Loe raamatut: «Black Raven's Pride»

Chapter One

Nick Black Raven held on tightly to the reins of his mount as lightning flashed across the night sky and thunder shook the earth. Restless, the black stallion stomped at the ground, eager to get going.

“You’re getting soft, Bravo. Since when do you care about storms?”

Bravo pinned back his ears and tossed his head as if annoyed by Nick’s comment. Then, suddenly, he focused on something ahead he alone could sense, and dipped his head hard twice, hoping to loosen Nick’s hold on the reins.

“Stop that. The last time I gave you your head, it took me twenty minutes to bring you to a halt, and I had to run you into a circle to do that. This time we’re going to play by my rules.”

As soon as he’d spoken, the harsh gusts of the leading edge of the storm struck, bringing with them a torrent of swirling dust and grit. Cold rain was likely to follow.

“Okay, maybe you’re right. Let’s head back. It’s really a miserable evening.” Nick lifted the bandanna he wore around his neck and covered his mouth and nose, hoping to avoid another lungful of dirt. “Let’s race the storm back to the ranch before we get drenched.”

Nick loosened his hold on the reins and touched the animal’s flanks with the heels of his boots. In an instant, Bravo leaped forward, galloping across the desert canyon at a speed worthy of the lightning flashing overhead.

The cool September wind and the rumbling chaos of the brewing storm incited both horse and rider. Here, just a few miles outside the pueblo, the only rules that mattered were nature’s own.

Dark laughter escaped his lips as he raced like the wind just ahead of the stormy maelstrom.

EDEN MAES opted for a shortcut back to her house at the pueblo in hopes of beating the rain. She’d been visiting a friend of the family but had soon lost track of time. Now, the massive cumulonimbus clouds overhead obliterated all traces of the moon, and thunder raged from the steady barrage of lightning.

Moving carefully, Eden climbed over the stepladder stile in the cattle fence and headed out cross-country, avoiding the pueblo’s main road, and hoping to cut at least fifteen minutes off her walk.

The wind howled, lifting clouds of sand and sending waves of it against her until her skin stung from the onslaught. As lightning illuminated the landscape like a Fourth of July fireworks display, Eden checked her watch and quickened her pace. Mrs. Chino, the baby-sitter, had told her that she’d have to leave at seven to attend a meeting of her religious society, and it was nearly that time now.

This was turning out to be a lousy shortcut after all. Earlier in the monsoon season, heavy afternoon storms had cut new arroyos into the sparsely covered ground, and now she was spending too much of her time finding alternate routes across the dry channels between her and the pueblo.

She made progress slowly. Then, two or three miles from her home, through the howls of the wind and the angry storm, she saw the headlights of an approaching vehicle. She turned around, hoping it would be someone who could give her a ride back. Surely no one but a local pueblo resident was likely to be driving around out here in this weather.

Unfortunately, not all the people at the pueblo were her friends. Her parents had been labeled as thieves and although neither was still living, that dishonor and stigma now followed her. It was one more factor that worked against her, adding to the determination of those opposed to having a half blood like her claim a place on pueblo land.

Suddenly, the truck driver turned off his headlights, though she could hear him still accelerating toward her.

Instinct and logic warned her that the driver wasn’t behaving like a friend or neighbor. As the vehicle bore down on her, Eden took off running. She chose her path carefully, going uphill across a rocky slope. The boulder-laden terrain would slow the vehicle down.

Yet the truck continued to move relentlessly forward. Instead of accelerating to full speed and catching up quickly, however, the driver was toying with her, closing the gap and forcing her to sprint, then slowing down again, but remaining close.

Climbing farther up the slope was her only chance, but her lungs felt as if they were about to burst, and her legs were giving out. Ahead, she could see the lights of several buildings near the pueblo. If she could only make it a little farther, she’d be within shouting distance of Black Raven Ranch. Although she’d sworn a long time ago never to ask any Black Raven for help no matter what happened, she had no choice now.

Fear prodded her forward. As she glanced back, she realized that the hill was flattening out now, and the vehicle could outmaneuver her easily when they reached level ground. With no other choice, she kept running, though she knew it was a race she couldn’t win. The outcome would be entirely in the hands of the driver pursuing her. She thought of her son, still just an infant. He’d never even seen his father, nor did his father know about him. She wouldn’t leave him alone. Somehow, she’d make it through this, no matter what lay in store for her.

