by Gerri Hill
Lee pulled to a stop, moving the Jeep as close as possible to a piñon pine. Kate moved out of the way as the low-lying limbs brushed her arm through the door opening.
“Just trying to get some shade,” Lee explained. Then she stood on the seat, leaning over the top of the opened Jeep, binoculars pressed close to her eyes. “Golden eagle over the canyon,” she murmured.
“Where?”
Lee lowered the glasses. “Too far now.” She glanced down at Kate. “Have you ever seen one? In the wild?” Kate shook her head.
“Awesome. When they soar overhead, not even a bald eagle can match it for its magnificence.”
“Well, I hope I get to see one, then.”
Their eyes met for a second, then Lee smiled. “Come on. I want to show you something before we eat. Bring your camera.”
Kate climbed out of the Jeep, stretching her back before following Lee. As she skirted a cactus, again she was reminded that she needed to purchase a pair of hiking boots.
“What are you doing?”
“Trying to avoid this cactus thing.”
“I told you—”
“I know, I need hiking boots.”
Lee stopped, motioning Kate to come closer. “Over here. Stand up there.”
Kate attempted to climb on the rock pile, embarrassed when Lee grabbed her waist and gave a push. She steadied herself, then looked where Lee pointed, her eyes widening.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. “It’s like . . . like an oasis or something.”
“Yeah, kinda. It’s not quite as arid around here to warrant an oasis, but really, that’s what I call it.”
“What is it? I mean, there’s a waterfall and everything.” Kate reached her hand out. “Binoculars?”
Lee handed them over, smiling as Kate scanned the small canyon.
“So come on, tell me about it,” Kate said, her eyes never leaving the waterfall.
“It’s Lost Creek. It starts way back in the mountains and disappears underground three or four times before it reaches here. About two hundred yards upstream, it goes underground again, only to come out there, causing the waterfall.”
“How high is it?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Eighty to a hundred feet, maybe.”
“There’s a pool?”
“Oh, yeah, it’s wonderful. Crystal clear water, about ten or fifteen feet deep. Then it flows down the canyon and hits the Rio Pueblo.”
“It’s so lush looking down there,” Kate said.
“That’s where the oasis part comes in. Water year round, a lot of the vegetation in that canyon is unique to that area only. It’s beautiful down there.”
Kate lowered the binoculars, turning. “So when are we going down?”
Lee laughed. “Oh, no. I don’t think you can make it down there.”
“Why not? How many times have you been?” Kate turned back to the oasis, this time training her camera on the waterfall instead of the binoculars.
“I’ve been about a dozen times. But it’s not easy. Really, the normal access point is climbing up the river canyon but it’s very steep in places. It’s about a nine-hour hike. Very few make it all the way.”
“But you did.”
“Well, no. I didn’t come up from the canyon.”
Kate’s eyes widened. “You go down from up here?”
Lee nodded. “It’s extremely steep in parts, and you need climbing gear to get back out, but it only takes about an hour to get down. It’s just the coming out that’s a bitch.”
Kate climbed off the rocks, handing Lee the binoculars. “So, when can we go?”
“I don’t think so, Kate. No offense, but it’s kinda strenuous. I’m not certain you could make it.”
Kate put her hands on her hips. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying you just don’t look like you could make it.”
Kate waved her hand toward the oasis. “How hard can it be? You go down the hill, play in the water, then climb back up the hill.” She shrugged. “It doesn’t seem that difficult.”
Lee smiled, her eyes twinkling. “Again, no offense, but you’d never make it back up. How embarrassing would it be to have to call search and rescue to get you out?”
Kate looked back again, noting the steepness of the canyon. Lee was probably right.
“Okay. Maybe so. It just looks so inviting.”
“We can always go to the river, if you want to enjoy the water.”
“I’ve never rafted,” Kate said. “I’m a big chicken when it comes to things like that.”
“It’s fun. It can be addictive.”
