by JoAnn Durgin
“It’d be easier if Eliot would give me something to hang onto, Gayle. A tidbit about himself that he shouldn’t share with me. But he will, anyway, because he cares for me and he trusts me.” Marta frowned. “Don’t look at me that way, please.”
“I’m not looking at you in any particular way. That’s you being paranoid.”
“Speak then. I can feel your disapproval a foot away.”
“Part of loving someone is accepting them as they are.” Gayle’s words were slow, purposeful. “Eliot shouldn’t have to prove anything. I can’t imagine what it’s like to love someone and yet feel like you don’t really know much about him. It’s a very odd situation. But I feel like I know Eliot well enough to know that he’s conflicted. You know he’d tell you if he could, Marta. It’s probably killing him that he can’t say anything.”
“You know, Eliot said that very thing.”
“See? There you go. The way I see it, Eliot’s taking a big risk,” Gayle said. “His job is dangerous and he’s not around much. He’s putting a lot on the line by investing himself in a relationship with you. He’s not purposely hiding anything from you, and it’s not that he doesn’t trust you. You’re also taking a huge risk, and I admire you. It can’t be easy for either one of you. That’s probably what’s kept you apart this long or it might have happened before this trip.”
“He kissed me today, Gayle. I kissed him. We kissed each other.”
“Well, it’s about time!” Marta felt Gayle’s hands on her shoulders and then she was being drawn into a warm hug. “I’ll be good and won’t ask.” Gayle released her.
“It was…great. Best. Kiss. In. The. History. Of. The. Planet.”
“Oh, be still my heart. That good, huh?” At first Marta thought Gayle was being flippant, but her voice was full of emotion.
“If I didn’t know I was falling in love with Eliot before, I know it now. Not just because of the kiss, either. There’s a lot to admire and love about Eliot.” Oh, it felt good, really good, to openly admit it to someone else. Liberating.
“I knew it all along,” Gayle said with a wry grin. “You just needed to know it. Here’s a little tidbit about me that very people know: Gayle is short for Gaylen.”
“Really?” Marta smiled. “That’s beautiful. Why don’t you use it?”
She shrugged. “I’ve been called Gayle for so long that it stuck.”
“Well, thank you for telling me. I feel like I know you better already,” Marta said. “Feel free to tell me anything about yourself. Anything at all. Lay it on me.”
Gayle laughed. “I’m sure I can come up with a few more.”
~~♥~~
Turning over on her side, Lexa watched Sam as he slept. She must have dozed off at some point because she didn’t remember him coming back to their quarters. His dark lashes feathered on his cheeks, and his breathing was quiet and even.
Lexa thought over her conversation with Angelina earlier in the day. “God works out the details.”
“Something on your mind?” Without opening his eyes, Sam rolled toward her.
Only a whisper in the dark, and yet he’d heard. “No. I’m sorry I disturbed you.”
“You didn’t. I have some kind of internal radar set to your personal setting.” Sam’s lids fluttered open. “Do you need to talk?”
“You first. Tell me what happened tonight.”
“Lexa, it’s late. Even my bones are tired.”
“The quick version?”
He groaned lightly and rolled onto his back, crossing his arms over his chest. “Someone managed to get hold of Felipe’s backpack and guess what they put in it?”
“I have no idea.”
“A can of red spray paint.”
Lexa gasped and stared at him, open-mouthed. “I hope you don’t think Felipe painted that ugly symbol. He might be somewhat rebellious, but he’s got a good heart.”
“I never thought he did, and Eliot agrees. Felipe’s a jokester but he wouldn’t do something like that for spite or to play a prank. One reason I know he didn’t do it? He expressed concern about what happened to Beck and questioned whether that evil eye symbol could have brought bad luck.”
“In its own way, that’s sweet, don’t you think? I’m sure you set him straight.”
“I tried. He’s asking questions, and that’s a good thing. This episode is another reason I’m glad we’ve got the security detail in place.”
