by Lakes, Lynde
“Already done.” He leveled his gaze at her. “In light of your suspicions, do you want to cancel inspecting the property tomorrow?”
“Definitely not.”
He looked as though he couldn’t make up his mind about something again. He cleared his throat. “Morning comes early here on the station. So get some sleep. When I find out who wrote this.” Rad waved the note. “They’ll be fired on the spot.” He glanced at the door. “I’ll have Tukaha put a stronger lock on that tomorrow. In the meantime, try a chair. If you need me, call.”
“I sleep with this.” She touched the steely bulge in her pocket.
“Remind me not to sleep walk,” he said wryly, then left the room.
****
Toni climbed into bed but couldn’t sleep. Tinihanga was the key. After tossing and turning, she slipped out of bed and into her robe. She dug out her debugging device. Starting with her own, she went from room sweeping over every inch, checking likely areas where a listening device might be hidden. After careful scrutiny, only the kitchen, Rad’s room, and the upstairs remained. When she stepped close to the kitchen table, the sweeper emitted a whining noise. Underneath the rim, she located a tiny, round silver object. I knew it. A bugging device!
She deactivated it and dropped it into her pocket. If there was one, there was bound to be more. She headed upstairs.
The upper floors were devoid of furniture, and the walls were unpainted. Someone had stacked gallon paint cans and wallpaper in the corner. Disappointed that the upstairs sweep was fruitless, she headed back downstairs. Whoa, what’s this? It was a door she hadn’t noticed before.
It led to a basement. She flicked on the light and descended the stairs. Tools covered one wall, and a workbench was set up with a power saw. Sawdust covered the concrete floor. She did a monitor scan of the area until all that remained was a covered work in progress in the center of the room. She estimated its height at about five and a half feet. She took the sweeper over it, and the black drape slid to the floor. She stared in awe. The partially completed statue was of a beautiful, young, Maori woman. The detail and passion in the work revealed the carver’s deep love for the model.
Toni felt a pang she couldn’t identify. It was the first time in her career she’d opened a door too private to enter uninvited.
****
The sun had risen in the azure blue sky, but the air felt brisk. Toni buttoned the top button of her jacket against the breeze as she strode toward Rad. He’d saddled a roan and a black stallion and lashed a picnic basket to the rump of the bigger horse.
She wanted to tell him about the bugging device right away but held back. Her face warmed. Snooping was part of the job, and it had never bothered her before. But seeing the statue had thrown her, and she was hesitant to admit invading his private world.
“Pai Ata!” he called.
“Good Morning,” she replied in English. She glanced at the dogs sitting at attention and eyeing her. She froze, refusing to step any closer. Suddenly the dogs started toward her. Her heart raced. She had to get away!
She planted her feet firmly, determined to fight the fear. She stood still, afraid to breathe.
Rad blew the whistle; the dogs stopped and returned to him. He petted them, talking softly.
Their tails wagged. Damn the fear. She couldn’t let it control her life.
Rad blew the whistle once more, and the dogs turned away, Hero in the lead, with the others trailing behind. She exhaled in relief when they rounded the corner of the shearing barn and disappeared.
The rugged station boss tucked the whistles into his pocket and approached smiling. His raven hair hung in a long glistening rope down his back. He was decked out in hip-hugging jeans, white shirt, an open suede jacket, boots and a Stetson. She smiled. A cowboy-styled sheepman. And he was all hers for the next few hours.
“Ready to get started?” His deep voice slid over her like warm butter.
Unable to speak, she nodded.
“Here let me help you.” The heat of his fingers burned through the heavy material of her Levi’s as he grasp her hips to boost her onto the roan.
She threw her leg over and slid into the saddle.
“Dusty is a good-natured horse. You two should get along just fine.”
He patted the roan on its rump.
