Black Raven's Pride

by Aimée Thurlo

  “I’m not going to back off.” As she stood in front of him, she could feel the raw power emanating from him. His face was granite, his eyes lit up with anger.

  “I will stop you, Eden. I’ll get that ad pulled no matter how high I have to go in the tribal government.”

  Eden knew it was no idle threat. Nick could do that easily and there’d be nothing she could do about it. His word would carry far more clout than hers ever would with the council.

  “All right, Nick. You win this round. But don’t get used to it,” she warned. “I call my own shots.”

  “Not while I’m around.” He turned and walked away.

  Defiance coiled inside her as she saw the smug look of satisfaction on his face. She picked up Christopher’s toy dinosaur from the floor and as her hand curled around it, it was all she could do not to throw it at him.

  Almost as if reading her mind, he stopped and turned to face her. “If you throw that, I’ll do more than duck,” he growled, daring her with one level gaze. “Don’t start what you can’t finish.”

  It was a challenge, clear and simple. She hurled the toy at him.

  He caught it in midair with one hand, then, with a dark smile, narrowed the gap between them. As he came toward her, Eden could feel the tension inside him. Every tiny fiber in her body quivered to life as a mixture of expectation and excitement coursed through her.

  The moment screamed with danger. She knew she had to move away, now, before it was too late, but something held her to the spot.

  Nick laced his fingers through her hair, holding her face in his hands. “You make me crazy,” he growled, the words both an angry protest and a surrender.

  He took her mouth, his lips opening over hers, demanding everything. She responded to him—fire matching fire. Her tongue came forward to meet his, circling, and tasting him. He groaned as if she were stealing the dearest part of his soul.

  Nick shuddered from the force of wanting her. Pleasure sizzled down his body as he rubbed his maleness against the softness at the apex of her thighs.

  She wanted to be taken—to feel him moving within her. Desperate for a warmth only they could give each other, their caresses grew hotter. Everything female in her responded to him as naturally as a flower to the desert sun. But, in a matter of heartbeats, they’d cross a threshold neither was prepared for.

  Suddenly, as if they’d shared the same thought, he released her and stepped back. His black eyes glowed with passion as they burned into hers. “I will protect you, Eden. Even from me.”

  He strode out of her home without even glancing back.

  AN HOUR LATER, Eden answered a knock at her door and found two of her students there, waiting. “Berta, Terri. What brings you two here?”

  The girls came inside and, at Eden’s invitation, sat down on the sofa.

  “Today, I went to my grandma’s looking for photos that could help me with our assignment,” Berta said, “and I found out that Mrs. Black Raven, the deputy’s mom that is, used to show everyone at the women’s society photo albums that went all the way back to the time when cameras were first invented. My grandma said that theirs is the best record around of the pueblo. I was going to ask Deputy Black Raven if we could look through those albums, but a few hours ago we saw him driving away from here in a real hurry. Later we found him by the soda machine, but he still looked pretty ticked off. Did you two guys have a fight?”

  She gave the kids a hard look. “That’s between the deputy and me,” she said in a no-nonsense tone. “And as far as the school assignment goes, you’ll have to use your own family’s albums or library resources.”

  The girls exchanged quick looks. “You did have a fight,” Berta said flatly.

  Eden glared at them. “Is that all, girls?”

  Berta and Terri quickly stood up and headed to the door. As they stepped out onto the porch, a flicker of light caught Eden’s eye and she turned her head. Somewhere near the top of the mesa north of her house, a figure sat, watching through binoculars. As Eden squinted, trying to see who it was, the person walked off.

  “Who’s that?” Terri asked.

  “Probably a hiker,” she said, working hard to keep her tone casual. “Maybe he’s gathering native herbs. It’s nothing to worry about.”

  “But he had binoculars. I saw them. And he was looking down on your house. Are you sure you’ll be all right?” Berta asked.

  “I wish Deputy Black Raven and you hadn’t broken up,” Terri added.

  “We didn’t break up. We were never involved in that way,” Eden said firmly.

  “Something must have happened between you two. He looked really mad and you look sad.”

  “You both have an overactive imagination,” she said sternly, hoping to put an end to their speculation. One look at Berta’s worried expression, however, told her what a vain hope that was. “Stop making something out of nothing, okay, girls?”

  “If you say so, Miss Maes,” Terri said.

  As they walked away talking in low tones, Eden had a funny feeling that she hadn’t heard the last of this yet.

  NICK WAS patrolling down the Plaza when he saw two girls trying to flag him down. Curious, and recognizing them from earlier when they’d begun to approach him then changed their minds, he slowed and pulled up next to the kids.

  “What’s going on, ladies?”

  “We’re worried about Mrs. Maes. We just came from her house, but I think we shouldn’t have left her there alone,” Berta said.

  “Why’s that?” Nick asked, the skin at the back of his neck prickling.

  “She was really upset about something—or maybe scared,” Terri said. “It’s hard to tell what she’s thinking, but she sure wanted to get us away from her house.”

  “Maybe it had something to do with the hiker,” Berta added.

  “What hiker?” Nick asked quickly.

  They told him about the figure they’d seen up on the mesa. “She said he was probably someone looking at native plants, but with binoculars? I don’t think so.”

  “And you say he just disappeared?” Nick asked, his gut knotting. Eden was a proud woman, not used to asking for help unless it was absolutely necessary. But, in a case like this, waiting until the last second could lead to major trouble.

  “Well, the guy walked off, then we couldn’t see him anymore. After that, Mrs. Maes hurried us out the door. Maybe she just wanted to get us safely away in case of trouble.”

  Nick’s heart pounded against his ribs. Every instinct he possessed was telling him to get to Eden’s house fast. “I should check this out. Step away from the vehicle, girls. I’ve got to get going.”

  Turning the patrol unit around, he headed back to Eden’s home using a silent approach. If he caught the guy harassing her, he’d haul him in, even if he had to do it one body part at a time.

  A few minutes later, he arrived at her house. The front door was closed and the curtains were drawn. But when Eden was at home, the curtains were always parted and he knew she was there now. There was a light on inside the house.

  Heeding his instinct for caution, he drew his weapon and moved in on foot. He stood silently by the windows, listening, but there were no sounds inside. Fear pounded through him, but he pushed it back, knowing he needed to keep his thinking clear.

  Moving to one side, he peered inside the house through a slit in the curtains. His blood nearly froze when he saw the condition of the room on the other side. A shattered flowerpot lay on the carpet along with several photo frames and books. Loose papers were scattered everywhere. But there was no sign of Eden or Chris.

  Seeing an open window farther down, he crept toward it and noiselessly crawled inside. The unnatural stillness in the house unnerved him. He was moving slowly down the hall, when he heard muffled sounds coming from inside the bedroom ahead.

  The thought of someone in the bedroom with Eden, someone who might harm her, filled him with a deadly combination of fear and the determination to help her. Kicking the closed doo
r open, he moved in at a crouch, ready for action.

  Eden stood before him, hair still wet from the shower, wearing nothing but a towel and trembling. Her eyes were wide and her face pale as she stared at the gun he was pointing at her.

  The fear in her eyes felt like a cold blade to his heart. “Sweetheart, I’m so sorry,” he said, immediately putting away his gun. “I thought you were in danger. Don’t be frightened.” He tried to draw her into his arms, but she pulled back suddenly.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she demanded. “Have you lost your mind?”

  “I was trying to save you,” he said.

  “Oh really? And who’s going to save you?” she said, then socked him in the jaw.

  Chapter Nine

  “Ow!” Eden staggered back, holding her hand. “You clod! Your jaw’s made of granite.”

  “I’ve been told that before—and been called worse.” He tried to reach for her hand, but she pulled away.

  “Get out of my house! Now!”

  “Eden, let me explain,” he said. He ran a hand through his hair, scowled, then jammed his hands into his pockets. “The kids…two girls…well they made it sound like you were in serious trouble.”

  “The kids?” she repeated, then slowly her expression changed from confusion to understanding. “Berta and Terri,” she said. “What did they have to do with this?”

  As she looked up at him, and saw his gaze sweeping over her intimately, Eden was suddenly and searingly aware that she was wearing nothing but a towel. Memories of another time, of pleasures that had lasted long into the night, flooded into her mind. He’d reached for the towel she’d been wearing that afternoon, pulling it off her and had made love to her. That night he’d taught her about the wild side of desire.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” he said, his voice husky.

  “Like what?” she managed, her voice trembling.

  “Like you’d welcome the pleasures you know I can give you,” he growled.

  Hearing Christopher crying, she stepped back quickly, her sanity returning. How could she have allowed herself to become so vulnerable? “The only man in my life is Chris, Nick, and that’s the way I’m going to keep it. Now go wait for me in the living room. I’m going to get dressed, then I’ll go get my son.”

  As soon as Nick left the room, Eden slipped into her rattiest jeans and an old, threadbare sweatshirt. She wanted to look as unappealing as possible. With luck, that would cut down the tension between them.

  By the time she stepped out of her room, she saw that Nick had picked up Christopher and already had him in the living room.

  Nick smiled as she walked down the hall to join him. “I hope you don’t mind. Christopher seemed impatient, so I thought I’d give you a hand with him.” His gaze coursed over her as intimately as a lover’s caress. “You look beautiful.”

  “Oh please. This old sweatshirt has more holes in it than swiss cheese.”

  “I know,” he answered with a slow grin.

  She glanced down quickly, verifying that none of the holes were in any strategic places. As she looked back up, the smoldering look he gave her made her tingle all over. Needing a distraction, she reached out for her son, but Christopher ignored her, and continued to cling to Nick.

  “I guess you win today’s popularity contest,” Eden said curtly, flexing her hand and trying to work out its stiffness.

  “How are your knuckles?” he asked gently.

  “They smart,” she said, then quickly added, “But it was worth it.” Seeing that she hadn’t even left a mark on his jaw, her annoyance grew. “Now tell me, what on earth did those two girls say to you?”

  “They told me there was a man watching you. I came over right away, but your curtains were drawn. You never do that when you’re home. Then I saw the mess in here,” he said, gesturing to the books and papers on the floor. “I thought you had an intruder in the house. I came in, heard a noise in the bedroom and thought you were in serious trouble.”

  Afraid that he’d sense the gentle warmth that had begun to replace her anger, she knelt by the coffee table and began to pick up the pot shards. “This was Christopher’s doing. He tried to pull himself up and yanked on the table runner. I cleaned him up first, then decided to take a shower myself before coming back to pick up the mess. I closed the curtains because I didn’t want any unexpected company and my students sometimes drop by when they know I’m here.”

  “What happened to the guy watching the house?”

  “I don’t think he was watching the house. I think it was a hiker. He certainly made no threatening moves, and didn’t come any closer. He had binoculars, but he could have been bird watching for all I know.”

  “At dusk? Not likely. If you see him again, let me know right away.”

  “You’ve got it. But I think we’ve got another problem. The girls were playing matchmaker. They felt you and I were on the outs and they wanted to help us patch things up. If they mention any of this to anyone else, the gossip will be rampant.”

  “There’s nothing we can do about that, so my advice is let it go. If you say anything, you’ll just make it worse.”

  She nodded. “You’re right. Some things shouldn’t be dignified with a response.” Remembering what the girls had said, she added, “By the way, is it true that the Black Ravens have an extensive photo archive?”

  He nodded. “We had quite a few shutterbugs in the family. My mother, for example, was always taking photos of everything. She’d use them as frames of reference when she worked on her paintings. We have shelves full of photo albums filled with only her pictures. Come to think of it, those would give us a good idea of how the pueblo’s changed over the years and may suggest places we should look for the artifacts. We may not remember someone’s barn being torn down or erected, but the photos would catalog everything.”

  “I’d love a chance to look through them.”

  “Why don’t we go over to Black Raven Ranch now?” He looked down at the infant still in his arms. “On second thought, maybe that’s not such a good idea. Christopher is sound asleep.”

  Eden touched the baby’s cheek lightly and smiled. “He’ll sleep until close to daybreak. He won’t be any trouble, if you don’t mind my bringing him along.”

  “You two are always welcome at the ranch,” he said, in a low clear voice.

  She suppressed the shiver that touched her spine. “Let’s get going then. I’m eager to get started.”

  NICK LED HER into the den at Black Raven Ranch. The place had become a real home these days with Annie and the baby here. The sadness and coldness that had been a part of the house for as far back as he could remember were now gone. Yet the truth was that, these days, he was always finding excuses not to stop by. It was hard for him to see how complete his brother’s life had become. In comparison, his own life felt empty, almost as if a vital piece were missing.

  Tonight, with all the family gathered together, and Chris and Eden beside him, those feelings didn’t seem quite so strong. He found himself relaxing as Annie and Jake sat across from them with Noelle, who’d refused to go to sleep. Martin was also there, sipping a glass of iced tea.

  “I don’t understand what you’re trying to do,” Annie said to Eden. “Even if you found the artifacts, people would only assume that you were finally able to figure out where your mother hid them. It certainly wouldn’t clear your family’s name.”

  “I know, but if I find and return them, I’ll earn a bit of goodwill for myself. Maybe I can even change the minds of some of these people who believe I’m getting something for nothing by claiming land here, though I’m half-Tewa. Of course, I’m also hoping that I’ll be able to find a solid lead to the real criminals, either hidden with the artifacts, or during my search. There’s no guarantee that’ll happen, I know, but it’s all I’ve got to hang on to right now.”

  “Returning the artifacts would certainly do a lot for you in the eyes of the tribe,” Jake agreed.

&nb
sp; As they talked, Nick saw the way Eden would look at Jake, then back at him. His brother’s face was identical to his own, yet, like Annie, Eden had never had any problems telling them apart. He’d asked her about it once when they’d both been teenagers, and she’d told him that it was who they were inside that defined each of them. The light in their eyes, their feelings, and their reactions made them each very different from each other, despite their outward appearances.

  Nick wondered if she still believed that. Jake and he were physically more alike these days than they’d ever been. Yet, more than ever, it was important to him to know that she saw him as a man, distinct from his brother, though they shared the same face.

  “I have the albums upstairs in my office,” Annie said. “If Jake and Martin will help me carry them, I can bring them down here so we can all have a look.”

  Jake and Martin stood. “Whenever you’re ready,” Jake said.

  Annie handed Noelle to Eden. “Can you take care of her for a few minutes?”

  “No problem,” Eden said, taking the squirming baby into her arms. Noelle was reaching out for everything in sight, and Eden laughed when she grabbed Nick’s shirt.

  Eden pulled Noelle back onto her own lap. “She’s a lot more active than Chris is at this time of night. I wonder if Chris will get that way at her age.” She glanced at her son, asleep in Noelle’s playpen.

  “Chris has a totally different personality. I think that’ll hold true no matter how old he is.”

  “You’re probably right.” Eden glanced up at Nick. “You know what’s really surprising to me is how much you and Jake have grown alike as the years have gone by. You even wear the same style clothing.”

  He shrugged. “Jeans, boots and Western shirts are practically a uniform around here,” he said. “Does that mean you’re starting to have trouble telling us apart?”