He took what little they had packed that Trace didn’t insist on keeping with him and waved them off with a smile.
Outside, Deb muttered, “No trouble? Hah, spoken like a man who isn’t going himself and already has his money.”
Trace chuckled and would’ve boosted Deb onto her horse, but she swung up before he could get to her.
CHAPTER
23
They rode the trail the old man had recommended and were soon swallowed up in the trees, climbing. The trail was rugged, rocky, and surrounded by a thick forest. They’d been winding their way up, down, or sideways all day. No level ground anywhere.
“It’s so quiet here,” Deb said beneath a canopy of leafless oaks. “It’s like we’re in a church.”
“A lot of the birds have flown south. Animals are starting to hibernate.” Except for that one grizzly. “Or even if they don’t hibernate, they spend long hours asleep in caves and burrows.”
Trace was always sharply aware of the woods around him—particularly right now, for killer bears—but he admitted that Deb was a powerful distraction.
They reached a large pine tree that had fallen across the trail, like an ancient sign demanding they halt. They could’ve made it around—their horses would have gone on—but this was the spot the old man had recommended they leave the horses behind.
Dismounting, they began walking, Trace holding Deb’s hand. There was snow and ice all around them. The trail was mostly rough and stony, keeping them from slipping. They managed to make decent time without falling. But small slicks of ice and a drift here and there made walking tricky.
Trace saw the mountaintop looming before them and knew in a few more paces they’d round the last outcropping of stone and view the lake below. He took Deb’s hand more securely. He glanced at her and wanted to say the lake was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen, but here was Deb. Lake Tahoe paled in comparison.
Then they stepped around that last boulder.
She gasped.
Though he’d beheld the lake many times, Trace gasped right along with her. It was a powerful sight.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Deb murmured. “Surely it must be the most beautiful site on earth. The lake itself is so high up here in the mountains. And look at the white peaks and the forests surrounding them, all reflecting on the water. It’s spectacular. How is there such a huge lake up here?”
Trace removed his hat, raked his hair back with a gloved hand, and settled the Stetson back on his head. “I always wonder the same thing. Seems like it oughta just flow down the mountainside. It must be trapped somehow. There are gushers of water coming in.” He pointed at several spraying out of the rocky heights around the lake. Others trickled down gently. “Some are natural springs, but there’s lots of snowmelt and rainfall, too. And I’ve heard tell there is only one river flowing out, the Truckee. I reckon it just comes in as fast as it goes.”
Without tearing her eyes from the view, Deb reached out and took Trace’s hand. “This is so wonderful. Thank you for taking the time to show me this, Trace.”
Long minutes passed in silence. Deb stared at the lake as if it were a drink and she’d been thirsty most of her life.
They stood in the buffeting wind, looking down on the water, white-rimmed with ice, reflecting the dazzling sky, mostly white with clouds. But the sky opened, and the sun shone down. The lake reflected the stunning pure blue. Then more clouds scudded across and turned Tahoe white again. There was snow in the air, mostly tiny crystals rather than flakes.
“It’s so cold, but I can hardly bear to stop looking.”
Trace, his heart pounding from the beauty and the woman he shared it with, wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. Keeping her warm, they lingered and watched.
“This is one of the most perfect moments of my life.” Her eyes, bright as the sky, blue as the lake, glowed as she turned from the view and looked at him. “And it’s thanks to you. Everything that’s happened since I met you has been a revelation. You’ve taught me how fine a man can be. I’ve had to do some growing up to understand that. My father left me with a poor image of men. I’ve harbored that in my heart. But because I’ve met you, I now understand that not all men are like him.”
Trace smiled and said, “Deb, I never dreamed my life could be so much finer than what I’ve lived for the last few years. The beginning was harsh, but since I got settled, had hired men, found people I could talk to, I’ve thought my life was busy and full and happy. But I had no idea how much better it could be until you came along.”
“Any woman would have meant just as much to you, Trace.”
“No.” He shook his head in firm denial. “That’s not true. Gwen is wonderful, an angel with the children, and a good, strong, fine and decent woman. But nothing stirs in me for her, except maybe the affection I’d have for a . . . sister.” Or a sister-in-law. He wasn’t quite ready to say that out loud. “It’s only
