope particularly noted the woman’s boots. She loved them. Black leather with a fringe—sexy and strong, but feminine. Maybe she should let Celeste talk her into taking up biking to give her an excuse to buy boots like that.
“If they’re going to act that way, they need to get a room. This is a public highway. Hell, they’d be about a button away from being arrested if Zach were to happen along.”
“Oh, don’t be such a grump,” she teased him. “I’m told that riding a motorcycle can be a very arousing experience. All that vibration down where it counts.”
His brow arched in surprise. “Is the kindergarten teacher hiding an adventurous spirit?”
“Maybe more than I previously realized. Something about you makes me want to walk on the wild side, Coach.”
“Really, now.” He watched the road, a grin playing on his lips. “I think there is a cycle store in Gunnison. Maybe we’ll add another destination to our shopping trip.”
They kept their conversation casual the rest of the way into town. Lucca was hungry so he asked if she’d mind if they went to Gloria’s first. The restaurant had changed hands in the past month, and the menu revisions had stirred quite a debate with her Eternity Springs friends. “Zach loves the changes the new owners have made,” she told Lucca. “So do the Murphys, but Nic and Sage say they liked the old menu better.”
“I judge Mexican food restaurants by chips and salsa and chiles rellenos.”
“For me it’s cheese enchiladas and guacamole.”
They enjoyed a leisurely meal. Hope gave the new ownership high marks. Lucca declared his rellenos to be the best he’d had since his last trip to El Paso. “But you spent so much time in Mexico.”
“We’re talking Tex-Mex, here. Two different cuisines.” He told her about some of the food he’d eaten during his summer down south, and when he took the conversation toward lizards, snakes, and bugs, just thinking about it made her queasy. Once queasy escalated to nauseated, she set down her napkin. “Excuse me. I’m a wuss. Thinking about eating bugs has turned my stomach, and I need some fresh air.”
“I’m sorry. Go on outside. I’ll pay the check and meet you in front.”
The cool, fresh air helped, and by the time Lucca exited the restaurant a few minutes later, she felt better. “You still up to do errands?” he asked her.
“Absolutely.”
“Walk or drive?”
“Let’s walk. It’s a lovely day, and I need some exercise.”
“All right. Why don’t you lead the way? I’m still learning where things are in this town.”
“All right.” Hope realized she could get used to the companionship of a man like him. Lucca was different from her ex. Mark had always needed to be in charge.
Hope led him north, then took a right at the next intersection. Her destination, the teaching supplies store, was halfway down the next block. When they passed a camera shop, Lucca’s steps slowed. “Mind if we duck in here?”
“Not at all.”
Ten minutes later she walked out of the shop a little shocked. The man had just dropped almost three thousand dollars on gifts for his family. She’d known he had money. Successful collegiate coaches made bank, and he’d been a professional athlete before that, but still. “Do you do that sort of thing often?”
“Spur-of-the-moment gift buying?” He shook his head. “It’s an act of self-defense. I learned long ago that if I get an idea for Christmas or birthday gifts, I’d better jump right on it, because chances are Tony will come up with the exact same idea. I guess it’s the twin thing. Anyway, our deal is that the first guy to buy it has dibs on giving the gift. I usually have all my Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving.”
“You certainly made that shopkeeper’s day.”
“I like to buy local, but since Eternity Springs doesn’t have a camera shop, I figure this will do. Let me put this stuff in my trunk, and then we’ll tackle your errands. Where are you needing to go?”
“The teaching supplies store,” she replied as they retraced their steps to his vehicle. “They have a United States map rug I’m considering ordering for my classroom, but I want make sure that it’s well made enough to withstand kindergarten wear and tear. After that I need to pick up a few things at the drugstore, and if we still have time, I’d like to visit the yarn shop.”
“Are you a knitter?” he asked, thumbing the door release button on his key fob.
“I crochet. My grandmother taught me when I was a little girl. I’m crocheting a christening gown for Michael Murphy, but I need one more skein of thread.”
“That’s cool,” Lucca said. He piled his packages into his SUV, then shut the door. “My college roommate’s mother crocheted, and she made me an afghan that is one of my prized possessions. I think … well now … look where our friend ended up.”
Lucca hooked his thumb toward the motel across the street. The motorcycle sat parked in front of room 110. “Now we know why he was in such a hurry. What do you want to bet that the old Matterhorn Mountain Motel rents rooms by the hour?”
“Like I said,” Hope observed, catching his hand in hers. “Good vibrations.”
He snorted, and she hummed the old Beach Boys tune as she tugged him down the street toward the teaching supplies store. There, he played Santa Claus and purchased supplies not only for Hope’s classroom, but for all the other Eternity Springs classrooms, too. By the time they returned to his SUV an hour and a half later, both his and her arms were full. The motorcycle remained parked in front of the Matterhorn Mountain Motel.
“Guess he’s not always in a hurry,” Lucca observed as he pulled away from the curb.
They arrived at the airport just as a tanned and happy Gabi Romano exited the terminal. Lucca got out of the truck to help her with her bag. Upon seeing her brother, she waved and smiled. When she spied Hope sitting in Lucca’s vehicle, curiosity lit her eyes. “Well, well, well,” she said when she reached the car. “This is a surprise.”
“Gabi, you look gorgeous. Welcome home.”
“So, you missed me so much you decided to tag along to see me two hours sooner?”
Hope didn’t see any sense in being coy. Gabi had a bit of terrier in her personality and if she had questions, she wouldn’t quit before she learned the answers. Besides, the thought of shocking her friend had some appeal. “I tagged along because I’m dating your brother and he invited me.”
Gabi’s surprised smile bloomed. “Really? Cool. Which one? Tony or Max?”
“Very funny,” Lucca said.
Gabi slipped her arms around her brother’s waist and gave him a quick, hard hug. “Good for you, bro. So you got through the anniversary okay?”
He met Hope’s gaze. “I had a great day.”
“I’m so glad.” Gabi looked from Lucca to Hope appraisingly. Then she gave her brother another squeeze
