A Message for Julia (18 page)

“We're family.” She put her hand on his and squeezed.

Raymond moved toward them and stuck out his hand. “To the future?”

Linc took his father-in-law's hand and shook it. “Yeah. Sounds great.”

“We'll stop by the house later.” Eleanor gave him a brief hug and Linc watched the couple leave, pleased that they'd come.

 

A
LL THAT WAS LEFT TO DO
was for Julia to bring the car around and for the nurse, who insisted he
had
to leave in a wheelchair, to wheel him out. Linc resisted the urge to pace—barely.

“Am I interrupting anything important?”

Linc let his gaze roam over his brother, who was now standing in the doorway. Julia had told him earlier that Jace was here, but he was still surprised to see the man he'd last seen as a boy. “All this time, my mind kept seeing you as you were when you left.” Linc's voice cracked and he took a deep breath to ease it.

“You don't like what you see?” Jace arched a brow.

“No, that's not it.” Linc smiled and walked to the door. “I'll adjust.” There was an awkward moment as Linc wondered what to do, then he stopped thinking and pulled Jace into a strong hug. “I've missed you.” Linc stepped back and Jace followed him farther into the room. While Linc sat down on the bed, Jace moved nervously around the room.

He saw the resemblance to their father and to the face he saw in the mirror each morning. There were traces of the boy Jace had been, as well.

But there were differences, too. Too many. Long,
wavy hair. Sharp lines bracketing his mouth and the lines around Jace's green eyes told of long hours in the sun.

They'd lost so much, and while this stranger was here, now, Linc didn't know how long he was going to stay. He wanted time to get reacquainted. “You staying?” Linc asked.

“For a little while.” Jace leaned against the window-sill, staring back at Linc as if he were measuring the differences, as well. “Wasn't sure you'd want me to stay.”

“Hell, Jace. Of course I do. Unless you have other commitments you need to get back to.” Linc wanted to ask so many question, but held back. Jace had never responded well to being pushed. Look what had happened before. Linc didn't want to lose him again.

Jace shook his head. “No. Nothing special. My business can wait for now.” He didn't meet Linc's eye. “You got a pretty cool lady. I remember her from before.”

“Yeah. Took me a while to figure out the best things were in my own backyard.”

Jace laughed and finally met Linc's gaze. “Yeah, we Holmes boys aren't always the brightest, are we?” The silence grew long and heavy. “Look.” Jace moved to stand in front of Linc. “I haven't been the best brother. Hell, I'm not the best anything. Period. I'm sorry I wasn't here when…when Mom passed.”

“She would have liked to see you again.” Linc struggled to keep his voice even. Jace had broken their mother's heart.

Linc watched Jace swallow and knew he didn't need to be told. The younger man turned back to the window.
“Mom wouldn't have wanted to see me.” He didn't elaborate and Linc didn't ask. Again, the silence stretched.

“I figured out about two weeks after I left that it was a mistake,” Jace said softly, staring stubbornly at the floor.

“Then why didn't you come home?” Sadness at all they'd lost lodged in his chest.

“Pride's an awful thing, Linc.” Jace finally looked up. “And at sixteen, it's hell.”

“Was it so bad being with us?”

Jace thought a minute. “No. In retrospect, I realize what you and Mom tried to do. At the time I just wanted to escape. It wouldn't have mattered if we'd lived in a palace.” Jace paced around the room. “I was too young to understand Dad's death. I had nightmares for years. Of being crushed. Of you being killed. Of Mom falling even further apart. I was afraid it would really happen.”

“Did running away make it all disappear?” Unfortunately, Linc understood his brother too well, and ached for the boy he'd been.

“Yeah, other people, other things took its place for a while. By the time I wanted to head home, I was too drunk to know it.”

The stiffness in Jace's shoulders told Linc how hard this admission was for him. Was he waiting for Linc to reject him? That wasn't going to happen.

Linc took the first step. And the second. He rested his hand on Jace's shoulder until he looked up. “I'm sorry, too. I wasn't there for you. Not the way you needed. But
I'd like us to have another shot at it.” He smiled at his brother.

Jace smiled, too. “I'd like that.”

The door opened then and Julia walked in. She smiled when she saw who Linc was talking to. “Jace. Are you coming home with us?” The invitation was forthright and Linc knew Julia was sincere.

Jace hesitated. “Yeah, I'll stick around a few days. But then I'll be hitting the road.” He didn't elaborate. Linc didn't push this time, but he would. He wasn't letting Jace go easily this time.

And they had time. Probably not a lot this visit, but he'd take whatever he could and take advantage of the future sitting brightly in front of him.

Linc looked at his brother, then at his wife. He'd almost lost everything, but he hadn't. Julia moved to his side and put her hand in his.

“Let's go home,” she said.

Both men nodded and Linc whispered, “Home.”

