Spring has come to
Eternity Springs in The First Kiss of
Spring, the newest installment in this New
York Times bestselling series by Emily March.
Life could be a dream...
Goal-oriented and gorgeous, Caitlin Timberlake's dreams took her to the top of
the corporate ladder in New York City. Now years later, her goals have changed.
She wants to come home to Eternity Springs and build a business and a family of
her own—with the new man in town. So what if sexy mechanic Josh Tarkington
wants nothing more than a fling? Caitlin is a patient woman who knows how to
work hard and strategize to win what she desires. She desires Josh.
Unfortunately, he has other plans.
If only things were different...
Josh craves Caitlin and all she has to offer. However, he is a man with
secrets. He has worked hard to overcome his tragic past, but he's afraid to
risk having a future because he knows trouble is never very far away. When a
selfless act brings that trouble to his door, he stands to lose everything he
cares about—including Caitlin. Will her love and the healing magic of Eternity
Springs be enough to save him?
Chapter One
Home.
Caitlin Timberlake
exited the Telluride Regional Airport terminal and turned in a slow circle as
she feasted on the scene. Colorado’s Western Slope was a world of jagged, rocky
mountain peaks, of icy-cold streams that burbled and frothed and grew silvery
fish that tasted like heaven when cooked over a campfire for breakfast. The San
Juan Mountains in summertime presented a banquet of color—hills of green and
gold; red rocks and alpine meadows blanketed in wildflowers of pink, blue,
purple, and yellow, all presenting majestically beneath an azure sky.
Home.
She filled her
lungs with clean mountain air, smelling pine and fir and forest, and tension
melted from her bones like snowfall in spring.
Home.
For the better
part of eight years, she’d lived in New York City, hustling and bustling and
busting her butt as a textile designer, trying to build a life for herself. She
specialized in fabric design for bedding and while she liked the creative
aspects of the job, work fulfillment remained elusive. After all, pretty
bedspreads would never change the world, and Caitlin wanted her work to matter.
She wanted her life to matter.
Caitlin’s
discontent had been born in the moment when she’d learned that her brother
Chase had gone missing in a war-torn part of the world, and it had grown in the
weeks that followed. His safe return home hadn’t squelched the emotion. She’d
discovered too much about herself and her wishes and desires during that
troubling time.
Primarily, she’d
recognized that she’d spent too much time living thousands of miles away from
those she loved. It had taken her some time to figure out what she wanted to do
about it and even more time to make the decision to act. A few significant
hurdles remained in her way, but she was closer than ever before to becoming
her own fairy godmother and making some of her wishes come true.
She exhaled
loudly, grinned, and announced, “Hello, Colorado. I’ve missed you.”
She’d have sworn
she heard the wind whisper back, Welcome home, Caitlin.
“I’m doing the right thing,” she told
herself. Now if she could only convince her mother of that fact.
Well, that was a
battle for another day, one after she’d cleared her hurdles and had her fairy
wand in hand. Today it was time to shift into bridesmaid mode.
Caitlin had flown
to Denver yesterday after work and spent the night in an airport hotel. This
morning’s flight into Telluride had landed right on time, and the hotel shuttle
was waiting for her. After wrestling with her purse, her tote, her computer
case, and two suitcases stuffed to overflowing with necessities for her role as
bridesmaid, she wanted to kiss the friendly van driver who introduced himself
as he took the burdens off her hands.
The fact that Will
Gustophsen was cute and about her age didn’t hurt, either.
A year ago when
her college friend, Stephanie Kingston, asked her to be a bridesmaid at her
destination wedding, Caitlin hadn’t hesitated to say yes. She just wished she’d
known sooner about all the stuff Steph needed her to bring with her and she’d
have shipped it ahead.
“You here for an
extended stay?” Will asked as he lifted a suitcase into the back of the van.
“Because I have so
much luggage?” Caitlin smiled ruefully and explained, “I’m here for a wedding.”
“Ahh. In that
case, you travel light.”
With the luggage
loaded, she climbed into the shuttle and, as the only passenger, had her pick
of seats. She buckled her seat belt, then settled back for what should be a
short drive to her hotel.
As the driver
turned onto Last Dollar Road and headed down the big hill he asked, “Where are
you from?”
“Here. Well, not
Telluride. I grew up in Denver. But I went to college in Tennessee and moved to
New York City after graduation.”
