Black Raven's Pride

by Aimée Thurlo

  “There’s someone back there, all right. I saw the flash of chrome twice. He’s just being cautious.”

  “Do you think he’s hoping we’ll take him right to the stolen goods?”

  “No.” His gaze kept darting to the rearview mirror. “No one knew where we were going and why except Jake and Annie. My guess is we’re about to be paid an impromptu visit by whoever’s been trying to run you off the pueblo.”

  “Can you lose him?”

  “Probably. But I don’t know how long it’ll be before we get another shot at him and, as long as he’s not in custody, he’s a danger to you.” His jaw was clenched and his hands were wrapped so tightly around the wheel that his knuckles were pearly white. “What I would like to do is reel him in, then spring a trap,” Nick said, his voice low and lethal. “But there’s risk in what I’m proposing, just as there’s risk in letting him go. This has to be your call. Just remember that I know this area like the back of my hand.”

  “And if he does too?”

  “That’s a possibility,” he conceded, then in a firm voice added, “But I’ll guard you with my own life, Eden. Don’t doubt that for one second.”

  “I don’t,” she said. “And you’re right. It’s time to fight back. He’s had me on the run for too long. Let’s go for it.”

  With a nod, Nick accelerated down a bumpy road bordered on both sides by salt cedars and tall willows. From the direction they were taking, and the type of vegetation, Eden knew they were headed toward the river.

  “I think I recognize this spot. Weren’t there some old wells around here that we were always warned to avoid? Some were covered by boards to keep animals from falling in.”

  “That’s part of my plan. Just hang on, I’m trying to get far enough ahead of him so I’ll have time to set the trap,” Nick said, keeping a sharp eye on the trail.

  Just as they were nearing a low ridge she recognized as a flood-control levee, Nick left the trail and drove into some brush, coming to an abrupt stop. “Quickly now, follow me.” He grabbed the keys, and reached over and took her hand, pulling her out of the driver’s side with him.

  Her hand was small, but it fit inside his as if they’d been made for each other.

  Nick led her quickly over the levee and into the low, marshy terrain on the other side. The ground was damp in places where moisture had seeped up from the water table only a few feet below.

  “The place I’m looking for should be just about… whoa!”

  Nick stopped suddenly, and pointed at the ground in front of him. Barely visible below the thick, overgrown marsh grass was a board. “That’s one of those wells. I remember almost falling through one of those.” He placed a foot upon the board, and it began to bend under the pressure. “Perfect. Now, one more print. Could you take off your left shoe? Leave the mud on if you can. And do it quickly, please?”

  Now she knew what Nick had in mind. Pulling off her shoe, she handed it to him. She stood balanced on one foot, trying to avoid sticking her bare foot into the mud.

  Nick leaned over and made a left shoe impression farther out, as if someone had walked over the board. He then pushed some of the grass aside, as if it had been parted by someone passing through.

  “Here.” He handed her shoe back to her. “Now, stepping in my prints, follow me. And let’s move fast. I think I hear him coming.”

  Slipping on her shoe hastily, Eden followed literally in his footsteps. As they passed through a thicket of tall willows, she followed his example and ducked low, moving at a ninety-degree angle another ten feet before stopping. Here, they’d be out of sight from anyone approaching on the same path they’d followed.

  They’d only waited a minute or two before Eden heard someone drawing near. The steps got closer then stopped. Everything became silent except for the high-pitched whine of mosquitoes buzzing near her head.

  Then she heard the crunch of wood splitting and a startled cry. Nick leaped up from his crouched position and ran toward the sound. She followed, eager to find out the identity of her enemy.

  They arrived at the old well and found a large hole where their adversary had fallen through. Inching closer to the edge, they peered down. Tewa curses Eden hadn’t heard in years erupted from the mouth of their trapped prey. But it was the face of her enemy that surprised her most.

  “Deputy Torres! You’re the one who’s been trying to run me off the pueblo? I don’t understand. Why would you of all people turn your back on your oath? I’m not your enemy.”

