Tracie Peterson - [Desert Roses 01] (2 page)

“Why don’t they forbid him entry?” Luke questioned. “After all, this is a luxury resort with plenty of important people. It’s not like your father owns the place.”

“No, but his political power and money keeps everyone hopping from here to Phoenix. He can pay off those who don’t like his actions and cajole everyone else into doing things his way. Only the newspaper editor in Williams gives him a hard time, and that’s because the owner has just as much clout as Father.”

“I’m sorry, Alex.”

She looked up at him, knowing he was sincere. He’d always treated her kindly in the four years since she’d come to work as a Harvey Girl at El Tovar. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Luke. Thank you for keeping me from making a complete fool of myself.”

Luke grinned. “Need some help cleaning up?”

She shook her head. “No. I think the time alone will help me to cool off.”

“That and closing the door,” Luke motioned.

Alex had completely forgotten that they were allowing all the cold air to escape. “I should have never opened the door to begin with. Poor Bernice. She’s the new girl. I was showing her around and . . . Well, the rest is pretty apparent. Anyway, I’d better get back to work. Seems like I’m always cleaning up my father’s garbage.”

“I really would be happy to help you. I’m done for the day and was just coming in to get a bite to eat.” He seemed so eager to please her and the look on his face suggested a hopefulness that Alex couldn’t ignore.

Alex patted his arm. “No. You’ve done more than anyone should have to do. Go eat your supper. You’re a good friend, Luke.” The look of pleasure left his face and was replaced with an expression of disappointment.

“Fine,” he said and walked away without another word.

Alex shook her head at the hangdog manner in which he departed. Why should he be disappointed? She was saving him a great deal of messy work. Men! They were impossible to understand.

CHAPTER TWO

Luke wasn’t in the mood for supper, still disgusted by the scene he’d stumbled upon in the back rooms of El Tovar’s kitchen. He was also more than a little disturbed by Alex’s continual use of the word
friend.

He wanted to be more than Alex’s friend. Four years of friendship had taught him that, if nothing else. He’d fallen in love with her somewhere along the way, but he couldn’t put his finger on when that had exactly happened. Leaving the hotel, Luke headed down the rim path and sought solace in privacy. He ambled along just a little ways past the Lookout, a rustic creation where they offered telescopes to better view the scenic gorge.

Having spent the last ten years of his life wrangling horses and leading mule teams on various trips in the area, Luke knew the Grand Canyon like the back of his hand. He loved the canyon, and now, as he often did, Luke stared out across the vast wasteland and wondered at the glory of it all.

The sun was just starting to set in the western skies, sending slivers of orange and gold into the turquoise blue sky. The sky reminded him of Alex’s eyes—eyes just the perfect shade of turquoise, with long dark lashes that, at times, gave her face a doll-like appearance. He’d memorized every inch, every feature of her face—from the high cheekbones and dark brows, to the straight nose that seemed to turn up just a bit at the tip. Her lips were full and touched with a natural blush of rosy pink that no cosmetic could ever match.

“If I ain’t the lovesick cowboy,” he muttered, kicking a stone over the edge. He watched the rock zigzag first this way and then that as it bounced off the rocky sentinels below.

The shadows stretched out and played games with the appearance of the canyon. The colors changed before his eyes,
and only the laughter and voices from tourists strolling El Tovar’s grounds reminded Luke he was not alone.

It was 1923 and this national park was getting more than its fair share of attention. Trains came twice a day, and sometimes more than that on special occasions. The cars were always filled with curious passengers who longed to see what the canyon could offer them. Few ever realized the true gift of such a majestic sight—the way the solitude could speak to their soul on a starry night, how the rush of the wind and the hum of the canyon bottom river combined to make a haunting calliope sound, or the way the scent of piñon and juniper joined with the fresh western breeze after a welcome rain.

Luke sighed. Those were the things that made this home to him. They were the wonders that made this part of Arizona a mystery to most and a heartwarming pleasure to others.

