Forsaken Canyon

Her hand slipping from his arm, she watched Samuel rush away. She certainly wouldn’t be excavating any ruins that had already been discovered, since what she was looking for hadn’t been unearthed. Besides, she wasn’t an archaeologist. When she found the City of Gold, she would leave that part to the experts.

“It’s in there.” When Samuel came back, he handed her a large manila envelope. “I had to copy it in sections because of its size.”

She took it, so thankful for his assistance. “I’m going to give you that hug.” She quickly did. “Thanks again. I’ve got someone I have to meet upstairs. See you,” she said, then hurried toward the steps that led to the third floor.

On the staircase she passed Wes carrying a couple of large volumes. When he came to a stop, she did, too.

“I’m beginning to think you live here,” he said with a nervous laugh.

“I’ve been working on a paper for the American Historical Society magazine.” Which was true because she intended to publish her article in it.

“Ah, our publish-or-perish requirement. I’ve been contemplating what I’ll write about. If you’ve got time later, I would like to discuss it with you.”

“You aren’t worried I’ll steal your idea?”

“Not you.” Appreciation glinted in his eyes. “You’re the most ethical person I know. Besides, it sounds like you’ve got yours well under control. Will you be in your office later?”

“No, I’m going home in a few minutes. Come by tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow it is.” Wes continued his descent to the second floor.

Kit watched him for a few seconds before mounting the steps. She had a meeting with another guide prospect in the back part of the library. Not many people frequented that area, especially during the day. She felt like a spy, setting up a rendezvous, having to consider where she could go without being unduly noticed. Since she was often at the library, no one would think that was strange. Having Ronald Hoffman come to her office was out of the question. The same for her house. So this was it, because she was determined no one would know whom she had hired this time.

A tall, thin man removed a book from a shelf and flipped through it before putting it back. He took another one down.

After scanning the area for anyone else, she hastened forward. “Are you Mr. Hoffman?”

He looked toward her. “Yes. Dr. Sinclair?”

She nodded.

“Did you bring the deposit?”

She rummaged in her purse until she found the envelope with the money in it. “You’ll get twice that when we complete the trip.”

He counted the bills. “I don’t know why you want to go there, but I’ll take you for the agreed-upon amount. From what I’ve heard, it won’t be easy.” His pinpoint gaze skimmed down her length. “Are you sure you can handle it?”

“Of course. Are you sure you know how to get to Desolation Canyon?”

“Of course. As I told you earlier on the phone, I haven’t been there personally, but I know where it is, and that type of terrain is something I’m used to.”

“When can we leave?” She hugged the manila envelope to her chest. If he didn’t know how to get there, she could figure it out with this detailed map.

“You said something about this Saturday. I can go then.” He presented her with a list of supplies. “You’ll need to bring these.”

“Where do we meet?”

“At Black Horse Pass at seven in the morning. It’ll probably take at least five days.” He moved past her toward the exit.

“Thank you,” she said, but the man had already disappeared around the corner.

Suddenly her legs gave away. She sagged to the floor. What had she set in motion? Ronald Hoffman’s credentials had checked out. He’d used to work for an adventure group who had taken people on trips into the wilderness around New Mexico and the surrounding states. If she couldn’t have Hawke Lonechief, he was the next best thing.

Kit finished loading her red Honda. The darkness of predawn had lightened to a dim gray, but the sun was still hidden below the eastern horizon. Excitement surged through her at the idea she would be hiking toward Desolation Canyon in a couple of hours.

Marcus Perry, dressed in his navy-blue jogging shorts and white T-shirt, came out onto his porch. She waved at her neighbor and friend. He loped toward her while pulling neon-orange sweatbands on his wrists. From the curious gleam in his eyes, she knew she wouldn’t be able to get away without telling him something.

He glanced into her backseat. “Going camping in a certain canyon?”

“I hope. But don’t say anything to anyone. You know what happened to the last guide I had.”

“So Hawke Lonechief finally agreed.”

“No. He still refuses, but this person should be good.”

“Who’d you get this time?” Marcus began some limbering-up exercises.

“Ronald Hoffman.” Even if Marcus ran into his house right now—which she didn’t see her friend doing—it was too late for Hawke to interfere. “He was in the news a few weeks ago. He found that family missing in the Carson National Forest.”