“Should I offer my
congratulations or condolences?”
Caitlin laughed.
“I’m glad I had the experience. I’m ready to come home, though.”
“Back to Denver?”
“No.” Her gaze
focused on the small town nestled into the valley below. “I’ve developed a
fondness for mountain towns.”
Will Gustophsen
glanced into the rearview mirror and wagged his brows flirtatiously. “Please
tell me you’re moving to Telluride.”
His obvious
interest soothed the spot on her heart still achy from a breakup last
Christmas. Doug Wilkerson hadn’t broken her heart when he dumped her, but he
had bruised it. “I doubt it. This place is a little too pricy for me. Besides,
I have family in Eternity Springs.”
“That’s a nice
little town, but then so is this. It’s possible to live here without breaking
the bank. You just need to be smart about it.” He launched into a Telluride pitch
that sounded as if it had been written by the Chamber of Commerce.
Caitlin couldn’t
argue with him. The scenery was spectacular and the activities he rattled off
sounded inviting. As they approached her hotel in Mountain Village, the
pedestrian-friendly, European-style planned resort community built above
Telluride and connected to the historic mining town by a gondola lift system,
she was anxious to get out and explore. She’d been a kid the last time she’d
visited this part of Colorado, and she was sure the place had changed. She had
a few hours to kill before meeting Stephanie for a drink, so this was her time
to play tourist.
“I get off work at
six,” Gustophsen said. “I’d love to show you around. Buy you dinner.”
“Thank you,” she
responded, meaning it. Having a cute guy hit on her was nice. “But I’m afraid I
already have plans this evening. The bride arrives this afternoon and the
weekend is jam-packed from there.”
He gave an
exaggerated sigh. “Always my luck.”
The friendly
chatter continued until they arrived at the hotel. After he wrestled her
luggage from the van and gave her his number in case her plans changed, she
gave him a large tip and thanked him for the hospitable welcome.
Caitlin checked
into her room and spent some time answering a few of the unending stream of
work-related e-mails. She would miss a few things about her job. The mountain
of e-mails that required her constant attention wouldn’t be one of them.
With her
professional fires put out, she shut her laptop with a satisfied thump, grabbed
a hat and sunscreen, and left the hotel. She walked around Mountain Village a
bit and was suitably impressed with the style and elegance of the resort town.
However, she didn’t feel quite at home until she took the gondola down into
Telluride and wandered up and down the streets, reading historical markers and
inspecting the shops, comparing them to those in another small, historic mining
town near and dear to her heart.
Eternity Springs
might not have a gondola and ski runs, but the bakery, handmade soap shop, and
Christmas store could definitely hold their own against these. People came from
all over the country to shop at Vista’s art gallery and Whimsies glass studio,
and her mother’s Yellow Kitchen was the best five-star restaurant in Colorado.
She couldn’t wait
to be there.
She ate lunch at
the Thai spot that her driver had recommended, then indulged in a chocolate ice
cream cone for dessert. Taking a seat on a park bench near the gondola station,
she savored her treat and people-watched.
The town was
bustling this August weekend with tourists and locals alike out enjoying the
afternoon sunshine. She grinned as a pair of preteen boys whipped past her on
mountain bikes, their mud-caked clothing providing as much evidence of a
fun-filled, reckless ride down the mountain as did the joy in their smiles.
Too bad her
weekend was packed with wedding activities. She wouldn’t mind giving that a try
herself. She was impressed by the way the ski resorts had found ways to attract
vacationers, athletes, and daredevil fourteen-year-old boys during the off
season. Such was the way little mountain towns became tourist destinations and
supported thriving economies throughout the year.
She knew that such
success didn’t happen on its own. She’d had a front-row seat during the
revitalization of Eternity Springs and saw how people had worked together to
make it happen.
Eternity Springs.
It’s funny how the little town called to her. It wasn’t even home. Not the home
of her childhood, anyway. She’d never even visited Eternity Springs until her
parents lost their minds and separated after she went off to college at
Vanderbilt and her mother ran away from home.
The ringing of her
cell phone interrupted her thoughts. She dug the phone from her backpack and
checked the number and the time. Stephanie. They were due to meet up in
Mountain Village in half an hour. “Hello, bride.”
“Hey, Cait. You
won’t believe what happened. Our plane out of Logan was late and we missed our
connection. We won’t get to Telluride until late tonight.”
