Paige lifted her head and looked at Jake, the candlelight reflecting just enough to pick up the blue in his eyes. She held her breath as he cupped his hands around her face. He spoke with a tone more serious than she’d heard from him the entire time she’d known him.
“Paige MacKenzie,” he said, “you are the most stubborn, independent, driven, pig-headed, infuriating woman I’ve ever known.”
“I know,” Paige whispered. She tried to look away, but Jake’s hands held firm, his eyes locked on hers.
“And I don’t want you to change, ever.” Jake took a deep breath and continued. “Because I love you, Paige, exactly the way you are.”
“You…” Paige whispered, unable to form a sentence. She could feel tears forming.
“Yes, I love you,” Jake repeated softly, moving one hand away from her face to tuck a lock of hair back behind her ear.. “That’s what I came to Tres Palomas to tell you. I needed to tell you in person. And it doesn’t matter how you feel, or where you want this to go, or even if you don’t want it to go anywhere, I just wanted you to know…and…Paige…why are you crying?”
Jake’s confusion was so endearing, Paige started to laugh on top of the tears, a combination that soon turned into hiccups. Leave it to a guy to not understand tears of joy.
“Jake,” she said, managing to rein in her emotions. “I’m crying because I feel the same way.”
With an expression of mock seriousness, Jake pulled back. “You think I’m stubborn, pig-headed and infuriating?”
“Only occasionally,” Paige laughed. “But these tears are because I feel the same, Jake. I never expected you when I came out for that first assignment in Jackson Hole, but there you were, sitting in the Blue Moon Café, crashing into me at the library…”
“Uhm…” Jake interrupted, placing one finger against Paige’s lips. “I believe you crashed into me.”
“Whichever.” Paige shrugged and smiled. “The point is, I love you, too, Jake. I’m not interested in Miguel or anyone else. I want to see where this goes.”
Jake leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers, first gently and then more passionately. He lifted her up and drew her close, wrapping his arms around her. As they pulled away from the kiss, Paige leaned against his chest; her head nestled into a perfect resting place beneath his chin.
Casting a glance at the shimmering votive candlelight that surrounded the pool, she closed her eyes and felt the cool breeze caress her shoulders. She’d hoped to find something special in Tres Palomas, just as she did on each assignment – insight into the area, the people and, in the process, into herself. But, wrapped up in Jake’s strong arms, she knew she’d found far more on this trip. She’d found home.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Luz placed a plate of blue corn pancakes in front of Paige, setting a small pitcher of prickly pear syrup in the middle of the table.
“Paige requested this breakfast,” Luz said, placing a matching serving in front of Jake, “so you could taste our blue corn pancakes. I’m sure you have pancakes up there in Wyoming, but not like these.”
Jake poured syrup on his plate and took a bite, nodding his approval. “Wonderful, Luz.”
“You must also have our scrambled eggs.” Marisol set another plate on the table. Jake looked at the serving dish curiously.
“Cheddar cheese, green chiles, tomatoes and cilantro,” Miguel explained as he slid into a chair at the table. He poured a glass of orange juice from a tall pitcher and rubbed his hands together eagerly as Luz set a plate of pancakes in front of him. Paige said a silent prayer of thanks that Jake and Miguel had run into each other earlier that morning, while loading Paige’s luggage into her rental car. They’d gotten all the apologetic handshakes and back slaps out of the way without her having to be in the middle of it.
“How is Abuela?” Paige asked Marisol, who was now filling coffee mugs from a carafe.
“Getting settled again, according to Padre Juan,” Marisol said. “The police took a statement. She refused to press any charges. Whitehorse never meant her any harm, and Hector, well, that’s obviously a long story. She won’t talk about it and he’ll be locked away for years. The police finally caught up with him down by the Mexican border.”
“What about Whitehorse?” Paige asked, turning to Miguel. “How heavy handed will the police be with him?”