“Do you have any idea how the spray paint got into Felipe’s backpack?” she said. “Other than someone going into the men’s dorm?”
“When Eliot asked him that, Felipe said he’d taken his backpack to the dining hall. He left it in the kitchen while he helped carry out the breakfast serving trays.”
Lexa thought back over the day. “That seems like a decade ago.”
Sam chuckled. “Tell me about it.”
“You know, that’s right.” Lexa lightly snapped her fingers. “Felipe left his backpack under the preparation table. He probably left it there while we were all eating, too, and the screen door was unlocked.”
“It’s always unlocked. Anyone could have come inside.” Tugging his pillow from beneath his head, Sam put it over his face and groaned.
Lexa watched, fascinated, and somewhat amused. She’d never seen him react like that before. “Are you done?” With a light touch, she skimmed her finger down the length of his arm.
He pulled the pillow away from his face. “Lexa, you know one of my biggest aggravations in life is feeling helpless. It seems like Satan works overtime in these camps. Shelby was killed outside a TeamWork camp, then there was the kidnapping situation with Howard and Sheila, and…” Sam scrubbed a hand over his face. “Now someone out there—or a group of people—are trying to drive us out of this camp.”
“Or drive us crazy trying. But we won’t let them.”
Lexa’s heart lurched at the weariness in his face when Sam turned his head and met her eyes. “I’ve heard that a few people have said behind the scenes, but never to my face, that I’m a curse at the TeamWork camps. Supposedly, there are volunteers who don’t want to work with me.”
She hated to hear such a thing and hoped it wasn’t true. “If that’s the case, then they have more fear of man than faith in the strength of God’s promises. Lila was right when she called you a strong warrior. Satan would love nothing more than to see you fall, but you’ve got the spirit of the Lord and some pretty awesome men standing with you. The Lord will prevail.”
“I know. Thanks, baby.” The deep emotion in his voice tugged at her heart.
Lexa ran her hand over his unruly dark waves, smoothing them.
“Your turn,” he said. “As long as we’re awake and sharing. What’s on your mind?”
“I had an interesting discussion with Angelina. If you can believe this, she found a romance novel beneath her bed here at the camp. From what little I could see of it, it looked pretty spicy.”
Sam readjusted his pillow and surprised her by grinning. “You’ve never been to this camp before, have you?”
She laughed. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
“Not as long as I can help it. And I’m going to keep reminding you what I said in that first work camp after I discovered your dirty little secret.” She’d never forget the moment Sam found one of her romance novels partially hidden beneath her pillow.
“Dirty little secret.” Lexa sighed. “As I recall, you told me that real life is a whole lot more fun.”
He chuckled. “And don’t you agree?”
“You know it. It’s definitely never dull. Angelina had some good questions, and I did my best to counsel her about the difference between lust as it’s portrayed in those types of books and love in the real world.”
“Three kids later, I’d say we have a good combination of the two.” Sam rubbed his hand over his jaw, rough with new growth, and turned heavy-lidded, sleepy eyes on her. Those sexy smile lines surfaced on either side of his mouth, and
his gorgeous blue eyes locked on hers.
“You know what I mean. I counseled her about finding a man who’s a true hero, and we talked a little about Felipe. She likes him, but she doesn’t understand some of the things he says.” Lexa laid her head on Sam’s shoulder and traced light circles on his chest. “She wondered how a person could know they’re compatible with someone else if they’ve never…”
“Given it a trial run?”
Lexa pulled back, wide-eyed. “Yes. I told her God works out the details.”
“Yes, He does. Do you think she took your words to heart?” Sam threaded his fingers through hers.
“I think so, yes. She also gave the book to me and we buried it deep beneath a heavy pile of smelly garbage.”
“You’re a good woman, Lexa Lewis. I have a question for you. Why didn’t you get your hair cut for charity?”
She hadn’t expected that question. Neither was she sure she wanted to answer. “For one thing, I know how much you like my hair long.”
