by Aimée Thurlo
As she turned around, Daniel was still on top of Larrabee, who was kicking up off the ground, trying to throw Daniel off. Larrabee’s pistol was knocked free during the struggle, landing several feet from the men, but with Daniel continuing to throw jabs, it posed no threat to either man.
Holly moved closer. If the two separated even for a second, she’d have a shot—that was providing the gun decided to work this time.
“I’ll take that if you want, Holly,” a familiar voice said.
Holly jumped, saw it was Gene coming up from behind and gladly handed him the pistol.
Daniel threw one more punch, and Larrabee stopped struggling, out cold.
Daniel picked up Larrabee’s lost pistol then stood. “A bird call, bro? Was that the best you could do?” Daniel said, looking over at Gene, a ghost of a smile on his face. “Were you that afraid to come out of hiding?”
Gene laughed. “I figured you’d want to take him down by yourself.”
“Yeah, I’ve never been good at sharing.”
Gene grinned. “I noticed you used that old safety trick Hosteen Silver taught us. Saved your life, didn’t it?” Gene pulled back the slide of Daniel’s pistol, feeding a round into the chamber and cocking the weapon. “‘Never have a round in the chamber of a semiauto until you’re ready to shoot. Safety first.’ I can still hear his words,” Daniel said.
Holly looked back at the tribal vehicle. “We need to find Officer Benally.”
While Gene watched their still-unconscious prisoner, Holly and Daniel went to look for the tribal officer. They found him struggling to sit up a few feet from his unit. Holly pulled off the tape that covered his mouth as Daniel used his pocketknife to cut the clothesline binding his wrists and legs.
“What the hell happened? I heard a noise, got clocked from behind and the next thing I know, I’m trussed up like a calf.”
Daniel updated him. “Your attacker is out for the count right now, but we could use your cuffs,” he added, gesturing to where Gene was guarding Larrabee.
Benally reached for his belt. “I’ll handle it,” he said, walking over to Larrabee, who was starting to regain consciousness. Giving him a look of utter contempt, the tribal officer rolled him onto his face and fastened the cuffs. “This is the man you saw out here?” he asked, looking up at Holly.
She nodded. “That’s him. He was over there by those rocks at one point.” She pointed to the location.
“Are you sure about that? Think back carefully,” Daniel said.
Holly closed her eyes for a moment, trying to recall the details of that day. “I remember these rocks,” she said, picturing everything in her mind’s eye.
After Benally placed Larrabee in the back of his tribal unit, the four of them spread out. “The ground here hasn’t been disturbed at all,” Daniel said, studying the area. “It’s got to be here. I’m sure I’m right.” As Holly glanced back, she saw Larrabee watching and smiling, despite his bruised face.
“Maybe he moved the body already,” Gene said. “If he did, it could be anywhere—miles away, or burned beyond recognition.”
“No. If he’d already moved the body, he wouldn’t have seen me as a threat, and continued to come after me,” Holly said. “It’s here—somewhere.”
After twenty minutes, Benally looked over at them. “It’s not here. It’s impossible to completely hide a grave. Even taking into account the past storm, the ground would still show some telltale signs. If nothing else, we’d see where the earth was mounded or sunken in.”
“He ambushed you at this location and took you hostage for a reason, Officer Benally,” she insisted.
Panic rose inside her as she suddenly considered the possibility that Larrabee would once again slip out of their grasp and elude justice. Forcing herself to focus, she turned in a circle, taking in everything around them.
“There’s one more possibility,” she said, looking at Benally. “You followed the directions to this general area, but why did you park where you did?”
“I saw tracks that indicated a vehicle had been parked there.”
“I think that was precisely what Larrabee was counting on,” she said.
Daniel smiled. “I see where you’re headed with this. He wouldn’t have risked burying a body exactly where you saw him, but he wouldn’t have wanted to lug it around, either. It was already morning and there was more traffic coming on the roads.”
“Exactly,” Holly said. “Officer Benally, would you move your SUV back onto the road for us?”
“You’re thinking that he moved his own vehicle back and buried her right where he’d parked his car?” Benally asked.
“Yes, and it was a good plan, too,” Holly said. “If anyone else came in afterward to look around, they’d probably park in the same place he had since it’s the only clear spot this far from the road.”
Larrabee stared at them, but said nothing as Benally moved the tribal unit about twenty feet back. Daniel, Holly and Gene went to the spot Benally had exposed and studied the ground.
“The sand here has been disturbed, then smoothed over in a hurry,” she said.
“You’re right, and look over here,” Daniel said, pointing. “You can see a few recent, smooth, flattened marks about the width of a shovel.”
“Leaves and twigs have been sprinkled along the top and spread out evenly to hide the smoothing of the ground, but none of them are even partially buried,” Gene said. “Nothing’s growing here, either, not even a blade of grass.”
“Anyone got a shovel handy?” Daniel asked.
“I’ve got one in my vehicle,” Gene answered.
“So do I. Let’s start scooping away the dirt, but work slowly and carefully,” Benally said. “If we find any evidence of a body, we stop and turn it over to the crime scene people.”
“What can I do?” Holly asked, not really wanting to see what was left of the dead woman.
“Go to high ground and see if you can spot Larrabee’s tan pickup,” Daniel suggested.
