by Aimée Thurlo
“How do you keep from getting really hungry? You must drink lots of liquids, like water and juice, or coffee?”
“No, just soft drinks. The carbonation fools my stomach into thinking it’s full. If I were to drink all the water this diet calls for, my stomach would get really upset.”
After Marlee finished talking to Tina, the coach took Marlee aside. “Don’t let her kid you about what she’s eating or drinking. At lunch I saw her wolf down a sandwich she’d mooched off one of the boys. And this morning, during the recycling effort, she kept going out to get a drink of water from the fountain.”
It was late afternoon by the time the kids had been checked out and sent home. Marlee walked with Lucas to the portable building that had become his clinic. Together they fixed up cots and stowed blankets and supplies that they’d managed to salvage from the fire-damaged building. The radio equipment he used to contact the consulting physician in Santa Fe had been acting up before, but now, curiously enough, worked perfectly. Maybe the drop in humidity had done the trick.
Marlee told Lucas about her conversation with the dieter. “For a short time there, I actually thought I might have found an answer. When she told me she wasn’t drinking much water, and I could see she wasn’t sick, I figured I’d found the link. But unfortunately that didn’t pan out.”
He said nothing for several long moments. “But you know, that’s the closest to a connection we’ve found. It’s a long shot, and the illnesses are too random to attribute what’s going on to bacterial or viral contamination of the water supply. But it’s worth checking. Take water samples from the school and different locations around town,” he said, handing her a tray of vials.
“What if someone sees me?” Marlee said. She knew only too well what panic could do to people in a small town like Four Winds.
“I see where you’re heading,” Lucas said, considering the problem. “We’ll need to come up with a standard answer for people when they start asking why we’re checking out the water.”
Hearing a knock at the door, Lucas turned and saw Gabriel and Lanie. Lucas hurried over and helped Lanie to a chair. “Are you okay? Don’t tell me you’ve got a touch of this flu bug, too?”
She shook her head. “I’m okay. My husband worries too much, that’s all.”
“You really shouldn’t be working so hard,” Lucas said. “What’s wrong with taking it easy until the baby arrives?”
“I only came in to help with the plans for an assembly, since the other teachers have their hands full today.”
“What she’s not telling you,” Gabriel added, “is that she has been on her feet all day trying to do everything by herself. So now her back hurts, and her feet are swollen.”
“All par for the course at this stage,” Lanie said with a gentle smile.
“Lanie’s right, you know,” Lucas answered, checking her vitals, then glancing at Gabriel. “You’re going to have to stop worrying about her so much or you’ll be the one who ends up sick.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Gabriel answered, then sat down in one of the metal-backed chairs. “What were you saying about the water when we came in?”
Lucas filled him in. “It’s Marlee’s lead, and one that’s certainly worth checking out.”
Gabriel looked over at his wife. “Until this question is cleared up, I want you to only drink water that’s been bottled or boiled.”
Lanie nodded. “But what about the rest of the town? Will this warning go out to everyone, even if there’s only an off chance that it might be the reason people are getting sick?”
Gabriel nodded. “I’ll have to make sure people know about this, but I’m going to explain it to them very carefully. I don’t want a panic on my hands.” He lapsed into a thoughtful silence for several seconds before continuing. “This is going to put a different slant on your situation,” he added, looking at Marlee.
“I don’t understand. What do you mean?”
“I’m the only law enforcement in town, and this business is going to make me busier than ever. You’re going to have to stay alert and be very careful, because I may not be as available as I’d hoped.”
“Which makes me real glad I decided to stay at the boardinghouse,” Lucas finished, giving his brother a guarded look.
“Yeah, in retrospect, I think that was a good idea.”
After Gabriel and Lanie left, Marlee picked up the vials from the tray and placed them in her handbag. “I think this will call less attention.”
“Let’s do that job together. I may be able to help my brother keep a lid on things if I take time to explain what’s happening to people who see us collecting water samples. I also want to pay Rosa Gomez a visit. I need to tell her what’s going on, and encourage her to start ordering a bigger supply of bottled water.”