“Yeah, I remember reading about him. But the big question is, does he know where you want to go?” Marcus touched his toes.

“He hasn’t actually been there, but he’s very experienced at being a guide.”

“Did I tell you I met him last Saturday night?”

“Who? Ronald?”

“No, Lonechief.” He lunged to each side. “Can’t be too careful.”

“I agree. That’s why I checked this Ronald out and no one knows about what I’m doing today.”

“Well, except me. But I wasn’t talking about your guide. I was talking about exercising. It’s so easy to pull a muscle, especially if you don’t limber up correctly.” He jogged in place. “I think I’m finally loosened up to start my run.”

“That’s good, but what do you mean you saw Lonechief Saturday night? Did you go to the dedication ceremony?”

“No, he came by here looking for you.”

“He did?”

“I caught him pounding on your front door, not too happy you weren’t home.”

A picture of Hawke frustrated as he stalked back to his Jeep darted through her mind. Good! It served him right for scaring off her other guides. What if at this very moment he was hiking to the canyon to see if what she theorized was true? Now that she thought about it, just because he was Zach’s cousin didn’t mean she could trust him.

Trust No One. That needed to be her new motto.

“I’d better go. I don’t want to be late.”

“Before you start hiking, make sure you limber up. I don’t want you to pull a muscle out there.” Marcus bent forward and kissed her on the cheek.

She slid into her front seat and waved at her friend as he jogged down the street. When she backed out of her driveway, she couldn’t stop the feeling of urgency that overcame her. She navigated her car toward the highway that led out of town.

Gold will make men do crazy things. Hawke’s words blared through her mind as she drove toward Black Horse Pass. Was Hawke one of those men who did crazy things because of money? When she really thought about everything, what did she know about Zach, who had recommended Hawke in the first place? Her past record where men were concerned wasn’t good. She’d had several serious relationships over the years. None spoke well of her ability to choose a man to spend the rest of her life with, especially the last two.

The man she’d been serious with before Gregory only reinforced her conviction to stay away from serious relationships. Terry’s reckless driving while under the influence had caused a wreck that had injured a couple. This from a man who had condemned drinking of any kind. He had known how much she hated alcohol and why. What else had he been lying about? Certainly his protestations that he’d only had one drink at the bar. His blood alcohol had been way over the legal limit.

She’d hoped they would eventually marry. What if she had and discovered Terry’s problem afterward? She didn’t have an answer to that question. Her parents had divorced, and she had promised herself she wouldn’t.

Up ahead she saw the sign to Black Horse Pass. She turned off the highway onto the one-lane, washboard, dirt road. Slowing her speed drastically, she bounced along the stretch that led to her meeting place with Ronald Hoffman. Everything was in place. Part of the following week at school was for studying before finals—no classes. Exams didn’t start until next Thursday. She should be back in time to give the tests to her classes. Perfect timing.

The sun sat on the horizon, a big yellow-orange ball. Streaks of red and purple threaded through the cloudless azure-blue sky. It was going to be hot today. She patted her canteen next to her on the seat. Granted she didn’t know a whole lot about hiking in desertlike conditions, but she did know about the importance of water and had brought a lot of extra, besides what was in the canteen.

She pulled into a makeshift parking lot near a grouping of piñon trees at the end of the road. Climbing from her five-year-old Honda, she stroked its hood.

“You got me here, although I doubt you appreciated me coming down that road.”

She made a full circle, taking in the landscape. Behind her was the long dirt road. Ahead were towering mesas, the sun burning a path up their facade and turning the rock a yellow orange as though it was made of gold. Through the sheer cliffs wound a narrow trail, dotted with cacti, brush and juniper and piñon trees. Already the nippy bite of a desert night had evaporated, leaving behind the heat of a desert day.

Hearing a screech, she observed the flight of a bald eagle, hunting for its next meal. It caught an air current and soared, disappearing behind a bluff. She hadn’t done something like this in years, but as a child she had enjoyed the family hikes—until her parents had gotten a divorce.

She wasn’t alone. The Lord was with her.

You created this beauty, Lord. Awesome. Magnificent. Give me the strength and ability to make it to Desolation Canyon. I need to know that I’m capable of doing this. Please show me, Lord. In Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.

