Page 27 of A Prince for Christmas

I looked him up and down. “Not in those shoes,” I said, seeing that he still had his slippers on, despite his otherwise warm outfit. Maybe I was saved, after all.

“I have snow boots in the back hall if you’ll give me a moment.”

He was gone before I could think of a better objection, and back with an extra coat and boots before I could catch my breath.

I didn’t really mind the company, though I knew time alone meant we’d likely have to hash out our earlier disagreement. He opened the porch door for me, and as I stepped out into the silent, white wonderland, he took my hand.

“Where to?” he asked.

I thought for a moment. “Do you want a nice walk in the snow or an adventure?”

“I’m always up for an adventure,” he said, smiling down at me. “That’s why I’m here in America.”

My mind went to the Secret Cave, the only place I’d never shown anyone, not even my sisters. They had never mentioned a cave, so I’d always clung to the hope that they hadn’t discovered it, and it was still my secret. I hadn’t been there in at least ten years, but I knew the way, and once there, I’d know whether anyone else had found it.

“Are you warm enough for a mile or two walk?” I asked.

“Actually, I’m sweating in here.”

“I have just the place,” I said. “Somewhere no one else knows about.”

He gave me a small, dimpled smile. “I would be honored.”

We made a short stop at the barn to pick up a couple of flashlights, though we really didn’t need them with the snow lighting up the night. I checked to be sure I had my cellphone, and that it was charged. There was a difference between adventurous and foolhardy, especially after dark.

The night was cloudless, cold and dry, and the stars and even the planets sparkled in the way they can only in Montana. Nick’s warm fingers enveloped my gloved hand, but he let me lead, the flashlights off. Sitting on the porch, it was easy to think of the still, snowy landscape as silent, but that was far from the reality.

Every step we took produced a lovely crunch, and our breath made a gentle whispery sound, and filled the air with smoky ice crystals. If you stopped for a moment, you might hear winter birds murmuring their night sounds, a pine tree dumping its load of snow onto the ground below, or even the distant howl of a wolf or a coyote.

Every now and then, I had to stop and listen. I’d needed this, and I couldn’t bear to miss a precious moment.

“Are we lost?” Nick asked as we stopped for the fourth time.

I chuckled, feeling better every minute. Oh, how I had needed this connection with my world, my life. “Not at all,” I replied. “I’m just stopping to enjoy the night sounds. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

His chuckle was deep and warm. “I was getting a little nervous, I admit.”

“See that dark spot up ahead?” I asked. “That’s our destination.”

“I’ll trust you,” he said, squeezing my hand gently.

“It’ll be worth the walk, I promise,” I assured him.

As we covered the last few yards, I wondered why I had decided to bring him here. This was my place, and mine alone. Yet here we were. I had no answers, except that I’d wanted to share it with this man, just as I wanted to share my heart.

I turned on my light, and the entrance was flooded with a golden glow. Every cave is different, and often the entrances are completely uninteresting. A little hole in the dirt, or water running into an opening that seems larger than the outside area. That was not the case here. For whatever reason, the entrance here was rimmed with stalactites and baby stalagmites. Native bushes around it hid it from view, which was why no one had found it. The only reason I had was that Iris had stopped to nibble on the growth one day, and I’d noticed the darkness beyond.

My light shone on glistening snow, ragged local bushes and beautiful crystals, dripping from the ceiling of the chamber. Tiny, damaged stalagmites tried to reach up from the bottom. I felt a pang of guilt. The damaged stalagmites were my fault. I’d come here often as a child.

Leading downward was a pathway, high enough for me to stand upright, although Nick had to bend a bit.

“I call this the Crystal Staircase.”

“Beautiful,” Nick breathed.

He followed, one hand on my shoulder, as I descended carefully down the limestone pools. It wasn’t far, maybe twenty pools, but it was enough. The cave opened up as it joined a small stream, garnished with more stalactites above and various limestone formations all around.

Across the stream, which was small enough to easily step across at this season, there was a widened spot with several formations that would look like benches to a ten-year-old.