  Nick’s expression was cold as he looked down on his adversary. “Let’s just leave him here. Next rain, he’ll probably rise to the surface and somebody will find the body.”

  There was another string of curses from Torres, then he grew quiet for a moment. All they could hear was grunting and the sloshing of his feet and hands against the muddy sides of the well. “I can’t get out of here without your help,” Torres said finally. “I’m hanging on to a tree root, but if I try to pull myself up, it could break. And there’s nothing to hold on to beneath me. If I slide down, I’ll hit the water and I won’t be able to climb out. So how about it, Nick? Give me a hand up? I’m a cop, too.”

  “You were—until you started harassing Eden. Now you’re just another criminal who has run out of luck. Give me one good reason why we shouldn’t just walk away, rub out our tracks, and pretend we never saw you today.”

  Eden looked at Nick. He was after something. She knew Nick too well to believe that he’d actually leave the man there to die.

  “Give me a good reason to save your butt, Torres. Otherwise, I’m going to look very cruel to Eden here when I grab her arm and we leave without you,” Nick snarled.

  “Do you want a confession? Is that it? Okay, I’ll give you one. I’ve been trying to run her off. I don’t think a half white should get Tewa land or a house. I was chasing her across the desert that night when you interfered. And the notes are my work too. I admit it. But I didn’t want to hurt her or her kid, I just wanted to scare her into leaving. Hell, I’m not the only one who feels this way about half whites. Even your own father was against her family living here. Didn’t you know that?”

  “Leave my father out of this,” Nick snapped. “He’d have never terrorized a woman. What you did was beneath contempt.”

  “All right. You’ve got me. I’ll stop bothering Eden from now on. Just get me out of here.”

  Nick looked up at Eden, and moved her away from the hole. “Once he gets out, it’ll be his word against ours. We don’t have anything that’ll stand up in court. We could call Mora for backup and let him hear his confession, but Torres may not be able to hold on that long. And it’s a long drop, not to mention he probably can’t swim.”

  She suddenly understood what he’d been trying to do. “Give me a second.” Eden went back and looked down into the hole. Torres was clutching the side of the opening with both hands. He was looking up, his face muddy, his eyes wide with fear.

  “That night you chased me across the desert, when you were supposed to be on duty, you weren’t driving your truck or a tribal unit. Whose pickup did you use?”

  “My cousin’s. He lives in Santa Fe. I told him it was to help a friend move furniture. If it’s proof against me that you want before you’ll help me, you can ask him. His truck got banged up out here, and it was easy to see that I hadn’t used it for what I said.”

  “Okay. Now let’s see about getting you out of there,” she nodded to Nick.

  “I’m going to have to go back to the Jeep and get some towrope I keep behind the seat. You might want to find out everything you can while I’m gone,” Nick told her loud enough for Torres to hear. “If he refuses to keep talking, I don’t have to find the rope.” Nick said. “And if he manages to climb up before I get back, knock him back down with one of those boards.”

  Before she could answer, Nick turned and took off at a jog toward where they’d parked.

  Eden turned back toward the hole, got down on her hands and knees,
and smiled at the deputy straining to stay above the water. “Let’s talk to pass the time until Nick gets back with a rope, Deputy. Okay with you?”

  AN HOUR LATER they were standing by the Jeep, scraping mud off their shoes. Torres was muddy all over, and he was using bottled water and a handkerchief to try and get as much as he could off his face and uniform before he went back to the station.

  “We’d better get going, Eden. We still have a few things to do today. I think Torres can find his own way back.” Nick noted the handheld radio resting on the hood of Torres’s vehicle, drying out. It had fallen into the water, and Torres had insisted on plucking it out of the well before coming up, though it would probably never work again.

  “Are you planning to turn me in?” Torres asked, a lot surer of himself now that he was no longer in danger.

  Nick looked at Eden. “It’s your call.”

  Eden looked at the deputy. He’d done his best to frighten her, but nothing more. She met his gaze with a steady one. “The tribe needs you and, as far as I know, you’ve done a good job until now. If I file a complaint and press charges, it’ll ruin everything you’ve ever worked for and create a hardship for the tribe. I’d rather not take this any further, but I want your word that you’ll leave me alone.”