Taking off his hat, Luke wiped his brow and thought of all the changes in his life since coming to the canyon. He’d been a scrawny kid of twenty when he’d shown up looking for a job. He’d heard great things about this place all the way down in Tucson, where he’d been working as a ranch hand. He had been told the opportunity could net a man a great deal of money—enough money to start his own ranch after a year or two of work.

Luke hadn’t found it quite that easy, but he had managed to set aside a good portion of his pay. While some of the other men went to Williams to spend their pay anytime they were given time off, Luke had spent his free hours at the canyon. He’d studied and educated himself on the flora and wildlife. He knew the area so well he could tell his way around in the dark . . . Well, almost.

The unmistakable sound of Alex’s voice filtered through the air to reach his ears. Replacing his hat, Luke looked up to find Alex pointing the way toward El Tovar and saying something to the tourists who had stopped her. No doubt her shift had ended, and she was taking a walk to forget the scene in the cooler.

Luke deliberated for a moment. He wanted very much to ask Alex to walk with him, to spend the quiet of the evening at his side. He’d wanted that for a long time now, but he felt completely at odds as to how he could take their relationship past the point of friendship and into love. If he could just come out with the words—just tell her face-to-face that he was in love with her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

Alex bid the tourists good-bye and headed toward the place where Luke stood indecisively. “I thought that was you,” she said, smiling as she came to stand before him. She held a small covered basket. “Did you ever get some supper?”

“No. I just figured to get some fresh air and think a spell.” She smiled, and Luke felt the joy of it spill over him like the water at Deer Creek Falls. “Good. Then we can share my picnic.”

“What?”

She held up the basket. “I packed a chicken salad sandwich, Camembert cheese, and sliced apples—instead of the applesauce that I made against the wall of the cooler.” She smiled and continued. “And I have a jar of rather tart lemonade, but we’ll have to share.”

He smiled, knowing there was nothing in the world he wouldn’t happily share with her. “Sounds wonderful.”

“I thought so, too,” she said, glancing around. “Where shall we share this feast?”

A great idea sprang to Luke’s mind. “Let’s borrow a car and get away from the area. Better yet, I’ll get us a couple of horses and we can ride to this wonderful little spot I know.”

Alex frowned, looking down at her uniform. “I’m hardly dressed for horseback riding. The Harvey Company hasn’t seen their way to outfitting us with split skirts or trousers.”

“Then we’ll borrow Clancy’s car,” Luke said, knowing his right-hand man wouldn’t begrudge him a few moments of privacy with Alex.

Alex laughed and nodded, handing the basket to Luke. “I
think that sounds marvelous. My feet are sore from working tables all day long, anyway. I’m glad people love the canyon, but I do wish the management would staff more girls to help out.”

They walked in companionable silence to where Luke knew he’d find Clancy feeding the mules. “Hey, Clancy, can I borrow your car? Alex thinks we need to have a picnic.”

She playfully poked his ribs with her elbow. “It was his idea to borrow the car, Clancy. I had nothing to do with it. You know I’ve never been fond of the smelly things.”

Clancy looked up and smiled, revealing a missing tooth. Just last month he’d taken a kick in the face from his favorite mule. He’d been black-and-blue for weeks, and even now the yellowed bruises were still visible in a few places.

“You can take her, just make sure you bring her back,” Clancy said, straightening from where he’d been bent over the feed trough.

Luke gave his solemn promise, then ushered Alex to the car. He took them east and down a narrow road. “I know this place where we can sit and watch the sunset,” he told Alex.

She said nothing but reached up to take the hairpins from her hair to let the breeze blow through her long brown curls. Luke had seen her like this once or twice before, and always it left him with a strange flutter in his stomach. She looked so very alluring with her hair down. He knew she had no idea of how her appearance affected him, and he wasn’t about to tell her for fear she’d stop taking such casual liberties when she was in his presence.

Luke forced his gaze to stay on the road. In his mind he wrestled with his thoughts.
I could tell her how I feel
, he reasoned.
I could just say that she’s come to mean the world to me and I’d like to court her formal-like
. Luke stole a glance and found Alex watching the road ahead. She didn’t appear to have a clue as to how he felt.

Glancing at his watch, Luke pulled the car over and parked
not far from the place he had in mind. “Come on. We’ll walk just a bit, and if your feet are too tired, I’ll carry you.”