She nodded. Earlier while preparing for the tour of the property, she’d thought of a slew of questions. But all she could think of at the moment was how he’d looked at the pool. His nude body had arched, then soared like a hawk as he sailed off the high drive. And dear God, those pushups. A trickle of sweat slid down her spine. Her skin felt like it was on fire.
“Look over there,” he said, pointing. “Tariao stayed in the sky to bless our ride.”
“Tariao?”
“The morning star. It’s a good sign.” He glanced at her and smiled. “I’ll show you the lunar area first.”
“Lunar area?” Her brain felt like ashes and her body like flames. Rad smoothly swung onto his stallion. The way he eased his pelvis forward as he slid his lean hips into the saddle sent a new surge of heat through her.
“That’s what I call it.” He urged his horse ahead. “It’s lousy for grazing, but the area is part of the station.”
They rode silently for a while. The silence was dangerous; it freed her mind to conjure up more erotic visions of her employer. Why the intense fascination? This man who tattooed himself like a savage and let his hair grow to his waist wasn’t her type. And the statue proved he was in love with a beautiful Maori woman. Besides, she feared dogs, found sheep smelly and disgusting and hated ranching. She was strictly a city woman and intended to stay that way.
Nevertheless, the masterful way he moved with his stallion absorbed her. She took a deep breath and filled her lungs with oxygen to clear her mind. “I suppose sheep-ranching is a complex business?”
“Not usually. It’s all about converting grass into wool and meat using a docile and easily managed animal.”
“You make it sound simple.”
“I’ll be the first to admit it’s hard work with long hours…and now with the rustling…”
Yes. I have important questions to ask him about the attacks. She struggled to come up with even one, but none came to mind. He seemed content with the silence. What did a man like him think about? Was he even aware of her? She cast a sideways glance at him when he wasn’t looking. Unwise and unprofessional, she couldn’t deny the primitive aura about him fascinated her.
“Is it true Maoris were once cannibals?”
He laughed. “Unfortunately. It was a ritualistic, almost religious custom. But after the Europeans came, we more or less digested the problem.”
“You have a wicked wit, Rad.”
She’d been concentrating on him so intently that until the rotten-egg smell tickled her nose she wasn’t aware of the change of terrain. The grassy, rolling hills had ended, and they’d ridden into the midst of violent and spectacular boiling mud pools and steaming geysers. Unending sulfur vapors swirled around the horse’s feet; some of it floated upward, covering the sky with grayish clouds of sulfurous steam.
Rad reined his stallion to a slower pace. “This is the thermal or lunar area.”
“I see why you call it that. The holes in the ground look like moon craters.” She glanced around. Gray smoke curled from fumarole vents, and steam rose from cauldron pools.
The path narrowed, and she let him take the lead. When they approached the edge of a rust-brown silica terrace, a distant geyser blew high into the air.
“This place is like another world.” Awe slipped through her and into her voice. The hiss of steam and bubbling mud was rhythmic, a whispering music that seeped into her soul.
She looked ahead. In the distance, a waterfall cascaded over a deeply terraced silica formation, changing its color from glistening white to a deep red, then a pale lemon, and finally ending in an emerald-green pool.
Excitement rose in her. Something was going on
here. If her hunch was right the land’s value wasn’t merely due to its incredible beauty. “Tell me about this place.”
He pushed his Stetson back slightly. “It’s medicinal, therapeutic and perhaps a little magical.”
She shook her head. It was obvious they were on different wave lengths. She was wondering about the dollar value of the acres, and he was thinking like an ancient Maori medicine man.
“See that rise in the land? It’s a fissure line. The geysers are formed generally along that line. Did you notice the one behind the house?”
“No, but Tukaha mentioned something about its existence.”
“Its steam heats the house and pool.”
“So the steam generates energy.”
“Right. Enough to light several large cities.”
“Then this area is valuable.”
“It is to me.”
“And others. Have you thought of developing it?”
“No. I like things the way they are.”
He reined his stallion to the path that led out of the lunar area. They rode silently. Things were beginning to jell. Perhaps someone is after Rad’s land – maybe to develop it into a power plant. The minute they got back to the ranch, she’d get Chuck to check with the various electric companies. If utility companies had an interest in the land she wanted to know about it.
They started up a narrow dirt road that spiraled up a hillside. She followed Rad until the road widened, and then she rode parallel to him.
“See that lone sleeping volcano in the distance? A story passes among our tribe that my grandmother was taken by the gods and formed into a volcano to erupt fire until the land rests in Maori hands again. It’s said due to her pure internal beauty and fiery nature, all the surrounding mountains fell in love with her. It wasn’t long until they had all moved closer to her. But Grandfather was her only love, so she shifted herself a proper distance away.”
“Lovely myth,” Toni said wryly, “but I’ve heard it before with another woman name Naru.”
He laughed. “So you know a little about our legends?” He looked pleased.
“I’m learning a little about you, too.”
“For instance?
“Not to take everything you say seriously.”
Rad grinned as he headed his horse down the side of the hill. Ahead, a snow-capped mountain reached high into the clouds, and below was a grove of apple trees alive with white spring blossoms.
Rad pointed to a grassy clearing at the center of the valley next to a huge pond. “I’ll bet you’re hungry by now. Let’s have our breakfast here.” He removed his hat and affixed it to his saddle-horn. As he dismounted, his thigh muscles tightened under his jeans.
Her face grew warm, and she lifted her gaze to a safer place to look. Sunlight glistened on his inky hair. Images flashed in her mind, a black stallion, every muscle tensed for conquest. Her breath caught. She had to be coming down with something. No man had ever affected her like this.
When he grasped her waist and swung her to the ground, she tried to ignore the shiver that slipped down her spine. She glanced into his eyes and found herself drowning in brown velvet. She inhaled, trying to calm her pounding heart. “Are we still on your land?”
He nodded as he tied the horses’ reins to a contorted apple tree branch. Rad took a rolled up blanket from the back of his saddle. She wanted to help him spread it under the tree, but was afraid to get that close to him again. He placed the basket on the edge of the blanket and dropped to his knees. “Let’s see what Tukaha packed for us.”
She positioned herself at the farthest corner of the blanket and watched him. He laid out the thermos, apples, oranges and scones. Then he lifted out plates of foil-wrapped hot food.
“Hope you like scrambled eggs and bacon and don’t mind slightly burnt toast.”
She laughed. “I’m growing fond of it.”
He handed her a warm tin plate. She removed the foil and dug in. The ride through the crisp air had made her hungry.
Absently, she watched the breeze ripple the silvery, blue pond. A twinge of excitement shot through her. It was possible the thermal area was the key to the rustling. She wanted to get back and investigate further. But she knew impatience was one of her faults. She needed to see the whole property first.
She glanced at Rad. A glimpse wasn’t enough, so she brazenly studied him. His uniqueness bewitched her along with his dark sexy demeanor and the mystery and drama he evoked when they were together. If she was to keep her heart intact and her resolve about getting involved with a client, she had to fight the magic this man wove over her.
“How did you get into detective work?”
“My dad. Investigating was his whole life. Then he retired.”
“So you took over the business here?”
“Los Angeles. I went international two years ago.”
“Why New Zealand?”
“Mom and my step dad had a dairy farm here.”
His eyes darkened and he said, “And they lost it. That was the case you told me was dear to your heart.” He reached out as if to touch her hand and stopped just before contact.
An unwise disappointment washed over her. “Good memory, Rad.”
“I listen.”
“I’m impressed. Few people do.”
He shrugged and shoved his empty plate aside. “I hope this case doesn’t disappoint you. I know you expect a connection between the two.”
“I think I’m on the right track, but I’m keeping an open mind.”
“Good.” He drained his cup of coffee. “We’d better get going if you want to see the rest of the property.”