“Oh no.” Potential
ramifications of such a delay flittered through Caitlin’s mind. “What did you
have scheduled for today? What can I do to help?”
“It’s all covered.
I built extra time into the schedule, thank goodness. I’m just really
disappointed that you and I won’t have our girl-time this afternoon to catch
up, and of course, missing dinner with George and Nathan. Nathan was really
looking forward to spending some time with you before we dive into wedding
business. Tomorrow will be jam-packed.”
Stephanie had been
trying to set Caitlin up with her work friend ever since Doug dumped her.
However, the guy’s Instagram was a total turnoff and Caitlin simply wasn’t
interested. Unfortunately, Stephanie was a terrier when she set her mind to
something, and she’d decided Caitlin and Nathan were made for each
other—despite the little issue that she lived in NYC and he in Miami.
This plane delay
might be a blessing, Caitlin decided.”Don’t worry about it, Steph. You and I
will both be at Marsha’s wedding in October. We can have a nice long visit
then.”
“That’s true. And
maybe you and Nathan can find time to grab a drink together tomorrow. It might
fit after our spa appointments and the guys’ round of golf. I don’t want you to
miss the opportunity to meet him. Telluride is such a romantic place.”
Caitlin closed her
eyes and worked to keep the sigh out of her voice as she said, “Telluride is beautiful,
Steph. It’s a gorgeous place to have your wedding. And the weather for Saturday
is supposed to be spectacular.”
They discussed
arrangements for meeting the following day. Before ending the call, Stephanie
said, “If you happen to meet a tall, dark, and handsome stranger tonight, feel
free to invite him to the wedding. I had six last-minute cancellations, and
I’ve already paid for the meals.”
“I thought you
have your heart set on me and Nathan.”
“I do, but it
never hurts for a guy to have a little competition.”
Thinking about her
lack of a love life put a damper on Caitlin’s day. Maybe she should have taken
the shuttle driver up on his offer, after all. As luck would have it, as soon
as she slipped her phone into her backpack, her gaze landed on a couple about
her age, holding hands and stealing kisses as they walked along the sidewalk.
This time, she couldn’t hold back her sigh.
She was alone.
Again. Still. How was it that she could live and work in a city of more than
eight million people and always feel alone? Even when she was dating
someone? But she did feel alone and she was tired of
pretending otherwise. Tired of pretending, period. Hadn’t she been partially
relieved when after eight months of dating, Doug sat her down and gave her the
“just friends” talk?
Thinking about
relationships while sitting in a mountain town caused her thoughts to drift
back toward her parents. In hindsight Caitlin could see that she shouldn’t have
been so hard on her mom when Ali ran off to Eternity Springs. If Ali
Timberlake’s feelings back then had been anything like those Caitlin
experienced now, then Cait could better understand her mom’s actions. Ali had
tried to explain, using terms like “lack of fulfillment,” “yearning for more,”
and “unwillingness to settle.” Caitlin hadn’t wanted to hear what her mother
had been trying to say. For a while, neither had her father.
But Ali hadn’t let
anyone stop her, had she? She’d left Mac, left Denver, and eventually opened a
restaurant in Eternity Springs. She’d made new friends and a place for herself
in the community. In proving to herself that she could live without Mac, Ali
had realized that was the last thing she wanted to do. Living alone in Denver,
Mac had come to a similar conclusion.
“And all was well
that ended well,” Caitlin murmured, tearing her eyes away from the lovers.
Guess her parents hadn’t lost their minds when they separated, after all.
Caitlin polished
off her ice cream, licked her sticky fingers, and decided she’d had enough
sightseeing. She’d go back to the hotel, maybe change into her swimsuit and do
a few laps in the indoor pool. Shoot, maybe she’d change her clothes and rent a
bike and act like a fourteen-year-old boy.
Making her way to
the gondola entrance, she took a place at the end of the line. A group of
college-age tourists fell in behind her, laughing, talking loudly, smelling
strongly of weed.
Caitlin stepped
forward and as the gondola attendant opened the cabin door for her to climb
inside, the constant stream of foul language coming from two girls behind her put
her off. She stepped aside. “I’ll let them go first.”
They giggled and
stumbled and f-bombed their way into the cabin. The attendant met Caitlin’s
eyes and rolled his, then shut the door.
As she watched the
next cabin approach, a male voice spoke behind her. “This is one of the
pet-friendly cabins. I hope you don’t mind sharing with my dog?”
