Books by Linda Conrad

by Conrad, Linda

  Kody picked up her hand and the same zing from last night seemed to race back up her arm. This time, though, she wasn’t about to pull away. Curiosity drove her to find out why.

  “We’re going to have to get moving again soon, Reagan. But can you tell me first about when and how the numbers went away last night?”

  For a second, it occurred to her that maybe he was fishing for some kind of confirmation that last night had been fantastic. Which, of course, it had been. But in the next minute she saw that he was just trying to understand what had happened that would cause a normally sane woman to lose her mind.

  His question didn’t seem terribly controlling. Just a genuine search for answers. She knew what that felt like, wanting to understand.

  “I’ve been thinking more about that,” she confessed, wondering absently if anyone else could talk and think and do trigonometry in her head all at the same time like she could. “It’s impossible for me to have been drugged. The only opportunity anyone would’ve had to slip me a drug was back at the restaurant. But I felt fine and clearheaded, and the numbers were all in place for several hours after we left there.”

  She wasn’t about to say she’d wanted to jump him for the whole of that time, too. But she had, even though her mind had been perfectly normal then.

  “So when…?”

  “The minute we reached the top of that ladder,” she interrupted. “It was so odd. I was busy thinking about my dad. And about how the ancient Indian builders had managed to carve houses out of the rocks. And about the formulas they would’ve needed in order to site those doorways and smoke holes in the roof and make them weatherproof. And—”

  “Hold it. You were thinking all of that, all at the same time?”

  “Yes.” And she’d been thinking about him then, too. “Up until everything stopped. And I went blank.”

  “When? Exactly? Try to remember.”

  She closed her eyes and concentrated. “The minute I stepped inside the Anasazi room for the first time.”

  “When you went in without me?”

  Nodding, she opened her eyes but could still see the scene in her head. “Things started getting hazy from then on. But I didn’t really lose it all until…”

  “Until when? It’s important.”

  “Until I saw the snake. But that doesn’t seem possible.” She looked up at Kody and caught his concerned expression. “I mean, I don’t think I’m that petrified of snakes. Not enough to wipe my mind totally free of the numbers.”

  “Maybe not,” he said. He dropped her hand so he could shift gears and let off the brake. “We’re going back to my mother’s house to get cleaned up and eat. But I want her to talk to you later. I’d like for her to tell you one of the Navajo legends while we’re there. Will you listen with an open mind?”

  “A legend?” Reagan asked. It seemed like a big change of topic and she was slightly confused. “About what?”

  “Nature…animals. What can happen in the natural world when people lose themselves to evil. And…”

  He hesitated so long that she began to fidget and wonder what he could possibly say that would be so terrible.

  Finally, he put his foot on the gas, started up again and headed in the direction of the highway. “And about mind control…and snakes.”

  9

  T he ride back to his mother’s house was too quiet. Kody would’ve liked to explain the evil to Reagan so she would understand what the Brotherhood battled.

  But his vow of silence wasn’t the only thing that kept him from telling her the truth. She never would have believed him. At least, not without first understanding the history of the threat.

  Reagan was highly intelligent. She would have no trouble grasping the concepts that had taken him most of his life to accept. But they had to be given to her one step at a time. In logical sequence, as she would say.

  Walking into his mother’s kitchen after a shower, he was surprised to see his mom carrying an overnight bag toward the back door.

  “I have been called away, my son,” she said, setting the bag down and turning to him. “I will not be able to act as the legend teller for your young woman. I’m sorry.”

  “Called away? Where?” His mother rarely left the reservation. It was part of her conditioning to remain between the four sacred mountains that bordered Dinetah. Traditionalists believed that leaving the rez would bring chaos and destruction to the family and clan.

  Kody thought she blamed herself for his father’s death. His mother had gone off Navajoland when she first married, and had also agreed to Kody going away to college. The idea of him leaving had seemed to bother her at the time.

  “Just to my sister’s in Tuba City. But I’ll be gone for a few days.”

