success, then forget the system and think they did it all on their own. It’s frustrating. Certainly takes some of the fun out of the job for me.”
“I can understand why.”
Hope and Lucca had just finished a four-hour private driving lesson with Johnny Tarantino, a former NASCAR driver who now operated a high-performance driving school on a section of his family’s ranch in the middle of nowhere, Texas. While school buses weren’t ordinarily his ride of choice, Johnny had jumped at the challenge of sharing his expertise with Hope, going so far as to buy a bus for his school. Halfway through the lesson, he’d decided to create a safety course specifically for bus drivers. “It’s a great addition to my school,” he’d told them. “I’ll focus on training trainers. School districts will love it.”
She’d had to agree. While she hadn’t felt at risk behind the wheel prior to her lesson, the techniques she’d learned did give her a comforting increase in skill.
They climbed into the BMW Lucca had rented at the airport in El Paso and began the drive back to their B&B in Fort Davis. They discussed ranching and reading and rainbows as they drove, having made the decision at the beginning of the trip that the topic of the baby and the future was off-limits for the duration. This time was their breather, their chance to process the change in circumstances. It had proven to be exactly the medicine Hope had needed. Well, she’d needed this breather
She hadn’t taken time to consider his possible reaction to her news before she’d shared it, but he’d convinced her from the first that she could count on him. That his claim didn’t surprise her amazed her. Deep down, when she wasn’t admitting the pregnancy even to herself, she’d known that she’d be able to count on him. Just exactly what their future held, she didn’t know. But her confidence that he stood with her took some of the pressure off of figuring it out right now.
Back at the bed and breakfast, he relaxed in front of a basketball game on TV while she took a nap. After that, she decided to soak in the tub for a bit, thinking she’d relax a little while longer before dressing for dinner.
Then Lucca joined her in the bath and, for the next half hour, all thought of relaxation went down the drain. His lovemaking was just as erotic and satisfying as ever, but he did it with a tenderness that touched her heart.
Their B&B hostess steered them to a surprisingly good German restaurant—not the sort of cuisine Hope had expected to find in west Texas—and after that, Lucca started on the drive to their second planned destination on their trip, McDonald Observatory. It was the first visit for both of them to the McDonald. Lucca was like a kid at Christmas.
“Orion rising,” he said as he parked the car in the observatory visitors’ lot. “Orion, the Hunter. It’s one of the easiest constellations to find. Look for his belt of three stars pointing almost straight up from the horizon. See the bright orange star to the left and a blue one to the right?”
Hope stepped from the car and gazed up at the starry sky. “I do.”
“The stars are Mintaka, Alnilam, and Alnitak. Mintaka is actually a double star. All four are bigger, brighter, and heavier than our sun.” Excitement hummed in his tone as he added, “You’re going to love this, Hope.”
“I’m sure I will.” If nothing else, watching him love it would make her evening.
The moonless night was pitch-dark and bitterly cold, and she loved every minute of it. It was a special event night for a membership group Lucca had joined. They participated in a “star party,” gazing at the heavens through an awesome pair of telescopes and listening to a guided tour of the night sky. Hope found the guide’s program informative, though it lacked the charm and romance of Lucca’s backyard lessons.
She told him as much at the end of the evening as they returned to the visitors’ center to use the facilities before making the drive back to Fort Davis. “You know what you should do,” she suggested. “Once Aspenglow Place is up and running, you could give star tours to your mother’s guests. Eternity Springs isn’t as dark as it is here, but it’s better than most places.”
“There’s a thought. It’d give me an excuse to score a powerful telescope.”
When Hope came out of the restroom, she wandered around a bit before finding Lucca standing mesmerized before a large framed image. She stood beside him. “It looks like twinkling lights on a Christmas tree.”
“Newborn stars shining through the wispy clouds of the Orion Nebula. You can see it without a telescope, a smudge of light below Orion’s Belt.”
“Yes. I remember the guide pointing it out.”
“It’s a nursery, Hope. A stellar nursery. The nebula has given birth to thousands of stars. Bright, brilliant babies.” He took her hand and brought it up to his mouth for a kiss. “Birth is a beautiful thing.”
His words and his actions stayed with her as she drifted off to sleep that night, and during their journey home on Sunday. Monday morning, she scheduled a doctor’s appointment for mid-December and ordered three books about pregnancy from an online bookseller. Hope was feeling optimistic about the future. She didn’t think she could ever have consciously made the choice to have a second child, but now that the proverbial barn door was open, the idea of having another chance seemed like an unacknowledged dream that could possibly come true.
As the days went on, Lucca inquired upon occasion if she was ready to talk about the future. He indicated that he was trying to give her space, though he seemed a little impatient that she had not yet answered yes. But she thought she might be getting closer. On a snowy Saturday afternoon in December with a couple of hours to kill before she needed to be at the gym for a Grizzlies home game, she added a log to the fire Lucca had built before he left to meet his friend James Preston, who had promised to attend the game to watch Wade play. James was a scout, and this was the big chance she’d been wanting for Wade. She said a little prayer that she would be the coach Wade needed and that he’d have a great game. Lifting a fireplace tool, she poked the log, positioning it just right.
“Just right,” she murmured, and her thoughts drifted to the previous night. It had been a lovely evening. She and Lucca had stayed in, played Scrabble, and laughed. He’d become a friend to her, and in doing so, made her realize how much she’d missed that component of a relationship. Lucca was her friend and her lover.
She loved him.
It was true. She finally could admit it. She thought she’d probably loved him for some time now. He was a good man. A caring man. A loving man.
Maybe she should tell him that she loved him. Maybe she could finally move forward. Be strong like Maggie. She would always love Holly—always search for her and hope and pray for her safe return. But maybe the time had come to appreciate this second chance she’d been given. With Lucca. With their child.
As Roxy moved from her perch on the third step of the staircase over to her bed in front of the fire, Hope looked toward the manila envelope that had been lying on her desk for more than a week. “Maybe it’s time, girl,” Hope said aloud.
She opened the envelope, removed one of the pregnancy books, and began to read. Fifteen minutes later, lost in information she’d forgotten over the past ten years, she heard the doorbell ring only because Roxy caught her attention with a yip.
Expecting it to be Lucca she called, “Come in.”
The door opened and her welcoming smile died when a man stepped inside: tall, lithe, blond, and still handsome despite his hard, accusing blue eyes and thin-lipped grim smile. “Mark.”
“Hello, Hope.”
Shock quickly flared into anger. How dare he. How dare he! She set down her book and rose to her feet as he continued, “You don’t mind if I look around a bit, do you?”
“Yes!” she snapped. “I do mind. I’ve had enough, Mark. This is ridiculous. It has to stop. I want you to leave.”
“After I take a look around,” he said, moving toward the staircase.
This was wrong. So wrong. After all these years, he still thought she was hiding their child. Like she could hurt Holly that way. Fury roared through Hope, and she moved to block him. “She’s not here, Mark. You know that.”
He looked at her with Holly’s eyes, miserable and filled with despair.
Still a big man, he easily shoved her out of the way and barreled his way upstairs. Unable to stop him, she