Caitlin glanced
over her shoulder and saw a tall man with sun-streaked dark hair and striking
high, defined cheekbones. But it was his eyes that demanded a woman’s attention.
Framed by long, thick lashes, they were the color of a stormy spring sky, and
they were mesmerizing. She stared into them just a little bit too long.
What had he
said? His dog. “I love dogs.”
Embarrassed, she
finally jerked her gaze away from those fabulous eyes and toward his dog.
Because he’d asked if she minded sharing, she expected to see a big, hairy,
scary-looking dog. Instead, she saw a pretty miniature long-haired red
dachshund with her hind legs propped up by a doggie wheelchair.
* * *
The hot blonde
went gooey. They always did. It was one of the few perks Josh Tarkington had
found of being the owner of a dog with a broken back.
“Oh no.” Her moss
green eyes softened, her bee-stung mouth rounded. “What’s wrong with him?”
“Her,” Josh corrected
as the cabin arrived and the attendant opened the door for them. “She’s a girl.
She jumped down from a sofa and hit wrong. She’s paralyzed from the middle of
her spine down.”
“That’s so sad,”
the blonde said, stepping into the cabin and taking a seat.
“She’s actually a
happy girl.” Josh scooped up the dog and wheelchair and set her on the seat
opposite the woman. He shrugged out of his backpack, sat beside his dog, and
smiled at his gondola companion. “The woman who owned her at the time of the
accident said Penny was depressed for about three days, but after that she
recovered her usual sunny disposition.”
A large group of
children and adults asked to wait for the next cabin since they traveled
together, so the attendant shut the door with Josh and the blonde as the only
passengers.
“Her name is
Penny?” she asked.
He nodded, and
when the woman extended her hand to let the dachshund sniff her, Josh noticed
she wore no ring on her left hand. “Copper Penny. I’m Josh, by the way.”
She lifted her
gaze from the dog and smiled at Josh brightly. “Nice to meet you, Josh. My name
is Caitlin.”
“Are you a local,
Caitlin, or are you visiting?”
“I’m here for a
college friend’s wedding. I live in New York. How about you?”
“I’m playing
tourist here this weekend. This is my first trip to Telluride.”
“It’s the first
time I’ve been in years. It’s gorgeous here, isn’t it?”
“Definitely.” Josh
said it without looking away from her.
Judging by the
flutter of her smile and sudden shift of her gaze, his subtle flirtation did
not go unnoticed. Caitlin returned her attention to the dog and asked, “So, how
long have you had this precious Copper Penny?”
“Not quite a
month. Her owner had to move into an assisted living center that doesn’t allow
dogs, so she asked our local vet to find Penny a home. I’d gone to the adoption
center to get an appropriately manly dog. I’m still not sure how I walked out
with a crippled doxie.”
“Obviously, you
needed a little good luck.”
Josh needed a
couple of seconds to make the connection. “Ah, as in ‘See a penny, pick it
up?’”
“And all the day
you’ll have good luck,” Caitlin finished.
“It must be
working. I get to share the gondola with a beautiful woman instead of the
campers standing behind me in line. They obviously don’t have showers at their
campsite.”
“I’m flattered.”
After a brief pause, she added, “I think.”
The gondola exited
the station and started up the hill.
Josh leaned
forward and spoke earnestly. “I’m shooting for flattery. I’m not always very
good at it, I’m afraid. I have a tendency to put my foot in my mouth whenever I
attempt to flirt.”
A smile played at
her lips. “Is this an attempt at flirtation?”
“I’m bad at it. I
know.” He gave her his go-to sheepish grin. Her eyes went gooey again. Damn,
I’m good.
But after only a
moment of goo, Caitlin’s eyes narrowed. “Actually, I think you’re probably very
good at it.”
Busted.
“In fact…” She
folded her arms and studied him. “I have two older brothers. I know how these
things work. Is the dog even yours?”
Josh sat up
straight and added an offended note to his tone. “Are you insinuating that I
use Penny’s handicap to help me pick up women?”
Her eyes glittered
with amusement. “Before they met their wives, my brothers would have done it in
a heartbeat. Stephen borrowed a puppy one time to attract a girl’s attention.”
Josh laughed.
“Okay, so maybe it hasn’t escaped my notice that Penny is a bit of an
icebreaker, but she is my dog. A high-maintenance one at
that.”