  “Aunt Naomi? What’s wrong?” His mother was not leaving the reservation. Still, it seemed odd for her to abandon her home on an extended stay.

  “My sister has been visited with evil.”

  Though he could hear the water running for Reagan’s shower, Kody gently took his mother’s arm and drew her near so they could keep their voices low. “What’s happened? Is Naomi sick? Has someone been hurt?”

  “No one is sick or injured. But they have lost half their herd of sheep.”

  Kody knew what a blow that would be to his aunt’s family. Like many of the rural Navajo, they depended on the herd for their livelihood and to keep them in balance.

  “Lost? How?”

  His mother’s voice lowered to a point where he could barely hear her words. “A hundred sheep and lambs slaughtered. Torn to shreds. My sister says it looks as though wild dogs did the killing.

  “Your poor little cousin Emilie found her favorite pets—with their throats torn open and their insides spilled on the ground. There was blood flowing everywhere.”

  Kody thought of his ten-year-old cousin coming upon such a horrific sight, and his heart constricted with sympathy. “I’m truly sorry for the Turner family. Do you believe it might be the evil ones at fault?”

  His mother nodded sadly. “I fear it, yes.”

  He didn’t like the idea of her going anywhere near there if it was Skinwalker trouble. “What can you do for them? It might be dangerous for you to go.”

  His mother gave him a frustrated look. “My son, the sorrow and the fear is great at your aunt’s home. I go to do what I can. To be there for them in their time of need.

  “I’ll bring food and a shoulder to cry on,” she continued. “And I will tell my clansmen about the strong medicine men warriors who are right now searching out the evil in our land. It’ll give the family great comfort to know their emotional loss will be mended and that balance will be restored in the end.”

  “You won’t say…”

  “No,” she agreed with a watery smile. “I’ll tell the tale as I would tell any great legend. Without names or specifics.”

  “You think the battle the Brotherhood is waging will be a legend someday?” The idea was almost laughable. Imagine Kody Long as a great warrior and vanquisher of evil.

  Patting his cheek, his mother nodded. “I believe that you, Hunter and your cousins will conquer the evil, my son. The People need you to be their defenders—even those who have no idea that deadly shadows are stalking their land, and who would laugh at just the mention of such things.

  “But no matter what I say about good men restoring balance to Dinetah,” his mother continued, “my sister’s husband’s clan may request a Sing to purify the land and drive away the evil.”

  “I wish life would be simple again,” Kody said with a sigh. “At least that The People could continue with the old medicine, as if nothing was different.”

  Audrey Long drew herself up to her full five feet six inches and glared at him. “Life has never been simple for The People. It is the way of things. But holding on to the old ways brings the traditionalists comfort and peace. You know that. I have taught you about your heritage.”

  “Half my heritage, you mean.” Dammit. He couldn’t belie
ve he’d said something rude to his mother, and he hadn’t meant it that way at all.

  His mom didn’t seem angry with him, but kept her wistful smile. “Your Anglo blood will be of help to you in recognizing your enemy. Your Navajo blood will then be of help to the Dine when it comes to restoring the balance. You’ll need them both, my son. Together they are what will make you great.”

  Him, great? When he couldn’t even stop himself from being rude to his own mother? Not likely.

  She turned and picked up her purse from the kitchen counter. “If my sister’s in-laws, the Three-Who-Came-to-Water Clan, request a Sing, I will call upon one of your cousins in the Brotherhood to perform the ceremony.

  “Help me out to the car now,” she added. “I must go.”

  He nodded, picked up her overnight bag and followed her to the door.

  But when she put her hand on the doorknob, Audrey stopped and turned back to him. “Do you want me to telephone our neighbor before I leave? She will tell the Dine legends to the young woman.”

  Shirley Nez, the founder of the Brotherhood, was a next-door neighbor—living only a quarter of a mile down the road. She’d been Kody’s medicine teacher and mentor and now she took care of the sacred plants that were necessary for the Brotherhood’s battles. Kody knew she was a much better legend teller than he could ever be.

