Her Destiny

by Aimée Thurlo

  “It seems a shame to destroy an artifact with so much history,” Lanie said.

  “It has to be done. Nothing good will come from preserving it.” His expression was grim as he met Lanie’s gaze. “Listen carefully to me now. When you reach home, hide that bowl someplace only you know, where you’re certain it’ll be safe. But make sure it’s near you.” He went to the door and held it open for them. “Now go, please. That bowl must not remain under this roof any longer.”

  Lanie walked outside, her hands slipping inside her tote bag. Despite the colder forest temperature, the bowl now felt warm to the touch again.

  “I don’t understand any of this. All I’ve learned about this bowl contradicts every belief I’ve ever had. Yet I’m certain that ignoring the warnings I’ve been given as superstition is a mistake that will put me in even more danger than I’m in already.”

  “So you’re going to take my uncle’s advice, and hide it when I get back?”

  “Yes, I’m already trying to figure out the best place to keep it. Let’s go home. I’ve got work to do.”

  As they drove back, Gabriel glanced at the clock on the dashboard. “I’d like to make a stop before we go back to the boardinghouse.”

  “Where?”

  “The library. It’s closed at this hour, but I may be able to persuade Jake Fields to open the back door. I’d like to see how far back the microfiche of the town newspaper goes. Maybe there is something about the bowl there.”

  “That’s a great idea. But Jake may not appreciate it if he’s already in bed.”

  “He won’t have to go far. He lives on the premises. It’s part of the deal he has with the town. When Jake came to Four Winds a few years back, everyone thought he was an ex-serviceman drifting and looking for trouble. We were partially wrong. He was an ex-ranger, but what came as a surprise was his college degree in library science. The high-school teachers had always complained that we didn’t have a properly run library in town, so he was just what Four Winds needed.”

  “People talk about Four Winds as if it has a living, breathing soul. It can be unnerving, you know.”

  He grinned. “Four Winds, in its own way, is as alive as the people who live there. It does have a spirit all its own.”

  “Had anyone told me that when I first arrived, I would have thought they were nuts. Now I don’t know. Do you realize how disconcerting that is? We all grow up taking certain things for granted. You expect the sky to be blue and the grass green for the foreseeable future. But if some morning you woke up to find the sky green and the grass blue, then the guideposts you’d lived by would be demolished. That could be a person’s undoing.”

  He nodded thoughtfully. “Many say that Four Winds always tears you down at first, so it can build you all over again.”

  “Like boot camp,” she said with a thin smile. “Do you believe that?”

  “I believe that it’s been true for some, but it wasn’t that way for me. Four Winds has always been home to me. I came back because I needed to find myself again, and I knew I could do that here.”

  “I’ve always wondered what ‘home’ would feel like. It must be wonderful to have a place where you know you’ll always belong,” she said softly. “I’ve never had that. Uncertainty is the only constant I’ve ever experienced in my life.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She took a deep breath, then let it out again. She wasn’t sure how much to tell him. Then he reached for her hand, covering it with his own. Her resistance melted away. “My mother wasn’t married. She barely made ends meet and couldn’t afford a child, so when I was four I ended up in foster care. My mother disappeared without ever signing the papers needed, so I wasn’t eligible for adoption, either, until much later. I grew up in a succession of foster homes. I’d see other kids at school, kids with real homes, and wish with all my heart that someone would want me. But that never happened.

  “Holidays were the worst,” she continued. “There were always invitations during Christmas and Easter from people who meant well, but what those stays did was give me a close-up of the very things I wanted and never would have. I learned back then that when you hope too hard for something, your heart can break. The only dreams I would have a chance of making come true were those that depended on no one outside myself, and even then, only if I was willing to fight with everything in me to make them happen.” She squared her shoulders and looked at him proudly. “Those weren’t bad lessons.”

  He said nothing for several minutes. “I can’t even imagine being without a family,” he said at last. “We had our differences, of course. My father is a traditionalist, my mother was a Christian.” He slowed down as they entered Four Winds. “That’s why all three of us have biblical names. But no matter how we fought among ourselves, we knew that when the chips were down we had backup.”

  He parked behind the library and gestured at the lit window on the south side of the building. “He’s up. Now let’s see if he’ll open the door for us. He’s got a mind of his own and enough of the ranger mentality to be a stickler about schedules.”

  Gabriel knocked and identified himself. Silence greeted him. Gabriel knocked again even more firmly.

  “I heard you the first time,” Jake called out. “But unless this is a law-enforcement emergency, we have posted hours and you’re outside those limits.”

  “It’s not an emergency, but I’d be grateful if you’d let us do a search in special collections.”

  Lanie leaned closer to the door. “It’s Lanie here, too, Jake, and I desperately need some information on my bowl. Won’t you help me out?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that’s what you wanted?” Jake opened the door. “I’ve been looking into that subject myself. I’ve heard the stories about the peddler, and it made me curious.”

  He led them to a small, windowless room, probably a former pantry. “I’ve only found one reference to a bowl like the one people have said you have. It was in a journal kept by one of the original mayors of Four Winds. In it, he chronicled turn-of-the-century events in our region.”