They made several stops, filling and carefully labeling the vials of water collected at each location, then finally they drove to Rosa’s grocery store. It was open, though it was past closing time.
Marlee smiled. “You know, in her own way, Rosa is as dedicated to that grocery store as you are to your job as medic.”
“Yes, I think you’re right. She can always be counted on, which is a good thing because this town needs her.”
“That’s probably one of the reasons she operates that store and why she works so hard. Everyone needs to feel needed.”
“You don’t,” Lucas said. “Not really.”
“I don’t allow myself that luxury,” Marlee answered quietly. “But sometimes I do envy you. Your job is vital to this town. You’re doing something that makes you indispensable.”
“It exacts a price,” he said quietly.
Marlee heard the tension in his voice, and glanced over at him. His jaw was clenched, and a muscle stretched taut across his cheek. On an instinctive level, she understood exactly what he was saying. Lucas loved his job, but its demands took a toll. Though the work took everything he had to give, it also left a void in his heart.
She observed the pride in his features. It defined his strength, but also his vulnerabilities. A new realization dawned over her. Lucas was afraid of needing anyone, just as she was. Questions filled her mind as she wondered what secrets the middle Blackhorse brother held safe within the iron walls of his heart.
Chapter Nine
While Lucas stood outside and spoke to Clyde Barkley, the postmaster, Marlee went inside Rosa’s grocery store. The moment she stepped through the front door, Marlee felt the tension in the room.
“If you’re here for bottled water, you’re out of luck. I sold my last case about fifteen minutes ago,” Rosa said. “Word got around about the sheriff’s warning, and people rushed over. It’s just too bad he didn’t tell us about the water before now.”
A murmur of assent went around the half-dozen customers there.
“It wasn’t even suspected until a few hours ago. And it may not be the water anyway, remember that,” Marlee cautioned, surprised by the harshness in Rosa’s voice. As she studied the woman’s expression, she saw something else there that chilled her. There was a haunted look on her face that spoke of fear barely kept in check.
Disturbed by the realization, Marlee walked over to the produce section and started to pick some apples from the bin.
“By the way, I’m not taking credit anymore,” Rosa called out from behind the counter. “I’m going to have to pay plenty to get a delivery truck into this town. My regular wholesalers have started postponing shipments because they’ve heard people are getting sick left and right in Four Winds, and none of the drivers want to be exposed.”
Mrs. Tapia, whose famed chocolate-chip cookies had kept the bison from stampeding at the Harvest Festival, strode up to the counter. “The problem is that we need real medical care in this town. If our medic wasn’t so proud, he would have already called the state for help. Then maybe we wouldn’t all be trying to figure out who’s going to get sick next.”
“You’re all free to drive all the way to Santa Fe to see a doctor,
if you can get an appointment. Meanwhile, Lucas is doing his best,” Marlee argued. “Everyone knows he always consults with a doctor by radio. Stop jumping to conclusions and overreacting. This may not be anything more than a nasty outbreak of the flu.”
“Oh, sure, and that’s why you’re going around testing the water, right?” Mrs. Tapia challenged.
“It’s just a precaution, nothing more. He has to consider all the possibilities.”
Lucas caught the last of Marlee’s words as he came inside. “She’s right. I have no reason to suspect that this is anything other than a virus that’s going around. People have become sick, but no one is dangerously ill.”
“That’s exactly what I would have expected you to say,” Mrs. Tapia said. “But the facts are plain enough. We have to watch out for ourselves now.”
“The real danger is what’s happening to all of you. You’re letting fear overrule your common sense, and that is going to be the biggest threat facing Four Winds,” Marlee warned.
“Well, I, for one, have to say and do what I feel is right,” Rosa said. “I’m going to need to take care of me and my family, too, so all accounts are cash-and-carry, and everything is on a first come, first served basis.” Rosa glanced at Marlee. “And stop handling the fruit so much. Nobody wants your germs on it.”
Marlee settled her bill quickly and walked outside with Lucas. “Did you see the shelves? They’re almost half-empty. Your brother didn’t let out that information more than a few hours ago, and it’s already like a war zone in there.”
“And this is only the beginning.”
THEY WERE HALFWAY to the boardinghouse when Lucas suddenly slowed down and pulled to the side of the road. “Do you have to go home right now? If not, there’s one stop I’d like to make.”
“We can go wherever you like,” she answered, glad for the chance to extend her time with him. She glanced at the way his strong hands gripped the wheel and remembered their gentleness when he’d caressed her. As a delicious warmth spread through her, she glanced away, afraid he’d guess the direction her thoughts had taken. “Do you need to see a patient?”
“Yes and no. Riley Sayers boards Chief for me out on his farm, but he hasn’t been feeling well. I thought I’d go see if he needs a hand with the livestock. Would you mind?”
“Not at all. I can certainly help clean stalls and feed the animals.” She found herself wishing it were summer. The image of Lucas stripped to the waist, working hard with the animals, almost made her shiver. Determined not to dwell on that, she forced her thoughts onto the passing scenery.
LUCAS DROVE SLOWLY up the snow-packed hill that led away from town, making sure his snow tires didn’t lose traction. A flash of light to the right, somewhere uphill, caught his attention, but before he had a chance to consider it, he heard a loud pop and the wheel jerked out of his hands.
The truck pulled sharply to the right, and he fought the natural impulse to swerve in the opposite direction.
He held on to the steering wheel tightly, letting off the gas and slowly straightening out the sliding truck, which had gone almost sideways in the road. “We just blew a tire. It’s a good thing nobody was coming, or we’d have hit them for sure. This road’s a disaster. I wish the county would get a snowplow out here every once in a while, or at least sand down the hills.”
After they coasted to a stop, Lucas climbed out of the truck and reached behind the seat for the jack and lug wrench. Marlee got out, too, and picked up a big rock to block a rear tire. He smiled, noting that she wasn’t interested in just watching from the sidelines and looking pretty, like a few other women he’d met. Maybe that was what he liked the most about her.
As he began to loosen the bolts holding the damaged tire in place, the crack of a rifle reverberated in the air. He dived to the ground, taking Marlee with him.
Lucas pushed her underneath the truck and followed her to a spot next to the driveshaft. “Keep your head down.”
“No problem. What the heck’s going on? A stray shot from a hunter?”
“It’s not hunting season yet, though we do have poachers now and then. It also could be somebody’s sighting in their rifle. Stay down until we find out.”
He crawled toward the engine, hoping to get a better look. It was twilight, but his vision was excellent. Suddenly a bullet kicked up the snow just a few feet ahead of him, whining away in a ricochet off the asphalt.
Anger filled him as he thought of how close he’d just come. He’d been in a few tight spots before, in the military, carrying bandages instead of a rifle. But since he’d left the Middle East, no one had used him for target practice, let alone endangered a woman he cared about. At the moment, there was nothing he would have liked better than getting his hands on the gunman.
“What are we going to do? Even if you can get to your rifle, we can’t shoot at a target we can’t see,” Marlee whispered, her voice taut.
“I’ve got news for you. We can’t shoot—period. My rifle isn’t in the truck.”
The revelation surprised her. “I thought you always carried a gun of some kind in that rack behind the seat. A lot of men around here do, and a few women.”
“I used to, but I gave it to my younger brother. He goes out to the mountains to gather different things for his medicine bundles and to visit the shrines. I figured he needed the protection more than I. The only thing I carry with me is a pocketknife.”
Another bullet whined through the air, and she heard glass breaking overhead. “So we’re sitting ducks, then,” she said, crawling up beside the engine, trying to put more solid truck between her and the gunman.