Six Months Later

O
UTSIDE THE WINDOW,
gold, red and faded green leaves fell like confetti across the walk. Linc watched Julia hustle around the house, checking decorations, the snacks and back to the stove to stir something or other. It was perfect, just as they'd planned.

He leaned in the open doorway, fascinated. He couldn't get enough of her these days and the smile that lifted his lips felt good and right.

So much had happened in the past six months. Since the cave-in. Since they'd nearly lost everything. Today would be the true end to it all. They'd wanted to wait until Casey could attend. His recovery wasn't complete, but he was out of rehab and staying with Zach and Tricia.

The doorbell rang. “I'll get it,” he volunteered, knowing Julia wasn't really paying attention.

Ryan and Missy arrived first, with Mike, Rachel and their new daughter close on their tail. Rita and Jack Sinclair pulled up in their truck just as Linc prepared to close the door. The wind blew and the dried leaves scratched across the walk, encouraging him to step outside for a minute.

Linc would never get tired of the open air. He breathed it in, relishing the feel of the clean, fresh breeze. He could have stood there forever, but the wind soon kicked up. He did allow himself a moment to inhale the scent of wood smoke, dust and a faint hint of damp. A new season that let the earth rest.

Oscar Hudson, the town's only mailman, drove up just then and Linc went to the curb to accept the stack of envelopes. One of the benefits of living in a small town was that everyone had the same mailman and knew him on a first-name basis. He also knew all of them.

“Having a party?” Oscar smiled as he craned his neck in curiosity.

“Something like that.” Linc headed back to the porch, sorting through the stack. A postcard caught his eye. Arizona. The bright blue sky above stark red cliffs was beautiful. Jace's now-familiar scrawl wrote a few lines across the back. Jace had promised to stay in touch and this was his way of keeping his word.

The postcards that arrived every few days were a brand-new start.

The sound of a car engine distracted Linc from his thoughts, and he looked up to see Gabe and Shirley arriving, their arms laden with food they weren't supposed to bring. Linc shoved the envelopes into his back pocket and took a casserole from Shirley. She never arrived without a dish of one kind or another, so why he'd expected today to be different, he didn't know.

Robert's SUV pulled up to the curb. He hustled around to open the door for Mamie. The tiny, white-haired woman was dwarfed by the truck, but Robert
easily lifted her and set her down. With a practiced hand, he unfolded her walker. Linc met her at the end of the walk and accompanied her while Robert parked the truck.

They'd just settled Mamie in the recliner by the fire when Zach, Tricia and Casey arrived together. The twelve-pack in Zach's arms nearly made Linc laugh out loud.

Casey hobbled in, his crutches now well-worn. He'd been fitted with his temporary prosthesis and was still unsteady. But it was good to see him standing, nonetheless.

Finally, for the first time since the fifty-four hours they'd spent underground, they were all together.

Linc hesitated, suddenly nervous. He sought refuge with Julia in the kitchen. As she turned from stirring the spaghetti sauce, he slipped his arms around her. She fitted so well in his embrace, and eagerly leaned against him.

“What's wrong?” she asked softly.

“Nothing. Just be here for a minute.”

“I'm here for always.” She snuggled in closer.

“Hey, you two, cut it out,” Gabe called from the other room, as if he knew exactly what was going on.

Linc's laughter was infectious, and Julia rejoiced in the fact that she'd heard it more in the past few months than in years before. As he left the kitchen, she noticed the letters in his back pocket and playfully yanked them out. Out of habit, she flipped through them, knowing he'd already seen the postcard from Jace.

They were all pristine and dry. Unlike the letter she'd
found in Linc's pocket at the hospital. He'd written her a goodbye letter while he was underground and had tried to save it in a plastic sandwich bag. It had gotten wet despite his efforts and only a few snatches survived. The rest were blurs of ink. Still, she'd treasure it. A tangible reminder of what he'd survived and that he loved her.

These envelopes were nothing more than the usual credit-card offers, a couple of bills, a flyer advertising mining equipment and a business letter. She absently glanced at the return address. Fielding Fertility Clinic. Her heart stopped.
What's this?

She tossed the rest of the stack on the table, the intriguing white envelope still in her hand. She followed Linc to the living room and stopped in the doorway. He was talking to Robert and both men were frowning. Linc looked up then and met her gaze.

Still frowning, he said a couple of words to Robert, then headed toward her. “What's up?”

His eyes searched her face, and she knew her emotions were clear in her expression. He saw the envelope in her hand and took it.

She saw him swallow hard before looking at her again.

“I don't think now—”

She put her hand on his arm. “Please.” She backed into the kitchen and he followed.

After the rescue, she and Linc had talked and for a week at the cabin, they'd talked more. For the first time, they'd listened to each other and now understood. They hadn't made any concrete plans for a family, but they'd agreed to keep trying—and hoping.