  “You have it. My job means a lot to me. And, for the record, I really wouldn’t have hurt you,” he answered honestly. “You’ll never have any more problems from me. And you can count on my help, should you ever need it.”

  Eden believed him, but she looked at Nick, wondering if she was being naive.

  “He will leave you alone,” Nick said, his voice hard, “because if he doesn’t, I’ll come after him.”

  “All right,” Eden said at last. “As long as you stay out of my way, we’ll have nothing to fear from each other.”

  Nick took her hand as they walked back to his vehicle. “You did the right thing, Eden. He made a mistake—a big one, but he’ll never be a threat to you again. He owes you one now, too, and he knows it.”

  “I still don’t get it. He’s the last person I expected to come after me.”

  “Torres has always wanted to be accepted by the tribe, some didn’t believe he was a full-blood Tewa, and gave him a hard time. I think that by coming after you, he was trying to prove his Tewa heritage. Or more to the point, his allegiance to our tribe.”

  “I know what that’s like. Despite what he’s done, I can’t quite bring myself to hate him.”

  As they headed back to the Jeep, Nick glanced down at his clothes and then looked at her. “We need to be hosed down.”

  Eden grimaced. “This mud really sticks to you and it smells like a swamp.” She wiped the face of her watch, leaving a muddy smear, but managed to check the time. “Oh-oh. I’ve got to go pick up my son,” Eden said. “Can you drop me off at Mrs. Chino’s?”

  “If we show up at Mrs. Chino’s looking like this, she’ll refuse to give Christopher to you,” he said. “Let’s go to Black Raven Ranch. We can hose down outside, dry off just enough to go inside the house, then shower.”

  “I don’t think Annie’s going to be thrilled with that idea.”

  “She won’t mind,” he assured her. “She thinks of you like family, Eden. She told me so herself.” Nick was certain it was because Annie had sensed his feelings for Eden, but some things had to remain unsaid. “It’s probably because she and you have babies so close to the same age,” he added instead.

  Eden nodded, but didn’t respond.

  “Plus I think it’s important we fill someone else in on what happened to us out here today. I want my brother and Annie to see us looking like we do now, then I want to write down every detail, especially what Torres said about the tan truck and his cousin. I also want to have a record of the time he was out of touch with the dispatcher today. We want all this documented and witnessed just in case he ever gives either of us any trouble.”

  They arrived at Black Raven Ranch a short time later, and were about to clean up when Annie came outside.

  Annie looked at Eden’s clothes and grimaced. “Those are going to need a lot more than a hose can do. Come on. You can use my shower and borrow some of my clothes. We’re the same size. But what on earth happened?”

  “It’s a long story,” Eden said with a sigh. “But I’ve got to hurry. I’ve got to get to Mrs. Chino’s and pick up Christopher.”

  “Don’t give it another thought. Mrs. Chino was supposed to baby-sit for us tonight. She can bring your baby here, and take care of both our kids while the four of us have a long, relaxing dinner. What do you say?”

  “It sounds wonderful. Are you sure you don’t mind going through all that trouble?”

  “Are you kidding? I want to hear everything that happened to you two! Curiosity is killing me.”

  As Eden started to go inside, Nick came up. “I’ll go to the bunkhouse to clean up, but I’ll be back. See you in a little bit.”

  “Nick?” she said before he strode off. As he turned around, she suddenly paused. “I don’t know what to say. Thanks doesn’t seem enough after what you did. For the first time since I returned, I don’t have to watch my back.”

  He wanted to tell her that he’d always stand between her and anything that threatened her. But, as usual, what came out was totally different.

  “I’m a cop, Eden. It’s all part of what I do.” Particularly for the only woman I’ve ever loved, he added mutely and walked away.

  Chapter Eleven

  Hours later, they sat downstairs, having dinner. Tonight was Annie’s once a week break from the demands of motherhood and her gift to Jake and herself. Christopher was with Noelle upstairs in the nursery and Mrs. Chino was looking after them. A sense of family pervaded their gathering.