Then he rolled out
the winner. He had yet to meet a dog-loving woman who wasn’t impressed by the
fact that keeping Penny healthy and happy meant he had to manually express her
bladder three times a day.
“Okay, I never
would have thought of that,” Caitlin said. “That’s dedication.”
Josh decided to
save the daily dog-laundry ammo for later. “She’s worth it. She really is a
sweet dog. So do you have a pet?”
“No. My apartment
doesn’t allow anything bigger than fish, and besides, I travel too much with my
job.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a textile
designer.” She named the famous fashion design house she worked for and
explained a little about her work.
He was impressed.
“So, you’re an artist. I’m always intrigued by creative people. Do you work on
a sketch pad or at a computer?”
“Both. I usually
begin with sketches, but most of the designing is done on the computer.”
“I think it must
be very rewarding to create something out of nothing. Bet it’s neat to see your
work in a department store.”
Caitlin offered
him a brilliant smile. “It is. I was so excited the first time it happened. I
knew the date the line was due to be released. My mother flew in and we went to
Macy’s together.” She laughed softly and added, “She bought one of everything
and then we went and drank champagne. I think she was even more thrilled than I
was. But enough about me. How about you? What work do you do?”
“I’m an engine
mechanic. I work for myself. Opened my own shop earlier this year.”
“Now that is
awesome. I dream of working for myself.”
“Being your own
boss is rewarding, but it’s also the hardest work you’ll ever—” Josh broke off
abruptly when Penny’s ears perked and her head came up.
The gondola cabin
shuddered, jerked, and stopped its forward movement.
“What happened?”
Caitlin asked, alarm in her voice.
Josh looked up and
down the line. He saw no sign of trouble, but plenty of evidence of panic.
Behind them, children cried. Ahead of them, one of the female partiers
screamed.
I am so glad
that wasn’t a pet friendly cabin.
“We seem to be stable,” he said. “I think…”
Static emerged
from a speaker above them, then a male voice said, “Attention passengers.
Please remain calm. There is no cause for alarm. I repeat. There is no cause
for alarm. Your safety is not at risk. Due to a mechanical issue, the main line
from Telluride to Station St. Sophia has been halted. We are working to get it
back up and running as soon as possible. We ask for your continued patience.”
In the wake of the
announcement, Caitlin shrugged. “It could be worse. We could be in the cabin
with the potheads.”
“Or the crying
kids.”
“I’m not on a
schedule. Are you?”
He’d planned to
drive toward Delores and find a place to camp, but he could adjust. “Not at
all. If you are here for a wedding, I’m surprised you don’t have every minute
booked.”
She explained
about the bride’s plane delay and confessed to relief about it, considering the
woman’s matchmaking ideas. It provided a natural segue into the question he
very much wanted to ask. “So, you’re not with anyone back home?”
“No. I’m single.”
She reached across the aisle, scratched Penny behind her ears, and casually
asked, “How about you?”
“I’m single, too.
I live alone now, well except for Penny. This time last summer I lived with a
whole gaggle of women, but they wouldn’t quit feeding me and I was getting fat,
so I moved into a house by myself.”
At Caitlin’s
owl-eyed blink of shock, he laughed aloud. “The look on your face is priceless.
Before I decided to open the shop, I lived and worked in an RV park. The
average age of the ladies was around sixty, and they liked to bake.”
“So you’re one of
those,” Caitlin observed with a roll of her eyes.
“Those?”
“You like to
tease.”
He had the sudden
vision of curvaceous Caitlin lying on his bed, naked and shivering as he teased
the tip of her breast to a point with his tongue. “Oh yeah.”
“Just like my
brothers,” she said with a sigh.
That comment
managed to pour icy water on his fantasies.
Reminded of
thirst, he started to reach into his backpack for his water bottle when the
speaker sounded again. “Attention, passengers. Stoppage is due to a mechanical
malfunction that does not affect your safety. I repeat. Safety is not affected.
The line from Station St. Sophia to Mountain Village will be restarted. That
from Telluride to Station St. Sophia will be evacuated by our highly trained
team. Again, we ask for your patience.”
“Evacuated?”
Caitlin asked. “We’re a hundred feet off the ground! How will they evacuate
us?”
Josh peered
through the window, looking straight down. “No more than eighty feet. I’ve
suspect they’ll use a rope system. They’ll buckle you into a harness and lower
you to the ground.”
