Holly's Heart Collection One Read online

  Slumping down in her seat, Andie curled her legs beneath her. She grinned. Andrea Martinez—Miss Magnificent Manipulator—had me and she knew it. Rafting was the one thing I’d been dying to do. An all-day trip down the mighty Arkansas, along with two fabulous weeks of camping with Andie and her family. Irresistible.

  Mom’s idea of camping was the Holiday Inn without maid service. No chance she’d go. But Andie’s family? That was a different story. Her twin baby brothers, Chris and Jon, would stay with their grandma, then off we’d go. Before the arrival of the “double blessing”—as Andie’s mom liked to call the twins—the Martinez family had gone camping every summer. Thanks to Andie, I’d been invited to tag along.

  What great summers we’d had. Always camping high in the Colorado Rockies near the Twin Lakes that nestled like giant mirrors beneath soaring mountains. There, the air smelled of pine trees and the lakes were so blue it seemed a piece of sky had fallen to the earth. Wispy clouds scurried past snowy mountain peaks and the summer sun warmed the valleys. It was enough to birth the poet in me.

  Andie’s father, dashing and comical, kept us in stitches at all times. Summer and laughter seemed to hold hands—at least on camping trips with Andie and her family. Would spending the summer with Daddy be worth the sacrifices I’d have to make?

  The sacrificial list was growing. I’d miss out on camping with Andie, youth meetings, white-water rafting, and…yes, maybe getting to know Danny Myers better. But I wasn’t going to let any of it come between me and my secret summer dream to visit my dad and get to know him for the first time in four long years.

  SECRET SUMMER DREAMS

  Chapter 2

  “Quiet time’s over. Sleepers awake!” Walking down the aisle of the bus, Mr. Keller clapped his hands to rouse dozing choir members. “We’re coming close to the Grand Canyon,” he said.

  The Grand Canyon. The words awakened all thirty of us. Soon the bus was buzzing with excited voices.

  I grabbed Andie’s leaflet, tracing the path of the Colorado River with my finger. From what I’d read, its treacherous rapids and gigantic boulders made navigation barely possible.

  “That’s one raft trip we can forget about,” Andie said as my finger slid along the path the swift river cut through the canyon.

  “Guess you’d have to psych yourself up for a trip like that,” I said.

  Andie looked pleased. “So, you are thinking about staying home this summer?”

  I flashed her a knowing smile. She was so sneaky. The little rat!

  Mr. Keller announced that we were welcome to explore the area as long as we did not wander off alone. “Please take someone with you,” he said. “I want to return all of you to your families in one piece.”

  “How dangerous is this place?” I asked Andie.

  “Can’t be too dangerous,” she said. “Look at all the people.” We peered out the window as the bus inched into an open spot. The parking lot was really crowded.

  “We’ll see soon enough,” I said, wondering if this place would be any big deal.

  We bounded off the bus and headed straight for the lookout area, which was rimmed with a rock wall.

  “Fabulous.” That’s all I could say for the next five minutes as Andie and the rest of the kids and I stood there drinking in the awesome sight.

  It was late afternoon, and a golden haze lay over the canyon. Gazing across, I could see the rosy reds and gray-blues of the clifflike formations. Dark ravines, gouged out by the river’s tortuous path, made me feel small, like a speck in the universe. I felt lost in the canyon’s never-endingness. Squinting, I wondered where it ended. Andie was right. Who can see for two hundred miles?

  I felt Andie’s hand on my arm.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  I felt frozen. “It’s…it’s like forever.”

  “You’re right,” Danny said. I hadn’t noticed him standing there next to me, but Andie must have. She threw me a look that said “I told you.”

  I ignored her and turned to Danny. “Makes me wonder how God keeps track of everything on this earth,” I said. “He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.”

  “And when June bugs are gonna dance in them,” Andie said, tugging playfully at my long hair. She consulted her brochure. “It says here that the park is almost two thousand square miles, and that there are 290 species of birds that fly between these canyon walls.”