BRAVO PRANCED excitedly as Nick held the stallion in check for a moment, trying to determine the best path downhill. He had to get off the high ground. Lightning made the mesa he was on now one of the most dangerous places around, especially for a rider. The large black horse tossed his head impatiently.

“The rain’s dealt us a bad hand, Bravo,” Nick said. “We can’t go down the usual way. With all those new arroyos, you’ll break a leg for sure. Let’s try circling around to the north,” he said, turning Bravo’s head.

It was then he saw movement below. He squinted, trying to see through the haze of dust and sand raised by the angry wind. A long-haired woman was being chased by someone in a tan or yellow pickup. In another minute the truck would overtake her, and the woman would pay dearly if the driver meant to do more than intimidate her.

“I thought it was cowboys who were supposed to ride to the rescue, not Indians,” he muttered. “Let’s go, Bravo,” he said, applying pressure to the stallion’s flanks with his legs.

The horse, obeying the cue, bolted forward, hurtling across the slope, heading down at an angle to intercept her. As they drew closer, Nick tried to get a good look at the driver inside the truck. He appeared to be alone, but the dark hampered efforts to make out a face.

Nick focused on the woman. She was his priority now. Asking his horse for even greater speed, he leaned back, trying to make it easier on Bravo by keeping his weight centered. They’d get to her first, he knew that, and although Bravo wouldn’t be able to outrun a pickup, he could go places that the truck would never be able to handle.

Hearing hoofbeats behind her, the woman turned her head, glancing back. He couldn’t see her face clearly through the gathering shadows of night, but he could sense her fear. He slowed Bravo to match her stride, then reached down. “Let me help you.”

He grasped her by the waist and pulled her up before him onto the saddle. Smart enough to realize cooperation was her only hope, she shifted quickly, straddling the horse. Only then did she turn to look back at him. At that moment, he remembered the bandanna that still covered his face.

“It’s okay. Stay still,” he said, trying to keep his voice sure and steady. “Bravo’s not used to taking double, but he’ll adjust fast.”

The storm and the danger from their pursuers were nothing in comparison to the savage emotions that suddenly ripped through him as she eased against him, settling against his parted thighs. Familiar memories flooded his brain. He’d held this woman before—intimately. Although he hadn’t seen her face clearly, in his heart, the feeling was nothing less than utter conviction.

“Get me away from that pickup, please,” she managed, breathlessly.

Her gentle voice, so filled with fear, touched him deeply. The need to protect her pounded through him with every beat of his heart.

Glancing back and seeing the pickup now gaining ground, he forced himself to concentrate. “We’re going to have to jump that arroyo ahead. It’s our only chance. The landing will be rough, but don’t worry. Just hang on and let the horse do all the work. I won’t let you fall.”

“I’ll be okay,” she said, tightening her legs around the horse.

Together they galloped as one, the thump of pounding hooves and heartbeats and the creak of leather competing with the howl of the wind.

She did know how to ride. Nick was certain of that now. She moved with Bravo instead of against him and was shifting to a jumping position now, leaning slightly forward as she held on to his mane.

As her long, chestnut brown hair caressed his arms, dark whispers echoed in his mind. In a heartbeat, they were flying through the air and, in those precious moments, fantasy and reality merged. Their bodies, weightless, flowed into each other’s. As a union of purpose held them, a longing for something elusive and unnameable wrapped itself around his soul.

Tightening his grip around her waist, he pulled her back toward him just as Bravo landed on the other side of the wide chasm. They continued on for another fifty feet before Nick could safely rein in his mount.

As he spun Bravo around and faced the pickup, his breathing was as ragged as that of the animal’s. The challenge of danger, and the fire this woman had created in him, made him feel powerfully male and alive. Memories of another time and the only woman he’d ever loved whispered warnings from the edges of his mind.

The pickup slid to a stop just before reaching the rain-carved ditch, engine running, but unable to cross. Quickly, the truck was thrown into reverse, and the vehicle spun around, roaring away in a cloud of dust.

Nick smiled with satisfaction. They’d won the battle. Unwilling to linger out in the open, so far away from cover, Nick made a clicking sound and Bravo began a slow lope toward the gates of Black Raven Ranch.

Once they reached the main entrance, Nick stopped the tired animal. “Good job, Bravo.”

“I’ll get off here,” the woman said, then surprised him by swinging her leg over Bravo’s neck and dismounting with ease.

He slipped off next, and stood right by her. Seeing her face clearly for the first time, he sucked in his breath. After years of wondering if this moment would ever come, he was finally face to face with the girl who’d claimed his heart so many years ago—and, later, the only woman who’d ever walked out on him.

