Trevor called late in the day on Friday. A firefighter had come down sick and the chief had asked him to finish out the shift. That knocked out their plans for dinner at the GG plus the cave visit and horseback riding on Saturday.

He’d be available on Sunday, though. Once again, Olivia tried to talk him out of going into the cave but he was adamant.

On Sunday afternoon, she walked out to meet him. Running like she had on Thursday didn’t seem right. Even the weather contributed to the somber mood. Grey clouds covered the top of the mountains and a few drifted overhead, intermittently blocking the sun. A cool breeze made her shiver.

He climbed from the cab with a jaunty smile, but she wasn’t fooled. He was wound tight. He shoved back his hat and kissed her with intensity, as always, but underneath the hot passion, she sensed a river of fear.

He ended the kiss and sighed. “Sorry about Friday night and Saturday.”

“No worries.” She cupped his face in her hands. “It gave me a chance to think about this adventure and I’ve put several battery-operated lanterns down there. That might help.”

“Great idea. Thank you.”

“The rope’s already in place. I brought the miner’s hats out to the porch. Figured you’d want to get on with this.”

“You bought me a hat? I thought of it but I didn’t have time.”

“It’s Edward’s.”

“Oh. Right.” He didn’t look happy about that.

“I’ll go get them.”

“Sure. Okay. I’ll wait here.”

She paused. “Trevor, you really don’t have to go down—”

“Yes, I do. I appreciate the loan of the hat.”

She hurried back to the porch. She’d almost bought a new hat for Trevor when she’d picked up the lanterns. Then she’d dismissed the idea as being overly protective of his feelings. Now she wished she’d done it.

When she returned, he was staring at the clouds.

She looked up at the sky. “Do you think it’ll rain? Because if you do, then we’d be better off not going now.” His distress tore at her. She’d ditch the plan in a heartbeat.

He grimaced. “It won’t rain. Not for a couple of hours, anyway.” He took off his Stetson and laid it in the truck. “Let’s go.”

“Here’s your…the hat.”

His flinch was barely perceptible. He tucked the hat under his arm. “Thanks. Lead the way.”

She started down the grassy hillside that sloped away from the house. “I always take a different route so I don’t wear a path.”

“I see paths, though.” His breathing was slightly uneven.

“Critters made those. None of them lead to the cave.”

“How big is the hole?”

“Small, but you’ll fit. It’s overgrown with grass so you have to search for the metal stake we drove in the ground. We never rode Bonnie and Clyde in this direction once we found it.”

“What about the fire?”

“Doesn’t seem to have affected the cave, thank goodness. Maybe because it’s so deep.”

“How deep?”

Damn. She shouldn’t have mentioned depth. Now that she had, she couldn’t pretend she didn’t know. “It’s a twenty-five-foot rope. There’s a gradual slope to the bottom.”

He sucked in a breath. “Okay.”

“You don’t—”

“Olivia.” The quiet warning in his voice indicated the subject was closed.

“All right.” She circled around the area and came at it from the backside. “This is it. See the stake?” She pointed it out.

“I do, but you sure camouflaged it well.”

“Thanks. It was a priority.” She gave him what she hoped was an encouraging smile. “I’ll go first.” She put on her hat and turned on the light. “Have you ever done rope climbing?”

“Yep. Both in high school and firefighter training.”

“Edward and I had to teach ourselves. Neither of us had ever done it. We had to build up our strength so we could make it to the bottom and back up.”

He gave her a wry smile. “But now you’re a mighty kickboxer.”

“That definitely helps.” She took a deep breath. “I’ll call up to you when I’m at the bottom. I’ll talk you down.”

“Right.” He put on the miner’s hat and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“I wish I had somebody else here, someone to coach you at the start, like when you asked Bryce to come by when I was on the ladder.”

He shook his head. “Until we have a plan, we don’t want anyone else knowing about this.”

“No, we don’t.” She hated leaving him, but there was no help for it. “Remember, there’s light at the bottom. It’s not a big dark hole.”

“And you’ll be there.”

“Yes.” Her stomach did a flip-flop. He was counting on her to get him through this. That was some serious trust. “See you in a few minutes.” Grasping the rope, she lay on her stomach and eased through the opening. “This is how I do it. You may have a different idea.”

“Nope.”

She gazed up at him. His face was an emotionless mask that likely hid his terror. But recent experience had taught her that simply doing the thing could eliminate the fear. The first step was the hardest, though.

Shimmying down in record time, she looked up at the small bit of daylight above her. “Trevor McGavin, come on down!”

His short bark of laughter was followed by the daylight being blocked when he wedged his big body into the opening. “It’s too damn small!”

“No, it’s not. Push yourself past that point.”

He did, dislodging small stones and loose dirt that tumbled around her. The opening was a little bigger now. That was okay. Eventually, when enough protections were in place, the opening could be enlarged.

As he started down the rope, he began cussing. Continuously. She’d planned to talk him through it, but he wouldn’t have heard her and she was too busy covering her mouth to hold back laughter. He used words she’d never heard before in an unending stream of filthy language.

His descent was even faster than hers. In no time, he stood before her, white and shaking. His shirt was soaked.

“You did it.”

“Yeah.” Gulping for air, he glanced at the lanterns on the cave floor. “Thanks for the lights.”

“There’s more in the next room.” She dropped to her hands and knees. “We just have to go through here.”

“Shit. I thought I was done with crawling through holes.”

“There’s more to see in the next room. Come on. You’re this far. You might as well keep going.”

“Guess so, especially if you’re going.”

She maneuvered through the opening and stood on the other side waiting for him.

He had to work to get his shoulders past the narrow space, but eventually he made it and got to his feet.

“There are more, bigger chambers, but this is my favorite.”

He nodded, but he remained focused on her.

She’d have to calm him down if she expected him to appreciate where he was. She gestured to the flat rock. “Have a seat. Catch your breath.”

“Okay.” He sat down, closed his eyes and swallowed. “That was rough.”

“I could tell. I’ve never heard anyone swear that much.” Sitting beside him, she took his big hand and laced her fingers through it. His skin was clammy.

Opening his eyes, he focused on her, but nothing else. He cleared his throat. “Bryce and I used to have cussing contests. The person who could go the longest without repeating anything won whatever we’d bet on that day.”

“It’s a unique skill.”

“I honestly didn’t know I’d do that. I apologize if I offended you.”

“I thought it was funny. But I didn’t want to laugh when you were going through hell.” She squeezed his hand. “Trevor, look around,” she said gently. “There’s beauty here if you can allow yourself to see it.”

“I’m afraid if I look around I’ll remember that we’re under tons of dirt with only one way out.”

“We’re safe. This cave has been here for thousands of years. It’s not like some rickety mine shaft built by humans. The bats must think it’s safe if they’ve chosen it for raising their babies.”

“Yeah, I can hear them. Will they fly in here?”

“Probably not. We’re talking and shining lights around. They wouldn’t want to move toward something that might be dangerous to them.” She squeezed his hand again. “Take a look at the formations. They’re amazing.”

“And that’s why I’m here, so I can help you advocate for their preservation.”

“Exactly.”

Drawing in another deep breath, he slowly turned his head. Then he blinked. “Oh, wow.”

“Told you.”

Lifting his head, he surveyed the ceiling about twelve feet above them. “What’s that sound?”

“Water and minerals dripping off the end of those stalactites. The drips land on the stalagmites below and gradually build it up while the stalactites are growing, too.”

“We studied that in school. Eventually they meet.”

“After a really long time. Then they look like that one over there.” She pointed to an amber colored formation where she’d placed one of the lanterns.

“So if this happens in lots of caves, what’s special about this one?”

“It’s no longer happening in most of the caves where humans have come in and taken over. If they don’t know any better, they end up disturbing the delicate balance that allows the cave to keep growing. The dripping stops and the cave…well, it dies.”

“Hm.” He slowly took in his surroundings again. “That would be a damned shame.”

She let out a breath. He got it. “But the cave needs to be seen and appreciated. It would be a fabulous educational opportunity.”

He nodded. “And good for Eagles Nest.”

“It would be. But I don’t have the resources to develop it or protect it. I need the state to handle that.”

“Makes sense.”

“I’ve only been here six years, though. I haven’t paid much attention to state politics. You’ve lived here all your life.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I know anything about state government. At election time, I figure out who to vote for. That’s about it.”

“Then we can research it together.”

“Or we can talk to someone who already has a connection there. But it means letting someone else in on the secret.”

“Who’s that?”

“Zane.”

“Oh! I didn’t think of that. Of course he’d have to get permits and licenses and stuff for his raptor program.”

“Would you trust him with this?”

“Yes, but…one more person could easily become two.”

“You mean if he told Mandy.”

“Right, and after all, they’re married, so I hate to ask him to keep a secret from her. And she’s trustworthy, but then she might feel it was safe to tell just her mom. And her mom might mention it to Kendra, thinking Kendra must already know. That’s how word gets out, one person at a time.”

“Especially in a town the size of Eagles Nest.” He gazed at her. “Okay, here’s how I see it. The sooner you get the state to take over, the more likely the cave will be protected before word gets out.”

“I agree.”

“Zane is the quickest path to that goal because he already has contacts. Now that he’s running a larger facility, he deals with the folks in Helena all the time. We need him. But he can’t tell Mandy.”

“Is it fair to ask that of him?”

“Maybe not, but we have no choice. He knows how things are around here regarding gossip. He’ll want to help you push this through ASAP so he doesn’t have to keep it from Mandy for too long.”

“You’re making a lot of sense. All right. I like that plan.”

“Good.” He glanced around. “I get why this is so important. I won’t pretend that I’m thrilled about caves, but when you come upon something that no one else has ever seen…”

“It’s mind-boggling. I mean, how often does that happen?”

“For most people? Never. And I’m only the third person to see it.” His color had improved. His shoulders had relaxed a bit, too.

“As far as I know, we’re the only three. Edward and I didn’t explore every chamber, but wherever we went, we found no other footprints, no primitive tools, no signs of a cooking fire. Just us and the bats.”

“How many bats are there?”

“I have no idea and you don’t want to know.”

“You’re right. I don’t. But I can already tell I’ll get better at this. Next time I promise not to swear.”

“You’d come down again?”

He regarded her steadily. “This cave is important to you.”

“Very important.”

“Then it’s important to me, too.”

“Thank you.” She was grateful for the support, support she desperately needed.

She wished he was doing it for the sake of the cave, though. That might be a part of his motivation because he seemed impressed with this discovery. But his last statement left no doubt. Mostly he was doing it for her.