“I saw Dr. Fielding a couple of weeks ago,” he admitted.

“Is that…test results?”

“I already know what they are,” Linc admitted. “He called yesterday. That's just the formal report.”

Julia couldn't ask because her throat had closed up. They were only a few inches apart, speaking softly, and she was sure he could hear her heart beating in her chest.

“My sperm count's low. But there are some…things we can do.”

“Do?”

“To make a baby?”

She tried to read his expression but was having enough trouble figuring out her own. Fear and excitement kept getting in the way. “You'd do that?”

“Yeah.” He reached up and caught her chin with his hand. “I want a baby.”

She swallowed hard. “And I'm okay with whatever happens,” she said. Her heart pounded, reminding her of old wishes, old hurts. She slid her arms around him and he held her tight, finally kissing her.

Hoots and hollers broke them apart yet again, but not before he whispered, “We can still try the old-fashioned way, too.”

He pulled away with a wink that had her face burning. She knew that if all these people hadn't been here, he'd have carried through with that promise. Right here. Right now.

The front door banged, and she heard her father
greet their guests. Julia knew her mother would be right behind him.

“Everyone's here now,” Linc said from the doorway, and she turned around to see him grinning at her.

“Is it time to let your secret out?” she asked.

Linc nodded. Julia had been supportive, but even she didn't know what he had in mind. She'd gone along with all his plans for tonight, no questions asked, though she'd been dying to know.

With a deep breath, he stepped forward and grasped her shoulders, guiding her into the living room.

“Sit here.” He set Julia on the arm of Mamie's recliner.

“I need to check—”

“This won't take long.” Linc returned to the kitchen and she heard the fridge open. Everyone in the room shared curious glances. What was he up to?

Julia looked down at Mamie. The older woman laughed and shrugged. Finally, Linc returned. In one hand, he held the basket she kept by the sink for her linens. He'd stacked it with wineglasses. In his other hand was the twelve-pack Zach had brought and under his arm was the bottle of champagne.

“Gabe, if you'd do the honors.” Linc handed Gabe the champagne. Julia watched as Linc proceeded around the room and gave each man a beer. She laughed. The men weren't having any of this “sissy” drink as Linc called champagne.

“What are you up to, buddy?” Robert grinned. He really was a handsome man, with his muscular shoulders
and salt-and-pepper hair. He should smile more often, Julia realized.

“You'll see,” was all Linc said. He stopped when he got to Ryan and Missy and with a grin he handed them each a soda. Ryan grumbled in disappointment as Missy punched his arm.

Finally, everyone had a drink in hand. Even Mamie consented to a small glass of champagne. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“Be careful, Mom,” Robert teased. “I wouldn't want to have to answer to the staff at the facility if you get drunk.”

Everyone laughed. Finally, Linc managed to plant himself at the center of the group. Julia felt her heart gallop in her chest.

He'd never looked more excited or handsome—or so alive. She sent up a prayer of thanks for letting her keep him—and for all the other wonderful people in this room.

“So much has happened since last April. I know that only you, Robert, have been able to go back underground.” The sacrifice had been difficult for them all. Mike and Rachel were the hardest hit, but Casey with his medical bills was a close second. Julia knew it had kept Linc awake nights worrying about these men he'd grown so close to.

“Today, I have an offer for you all. Including you, Robert.”

“What?” several of them asked at once.

Linc simply grinned. “As of today, I'm the CEO and owner of Seven Bells Consulting.” He looked over at his
father-in-law who raised his beer in silent salute.
What were they up to?

“My father-in-law, Raymond Alton, has offered to finance this operation. The information Robert just told me only strengthens our position. Those ceiling pins were intentionally removed. That's what caused the cave-in.”

A collective gasp went up.

Robert broke the pained silence. “No one was trying to hurt us. They just got a little overzealous. The team ahead of us didn't think anyone would follow. They moved the pins to the next section, trying to cut costs.”

Linc nodded. “That's where we come in. Seven Bells will train miners to protect themselves, as well as to be more aware of what's going on. Then maybe they won't remove equipment without thinking about the consequences, and if anyone else is trapped, they'll know how to survive.”

The applause surprised him. When they finally quieted, he spoke again. “You all have jobs if you want them, except you.” He aimed the neck of his beer at Ryan. “You're going to college first.” Ryan ducked his head and smiled as Missy hugged him.

Julia raised her own glass. None of the women spoke, but the tears were eloquent enough. They drank a silent toast to themselves for surviving and to the men who were here and alive with them.

Then Linc circled the room. In a toast to friendship and survival, he clinked his own beer bottle against that of each man who'd survived with him. Like the seven
taps they'd spent hours banging on that pipe, the glass pinged in the crowded room.

When he'd finished making the circuit, Linc returned to Julia's side and raised his beer. “May we never hear that sound again.”