Lounging against the back of her car, she folded her arms across her chest and waited, her gaze trained on the road. She checked her watch. Ten minutes after seven.

She wasn’t too worried. There were some places where the road had practically washed away from some of the recent spring rains. Ronald had probably not planned for that.

But when Kit glanced at the time an hour later, she could no longer come up with an excuse why Ronald wasn’t at the pass. And she had given him some of the money ahead of time. No matter how much she told herself not to trust people, here she’d gone and put her belief in this man. When was she going to learn?

She stomped to her passenger door and opened it. Grabbing the canteen, she took a swig of cool water to ease her dry throat. Her gaze caught sight of the manila envelope with pages of the detailed map in it. When she slid it out, she examined the area around Black Horse Pass. It didn’t look too tough to negotiate.

After buying her equipment and coming out here, she could go a little ways and see what the trail was like. There shouldn’t be any harm in doing that.

“Who knows? I might even be pretty good at hiking. I did okay once,” she muttered and opened her back door to get her pack and walking stick.

She would go for an hour or so, then return to her car. She would find someone else to take her to the canyon, so she might as well start building up her stamina.

When she heaved the bag and slipped her arms through the straps, she swayed and began to have her doubts. She’d forgotten it must weigh nearly forty pounds with all the water she’d brought. Lifting weights might have been a good idea, and something she would consider when she got back. After refilling her canteen with water, she left all but one jug on the backseat so her backpack wouldn’t be so heavy.

She found the trailhead and started along the narrow path that led through the pass into a broad expanse of canyons, cliffs and mesas. The sun intensified, beating down on her. Sweat broke out on her forehead after only fifteen minutes. She paused and took another drink of water.

An hour and a half later, enthralled with the vista, Kit collapsed on a medium-size boulder that had slid down the side of a cliff. She shucked off her backpack and dropped it to the ground next to the rock. She would head back to the car after she rested a while. Using the white sleeve of her shirt, she wiped the sweat from her face, then her neck.

When she reached for her bag to get a cloth to use, she froze. Slithering from the underside of the boulder was a rattlesnake, followed by several more.

THREE

Kit hasn’t come home. She was supposed to come back here. She’s out there without a guide. She can’t go to Desolation Canyon without the best there is.

The Guardian paced from one end of the room to the other, kneading his hand along his nape. All kinds of horrible scenarios flashed through his mind. Lost and wandering around in circles. Collapsing from dehydration. Her body broken on the rocks after a fall.

Why hadn’t she come back when Hoffman didn’t show up? How am I supposed to watch over her when she does things like go off by herself? One day I need to teach her a lesson.

Frustration churned his stomach. But not today.

He’d gone to some trouble to take care of Hoffman, the least she could do was cooperate and return to Albuquerque. He didn’t want her to go to the canyon without the best, and he’d checked out Hoffman. He wasn’t the best. His job as her guardian was becoming harder and harder. At least the tracking device on her car and the bug in her house helped him keep up with all her activities.

She should appreciate the trouble he had to go to for her. One day she would. He withdrew from his pocket his untraceable cell to put in motion yet another rescue, suppressing the anger building in him.

As Hawke pulled onto the road that led to his ranch, his cell rang. He slowed and flipped it open. “Lonechief.”

“I’m so glad I got hold of you. Kit went to Desolation Canyon by herself this morning and hasn’t returned home yet.”

Zach’s frantic tone infected Hawke with the seriousness of the situation. He glanced out of the windshield to the west, and his fear mushroomed. The sun had begun its descent. “Does the woman have a death wish?” His grip on his phone tightened until he was afraid he would snap it into halves.

“From what I understand she had arranged for a guide to meet her at Black Horse Pass. He didn’t show up because he was in a wreck on his way there. There was a message on her machine at her office from one of Ronald Hoffman’s associates.”

“That doesn’t mean she went in by herself.”

“She never came by her office to hear the message, and she isn’t at her house, either. I hate to say this, but she probably got frustrated enough that she attempted it on her own. She can’t seem to find a reliable guide.”

The censure in Zach’s voice hit its mark. Hawke made a U-turn and headed toward the highway and Black Horse Pass. “I’m on my way to see. Hopefully she decided to go off and do something tame like researching in a book.”