  Danny pulled out his binoculars and scanned the rocks below. “The smallest animals live in those crevices a mile down,” he said. “No way can God be nearsighted.”

  Andie and I laughed. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Jared, standing a few feet away and looking annoyed. Probably jealous of the attention we were giving Danny. Too bad, I thought. He had his chance, and boy did he blow it.

  Danny touched my arm. He was still looking through his binoculars, but he directed my gaze to a ledge far below. “If you look carefully, you’ll see a red-tailed hawk,” he said, handing the binoculars to me. He helped me adjust the focus and pointed me in the right direction. “They live in all parts of the canyon, except near damp areas or open water.”

  Then I spotted what he was talking about—a fierce, proud bird, perched on the edge of a cliff. Spreading its wings, it flew away, and I followed it with the binoculars until it disappeared from view.

  “Thanks. That was cool.” I handed the binoculars back to him. Smiling, he took them from me, then moved closer to the stone wall to peer down the edge of the ravine.

  “How does Danny know all that stuff?” Andie whispered to me.

  “He reads constantly,” I said.

  “Anyone can read. How does he remember all of it?” Andie asked.

  “Photographic memory, I guess.” Admiration filled me as I watched Danny. He had his binoculars up again, slowly scanning the canyon.

  The group started to break up. A bunch of kids went to the gift shop to buy souvenirs and candy. Others hung around the coinoperated telescopes. Jared came over and suggested that we hike down into the canyon a short distance. “It’s safe enough,” he said. “And we’ve got a whole hour. Mr. Keller said we need to be back on the bus, ready to go, at six.”

  “Uh, I don’t know,” I said, looking down at the great abyss.

  “C’mon, Holly. Don’t be such a scaredy,” Andie said. “Where’s the trailhead?” she asked Jared.

  “This way.” They walked off together, leaving me with Danny.

  “Is it safe, do you think?” I asked.

  “We won’t hike far.” Danny moved up beside me. We followed Jared and Andie as they made their way toward the hiking path. “Want to wear these?” Danny asked, pulling the binoculars over his head.

  “Sure.”

  He handed them to me and our fingers touched slightly. A strange, giddy feeling shot like an arrow straight to my heart. Was I falling for Danny Myers?

  Don’t be silly, I told myself.

  We hurried to the trailhead, where Jared and Andie had stopped to wait for us. I peered hesitantly down the path. The blacktopped path zigzagged down the side of the cliff, and it wasn’t exactly level. In fact, it looked like a forty-degree angle to me.

  “Stay close to this.” Andie patted the reddish rock wall to the left of us.

  One hand touching the wall, I headed down the trail, my tennies skidding a little on the steep path. Keeping my eyes on the trail, I tried not to think about the sheer drop-off to the right of me. Jared led the way, followed by Andie, then me, and last, Danny. I was glad he was behind me. Somehow it made me feel safer.

  After completing several switchbacks, we stopped to gaze at the beauty around us. I made sure my back was safely up against the canyon wall before I pulled out the binoculars and scanned the slopes just below the canyon rim.

  There was a slight movement. I adjusted the focus. A deer with antlers and the largest ears I’d ever seen made me catch my breath.

  “What is it, Holly?” Danny asked.

  “I think it’s a deer, but
it has huge ears.” I watched as the animal moved boldly along the cliff, grazing.

  Danny said, “Must be a mule deer.”

  “Hee-haw!” Jared brayed like a donkey. “Let’s see!” He pushed between Danny and me.

  “Wait a second, Jared,” I said, still gazing through the lenses. The deer had lifted its head and seemed to be staring at me, its head cocked, its eyes alert. I inched forward, intent on the beautiful creature.

  “Hurry,” Jared said in a silly voice, pulling on the strap to the binoculars.

  “Just a minute,” I snarled, swinging away from him. As I did, I lost my balance. The binoculars fell from my hands and my feet slipped away from me. Desperate, I grabbed for the canyon wall. Anything to keep me from falling.

  Andie screamed, “Holly, no!”

  SECRET SUMMER DREAMS

  Chapter 3

  For a terrifying second the sky spun above me.

  Then I felt a strong hand grab my arm. “I’ve got you, Holly.” Danny reached for me with both hands and pulled me away from the drop-off. “Here.” He set me against the canyon wall. Shaking, I leaned against the rock, my hands wet with fear. I refused to look down into the great chasm below.

  Andie took my hand. “Holly, you scared me,” she said. “Are you all right?”

  I nodded slowly, trying to catch my breath. She and Danny looked at me, concern written on their faces. Jared hung back, knowing it was his fault.

  Closing my eyes, I took a few more breaths. I could still feel my feet slipping out beneath me, the sky tilting to meet me….

  I shivered and opened my eyes. “I’m fine, really,” I said when Andie and Danny didn’t look convinced. “Danny saved my life.”

  I pressed my hands against the canyon wall. The solid rock felt reassuring under my fingertips. Suddenly, I remembered. “The binoculars. They’re gone!”

  Jared held them high over his head. “Never fear, Jared’s here.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of,” Danny said, frowning. “If you hadn’t been here, clowning around like that, none of this would’ve happened.”

  “Well, let’s hear it for Mr. Responsible,” Jared mocked. “If Holly hadn’t been looking through your binoculars…” His voice trailed off.

  What a ridiculous comparison, yet Danny said nothing. The two boys glared at each other.

  “Can we go back now?” I asked, still shaken up.

  Jared started to argue, but Danny gave him a stern look and he stopped.

  “I’ll go behind you, Holly, and catch you if you slip,” Danny said.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  Jared led the way again, with Andie following. My knees still shook from the close call as I started up the trail, watching my step and staying close to the right side of the path, near the wall. Whenever I even glimpsed the edge of the trail, I shivered deep inside.

  The climb up took us longer than coming down. Soon I was breathing hard.

  “Can you make it all right?” Danny asked behind me.

  “Yeah,” I said, not turning my head. We didn’t talk the rest of the way. I was still too rattled to concentrate on anything except getting out of there.

  At last we arrived at the top. I turned around for one last look, and then the four of us headed for the bus.

  A tassel-eared squirrel darted across our path. We stopped to watch as it shimmied over the rocks and disappeared. “What kind of squirrel is that?” I asked. “I’ve never seen anything like it in Colorado.”

  “I have an animal guide back in the bus,” Danny said. “We can look it up there if you want.”

  “Sure,” I said.

  Andie flashed me a knowing smile. I knew what she was thinking.

  Mr. Keller was waiting for all of us beside the bus door, counting kids as we boarded the bus.

  “One more day before we head home,” Mr. Keller told us. “We’ll spend tonight at Flagstaff, and then we’ll leave for Colorado bright and early tomorrow.”

  Danny offered his hand to help me into the bus. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, pointing the way to his seat.

  I nodded, aware of my stomach flutters as we sat side by side.

  From his backpack he pulled out a handbook. “You were so interested in the animals back there, I thought you’d like to check this out.”

  He turned to a picture of a Kaibab squirrel. Its tail was completely white, and the caption said it was rare and endangered and lived only on the north rim.

  “The squirrel I saw had a gray tail with white underneath,” I said. “Must not be a Kaibab.” I paged through his book. “This is too cool.”

  “You can have it,” Danny said, his eyes dancing.

  I wondered why he was giving the book away. Had he already memorized it?

  “Thanks,” I said, holding it. “And for saving my life, uh, back there.” I started to feel a bit shy. There wasn’t much more to say. “I’d better get back to Andie now. See you later.”

  Heading down the aisle, I saw Andie give me her thumbs-up sign. She eyed the book Danny had just given me. “What’s that?”

  I showed her the animal guidebook. “Isn’t it terrific?”

  She whistled. “So tell me everything,” she said as I sat down. “What’s going on between you two?”

  “How should I know?” I said, puzzled at my own excitement over Danny. “I mean, he’s like a big brother. That’s all.”

  “That’s not all,” she insisted. “He kept you from being a skinny little grease spot at the bottom of the Grand Canyon!”