She looked up at him, and seeing the bandanna that covered his face, reached up tentatively. “I’d like to see who I’m thanking,” she said, her trembling voice betraying her uncertainty.

“You know who I am, Eden. Just as I knew, deep down, who you were from the moment you were back in my arms.” He covered her hand with his as she pulled the bandanna down.

Her eyes shimmered with excitement and desire as she saw his face. Following an instinct he couldn’t deny, Nick pulled her against him and, in a heartbeat, covered her mouth with his own.

His kiss was harsh, demanding everything she’d ever denied him. He’d expected her to resist and maybe slap his face, but her surrender was sweet and filled with passion. Her body softened against his, and her gentle sighs ripped him apart. Shock waves spiraled down his body.

Nick knew he was playing with fire. He should have let Eden go right then, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. She’d been a part of his dreams, of his heart, from the very first day he’d laid eyes on her.

His arms tightened around her. She was as beautiful and as sensual as he remembered. Passion rocked him to the core. The love they’d shared had always been like this—fierce and wild.

She moaned and the soft sound, so familiar to him, took him back to the last night they’d spent together. He’d loved her then in every way a man could love a woman, and she’d given herself completely to him in return. But the next morning she was gone, without even a goodbye.

Nick eased his hold on her, then stepped back. The memory of Eden’s betrayal still felt like a knife to his gut. As he gazed down at her, and saw the passion that still burned in her eyes, he felt himself drowning in the amber depths, despite his efforts to resist her.

“Of all the people I could have run into, I never expected…” Her shaky words trailed off.

“You’re welcome, Eden,” he said gruffly.

“I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful. I really appreciate what you did, Nick. I’m just…surprised.”

Nick led Bravo through the gate and waited as Eden shut it behind them. “What was that all about out there?” he asked, leading Bravo toward the stalls.

Eden didn’t meet his gaze, or answer right away. At long last, as if finally making up her mind, she spoke. “I really appreciated your help tonight, but I’ll handle things on my own from here on. Don’t worry about it.”

He searched her face for answers, but drew a blank. The only thing he could see there were echoes of the fear that had gripped her.

“Don’t shut me out,” he said quietly. “You’re in trouble, and it looks to me like you’re in over your head.”

“It’s my problem, Nick, not yours,” she said firmly.

Her polite brush-off stung and he grew stone-cold. Eden had betrayed him once, tearing his heart out in the process. That was not something any Black Raven forgot or forgave easily. But he wouldn’t back off. “I’m not asking you as an old friend. I’m a deputy now,” he added.

Surprise, then a coldness he couldn’t miss flashed in her eyes, and her expression became suddenly guarded. “Somebody has been letting me know since I returned two weeks ago that I’m not welcome here. But what happened tonight won’t happen again. I’ll be more careful from now on. I’d been visiting Lena Ortiz, a friend of my family’s, and stayed too late. I won’t let time slip away from me that way again. The driver of the truck played a lot rougher than I expected. My guess is that the guy who chased me tonight is probably the same one who has been sending me unsigned notes telling me to get off pueblo land. I don’t think he would have run me over. I just got scared and panicked, so he chased me.”

He studied her expression pensively. “Give me the notes. Let me see if I can track down the sender.”

“I didn’t keep them. But having you get involved isn’t going to change anything, Nick. As I’m sure you know, there are many people who oppose anyone of mixed blood claiming a place on pueblo land. My father was Tewa, but my mother was Anglo, and that makes my return home something that many haven’t exactly welcomed. I realize it’s not really a racial thing. They’re just trying to insure that the whites don’t take away the land our tribe has left, one concession at a time. And they’re willing to fight to preserve the little they’ve got. I understand it because in my heart, I am Tewa.” Eden checked her watch. “Oh, I’m really late now! I’ve got to get home. We’ll talk another time, okay?”

“Let me give you a ride.”

She hesitated, emotions flashing across her face at lightning speed. More intrigued than ever, he continued to press her.

“What’s the problem? You’re in a hurry and I’m offering you a ride. And, this time, we can take my four-wheel drive instead of Bravo. That’s my old Jeep parked by the stables.”

She gave him a thin smile. “Sorry. I’m still jumpy. The truth is I really would appreciate a lift,” Eden said, at last.

“What’s your hurry tonight? What are you so late for?”