“Oh.”
She didn’t sound
the least bit enthusiastic at the prospect. “Are you afraid of heights?”
“No. Not really.”
She showed him an embarrassed smile. “When I was in college I went climbing
with my brother and one of his friends. To call him a daredevil doesn’t begin
to describe him. Anyway, his friend missed a handhold and slid into me and
knocked me off the mountain. I dangled at the end of my safety rope for the
longest, loneliest five minutes of my life before my brother managed me pull me
up. I can’t say I enjoyed the experience.”
“I wouldn’t think
so.”
“How long do you
suppose it will take them to get us down?”
“Depends on how
big their team is and where they begin. We’re about halfway in between the town
and Station St. Sophia.”
“So we probably
won’t be the first they get to.”
“Probably not.”
She pursed her
lips and thought about it, then nodded. “I’m okay with that. Will Penny be
okay?”
Josh tore his gaze
away from Caitlin and glanced down at his dog. “She’ll be fine. She’s had about
all the exercise she can handle today.”
Though she could
probably use the water he’d been about to pour for her a few minutes ago. He
reached into his backpack for his water bottle but his fingers found the
Corkcicle bottle he’d filled that morning instead.
“Since it looks
like we’re going to be here for a while,” he said, wrapping his fingers around
the bottle’s neck and pulling it from the pack. “Care to join me? I have blood
orange kombucha.”
“I’d love some.
Thank you.”
He reached back
into his pack for the water and collapsible dog bowl, filled it halfway, then
set it down for Penny. Next he pulled out the nesting wine glass and the
collapsible water cup he carried.
He handed her the
wine glass and she assembled it. “Don’t tell me. You were a Boy Scout.”
“Always prepared,”
he quipped. That much was true. Sometimes in certain company, it was easier to
drink his own “wine” than explain why he wasn’t drinking.
As he filled her
glass, she observed, “You’re the first guy I’ve met who drinks kombucha. Are
you into the natural health scene?”
He eyed her
speculatively. “See, I don’t know you well enough yet to know how to answer
that.”
“I don’t
understand.”
“I’ve lived in
California and Oklahoma. If I told you I eat tofu and bean sprouts and you’re a
California girl, chances are you’d be impressed. However, an Oklahoma girl
possibly would dismiss me as a weak little weirdo.”
Caitlin gave him a
fast once-over. Dryly, she said, “You’re obviously not weak or little. I don’t
know you well enough to judge the weirdo part. Personally, I
won’t go near tofu, but I don’t hold tofu against someone. Do you eat red
meat?”
Solemnly, he
nodded. “Every chance I get. Do you eat junk food?”
“I order Cheetos
by the caseload.”
“That’s it, then.
We’re meant to be. Will you have my baby?”
She almost choked
on her kombucha. “Weirdo.”
He laughed aloud
and they shared a grin, then the conversation settled into more first-date type
of questions. She asked where was his favorite place in the world. He asked her
who influenced her most in life. She asked him what made him laugh. As always,
Josh deflected questions about his childhood and steered the conversation away
from family. They talked quite a bit about dogs.
More than an hour
passed before they saw any sign of rescue. Josh didn’t mind the delay. He
hadn’t flirted with a woman in a long time and he enjoyed himself. She was
witty and intelligent and so very fine on the eyes. Caitlin didn’t appear to
mind the delay, either. She flirted right back.
He decided to ask
her to dinner. He’d take her to one of the fancy restaurants in Mountain
Village. He actually had a suit in the trailer because he’d attended a funeral
for the elderly mother of the mayor of Eternity Springs the morning before he
headed out on this trip.
While he waited
for the right moment to pose that question, he continued the small talk by
asking, “So, did you always want to be a textile designer and live in New
York?”
She hesitated, a
shadow crossing her face. “Not exactly. I’ve been living my mother’s dream.”
“That’s an
intriguing statement.”
“She was a
stay-at-home mom who wanted to be a career woman. She—whoa!” The gondola cabin
swayed as a loud thump sounded above them. “What’s that?”
“I think we’re
being rescued.”
“Oh.”
She sounded almost
as bummed about it as he felt.
A moment later,
the cabin door opened and a man loaded down with equipment swung inside.
“Everybody okay in here?”
“We’re good,” Josh
responded.