Miguel took a generous bite of pancakes and waited until his mouth was clear to speak. “I think they will go easy. Hector was blackmailing him with threats to hurt Abuela and using him to provide a cover for his drug smuggling and distributing. Whitehorse did not know about the drugs. Without knowing it, he gave the police a way to solve a bigger problem. By following the jewelry trail, they took apart a drug operation.”
“He did take Ana’s jewelry, though,” Paige pointed out.
“True,” Miguel said. “But he intended to pay her for it. And he did not know Hector was going to mass-produce copies at first. Once he realized it, he was in too deep to get out.”
“And Ana’s designs?” Jake asked, helping himself to a second serving of eggs.
Miguel sighed. “Padre Juan recommended a good lawyer up in Santa Fe. She should be able to get damages. The trading posts selling the jewelry knock-offs were all making money from them, but most have been closed down now because of the drugs. A few were not involved in the drug running. It is too early to tell how that will play out. The police are confiscating any jewelry still in stock.”
“But those designs are already out there, without Ana getting credit for them,” Luz said as she replaced the empty platter of pancakes in the center of the table with a full one.
“I talked to her this morning,” Paige said, smiling. “She’s not bothered by the ones people already bought, ‘since they will be enjoyed,’ she told me.” Paige pictured Sylvia’s pin. The idea of others enjoying the designs wasn’t a bad thought.
“You’ll need to hire a new shop person now, Luz,” Jake said.
“Yes,” Luz admitted. “Padre Juan will announce that on Sunday. It’s too bad, though. Lena was great in the store, not to mention popular with guests in the spa. It’s a shame she has to go back to her real job.”
“Someone has to catch the bad guys, you know,” Miguel pointed out. “Though I still find it hard to believe she was working undercover, right here in Tres Palomas and no one suspected.” He shook his head.
“What time is your flight?” Marisol asked Paige.
“Not until 4:30 this afternoon,” Paige said, “though I should get up to Albuquerque early. I need to leave here by noon.”
“We’re going to miss you, Paige,” Luz said. “This town hasn’t been the same since you arrived.”
“Funny thing, that tends to happen wherever Paige goes,” Jake said. Paige grinned.
“I think Rico will miss you the most,” Miguel added. He winked at Paige when Jake’s eyebrows lifted.
“You’re right,” Paige said solemnly. “I’ll miss him, too. A lot.” She looked at Jake apologetically.
Miguel glanced back and forth between Paige and Jake. “Paige,” he whispered, barely loud enough for Jake to hear. “Did you not tell Jake about Rico?”
Paige sighed, playing along. “I couldn’t Miguel, I just couldn’t.”
“Time to come clean, Paige,” Miguel said, standing up. “Better go introduce them to each other.”
“Whatever you two are up to, I’m not falling for it.” Jake pushed his plate away, full from having seconds of everything.
“Come with us,” Paige said, looking at Miguel, who shook his head.
“No, you go ahead. I need to run into town for supplies to fix that back window in the spa building.”
Paige stood up and picked up her plate without thinking, ready to take it to the kitchen. Marisol stopped her.
“Just leave that,” Marisol said. “You feel more like family to us now, but you’re still a guest. I’ll clean up. Go on out to introduce Jake to Rico.”
Reluc
tantly, Paige left her plate on the table. The staff at Agua Encantada did feel like family. She already knew saying goodbye would be hard, not to mention the goodbye she’d need to say to Jake at the airport.
She pushed those thoughts aside and motioned to Jake, who followed her as she led him through the property and down to the llama barn. Already out in the open air, enjoying the sunshine, Josie and Rico glanced up from a bale of hay as Paige and Jake approached. Josie went right back to eating, while Rico walked over to greet Paige.
“Rico, meet Jake…Jake, meet Rico,” Paige said.
Jake frowned, watching Paige pet Rico’s head. “I’m jealous,” he admitted.
Paige smiled, moving her hand from Rico to Jake and petting Jake’s head. “There,” she laughed. “Is that better?”
Jake reached for Paige’s arm and lowered it from his head. He took her other arm and held both arms gently, easing her back against the fence. Leaning forward, he kissed her and released her arms. She dropped them onto his shoulders and ran her fingers through his hair. Rico snorted and walked away.