Alex laughed. “Oh, I’m sure after handling mules all day, I’d be a real treat.”

“More than you know,” Luke muttered under his breath.

“What did you say?”

He looked across the car at Alex and shook his head. “Nothing. Come on, we’d better get a move on if we’re going to see all the colors. It’s almost seven-thirty.”

“That late already?” Alex questioned. “I suppose I lost track of time. Glad I got away when I did.” She started to pull her hair back into a knot, but Luke grabbed up the basket and headed toward the trail.

“You haven’t got time for that,” he called over his shoulder. “Just leave your hair down.”

His voice trembled just a bit.
Old boy, you’ve got it bad. Better keep quiet or you’ll be making a complete idiot of yourself
.

They made their way down a narrow rocky path, angling ever closer to the rim of the canyon. Luke had a special place he liked to visit, and he knew Alex would appreciate the view, as well as the solitude. Visitors had long since headed back to the hotel and campgrounds, and they’d have the area to themselves, if Luke had judged the situation correctly. Besides, he’d never yet come across anyone who’d happened upon his secret place.

“Over here,” Luke commanded. “We have to take this path.”

“There’s a path?” Alex teased. “Looks like a few boulders and some scrub brush.”

Luke laughed. He appreciated her good mood. “See the ledge to the left?”

“You don’t mean to tell me
that’s
the path.”

“I do.” He paused and looked back at her. “You aren’t going to go skittering back to the car, are you? Lost your nerve?”

Alex folded her arms against her chest. “I certainly haven’t. You have the food and I’m starving. I’ll follow you anywhere.”

Her words hit Luke’s lovesick heart like an arrow flying at full speed. “Come on, then.”

He helped her around the rocks and down the last little bit of trail. Spread out before them was the Grand Canyon in all her colorful splendor. Alex gasped in surprise.

“This is incredible. How come you haven’t told me about this place before?”

“It’s always been here,” Luke replied, taking a seat on a rocky outcropping.

Alex joined him, her gaze still fixed on the canyon below. “I’ve been in this area a hundred times, but I’ve never been down this trail.”

“My own secret haunt,” he said, taking the cloth from atop the basket. “You want to serve, or shall I?”

“Let’s ask the blessing first and then I’ll serve you.” Alex bowed her head and began to pray. “Father, thank you so much for calming my spirit with the glory of your handiwork. Thank you for Luke’s friendship and his wisdom in dealing with my father. And, thank you, Father, for this food and time together.”

“Amen,” Luke offered, trying not to think of her reference once again to their friendship. Surely married folks needed to be friends with each other. He’d try to keep it all in proper perspective.

Alex handed him half a sandwich and added, “I meant what I said. Your wisdom probably kept me from making a poor situation worse today. I prayed a great deal while I cleaned the storage area.”

Luke had never been much for prayer or Christian matters until Alex had come into his life. His mother had lived a life full of faith and love of God, but her death when Luke had been only twelve had left him doubting the hope she found in such things. For years he had listened to his older brother and sister espouse their Christian beliefs and faith. Even his
father, who died only two years after his mother, kept the family Bible by the bed stand and read it religiously every night before bed. But Luke had felt God a cruel master—a strict judge who stole mothers away from children.

Alex had changed Luke’s heart—or rather, God had changed it because of Alex’s persistent belief in His goodness and mercy. Even now, after what had transpired with her father, Alex would no doubt speak of God’s goodness. It was a faith that Luke had great admiration for and had been strengthened by.

“I found it easy to react when I saw my father with Melina, but I didn’t find it so easy to pray. I’m ashamed to have acted that way in front of Mrs. Godfrey,” Alex admitted. She bowed her head to take a bite of her sandwich.

“Most folks would have done worse.”

Alex shrugged. “But I wasn’t a good witness. I didn’t show myself to be guided by God’s spirit. Rather I reacted like—”

Luke interrupted. “Like anyone else would have, given the circumstance. You were hurt, Alex. There’s no shame in that. Sure, you could have walked away.”

“Should have walked away.”