  There was no denying that. Andie was absolutely right, and I couldn’t hide my smile.

  When we arrived in Flagstaff, Andie and I settled into our hotel room. All of us had supper at a McDonald’s nearby, then a few of the kids went swimming while others played a game of Rook on the pool patio.

  I searched for a pay phone. It had been days since I talked to Mom. I found one in the hotel lobby and punched in the number for my phone card.

  The baby-sitter answered. It was Marcia Greene, a straight-A student from school.

  “Hi, Marcia,” I said. “It’s Holly. Is Mom home?”

  There was an awkward pause. “Just a minute,” she said. “Here’s Carrie.”

  “Hi, Holly,” Carrie said when she got on the phone. “Where are you?”

  “In Arizona. We’ll be home tomorrow night.”

  “Goody! Can’t wait to see you. It’s real boring here without you.”

  Carrie’s voice made me homesick. “Where’s Mom?” I asked.

  “Out on a date.”

  I almost choked. “A date? Who with?”

  “Some man,” Carrie said.

  “Do I know him?” I said, feeling like a parent screening a prospective suitor.

  “His name is Mr. Tate. He’s new at church. Mom went out with him to dinner somewhere real fancy.”

  I coughed. “How do you know all this?”

  “Well, Mom never dresses up to go to the Golden Arches, does she?”

  “I guess you’re right,” I said, laughing only on the outside. “Tell Mom I called. See you tomorrow night.” I hung up.

  What a nightmare! Mom had never loved anyone but Daddy, at least until he left us and got remarried. I actually thought she was okay with being single. But now, while I was hundreds of miles away on choir tour, she’d started to date. What on earth was going on?

  Slowly I climbed the stairs to our hotel room. Andie was out swimming, so I took a long shower, then climbed into bed without waiting for her to return to the room.

  When my watch beeped out the time at six o’clock the next morning, I woke up immediately. My first thought was of Mom. I couldn’t wait to get back home, where I wish I could’ve been last night. I was desperate for a heart-to-heart talk with Mom. Where was her good sense?

  I leaped out of bed and stuffed my clothes into an overnight bag.

  “What’s the rush?” Andie said, rubbing her sleepy eyes. “You’re not homesick, are you?”

&nb
sp; “No.”

  “Hey, what’s bugging you?” She sat up, stretching. “You’re always so cheerful in the morning.”

  “Mom’s started dating.” I bunched up my pajamas and thrust them deep into the bag.

  Andie scrunched her nose. “She’s what?”

  “You heard me.”

  “Did I miss something? How do you know?” She took her brush from the nightstand and began counting the strokes out loud. Stopping at fifteen, she said, “Come on, Holly. Talk to me.”

  I wanted to cry. “I called home last night, and Carrie said Mom was out on a date,” I explained. “Out with some guy she met at church: Mr. Tate.” I swallowed hard. “I’m just upset, that’s all.”

  “How come?” Andie looked puzzled. “You should be happy for your mom. Doesn’t this mean she’s growing past her pain—you know, accepting the divorce and all that?”

  I shrugged. I didn’t think Mom needed to grow. She seemed fine just the way she was.

  Andie persisted. “Well, it is a good sign, isn’t it?”

  I didn’t want to talk about this. Besides, Andie had no idea what it was like to lose a father to divorce and possibly a mother to remarriage.

  No idea at all.

  SECRET SUMMER DREAMS

  Chapter 4

  Carrie and Mom were waiting in the church parking lot when our bus finally rolled into Dressel Hills. It was dark, but in the streetlight I could see a purple and pink balloon bouquet floating out of our car window. Grinning, Carrie was waving the balloons back and forth.

  The bus came to a stop, and the kids began gathering small pieces of luggage under their seats.

  “Hey, Holly,” called Jared from the middle of the stampede. “Need any help?”

  “No thanks,” I replied. I’d made sure to avoid him ever since my near-death experience in the Grand Canyon.

  Andie poked me. “Are you sure you don’t want the finestlooking boy in Dressel Hills to help you with your bags?”