Lee lifted the picnic basket from the Jeep and the blanket, then motioned for Kate to grab the cooler. She spread the blanket in the shade of piñon pines, then sat down, crossing her legs easily.
“Wish you’d brought shorts, don’t you,” Lee stated. She pulled out a jug from the cooler and took two plastic cups from the basket.
“Yes, I wish I had shorts,” Kate admitted as she sat down, tugging the jeans up so she could cross her legs. She reached for the cup Lee handed her. “Is this that herbal tea from the bakery?”
“Yes. It’s good, isn’t it?”
Kate took a big swallow, nodding. “Unique flavor. What is it?”
“There’s a little bit of everything in there, she won’t say exactly.”
At the bottom of the basket was a warmer, and Lee lifted the lid, pleased that the burritos were still warm. “I didn’t know what kind you liked, so there are four, all different. Two with chicken, one beef and one vegetarian.”
“It doesn’t matter. Brenda says they are all good.”
“There is a chicken with roasted chipotle peppers. It’s pretty spicy.”
“And the beef?”
“It’s got avocado and onions on it.”
“Hand it over,” Kate said. She loved avocadoes.
“Good. The chipotle one is my favorite,” Lee said.
Kate took a bite, unable to hold back her moan. “Oh, my,” she murmured with her mouth full. “This is wonderful.”
Lee nodded and bit into her own, a satisfied grin as she tasted the hot peppers. She watched Kate as she ate, the other woman looking up and studying her as well from time to time. It was warm, the sun high, but in the shade with a light breeze blowing, it was pleasant. Still, she didn’t doubt Kate was hot in her jeans. She raised an amused eyebrow when Kate wadded up the foil that wrapped the burrito. She’d finished it in maybe four bites.
“How did you end up here, Lee?” Kate asked unexpectedly when she leaned over to refill her tea.
Lee grinned, her white teeth shining against her smooth, tan face. Kate answered the smile with one of her own. “Wrong question?”
“No, no. It’s just funny how life turns out, is all.” She handed Kate another burrito.
“Oh, I’m not sure I can eat a whole one.” But Kate took it anyway, unwrapping the foil to reveal the warm tortilla inside.
“It’s chicken. Or would you rather have the veggie one?”
Kate shook her head, taking a bite of the chicken. “Mmm. This is good too. I had the veggie one the other day,” she explained, then pointed at Lee. “So tell me.”
Lee shrugged. “It was the cure for a broken heart.”
“You had a broken heart? Doesn’t that mean you have to actually be in some sort of a relationship for that?”
“Well, I was young once, thought I’d give it a try.” Lee took a swallow of tea, thinking back. It had been a long time since she’d reminisced about her first trip out here. “Sophomore in college, Arizona State,” she started. “My first real girlfriend,” she said with a smile. “Angela Bernard. She was quite the catch around campus and I thought I was hot shit. But, it goes back to that trust thing you were talking about. I assumed we were committed to each other, even though we didn’t talk about it. I mean, we were together. I never thought for a minute that she was seeing someone else. Hell, I gave up dating. I thought she had too.”
�
��Oops.”
“Yeah, oops. She and my good friend, Sarah, were going at it in her dorm room. That wasn’t real pretty to walk in on.”
“What happened?”
“Oh, the usual. I’m nearly hysterical that she’s in bed with my best friend and she’s claiming that it’s no big deal, we were only dating, after all.”
“Sucks.”
“Yeah. So, spring break, I get invited to go river rafting in New Mexico. I didn’t care where, I just wanted to get away. Came up here to the Rio Chama and I fell in love with the area and with rafting. I came back that same summer and worked on the river as a guide. It held more appeal than college but I went back to school for another year. The summer between my junior and senior years, I came back here to work again—and never left.”
“You had one year left of college and you quit? What were you majoring in?”
Lee laughed. “Nothing. I didn’t have a clue as to what I wanted to do.”
“I would have thought you were a jock,” Kate said.
“Oh, I played a little basketball. I wasn’t tall enough, or good enough to be a starter,” she said. “But we still had our share of groupies.”
“And the sheriff part of it all?”
Lee shrugged. “I lost the lottery.”
Kate waited for her to explain.
“There’s this little river bar—a dive, really—where the locals hang out. One night, Old Man Carpenter came in.” Lee grinned. “That’s what everyone called him, Old Man Carpenter, like that was his proper name. He’d been sheriff for nearly fifty years. Well, he walks up to the bar, put his badge and his gun up there, and just said ‘I quit’.”
“And you have a lottery instead of an election?”
“You have to have somebody to run before you can have an election,” Lee said. “And I didn’t really know what was going on, anyway. I was twenty-two and just happy to be working on the river.”
Kate leaned back on her elbows, enjoying the story. She motioned for Lee to continue.
“Everybody in the bar puts their name in a pot, and it gets passed back down the bar. Old Man Carpenter shuffles through the papers, then pulls out a name.” Lee laughed. “You should have seen his face. He moves his hat back and scratches his head, then silently hands the paper to Opal.” At Kate’s raised eyebrows, Lee explained. “Opal owns the bar. He was bartending that night,” she said. “Anyway, Opal reads the name, shakes his head, then passed the paper on. And so it went, everyone reading the name and passing it on.”
“So, what? Nobody wanted a woman as the sheriff?”
Lee shook her head. “It wasn’t my name. The paper finally reaches Gus Hormel. Gus reads his name, picks up his beer bottle and asks, ‘Do I get to carry a gun?’” Lee grinned. “Everyone yells ‘no’!” Lee took a swallow of tea before continuing. “Gus is the town drunk.”
“I see.”
“So, Old Man Carpenter reaches in the pot and pulls out a second name.” Lee pointed at herself. “That’s how I ended up on the ballot.”
“And no one opposed you?”
“Hell, no. Nobody wants this job.”
“Can’t be that bad. I mean, do you even have any crime?”
“That’s just it. No man wanted this job.” Lee shrugged. “No crime, no action. Just the occasional traffic accident.”
“But you could have turned it down if you didn’t really want it, right?”
“Sure. In fact, I tried to. I mean, I was living down at the river in a little shack. I wasn’t sheriff material. I played on the river and played with the tourists,” she admitted. “I was young. I didn’t want the responsibility.”
“But?” Kate prompted.
“But, Neil Shriker made me an offer,” she said. “The Shrikers have the largest ranch in the county. He donated a piece of his property and all the other ranchers chipped in and they built this cute little cabin for me. They also tossed in a Jeep as the official sheriff’s vehicle and upped the salary a little to make it more appealing.”
“Sweetened the pot a bit?”
“Just a bit. So, the county has a sheriff and I’m off the river,” she said. “And it’s worked out. I mean, I went down to Albuquerque and had some training so I’m not completely over my head.”
“And now you love it?”
“Sure. I’ve grown to love it. And the locals, well they treat me as if I’ve been here my whole life. And it saves them having to do another lottery.” Lee picked up a rock and tossed it between her hands a few times. “But the last couple of years, with more tourists in town, things aren’t always slow. We had a nasty accident down on River Road last year. An SUV with six college students inside went around a curve too fast. They ended up in the river.”
“How bad?”
Lee shook her head. “All dead. It was very, very sad. They were out here having a good time, enjoying the summer.”
“Alcohol?”
“Oh, sure, college kids out for a good time. But it was early in the evening, it was raining and they didn’t know the road. That was the real cause.”
“And you had six sets of parents to deal with,” Kate guessed.
“Yeah. That’s something I hope I don’t ever have to do again.” Lee straightened her shoulders, then tossed the small rock she’d been fingering to the side. “So, that’s the story.” She grinned. “And then here we are.”
Kate tipped her cup of tea toward Lee. “And here we are, Sheriff.”
Chapter Twelve
“It’s after three,” Brenda said when Kate walked in through the opened patio doors.
“You keeping tabs?”