“Much better,” Jake whispered. “Now he’s jealous.”
“He has good reason to be.” Paige smiled, drinking in the blue of Jake’s eyes. I can’t get enough of this man…
“Come back to Jackson Hole with me,” Jake said suddenly.
“Wh..what?” Paige stuttered, taken aback. “I…can’t, Jake. I have a job in New York. I can’t just not go back.”
“I know,” Jake said, shaking his head. “I didn’t plan to say that. And I don’t mean for you to run away. But…think about it. If you moved to Jackson Hole, you could still write for The Manhattan Post as a correspondent. Maybe freelance for some other publications. Meanwhile, we could be closer to each other, spend more time together.” He leaned closer, whispering in Paige’s ear. “Get to know each other better…”
Paige’s stomach did flip-flops. She was just adjusting to having their feelings verbalized, out in the open. Now he was suggesting she move to Jackson Hole.
“Just think about it, Paige,” Jake said. “You could have your own place, still write, and still be as independent as you’ve always been…”
“And pig-headed?” Paige asked, raising her eyebrows.
“If you want,” Jake laughed.
“And stubborn?” Paige continued.
“I think that goes without saying,” Jake countered. “Just…think about it.”
“OK,” Paige said quietly. Move to Jackson Hole? “I’ll think about it.”
* * * *
Paige closed the trunk of the rental car, her luggage packed away, ready for the drive to Albuquerque and her flight to New York. Her boarding pass was printed and tucked into her purse. A bottle of water sat in the car’s drink holder, a foil packet of pan dulce on the passenger seat. Luz and Marisol had insisted on packing up sweets for her trip.
“I’ll be back in a minute; I just want to say thank you again,” she said, heading back into the Agua Encantada office. She left Jake leaning against his own rental car, soaking in the New Mexico sun. He’d follow her to the airport, where they’d turn in both rental cars and board flights in different directions.
She’d said her good-byes to Luz and Marisol already. Luz had left for the store and Marisol had gone to the spa to check on Ana. Miguel had gone into town, but Paige was certain she’d caught a glimpse of his truck returning shortly before.
The lobby was subdued when she entered. Without any guests arriving until later that afternoon, the music was off and the lights, dim. In the silence, Paige took in the peaceful atmosphere and tucked it away in her memory. She would miss Agua Encantada and Tres Palomas, the physical beauty of the area, as well as the culture and, most of all, the people.
“Juanita sends her wishes for a safe trip home.”
Paige had half expected and more than half hoped to hear this voice one last time. She whirled around to find Miguel leaning against the wall behind the open front door. Thumbs in his pockets, one foot against the wall, he looked exactly as he had the first time she’d met him – like a handsome New Mexico man, like trouble. Trouble she’d wisely avoided. She inhaled and exhaled slowly.
“You were not planning to leave without saying good-bye, were you?” Miguel shifted his weight, but remained against the wall. His cocky smile told Paige he already knew the answer: she would look for him before leaving. He motioned her toward him with one hand.
“Of course not.” Paige took a step in his direction before stopping herself.
Miguel motioned again, succeeding in bringing Paige even closer, as if her legs moved of their own will.
“Promise me, Miguel,” Paige said, “that you’ll find someone special, someone who will make you happy.”
“I will. Sometimes life is just timing.” Miguel pushed away from the wall, just as he’d pushed away from the tree ten days before. But this time, instead of running his eyes the length of her body, he simply smiled and approached Paige, his brown eyes almost black in the dim light. For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, Paige felt the soft caress of fingers against her face and the warmth of a man’s voice in her ear.
“Jake is a very lucky man,” Miguel whispered, his lips barely grazing Paige’s ear. “You take care of yourself, Sonrisa.”
Paige held her breath as she listened to him walk away, followed by the sound of the back door closing. Slowly, she exhaled and replied to the empty room.
“You, too, Miguel.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Overhead speakers crackled and blared, a woman’s voice filling the airport terminal. People shuffled by, briefcases and carry-on bags strapped over their shoulders, cell phones in their hands.