“Not quite.” He maneuvered over to the driver’s side, then reached up into the cab of the truck and felt around for his cellular phone. “Overseas during a mission, we could usually call for a gunship or artillery. In this case, my brother will have to do. He’ll be here, pronto.” After a brief conversation, Lucas handed the phone to her. “Gabriel’s on his way. In the meantime, I’m going hunting.”
“With what, your pocketknife? He’s got a rifle.”
“Sweetheart, just because I’m not carrying a firearm doesn’t mean I’m harmless.” He gave her a lopsided grin as he moved back toward the tailgate of the truck. “Keep the engine compartment between you and the shooter, and stay low.”
“If you think you’re leaving me alone while you go off, you’re crazy. If you want to sneak up on the shooter, you’ll need someone else working with you to create a diversion. Otherwise you’re going to get your head shot off.” Another round impacted against the truck, striking the right side of the cab.
He hadn’t considered the possibility that Marlee would insist on taking part. He was willing to put his own neck on the line, but not hers. “All I’m going to do is flank him and get close enough to have a look. I’m not going to confront him. It’ll be better if you stay.”
She shook her head as she crawled up beside him on the ground. “Not a chance. I’m getting to know you, Shadow. You’ll be more careful if I’m along. Besides, there’s no way I’m going to lie here on my stomach on the snow and sniff hot engine oil while you’re out sneaking around the forest, hunting whoever is shooting at us. This concerns me, too.”
She rolled out behind the tailgate, and scrambled into the brush beside the road before he could stop her.
Muttering a curse, Lucas followed, diving behind cover beside her. “Will you slow down?” he whispered softly. She could be the most exasperating female at times, but he couldn’t help admiring her courage.
“I think I know where he’s at.” She pointed to a rocky outcropping halfway up the adjacent hillside. “He’s behind those rocks. I saw the last muzzle-flash.”
Another shot rang out, but this time it wasn’t aimed for the truck. The round struck a fallen pine tree several feet away. “He’s seen us,” Marlee said.
“No, he couldn’t have seen us. He anticipated us moving out from under the truck. Whoever is out there knows us. In another few s
econds, I was planning to go over to that log,” Lucas replied.
Lucas was certain he was right. It would have been difficult for anyone to have seen them in the underbrush. That meant their enemy had accurately predicted their next move. The realization filled him with a cold rage, but tempering that emotion was fear, not for himself, but for the woman who refused to allow him to protect her.
“So we won’t follow the path he expects,” he said quickly. “It’s our best chance.”
“What do you have in mind?” Marlee asked.
“He doesn’t know for sure that we aren’t armed, or he would have walked right down the hill and shot us at close range. He’ll expect me to circle around, and you to either stay put or go with me. We can use that to our advantage. Let him see you go off to the side, like you’re circling. He’ll figure I’m with you. But I won’t be. While he’s keeping an eye out for us to the side, I’ll go straight up the hill toward the shooter and maybe get close enough to identify him. If you’re his primary target, we’ll be keeping you further away,” he said.
“In view of what we heard at Rosa’s, it’s just as likely he’s after you. And you’ll be going up right under his nose.”
The point took him by surprise. “Why do you think that? I’m the only medical help in town.”
“People are scared. If something happened to you, then the state would have to send a doctor—or at least a nurse practitioner—to take your place.”
Lucas pursed his lips. There was a warped logic to what she was saying. “Yeah, I can see how that might occur to some.”
“I still think your idea is too risky,” Marlee warned.
He waited for a moment, thinking. “Hang tight a little longer. The shooter will fire another round soon. His shots have been about two to three minutes apart.” As time ticked by, Lucas found that the silence bothered him more than the intermittent shots. “We can’t know for certain where he is until he fires again, so until then he’s got the advantage.”
Another shot rang out, this one hitting some brush a little up slope of them. Lucas nodded, having spotted the shooter. He touched Marlee lightly on the shoulder to get her attention, then whispered, “Let’s use this time to put some distance between us and the truck. Stick with me, but stay low.”