“Well, no. I just didn’t think you could stand each other’s company that long, darling.” Brenda closed the book she’d been reading and patted the leather sofa beside her. “Sit. Tell me all about it.”
Kate laughed. “Tell you what? I understand Lee’s given you the same tour.”
“Our tour was barely two hours long. I dare say you got the extended version.”
Kate nodded and joined Brenda on the sofa, sliding down until her legs stretched out in front of her. “Extended yes, but I enjoyed it, even though I’m exhausted.” She rolled her head toward Brenda. “Thank you for making me go.”
“And Lee? Were you nice to her?”
“Yes, I was nice to her.”
“I told you you’d like her.”
“Well, she’s entertaining, at least. Although I still find her taste in women to be deplorable.”
“Oh, to each his own, I say.”
Kate smiled, knowing Brenda’s fondness for Lee. So, she changed the subject. “Did you paint today?”
“No. Harmony only comes during the week. I find if I attempt to paint on my own, it just sets me back. Besides, I felt in the mood to be lazy, darling.” She held up her book. “And not a history novel. Trashy sex,” she said with a laugh. “You know, it’s been awhile for me.”
“Well, now that you’re away from Dallas, away from that crowd, you could always date.”
“Date? Here?” Brenda laughed. “Besides the handful of old married ranchers that live in the county, my choices are lesbians or college boys coming to the river for the summer.”
“Well that goes to show the company you keep,” Kate teased.
“Oh, darling, I’m not interested in dating anyway. I’m enjoying my time, enjoying getting to know myself again. Perhaps when I decide what I’m going to do with my life, I may decide to date.” She squeezed Kate’s arm. “Date is a scary word for a woman my age, you know.”
“Brenda, you’re hardly old. And being out here, you look younger than ever.”
“Yes, I feel wonderful, but I don’t want to complicate things with dating. I’m perfectly happy as things are.” She squeezed Kate’s arm again. “I think I’m enjoying my solitude. Back home, there were always appointments to keep and dinners to attend. The only time I had alone was when I was sleeping. I never realized I missed the quiet time to just sit and think.”
“Brenda, if I’m in your way—”
“Oh, no, no, darling. I didn’t mean it that way. I love having you around. Besides, it’s not like we’re attached at the hip. I have my painting, and hopefully, you’ll be immersed in your writing.”
“Yes. Actually, this morning, I was a little annoyed about this tour. I had ideas I wanted to get down.” She smiled. “I think I’m ready to start, Brenda. I think I know where I’m going to go with Jennifer.”
“Fabulous, darling. Are you going to share?”
Kate laughed. “Of course not. You know I don’t let anyone read while I’m writing, not even Robin.”
Brenda’s eyes widened. “Oh, my. I completely forgot, darling. Robin called while you were out.”
Kate sat up. “She called? My cell?”
“She said she’d been calling your cell for the last few days. But no, she called the main line. And I don’t know why you have an aversion to keeping your phone with you. I do believe that was the purpose of the cell phone, darling.”
Kate stood up, pacing. “I hate phones. They’re nothing but an interruption. And no, I haven’t called her. I haven’t even thought to call her.” She stopped. “What did she say?”
“Well, really, she just wanted to know if you made it safely. I told her your cell service was temperamental, so she was welcome to call on the main line anytime.”
“Thanks. But is it temperamental? I haven’t even checked.”
“No. Service is rather good up here, actually. You’ll have to make up your own lie to tell her.”
“I better call her. Did she sound mad?”
“Oh my word! So what if she’s mad? What’s she going to do? She’s six hundred miles away.”
Kate rubbed her forehead as she walked into her room. She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten to call Robin. God, she would be so pissed. When she looked at her phone, she was thankful there were only six messages, three of which were from Robin. She debated listening to them first, but decided against it. She paced in her bedroom, listening to the ringing, wondering where Robin could be on a Saturday afternoon. She hung up, then tried Robin’s cell. She answered on the second ring.
