go back inside. I want a sample of every kind of rock there is. I don’t know why, but I do.”
She picked up the shovel and leaned on it to support her shaky knees. “Okay.”
Together, with Pedro watching and helping when he could, they made many trips in and out of the mine, carrying small samples. Catherine was at Josh’s side, sharing the elation of discovery. She wondered what would happen when they got back to sea level. Would this euphoria disappear when he found the rocks were worthless and things didn’t seem so simple? Anything was possible for them. But probable? No. He said he hadn’t thought about his promotion, but he hadn’t said he didn’t want it. He was still going back to become a vice president someday.
They spent their last night at the mine, stretched out next to the fire. He tucked her body next to his to protect her from the cool night air and buried his face in the fragrance of her dark hair. He wanted to tell her how he felt now, so she could get used to the idea that he loved her. But he was just getting used to it himself and he wondered if she was ready to hear it yet. Her steady breathing told him she was already asleep, so he lay awake and watched the embers of the fire, his mind spinning with hopes, dreams and plans.
After they packed their saddlebags the next day, they headed down the mountain. Josh helped Catherine down the steep, rocky grade just as he’d helped her up. She kept her eyes fastened on his, her hands tightly gripping his. He willed her his strength and her feet found the path. He almost told her then, as they paused to get their bearings, the hot sun on their shoulders, the sound of the burros’ hooves ahead of them, what he’d decided to do about her and about them, but he didn’t.
He walked behind her across the valley, his eyes on the curve of her hips, and resolved not to say anything to spoil the magic of this trip. Walking in his father’s footsteps, he thought about success. Success could be measured in other ways besides money. His father knew that. Catherine knew it, too. But he was just learning.
At the ranch they paid for the use of the burros, unpacked, thanked the old man and climbed into their Jeep for the long ride back to Palomar. It was still raining in their valley when they arrived the next evening. The skies were leaden and the ground was saturated. After leaving Pedro at his tin shop, Josh took Catherine to her house. When he unloaded her things, he found the rock she’d collected on the front seat.
“Don’t forget your souvenir.”
She ran her fingers over the vein of dark red that ran through the dull gray. “Have it analyzed with the other samples. Maybe I’ve got myself a ruby.”
He smiled at the thought. “I’ll do that. As soon as I get the results of the tests, I’ll let you know.” They took shelter from the rain on her front porch. “I have to get the Jeep back tonight, but I want to see you. We have to talk.” Instead of talking, Josh bent down to kiss her lips, long and hard. He didn’t want to leave. There was a nagging fear in the back of his mind that things would never be this good, this perfect again. He was afraid that if he left now something might come between them.
“I’ll come by your stall tomorrow,” he promised. He ran his hands down her arms and held her tightly. The dust from her shirt mingled with his. He kissed a smudge on her nose. A feeling of certainty replaced his doubts. Certainty that they belonged together, on a farm, or in a bank, along a trail or in a wobbly canoe.
Wherever she was, that was where he wanted to be. If he didn’t feel so sure, he never would have left her on the steps, tired, dirty and disheveled. But it was only temporary. He’d bring the Jeep back, take a shower, leave the rocks to be analyzed and then tell Catherine what she already knew deep down in her subconscious: that their love was strong enough to overcome any obstacle. He kissed her long and slowly and left her standing on the steps looking dazed.
Chapter Ten
No sooner had Josh’s car disappeared around the bend in the