“True, but I’m just surprised since it was for a good cause.”
“I have a confession, Sam. I recently had my hair colored for the first time. You can’t donate dyed or chemically processed hair.”
“You did? When?” He took hold of one of the long strands of her hair. “It looks the same.”
She blew out a sigh of relief. “Good. That’s the point. I had a mini freak-out over it a couple of weeks ago when I found a white hair. Winnie and Marta had to talk me down from the ledge.”
“One little hair, Lexa? I’ve had silver hair at my temples for years, and I had them the first time we met.”
“That’s not even a fair analogy. It’s different for a man.” Lexa crossed her arms and tried not to pout. “Silver hairs make you look handsome and distinguished, but that ugly white hair just made me feel old. It starts with one little hair here and there, and then before you know it, you wake up one morning to find they’ve multiplied. Don’t even get me started on eyebrow hairs, or”—she mock shuddered—“chin hairs.”
He laughed. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll love you any way you come.”
“Thanks, but as much as it’s under my control, I’m going to keep pace with you so when we go out, people don’t make comments about that distinguished looking man and his little old mother.”
“It’ll never happen. Older sister maybe.” He ducked and laughed when she swatted him with her hair.
“I’m so happy for Kevin and Beck,” she said as they prepared to go to sleep. If they wanted to function in the morning, they needed rest. “When you told me she was in the hospital, I prayed like a maniac. I’d hate for that sweet couple to…” Unable to finish the sentence, tears filled Lexa’s eyes.
“I know, baby.”
“Sam, will you hold me?”
“Always.” He wrapped her in his arms.
Chapter 26
Day 5, Friday
~~♥~~
After lunch, Sam guided his Volvo station wagon onto the highway. Headed toward Government Center in downtown Albuquerque, Sam noted that Eliot followed right behind him in the Hummer with Marta in the passenger seat. When Eliot had offered to come, he’d readily accepted in the event any security issues would be raised. Pastor Chevy had provided him with a copy of the complaint after Stephanie Colton’s visit and filled him in on more details. After a quick read-through, Sam handed off the complaint to Josh.
When Sam had first mentioned Stephanie Colton’s claims to Pastor Chevy, he’d claimed no knowledge of receiving any mail or a phone call. “The church mail is being routed to our home. It could be that Lila didn’t realize what it was and assumed it was junk mail. As far as the phone call, I’d need to know what number Ms. Colton tried. Please be assured that I would have responded to her communication had I known.” That was all Sam needed to hear. He’d seen enough odd occurrences with TeamWork mail and phone calls, so nothing was outside the realm of possibility.
“So, what’s your take? Anything we need to worry about?” Sam said to Josh, who was seated behind him in the Volvo.
“The one sticking point that might have some validity is the short line of trees that was torn down to pour the foundation for the church. Based on that, be prepared for a discussion of possible land encroachment or violation of property lines. It’s all vacant property, and it’s a done deal, so that point will be negotiated and a resolution reached, if necessary.” Josh pulled at the collar of his shirt, unbuttoning the top button.
Sam adjusted the level of air conditioning and negotiated changing lanes. “That seems like a completely unrelated issue in terms of Native American rights. Do we know the source of these so-called complaints?”
“A group calling themselves ‘Extant’ filed all the complaints and concerns.”
“Extant?” Twisting in her seat, Lexa directed her question to Josh. “Doesn’t that mean still in existence?”
“Right. I had Eliot dig into their background. He says the group is legitimate but there’s also a rogue fringe element that’s caused some trouble in and around the Albuquerque area in the past.”
“Meaning?” Sam raised a brow. That didn’t sound good.
“Vandalism, petty theft, that kind of thing. I can’t say for sure, but according to Pastor Chevy, it’s possible there might be a group of locals who don’t want a Native American church in their region.” Josh met Sam’s gaze in the mirror. “They could also be opposed to TeamWork’s presence in helping to build the church.” He shrugged. “Anything’s possible.”