She hesitated for several moments, then reluctantly answered him. “I left my son with a sitter, and she warned me that she had to leave at seven. It’s almost eight now.”

“Your…son?” His jaw clenched as he struggled to control his emotions. Surely it couldn’t be… “How old is he?”

“Six months,” she said, after a beat.

Nick stared at her. “Is it…am I…” he said, his voice a blur of sound.

“The father?” She shook her head. “There was another man in my life after I met you in Arizona. But let’s not talk about this now. That’s all ancient history.”

Dawning came then, a slow realization that left him numb. “So that’s why you ran out on me?” His voice sounded hard and bitter, even to his own ears. “No, never mind. You don’t have to answer that. It’s clear enough.”

A coldness unlike anything he’d ever felt filled him, numbing him from any more pain. Her betrayal had been absolute—more so than he’d ever dreamed—and it became the last nail in the coffin of their ill-fated love affair.

“Let me put Bravo away,” he said tonelessly, gesturing to the stables. “Then we’ll get going.”

They removed the horse’s tack and placed him in his stall. While she brushed the stallion down, Nick filled the feeder with hay and made sure he had fresh water.

“Are you home to stay?” he asked. No matter what had happened between them, he was a cop and it was his job to maintain law and order on the pueblo. The fact was it was his duty to find out what was going on, and he would honor that.

“I accepted a temporary teaching position so I’ll be around for a while at least. But I’ve got to tell you, you’re the last person I expected to see here at the pueblo,” she said. Then slowly added, “And now, to find out you’ve become a tribal cop… You’re certainly one for surprises.”

“Why do you say that? It’s not that much of a leap, really. I’ve always known that I was meant to work with people. I couldn’t run a job placement center here like I did in Arizona since the tribe now has an agency that takes care of that. But that left me at loose ends. My father’s will stipulated that in order for any of us to inherit, we’d all have to live at the ranch for one year, so I had to stay. But ranching full-time just wasn’t for me. Then I found out that one of Captain Mora’s two deputies was about to quit and that the department was searching for a replacement.”

“The police department here is very small. The loss of one man can be a crisis.”

He nodded. “Our entire police force consists of Captain Mora, two deputies and a civilian dispatcher. I figured I could be of use to the tribe, so I applied for the second deputy’s job and was lucky enough to get it.” He glanced over at her. Somehow, he had to make Eden see him as a cop who could help her, not just as a former lover. It was the only way she’d ever confide in him and finding out what trouble was hovering on the pueblo was his first priority. “This job really gets under your skin. It’s the best thing that ever happened to me. But you know a little about what it means to be a cop. Your father was an officer for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.”

“A cop’s family views his job in a very different light, Nick,” Eden answered, her voice taut. “What I remember most is my dad’s long absences and the way he was totally dedicated to his job. He almost never made it home for my birthdays or most holidays. It was hardest on my mom, though. She spent most of her life worrying about him. Being a cop may be a great job, but not for a man’s family.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “Well, I’ve got no plans to marry. The bachelor life suits me.”

She didn’t comment. “How are you and Jake getting along trying to run a ranch together? You two never used to agree on anything.”

“Jake and I will never see eye to eye on a lot of things,” he answered, “but we’re working it out.” He paused, studying her expression. “But let’s get back to what’s going on in your life, Eden. People have the right to their opinions, and they’re not required to like the fact that you’re now living here. But no one has the right to threaten you physically, or harass you. It looks like you’re caught up in something that might be too big for you to handle alone. You’re a mother now and have other responsibilities to take into account. Let me do my job as a cop and help you out.”

She hesitated, then forced a smile. “What happened out there won’t happen again. I’m sure of it.”

“I don’t believe that any more than you do.”

“Don’t put yourself in the middle of this, Nick. It’ll only make things tougher for me,” she said. “I’ve always taken care of myself and I know what I have to do. I’ll handle it.”

“I’m sorry, Eden, but I can’t let this go. This trouble is taking place on pueblo land, and that’s my turf.”

As he pulled up in front of her adobe home, she mumbled a quick goodbye, let herself out, and began walking up to the door.

Nick knew he hadn’t been invited, but he parked the Jeep and decided to go inside with her. He had a job to do, and, as long as she was at the pueblo, it was his duty to help her fight whoever was trying to drive her off.

Like star-crossed lovers destined to keep meeting, Eden was back in his life again. But, this time, it was different. Eden, the woman he’d loved, was gone for good. In her place was this stranger who was bringing trouble to the land he was sworn to protect.