Flight Ninety-Seven boarding at Gate Fourteen.
“That’s the second boarding call,” Jake said. “You need to go.”
“I don’t want to.” Paige pressed her head against Jake’s chest, feeling the warmth of his arms around her. The two-hour drive in separate rental cars had given her plenty of time to think. She could hardly believe she’d been in a drug-laden storage shed not forty-eight hours before. She shuddered. So many things could have gone wrong that hadn’t.
“You OK?” Jake asked, pulling back to look at Paige.
“Yes, just a little overwhelmed by everything. It’s been a long ten days.”
“Yes, it has,” Jake agreed. He pulled Paige close, letting her rest against him once more, and kissed the top of her head. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“You hadn’t,” Paige murmured.
“I would have blamed myself,” Jake said, “for not telling you how I felt. That’s why I came down here.”
Paige sighed. “Are you sure it wasn’t because you wanted to break into a warehouse? To help with a drug bust? To meet my boyfriend, Rico?”
“Well, yes,” Jake said. “There was all that. Has anyone ever told you that life is never dull around you? Speaking of which, when will I be around you again?”
Paige lifted her head and stepped back, looking at Jake. So much was up in the air. “I don’t know. I’ll have to see when I get back to New York. I’ll talk to Susan and see what options I have there.”
“You’ll think about my suggestion?” Jakes eyes held so much hope and yearning; Paige’s heart came close to melting.
“Yes, I’ll think about it,” she said. “I’ll think about it seriously. I just need some time to figure things out.”
“Final boarding call for flight Ninety-Seven. Flight Ninety-Seven boarding at Gate Fourteen”
“That woman is getting really pushy,” Paige said, frowning at the speakers and then back at Jake.
“Yes, she is,” Jake agreed. “But she has other planes to get out of this airport, like mine, an hour from now. She has to be pushy.” He reached down and lifted Paige’s carry-on bag, walking her over to the gate.
“Ma’am, sir, the doors are about to close,” an attendant said. “You need to finish your goodbyes.”
“I
’ll call you when I get home.” Paige said quickly, signaling to the attendant.
“When you get home?” Jake smiled.
“When I get to New York,” Paige amended. With a quick kiss, she broke away and slipped through the gate just before the attendant closed it. Hurrying down the tunnel, she boarded the plane, found her window seat and stuffed her carry-on bag in the overhead compartment.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned on the Fasten Seat Belt sign. If you haven’t already done so, please stow your carry-on luggage underneath the seat in front of you or in an overhead bin. Please take your seat, fasten your seat belt and make sure your seat back and tray table are in their full upright and locked positions. At this time, we request that all electronic devices be turned off.”
She sighed as she took her seat and followed the directions.
Leaning her head against the window, Paige watched as the plane pulled away from the terminal. Or, as it seemed, the terminal pulled away from the plane. A figure in the waiting area lifted an arm and waved. Was it Jake? She was too far away to tell, but she waved back, anyway.
She shifted her weight until she found a comfortable position and then leaned back against the seat and relaxed. Her mind wandered between varied memories she’d built during the last two weeks. Her arrival in New Mexico seemed so long ago, as did her initial impressions of Tres Palomas and its people – Luz, Marisol and Ana, at the resort, Whitehorse, Juanita, Abuela, Father John and the enigmatic Lena. Not to mention a variety of Gallup acquaintances she’d prefer to forget. And then there was Miguel.
To avoid obsessing about life’s unexpected encounters, Paige pulled a magazine from the rack and flipped through the pages, but she was too full of recent experiences and too curious about those to come for her to be able to focus on anything else.
Paige adjusted her position once more as she felt the plane pick up speed. She cleared her mind and let the forward momentum press her back into the seat. As the plane lifted off the ground, she smiled. She wasn’t sure what lay ahead, but for now that was all right. Wherever she was headed, it was into the future. And the future looked very promising, indeed.
Paige MacKenzie Mysteries Box Set Page 57