“So we have two
adults and a dog to go down? Is the dog paralyzed?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve seen those
wheelchairs on Animal Planet. Cool contraption. I have a pet harness. Any
reason she shouldn’t go down that way?”
“Not that I know
of. She’s a calm dog. She should be fine. It is better to send her down alone
than with me holding her?”
“Yes sir. It’s
safer for her to go alone. She’ll be completely secured.”
“If that’s best,
then let’s do it.”
“Good. We’ll send
her down first.”
While the rescuer
deployed the rope system, Josh devoted his attention to Penny. He wasn’t
worried about sending her down by herself. She’d already proved herself to be a
scrapper. So far, he hadn’t found anything that phased her. He dug a dog treat
out of his backpack and fed it to her while the rescuer strapped her into the
pet harness.
Following a short
discussion with Josh, the rescue worker attached the three-pound wheelchair to
the rope, too.
Caitlin scratched
the dachshund behind her ears and made kissy noises. Josh told Penny to behave,
sneaked her one more treat, then watched her ride the rope down. The rescue
team on the ground greeted the dog enthusiastically.
“Nothing pulls the
heartstrings like a crippled dog,” Josh observed, turning toward Caitlin with a
grin that quickly faded. The woman had gone green around the gills. “Caitlin?
Are you okay?”
“I shouldn’t have
watched that,” she said. “I’m not a cowardly person. I ski black diamond
trails. I’ve ridden Class V rapids. But I really, really don’t want to leave
this cabin by rope.”
The rescuer
frowned at her. “Ma’am, you don’t exactly have a choice.”
“I know. I’ll
handle it.” She smiled weakly and added, “I’m sorry. I have this … thing.”
“You’ll be
perfectly safe. Even if the worst case happened and something failed, there’s a
backup safety system.”
Josh eyed the
harness and asked, “Do you have a tandem harness?”
“We have one we
use for children, but adults—”
“She doesn’t weigh
a hundred pounds. We can go down together.”
“One-oh-five,”
Caitlin corrected, turning a hopeful gaze toward the rescuer.
Josh didn’t know
how any red-blooded man could resist that look, so he wasn’t surprised when the
rescuer reached for his radio and spoke to his partners on the ground. A few
minutes later after the deploying the rope system, a different harness arrived
from the team on the ground. The rescuer secured Josh first, then assisted
Caitlin. Her cheeks turned bright red when he told her to wrap her arms and
legs around Josh and hold on tight.
“Don’t worry. I’ll
be a perfect gentleman.”
“Says the stranger
with his hands on my ass,” she murmured.
He was laughing
when he gave the rescuer a thumbs up and they swung out into the air.
Although they
descended the eighty feet slowly, it went by much too quickly for Josh. Caitlin
kept her eyes closed and her head buried his against his chest, but her mouth
ran the entire time.
“I wish I’d had a
glass of wine instead of kombucha. Two glasses of wine. One wouldn’t be enough.
It’s humiliating to be so afraid. I’m gonna kill my brother—it’s all his fault.
I’m shaking like a baby.”
And I’m hard as
the granite on Mt. Wilson.
She was soft and
warm and she used coconut-scented shampoo. Josh didn’t care for the taste of
coconut, but he loved the scent. To distract them both, he said, “So you’re a
Denver girl. Someone told me that Mt. Wilson is the mountain depicted on the
Coors beer logo. Is that true?”
“What? Oh. The
logo. Yes. I think that’s true. The logo depicts the Wilson Group. Mt. Wilson,
Wilson Peak, Gladstone, and El Diente.”
“The tooth,” Josh
translated. “It does look like a tooth, don’t you think?”
Caitlin lifted her
head and looked toward the mountains. “How beautiful,” she said, her head
swiveling. “Oh wow. What a view this is.”
When the smile
slowly spread across her face, a captivated Josh couldn’t help himself.
He kissed her.
Copyright © 2018
by Emily March in The First Kiss of
Spring and reprinted with permission from St. Martin’s Paperbacks.
Emily March is the New York
Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author of over
thirty novels, including the critically acclaimed Eternity Springs series. Publishers
Weekly calls March a "master of delightful banter," and her
heartwarming, emotionally charged stories have been named to Best of the Year
lists by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Romance Writers of America. A graduate
of Texas A&M University, Emily is an avid fan of Aggie sports and her
recipe for jalapeño relish has made her a tailgating legend.