  He set up a viewer. “I’ve had this transferred to microfiche. Take a look at the bottom of the page. As you see, when Dusty Calhoun decided to move back east with his family,” Jake said, “he sold off everything he owned. He was this area’s largest landowner, so it became almost the biggest event of 1900. The entry finished by listing some of the more interesting estate pieces. One was a small Indian bowl reputed to have belonged to a skinwalker. But there wasn’t any more of a description, so there’s no telling if it’s the same one.”

  “Will you keep looking for information? Maybe there’s another journal somewhere,” Gabriel suggested.

  “You bet, I’ll stay on it. I like doing research. But why the rush all of a sudden?”

  “Too many things have been happening to me, Jake,” Lanie said. “I can’t go into them now, but believe me that the sooner I get answers the better off everyone will be.”

  “We’ll leave this research to you now. It’s time for all of us to get some sleep,” Gabriel said.

  Lanie and Gabriel left the library and drove to Marlee’s. As they walked across the yard to the door, Gabriel glanced up at the sky. “Wouldn’t you know it? Now that we don’t need the extra light, the clouds have dissipated.”

  “I’m glad. I need a calm, beautiful night to lift my spirits right now.”

  Gabriel leaned back against the wooden edging of the portal. “It’s so quiet right now. This time of year, not even the insects come out. I like that total stillness. I think that’s what I missed most when I lived in L.A.”

  “Why did you go to such a large city after growing up in Four Winds? Didn’t you know how rough it would be?”

  “I went for precisely that reason. I needed to find out what I was made of. Know what I mean?”

  “Sure. In my own way, I had things to prove, too. After college I wanted to earn my own place in the world. I started as a castoff, but I had no intention o
f letting that label define what I became.”

  “I don’t understand something, Lanie. Having a real home is something that’s important to you. You could have that here in Four Winds if you wanted. Why is it that you’re so set on leaving?”

  “As I told you, I’ve discovered that there are things that are not meant to be ours. To reach for them brings only disappointment.” She knew all about love, and the high price it carried. It was the one lesson she’d learned in the foster homes she’d stayed in. Every time she’d formed attachments, she wound up with a broken heart. She’d had to relearn that lesson as a teacher, and that almost finished her. She would never repeat the mistake again.

  “Fear is a good thing. It brings caution, but sometimes fear can be a bad enemy. It prevents us from taking what is freely given, because we don’t quite trust our good fortune.”

  Lanie looked up and saw desire flickering in Gabriel’s eyes. “What is ever given freely?” she whispered, her voice taut.

  “Let me show you.” Long fingers wound through her hair, cradling her head as he lowered his lips, taking her mouth with his own.

  Wonderful sensations rippled through her as she allowed herself to bask in the wonder of loving and being loved in return.

  It was chemistry. It was heaven. His maleness, his heat, all enveloped her seductively. She wanted him. Her tongue darted over his, mating with him, then drawing away.

  She didn’t want the kiss to stop, but her finely honed instinct for survival roared into play. She drew back into herself, finding strength there, and stepped back.

  “I’m not ready for this,” she said, her breathing ragged. “I don’t really know you—do you realize that?”

  “What your heart tells you is more important than any thing else.” He gazed into her eyes, then smiled gently. “But a woman like you deserves more from a man like me.” He glanced out onto the deserted street. “I need to take a walk. Will you come with me? I’ll show you a side of Four Winds you’ll seldom see.”

  Moonbeams dappled the ground, forming complex kaleidoscopic shapes as they strolled down Main Street. Tree branches bent down as if trying to shelter them as they walked. Everything was covered in a muted silvery glow that was as beautiful as it was comforting.

  “Four Winds is much like the kind of town I envisioned settling down in when I left college,” Lanie admitted, pulling her jacket tightly around herself.

  “Why didn’t you find a hometown for yourself?” He placed his arm around her shoulders, keeping her near his side.

  He was strong, both physically and spiritually. Yet his touch was remarkably gentle. “I was offered a job in the city, teaching in one of the toughest high schools around. I was so full of idealism then. I wanted to touch lives, to make a mark on the world, to reach those kids other people gave up on.”

  “What happened?”

  “I had to learn to accept reality. Teaching is one of the most important jobs around, but it’s also very badly funded. I did my best for the kids, but with staff cutbacks and many of the teachers having to take second jobs, there was just so much that could be done.”

  “But something else happened, something you never expected, didn’t it?” he observed.

  She nodded. “I was doing my level best, but…”

  Suddenly Gabriel stopped in midstride and stared at the reflection of the street in the store window.

  “Is something wrong?” A chill ran up her spine.

  “We’re being watched. There’s a car about fifteen yards behind us. The headlights are off, but it’s there and it has been following us.”

  She hugged her bag closer to her. “I should have left the bowl back at Marlee’s.”

  “Don’t worry about that now. Let’s start walking, but keep your pace normal. When we get to the end of this street, I’m going to pull you into the shadows as if I’m going to steal a kiss. Then, when we’re out of sight, I want you to duck down fast and stay there. I’m going to run back and see who’s following us.”