  Eden found herself relaxing in the warmth and comfort of the Black Raven home. After the dinner dishes were done, they all adjourned to the den and Jake poured them each a brandy.

  The warmth of the smooth drink felt wonderful. Nick sat on the sofa next to Eden, while Annie and Jake sat on a Navajo rug, going through the contents of a trunk filled with mementos that Annie had found in one of the empty bedrooms.

  Eden couldn’t help but notice the way that Jake always seemed to reach out for Annie, gently touching her hand, or brushing a strand of hair from her face. Filled with longing, Eden glanced at Nick, scarcely aware of the instinct that had compelled her to do so. As her eyes met his, the tenderness reflected there took her breath away. The yearning to touch him, to feel his warmth, ribboned around her.

  “Hey, Nick. Stop being the macho cop, will you?” Annie teased, oblivious to the awareness shimmering between them. “You’ve said what, about four words this evening? The strong and silent type is also the boring type, and you won’t make any points with Eden that way.”

  Nick smiled, but didn’t comment.

  “Come on, brother-in-law. Ease up,” Annie persisted with a laugh.

  Eden felt her heart go out to Nick even as Annie teased him. She knew precisely what he was doing. It was simply easier to disguise the vulnerability that came from caring under a mantle of silence. Nick was capable of every feat of raw courage and pure male strength that there was. Yet she was his one vulnerability. The realization made her pulse start beating wildly.

  “Hey, this might be useful,” Annie said, bringing out a small photo album. “The snapshots inside are of people and scenes that obviously held some special meaning for Saya. It looks like this was your mother’s personal photo album,” Annie said, looking at Jake, then Nick.

  As she turned the page, Annie saw a photo of Saya and another woman. “The writing at the bottom says that this is Isabel, and the photo was taken during a Harvest Festival.”

  Eden took the snapshot that Annie handed her. Seeing her mother’s face so clearly again brought back a kaleidoscope of memories. She looked up, ready to comment, when she saw Jake brush his hand against Annie’s cheek, then lead his brother to the decanter of brandy. Annie, Jake, and Nick were a real fa
mily, and love and blood bound them. More than anything, she wanted Chris to be part of them, accepted fully and loved.

  Yet, although the man trying to run her off the pueblo had been caught and the threat he’d posed neutralized, there were still matters to resolve before she could tell anyone about Chris. Nick stood to lose too much if she failed at what she’d set out to do. Despite his stoicism, Nick was proud of being a Black Raven. She wouldn’t take away that source of family pride by pulling him into her world—one of shame and dishonor.

  As the twin brothers moved off, studying a framed, aerial photo of the ranch on the far wall, Annie came over to sit with Eden.

  “Look at this photo of the boys as babies,” she said, pulling out the snapshot from the album. “We both know how hard it is to take care of one baby. Can you imagine Jake and Nick as kids?” she said.

  Hearing footsteps, they turned and saw Mrs. Chino holding the babies. “They came to say good-night,” she said, handing each to their mother.

  Annie and Jake kissed Noelle, then handed her back to Mrs. Chino. Chris was fussing, so Eden offered to keep him a few minutes longer while Mrs. Chino put Noelle in bed.

  Annie returned to the couch but as she picked up the photo of the twin babies, her gaze fixed on a detail she’d missed before. She stared at the photo, then looked up quickly at Chris, who lay quietly in Eden’s arms.

  Eden’s heart stopped. She knew that Annie had noticed the small strawberry birthmark on Chris’s cheek and was comparing it to the one on Nick’s baby picture. All the other similarities between father and son suddenly seemed to scream out at them—everything from the way the babies smiled, to their habit of leaning into objects with one hand while trying to balance. Chris was doing it right now. Having scooted off Eden’s lap, he was trying to slide down onto the floor by holding on to the cushion with only one hand.

  Annie looked at Eden, but Eden remained silent, praying Annie wouldn’t say a word. Annie touched the birthmark on Chris’s face, then looked at Nick. The birthmark on his cheek had all but faded over the years, but a faint trace of it still remained.