She nodded and helped re-pack the basket.
Rad stood. “I’ll show you the airstrip next.”
“Airstrip? Way out here?”
“We use the plane to drop fences and muster the sheep. During the peak times, between my property, my parents’ acreages, and the leased land to the west, I sometimes run as many as eight thousand sheep. Flocks of that size can’t be handled with just horses and dogs.”
“Your parents’ land adjoins yours?
“It’s strictly an investment for them. They don’t use it, so I lease it from them.
Rad gripped her hips to help her onto her horse. A thrill went through her. She hated that her body was so sensitive to his touch.
“Hmm. And I’m guessing that the other leased land is owned by Orthodox Bell Tower Corporation?”
He reined his stallion ahead of her roan. “Smart lady. It’s leased through Pacific Management Corporation in Auckland.
“The plot thickens,” she said wryly.
He laughed. “Don’t let your imagination race out of control.”
She blushed. If he only knew how out of control her imagination could get. The memory of his pushups in the moonlight sent a quiver down her spine. She urged her horse forward until she was parallel with him. “I didn’t dream this up!” She handed him the silver bugging device. “I found it under your kitchen table.
Rad’s eyes widened. “But who? Why?”
“Ask Tinihanga.”
“Not that again. I told you; he’s my friend.”
“Tinihanga roams through your house at all hours. Hence opportunity. His telephone conversation suggests a hidden motive.”
“With that kind of cock-eyed reasoning, I suppose Tukaha is your next target.”
“Of course not. No evidence points to him.” She sighed. Why did Rad give Tinihanga such unshakable loyalty? Too bad the slippery eel didn’t deserve it. Nevertheless, it had been a mistake to mention his name without proof. Rad was blind when it came to the man.
“I’ve decided to make a trip to Auckland in the morning. I have a hunch that Pacific Management Corporation could hold the key to the real motive behind the rustling.”
“Don’t spend too much energy chasing false leads. Time is running out.”
She didn’t need to be reminded of the ticking clock. At stake was his land, her reputation and
the chance to get justice for her mom. Toni stared ahead at the cluster of giant boulders and acres of grassy flatland beyond.
Rad reined his stallion closer. “You asked what was valuable on this station. It’s my water bores. There’s an abandoned one to the right and an operating one to your left in the distance.”
She looked where he was pointing.
Suddenly, in a cloud of yellow dust, hooves thundered from both directions. A lasso yanked Rad off his horse. A man with a nylon stocking over his face held Rad down and bound his limbs as if wrestling an angry bull.
A lariat tightened around her and yanked her down next to him. Four other masked men on horses surrounded them. One of the horses reared. She screamed as its front hooves dropped only inches from her head.
Chapter Ten
Rad’s head throbbed. He opened his eyes and blinked several times, trying to focus. High above shone a hazy glow of light. It funneled like a fine mist down the cylindrical concrete walls of his abandoned dry bore. He vaguely remembered the masked men lowering Toni and him into the well on a pulley-deck. The men didn’t want to kill them, or they would’ve dropped them the thirty-feet without using the device. Instead the vipers used it and dumped them onto the mud at the well’s bottom, then removed the apparatus.
The ache radiating into his skull verfied a head injury. He must’ve bumped his head on the side of the well during the descent. The good news: other than a groggy head, a soreness all over, and a stiffness from being in one position too long, he’d live.
How long had he been down here? When he lifted his shoulders, he became aware of Toni’s limp body lying on top of him. Her hair lay in silky ribbons over the left side of his face and neck, and her soft breast rested against his chest.
She lay so still. An icy panic gripped him. He tried to close his arms around her and discovered his wrists were tied behind his back.
“Toni!”
“Ummm…”
He exhaled, relieved to hear her soft moan and feel the slight movement of her breasts against his chest.
“Toni!” He felt her lift from his chest, then slumped back against him. “Speak to me, damn it!”
“Wha…What happened?”