  But then he suddenly remembered his cousin Lucas’s words about Reagan. And Kody decided to call the crystal gazer instead.

  “No, thanks. I’ll call my cousin Ben Wauneka. Reagan needs much more than just the legends. She is being silently attacked. Perhaps Ben will be able to discover the reasons and tell her the tales all at the same time.”

  His mother’s expression turned sorrowful for a moment. “I, too, wish with all my heart that our land was already back in balance. In time, I know, it will be.

  “Meanwhile, take care of your new Anglo friend, my son. Defend her as you would a clansman. She has a good spirit and will help you conquer the evil.”

  “How do you know that?”

  His mother just shook her head and opened the door. “I see her in harmony in my soul’s eye. Years from now, long after I am gone from our land, she will be in the sunshine.”

  Reagan dragged a big-toothed comb through her knotted curls and cursed her red-haired genes under her breath. Of all the things she was glad she’d inherited from her father, the one she would’ve wished to skip was this rusty frizz on her head.

  Ah, the hell with it. Giving up, she pitched the comb onto the dresser and dug in her backpack for a hoodie. Combing her unruly hair would not make her suddenly beautiful. So she would just cover it up instead.

  Kody and his mother had no choice but to accept her the way she was. It seemed strange, but Reagan believed those two people would actually accept her. Geeky ideas, frizzy hair and all.

  When she turned the corner to the kitchen, her heart stopped as she saw Kody standing barefoot by the sink in his jeans, with a formfitting white T-shirt molded to his muscles. Water drops sparkled in his dark hair.

  “Hi. How are you feeling?” he asked.

  “I’m good,” she managed to reply. Ohmigod. What wouldn’t she give to be able to touch him right now? “Just a little hungry.” She turned in a circle, searching for his mother.

  He scowled, and the sight made the sunshine fade a bit for Reagan. “My mother had to leave on an emergency trip to her sister’s house for a few days. I guess we’re stuck, fending for ourselves.”

  “I hope nothing’s terribly wrong.” She had hoped that Mrs. Long would be the intermediary between them. Now what?

  It was bad enough that she had to face Kody this morning after jumping him last night. But to have to face him in his mother’s house? Sheesh.

  “Things should be better at my aunt’s house very soon. But in the meantime, I’m not such a hot cook. I’m sort of lost in the kitchen while Mom’s not around. Do you cook?”

  Reagan shook her head, but found herself smiling at the gorgeous man, anyway. “No problem. You’ve probably got PB and J around here, right? We’ll be fine.”

  He laughed and the sound made her blood stir. “I’ll have you know I’m a great connoisseur of peanut butter, and I’m most particular about my jelly. I hope you don’t expect something fancy like blueberry jam. I only care for…”

  “Strawberry,” they both exclaimed at the same time.

  “It’s the only way to go,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Is there any other kind?” she answered with her own embarrassing giggle. “Except for Concord grape…maybe.”

  He slapped the peanut butter jar down on the counter and pulled a loaf of bread from the refrigerator. “Looks like Mom left us some containers of food in the fridge that we can nuke when the bread gets stale. We won’t starve. And she made coffee. Want some?”

  Reagan nodded, but his laughter was making her hungry for more than mere food. She’d better watch herself. How could she almost forget what had happened to her mind last night—or why she was here on the reservation in the first place?

  Opening a couple of drawers, she found the silverware and took out two knives and two spoons. Then she slipped into the chair next to Kody at the kitchen table. They ate in silence for a few minutes, while Reagan let the familiar tastes stick to the roof of her mouth before prying them off again with her tongue.

  “I thought you said your mother would tell me a Navajo legend,” she began after a few sips of coffee. “Will you do it instead?”

  Kody shook his head. “I called another cousin to come over and tell the story. He’s a doctor and I want him to take a look at you while he’s here.”

  “A doctor? An M.D.? Or in something more like the alternative medicine field, the way you are?”