Enough to come into their work camp and spray paint a symbol outside the women’s dorm? Enough to sneak the can of spray paint into Felipe’s backpack? Sam kept that thought to himself and shelved it for a later discussion with Eliot.
“What else?” Sam said. “Stephanie Colton indicated there was more than one complaint.”
“The second issue is that there are some who believe the Native Americans weren’t offered equal opportunity for the jobs at the worksite. Pastor Chevy has all the documentation substantiating the bid process and the hiring of the construction and landscape crews.”
Sam frowned. “In that case, it seems the hired crews would be the focus of the complaints and not the One Nation Church.”
“Agreed,” Josh said. “Because the Commission’s focus is protecting the rights of Native Americans, this could have been a potential issue since Pastor Chevy and the church leaders hired the crews. They originally tried to hire an all Native American crew but there weren’t enough applicants qualified or trained to do the work. It’s to our advantage that Pastor Chevy was extremely thorough in documenting his interviews and kept detailed records. I think it’ll be easy enough to shoot down these claims.”
“I don’t get it,” Lexa said. “If this group doesn’t want a Native American church in the first place, then why would they bother making a claim that not enough Native Americans were hired for the construction?”
“That’s the part that doesn’t make much sense.” Josh pushed up farther on the seat. “If that’s the case—and we don’t know that it is—it’s probably a stall tactic to try and delay completion of the project. It would have been better if TeamWork had been informed of the prior complaints against the One Nation Church. Not that it matters much now.”
“They apparently didn’t feel the claims were valid or had any basis,” Sam said.
Lexa sat back in her seat with a slight frown. “The construction foreman plans on being at the meeting?”
“He’ll be there with Pastor Chevy and their attorney.” Sam smiled at Lexa’s interest. His wife was a silent—sometimes not so silent—partner in their TeamWork administrative matters. She’d always been a vocal advocate for the organization, and he loved her for it. On the rare occasions when he’d been called into court, Lexa had insisted on attending the sessions. Same with this meeting. As if reading his mind, his wife reached for his hand and squeezed.
“In some ways, this hearing seems like a waste
of time since the church building is nearly completed,” Josh observed.
“As Stephanie Colton told us out at the worksite, it’s the responsibility of the board to investigate all legitimate claims or complaints.” Sam noted the highway sign for their exit coming up in two miles.
Lexa reached for her purse on the floorboard. “Who’s Stephanie Colton?”
“A member of the board for the City Commission on Indian Affairs.” Sam checked the clock, pleased to see the early afternoon traffic was light and they were making good time. “The Commission acts as a liaison between the City of Albuquerque and the Native American community. She’ll be there this afternoon.”
Lexa glanced at the display on her cell phone. “I have a message from Winnie.”
“Everything okay?” Josh said.
“I think so. Hang on.” She listened for a moment. “She wanted to let us know they’re taking all the kids to a natural spring to cool off since it’s really hot this afternoon. Beck’s feeling fine and is going, too, as long as she promises not to lift any of the kids. Lila told us about the spring at the dinner the other night and suggested it’d be a fun place to go. It’s apparently a well-kept secret among the locals and it’s only ten minutes away. Angelina and Felipe are going along to supervise the kids since the ladies aren’t planning to get in the water.”
“That’ll be good for them,” Josh said. “Luke hasn’t been sleeping well and he’s been keeping Winnie up at night. He’s a fireball of energy that won’t quit. Maybe playing in the spring will wear him out.”
“Plus Angelina and Felipe will have a chaperone.” Sam chuckled at Lexa’s skeptical expression. “I’m teasing, but it never hurts to keep an eye on them. It’s obvious they’re getting along better now than when they first arrived.”
“Yes,” Lexa said slowly, “but just because they’re the only two teenagers in the camp doesn’t necessarily mean they’re doing anything they shouldn’t.”
“True, but Felipe’s a normal teenage guy, Lexa,” Josh chimed in. “Best to keep an eye on them.”