  Gabriel pulled her closer, his arm still resting over her shoulders. That weight was her only comfort as fear tightened its grip on her, choking the air from her lungs.

  “They’re after the bowl,” she said. “I just know it”

  “Don’t jump to conclusions. Let me handle this.”

  A moment later, in a smooth move that appeared playful, he pulled her into the shadows. A breath later, he was gone. Lanie pressed her back against the cold adobe wall, watching the street from behind cover. She couldn’t see Gabriel, but she could see the dark outline of the vehicle as it stopped behind a tall block wall.

  Gabriel came out into the open briefly, obviously searching for the car. From his vantage point, she knew he wouldn’t spot the vehicle. Fear slammed into her. Unless he saw it before reaching the intersection, he’d be the one in trouble. He’d come out right in front of it.

  Lanie ran out of the shadows just as Gabriel approached the wall where the car waited. Suddenly the vehicle’s headlights came on. Lanie shouted a warning, running toward him. As the car accelerated, Lanie reached the street. Gabriel wouldn’t escape in time. Neither of them could outrun a car.

  Cutting behind him and positioning herself between Gabriel and the speeding car, she held out the bowl in her hands. It was no talisman, but it was their one hope. If she was right, the driver would not risk destroying it.

  Chapter Twelve

  Blinded by the headlights, she focused on the bowl. She heard the squeal of tires, then felt the rush of cold air as the car swerved and shot past her.

  Relief made her weak. Lanie fell to her knees, the bowl still in her hands.

  Gabriel reached her in seconds and pulled her into his arms. “Why did you get in the way? I could have dodged that car!”

  Lanie shook her head, her gaze on him, then on the bowl. “They wanted this. I took the chance they wouldn’t risk destroying it.” She saw the fear in his eyes, and the testimony of his feelings, etched so plainly there, took her breath away.

  His voice shook with fierce need. “I don’t want to lose you. Don’t ever do anything like that again.” “You would have done it for me.”

  “Yes.” His whispered answer was so intense, it made a shiver race through her.

  Lanie rested her head on his shoulder. They were a part of each other in a way that was as undeniable as it was inexplicable. Suddenly she felt full of hope. Providing they learned to work together, they’d survive whatever lay ahead.

  As GABRIEL WALKED back to the boardinghouse with her, he cursed himself for ever having suggested they go for a walk. Nothing was simple for them, nor would it be again, until the matter with the accursed bowl was settled.

  He thought of how she’d risked her life to save his. He knew now that her feelings for him were as deep as his were for her. A strong woman like Lanie did not surrender her heart easily. But he hadn’t been fair to her. That knowledge knifed at his gut. No matter what the consequences, he would not hold anything back from her anymore. He needed to show her the side of himself he’d kept hidden. She deserved to know.

  “I have to go back out there,” he said once they were inside the boardinghouse. “I have to gather whatever evidence I can about that vehicle.” He paused. “But tomorrow we need to talk man to woman.”

  “Yes,” she whispered, her voice tremulous.

  It was amazing how a little thing like the sound of her voice could turn his blood to fire. He wanted to take her to his room right now and make her his in the most primitive way of all. Yet beneath the intense passion he felt for her was another emotion equally startling. He needed to protect her, from himself if need be, at all costs.

  “I’ll be back,” he said.

  He walked away from her quickly, at home within the darkness and shadows of night that hid their own secrets.

  LANIE STRIPPED OFF her clothes and got ready for bed. She’d hidden the bowl in the back of the linen closet in the bathroom. For now, it would be safe there. Marlee had put her
in charge of putting away the laundry and placing clean linens on the beds and fresh towels in the bathrooms.

  She turned the lights off and crawled into bed, hoping she wouldn’t dream tonight. Those wonderfully erotic dreams disturbed her, raising more questions than she was prepared to answer.

  Lanie settled deeper under the covers, inviting the oblivion of sleep. She had just started to drift off when a scratching sound at her door, followed by a click, woke her abruptly.

  She sat up slowly and saw the door begin to open. Lanie reached for the empty vase on her nightstand. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but it would have to do.

  She scarcely breathed as the intruder stepped into her room, a shadowy figure who moved fluidly and silently. Lanie prepared to throw the vase when suddenly she heard the front door slam.

  The man shot out of her room and ran down the hall. Lanie caught a glimpse of his ski mask in the muted light.

  “Stop!” Lanie screamed for help as she took off after him.

  Gabriel rushed out of the kitchen and into the living room at the sound of Lanie’s voice, but before he could reach the hall, the man bolted out the front door and into the night. Without hesitation, Gabriel rushed after him.

  GABRIEL RETURNED a short time later and joined Marlee and Lanie in the living room. “He got away,” he said, obviously disgusted with himself.

  “Did you see who it was?” Marlee asked.

  “No.”

  As his gaze seared over Lanie, she realized that she was dressed only in a T-shirt that almost, but not quite, covered to her knees.

  “I like your mouse’s ears,” he said.

  The comment threw her, and as she glanced down she realized that the ears fell over her breasts. She felt her face grow hot. “I need to get a robe on,” she muttered, dashing back to her room.