Holly nodded. “Good idea. He didn’t walk here.”
SWEEPING ASIDE SAND and working through the many layers, Benally soon uncovered a hint of clothing and a human hand. By then, Holly had returned and was watching the men dig.
“Everyone step back. There’s a body here,” the Navajo officer said.
“It’s a female,” Daniel said, looking down into the shallow grave. “She was wearing a turquoise bracelet.” He gestured to a string of turquoise beads clearly visible on the withered wrist.
As much as she wanted to, Holly couldn’t look away. She whispered a prayer, knowing in her heart who’d really paid the ultimate price in this tragedy. Her own losses had been so inconsequential when she compared them to what had happened to this poor woman. “Her family—it turns out they were right about Larrabee,” she finally managed, wiping angry tears from her eyes. “They need to know.”
“They’ll be notified,” Benally said, bringing his cell phone up to his ear.
“So this was the reason he came after me,” Holly said, turning to look at the man in the car. “My life was the price of his secret.”
“Larrabee’s going down, and where he’s headed he’ll never pose a danger to you or anyone else again,” Daniel said, placing his arm over her shoulders and pulling her close to his side.
Epilogue
Daniel and Holly arrived at the old cabin well after sunset. As they pulled up, Holly saw the unmistakable twinkle of Christmas lights in the window. There were three vehicles parked around the cabin, one she recognized right away as the old pickup Gene had been driving.
“Who else besides Gene is here?” she asked, seeing people inside.
“My other brothers—the ones who live in the area, that is. Kyle and Rick weren’t able to make it this year,” Daniel said. “It doesn’t always work out for all of us, but we try to get together during the holidays and on special occasions. I know you like Christmas celebrations, so I thought you’d enjoy spending it with us.”
A family Christmas and she was being included. A special warmth filled her as they climbed out of the truck and she heard laughter coming from inside the cabin. “I have a feeling this is going to be my best Christmas ever.”
As they walked into the house, the odor of burnt…something…wafted across the room.
“The turkey wasn’t quite thawed out when I put it in the oven, so it’s kind of overcooked on the outside,” Gene said.
“What he’s really saying is that it was hard as a rock when he blasted it in the oven,” Paul said. “But don’t worry. We’re taking up the slack with skillet-cooked scrambled eggs and pancakes.”
“But they’ll be Christmas pancakes,” Gene said. “I used food coloring and swirled the batter with green and red before Preston could get to it.”
She burst out laughing. “Let me help.”
“Nah, we’ve got this. You two have been through enough,” Preston said, poking his head out of the kitchen. “Paul, I can use your help. Gene, you, too.”
Holly started to follow, but Daniel grabbed her hand gently and pulled her over in front of the roaring fireplace. “I’ve been wanting to say something to you. Now that we’re alone…well, at least in this room….”
She waited, looking at the small, decorated pine tree in the corner, balanced in a gravel-and-water filled galvanized bucket. They’d done their best to decorate it with a single strand of lights, brightly colored glass balls, homemade, carved wooden ornaments and aluminum foil stars.
“About your home—you can rebuild,” he began, searching for the words.
“I know. Sometimes, I guess, old dreams need to be shattered before you can rebuild and begin anew,” she said. “But what about you? Will you still be around?”
“My work may take me away at times, but your home, our home,” Daniel whispered, “will be the same if you’ll have me.”
Suddenly someone in the kitchen yelled “hot” and dropped a metal pan. That was followed by loud laughter. She laughed, too. Somehow, it all felt right here. A family bound by the power of one extraordinary man—Hosteen Silver.
“Look, it’s snowing,” Daniel said, bringing her attention back to him.
“Come on, bro. Man up! Tell her you love her already,” Gene called out.
Daniel shot a hard glare in the direction of the kitchen, but it had suddenly grown very silent in there. “Can we go outside for a moment?” Daniel asked.
She nodded, reaching for his hand.
Outside, it was as quiet as could be. As a gentle dusting of snow continued to fall, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a card. “I’m not a man of words, so I got you this. You can open it and hear what’s in my heart anytime you want.”
She took the card. It was the kind that featured a personal, recorded greeting.
“I bought it for you a few days ago, and I’ve kept it in my jacket pocket, waiting for just the right time. Hopefully it still works after that fight with Larrabee.”
She opened it breathlessly. Daniel’s deep, rough voice came out clearly at first. “Sweetheart, I—” Then there was a pause, as if the recording had hiccupped and the words “love you with all my heart,” followed in a rushed, high-pitched cartoon voice.
Holly stared at the card, and heard the raucous laughter coming from the cabin.
“Why don’t you give it another try?” Holly asked, gazing up into his eyes.
“Kiss her, you dummy!” came Paul’s voice.
Ignoring his brothers, he held her gaze. “I love you, Holly,” he whispered. “Be mine.”
“I am,” she answered, as his lips gently sealed hers.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-1596-2
WINTER HAWK’S LEGEND
Copyright © 2011 by Aimée and David Thurlo
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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**Brotherhood of Warriors
*Long Mountain Heroes
‡Copper Canyon
Table of Contents
Dedication
About the Author
Books by Aimée Thurlo
Cast of Characters
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Epilogue
Copyright