“Normally I would say that Kit is a very tame person, but for some reason she has become driven with proving herself right.”

“Have you tried calling her cell?”

“For the past hour. No answer. Which doesn’t surprise me if she decided to hike into the area on her own. From here I can’t get there as fast as you can. Besides, you know that part of the country better than me.”

Again Hawke peered toward the west. “I won’t be there much before dusk myself.”

“That’s better than pitch-black.”

“How’d you find out about this guide?”

“Her neighbor is beside himself and he called me. The police came by to see Kit concerning the guide.”

“The police! What’s going on?” Somehow Hawke managed to keep his fear for Kit from his voice, but not his worry.

“They came by to see Kit because the guide’s office told them he was supposed to meet her at Black Horse Pass.”

“But why are the police involved?”

“Because Hoffman’s car accident wasn’t an accident. He was forced off the highway. He was found in a ravine off the road. Someone called the highway patrol and said he witnessed it early this morning.”

“Did this someone leave a name?” Hawke gripped his cell, pain shooting down his arm.

“No. He doesn’t want to get involved.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that before. Any description of the car that forced Hoffman off the highway?”

“A white truck. Nothing else.”

“I’ll call you when I know something.”

“Thanks. She’s been a big help to me this year. I don’t want anything happening to her.”

Neither do I. Hawke switched off his cell and pressed his foot on the accelerator. Time was against him.

An hour later, the sun halfway to the horizon, Hawke scrambled from his Jeep, parked next to the only other car at the end of the road near Black Horse Pass. Kit’s red Honda screamed to the world she had gone into the maze of canyons by herself. When he got his hands on her, she wouldn’t be too happy, and before he was finished, she would understand how dangerous her little stunt was.

He grabbed a heavy-duty flashlight and a canteen with water from his vehicle and started along the trail through the pass. Fresh indentions in the dirt indicated someone had passed through not long before. Someone with small feet. At least she was wearing hiking boots. He’d envisioned her in tennis shoes trying to negotiate the uneven, often pebbly ground.

As he went farther along the path, the sun disappeared behind the tall mesas. He passed evidence of a new rockslide in the shadow of a bluff. With his flashlight, he checked to make sure she wasn’t pinned beneath a large stone.

With the ticking off of the minutes, his heart hammered a shade faster. Heat, captured in the sandy dirt, floated upward to encircle him. Sweat coated his face and chest, his tan shirt soaked.

Visions of Kit, hurt, possibly dead, haunted him with each step he took. Scenes from his past threatened to intrude, bringing with them the pain he usually kept suppressed. It had been four years ago that he had come this way. He had promised himself never again. And now, because of Kit Sinclair, he was breaking that promise. He thrust his memories away, determined to focus on his anger at her foolish actions.

When he rounded the base of a sheer cliff, he saw her, off to the right in the dying daylight—or at least he thought it was her—lying crumpled on a boulder, not moving. His anger fled, to be replaced with the terror of four years ago all over again. He stumbled, nearly going to his knees. He couldn’t carry a second body out of here.

Although it was cooling, now that the sun was behind the mesa to the west, sweat broke out on his forehead as he rushed toward her. A couple of yards from the boulder a rattling sound sent out a warning. He went still, checking his surroundings as he carefully slipped his revolver from its holster.

A six-foot rattlesnake, coiled, lay a few feet to the left of the large stone. His gaze glued to the rattler, he moved in slow motion, lifting the gun to aim.

“Don’t.” Kit’s husky voice pierced the air.

He glanced at her, then back at the reptile. “What do you mean, don’t?”

“Don’t kill it. It’s only protecting its home, which I think is under the rock I’m sitting on.”

“So what do you suggest I do?”

“I don’t know. I was waiting for it to go away like the other ones.”

“Others! Where did they go?” Hawke scanned the area quickly then fastened his gaze back on the rattler.

“Back under this rock.”

“A nest?” Darkness crept closer. Soon he wouldn’t be able to see well enough to shoot the snake.

“Maybe. The others were smaller.”

With his breath held, he raised the gun, aimed and squeezed the trigger, all in one fluid movement, hitting the reptile, which was poised to strike.

“C’mon. