Brandon leaned against the foot of the bed, his eyes alight with remembered excitement. “I followed Dad up the path. He had a flashlight, and he seemed to know where he was going. The next thing I knew, we were at the entrance to that cave. I heard this scream from out of the darkness and at first I thought it was you. Then I realized it was a man.
Then suddenly Eddy Spooner came flying out of nowhere, leaping at Dad. He was yelling like a madman.“
“Oh, my God,“ Diana breathed.
“Spooner kept shouting something about how he wasn’t going to let Dad ruin everything for him. He was nuts.“
Brandon shook his head at the memory. “The flashlight went flying. I ran to grab it. When I turned the light on Dad and Eddy, they were fighting right at the mouth of the cave. I thought for a minute they were both going to go over the edge. But at the last instant. Dad rolled free. Eddy went over the falls.“
Diana sucked in her breath. “Is he dead?“
“Yeah. They pulled his body out late last night.“
“That poor man.“ Diana shook her head.
“I always knew Eddy Spooner would come to a bad end,“ Margaret Fulbrook declared.
“He was nuttier than a fruitcake,“ Brandon said. “He was the one who played those pranks on you last summer, by the way. Except for the one Robyn played, that is. Harry told the cops all about it this morning.“
Margaret walked across the room to admire the sleeping baby. “Spooner couldn’t stand the thought that Colby Savagar was back in town and that he had really made something of himself and his life. Eddy resented everything about Colby, including the fact that he was dating you. He didn’t have the nerve to attack Colby directly last summer, so he took out his hostility against you.“
“Harry was smart enough to figure out he could use Spooner’s resentment,“ Brandon said.
“And all for nothing,“ Margaret said, her voice sad. “It’s true I changed my will, but I never changed the amount I intended to leave Harry. He just assumed I had. The bulk of what’s left of the Fulbrook money, and I’ll be honest and tell you there isn’t all that much left, still goes to this hospital. I only put in a small amount for Brandon. I knew Colby would never tolerate my leaving his son very much. And he’s quite right. Too much money spoils a young person.“
Diana opened her mouth to ask another question, but before she could speak there was a commotion in the doorway. Colby strode into the room, laden with packages.
“What’s going on in here?“ he demanded. “I told you I didn’t want her tired out.“
“1 was just filling her in on what happened last night, Dad.“ Brandon took some of the packages Colby was carrying. “What’s in here?“
“Diapers, a used car seat from Brian McDonald and some odds and ends well need on the trip back to Portland,“
Colby explained absently. His eyes were on Diana as he walked over to the bed and took her hand. “How are you feeling, honey?“
“A little sore, but otherwise fine.“ She looked up at him with all her love in her eyes. “Thanks to you.“
Colby grinned. “I don’t know about that. You were doing okay on your own. You and that dog of yours.“ He fished something out of his pocket and dangled it in front of her. “I saved this for a souvenir.“
“What’s that?“ Margaret Fulbrook frowned at the strip of leather in Colby’s hand.
“The latest in modern pain control techniques for amazons in labor,“ Colby said. “Notice the teeth marks?“
“It looks like a dog collar!“ Margaret exclaimed.
“It is,“ Brandon said behind her. “Diana had it between her teeth to keep herself from crying out.“
“I was afraid Eddy would hear me and find the entrance to the grotto,“ Diana explained.
“Good heavens.“ Margaret Fulbrook smiled. “Colby isn’t going to be the only local celebrity around here, Diana.“
“Just what I always wanted to be,“ Diana murmured. “A legend in my own time. Ill have to be honest, however. If I had to do it over again, I’d make darn sure I did it the way it’s supposed to be done: in a hospital, with all the latest state-of-the-art medical technology. And painkillers. Lots of painkillers. The amazon bit is for the birds.“
But even as she said the words, she knew she had done it the way it was supposed to have been done, and when she met Colby’s eyes she knew he understood that, too. When he had carried her out of the grotto last night she sensed something had changed in the small, hidden chamber. A sense of peace had descended.
Colby’s hand tightened around hers. “I love you,“ he said, heedless of the others in the room.
“Practice makes perfect,“ Diana whispered.
Epilogue
At last he stood at the entrance to the cave. The roaring water was at his back, a heavy veil of glistening light that was no longer tinged with his blood. He walked slowly toward the hidden grotto, following the summons that had drawn him here.
He moved into the tiny, secret chamber and saw her waiting for him. She smiled at him with love in her eyes. She was holding the naked babe in her arms. Joy flooded through him because he knew that now they were free. She had broken the chains he had, in his arrogant rage, foolishly placed on all of them. He put out his hand.
She put her hand in his, confidence and trust and love welling up within her, washing away alt the old fear and fury. They had been given a second chance, and she knew that neither of them would throw it aside. They knew now that they belonged together.
They belonged together for they dreamed as one.
He led her out of the hidden grotto, down the path behind the falls and into the light of a new dawn.
When they were safe outside, the warrior peered more closely at the naked infant and then he laughed at the wonderful joke the gods had played on him. The babe was not the son he had expected. It was a girl child.
When he looked down into the woman’s eyes, he saw his own laughter reflected there and he knew he had chosen well.
He had vowed to teach her that she could not escape her destiny as a woman, but it was he who had learned the most important lesson. She had taught him how to love.
Colby Came awake and knew at once that Diana was also awake. He sought her hand in the darkness.
“You, too?“ he asked softly.
“Yes. It was different this time, though. There was a finished quality to it.“
“The urgency was gone,“ he agreed. “I finally made it to the grotto. I mean, he finally made it to the grotto.“