  “Ben works as both an M.D. and a medicine man. He got his Anglo medical degree at U.C. San Diego. And now he runs a one-man clinic way back up in the Chuska Mountains.”

  With her mind racing, Reagan sipped her coffee quietly for a few minutes. “Why do you think a doctor needs to check me out? Are you beginning to believe that maybe I was drugged somehow?”

  Kody took another gulp of coffee. “No, not really. Uh…you have to understand that Ben is one of the best diagnosticians I’ve ever known. He uses both modern and ancient medicine to see the problem and suggest a cure.”

  She heard the odd inflection in Kody’s voice when he said the word see. “You want your cousin to look at me using alternative medicine, not Anglo medicine, don’t you?”

  He nodded before finishing his coffee. “Do you mind?”

  “Not at all. I think it’s fascinating.”

  Getting up, he put away the peanut butter jar. “Ben should be here in a few minutes.”

  Reagan hopped up, too, and rinsed the silverware. “I’ve been meaning to ask you again about that Navajo chanting I’ve heard you do a couple of times. You said you’d tell me about it later, but I think we both forgot.”

  He muttered a curse under his breath. He sure hoped Ben would show up soon. All this talk about chants and cures might be confusing for Reagan, and he’d wanted…

  Wait a minute, Kody chided himself as he leaned his elbows back against the kitchen counter. Reagan Wilson could probably think circles around him. For that matter, around anyone he’d ever known. If she hadn’t wanted to learn, she wouldn’t have asked.

  “Navajo medicine men are trained to use both sacred plant mixtures and ancient chants to cure patients,” he replied. “Usually, they perform what’s called a ‘Sing’ to get rid of the evil that’s caused the illness or disaster.”

  “Evil? Is some of this based on a kind of religion?”

  “Sort of. Sings are a big part of the People’s basic belief system, which I guess you could say is like religion. But it has a lot to do with the fact that our lives are so intertwined with the natural world. The plant mixes we use are similar to the rest of the world’s natural medicines, though. It’s amazing the things they cure.”

  R
eagan thought for a moment, then scrunched up her mouth with another question. “These ‘Sings’ you medicine men use—do you think they work mostly because the patients simply believe they will? Or are they more along the lines of Asian treatments, like acupuncture maybe, that work on neural pathways that western medical practitioners just don’t understand yet?”

  “I don’t know,” he said, more frustrated than ever at not being able to explain things to a genius. “All I know is they work. And they have worked throughout all time.”

  When she raised an eyebrow at his statement, he scowled in return. Damn her super intelligence, anyway.

  Kody wondered why she couldn’t just be the sexy, alluring female that turned him to toast with just one touch. Why did she have to be so…

  He heard a car pulling up outside and knew that would mean Ben had arrived. “That’s my cousin. I’ll go out and wave him in.” Kody turned and headed through the living room.

  “Why don’t you wait for him to knock on the door or ring the bell?” Reagan asked from directly behind him.

  He cast a backward glance and saw her having to take gigantic strides with those long, sexy legs in order to keep up with him. It brought a smile to his lips. “Ben is determined to return to traditional ways since he has come home to the rez. No traditionalist would ever walk up to a Navajo’s door without first waiting at a decent distance until being invited in.”

  “Oh. What if you don’t hear them? Can they honk to let you know they’re waiting outside?”

  A bark of laughter slipped from his mouth before he could keep it locked up. “Oh yeah,” he teased, with more sarcasm than was necessary. “Honking would be so not rude. Just the thing for traditional Navajos to do to endear themselves to their family and neighbors.

  “Remind me to have Ben explain about putting balance into your life while he’s here,” Kody said with a grin. “I think you seem to need the lesson more than I do.”

  “Well, I still don’t understand why the People can’t simply ring a doorbell,” Reagan said after an hour, unable to stop her runaway mouth. “Do Navajos all have superhuman hearing or something? I mean, what if you’re on the computer or asleep?”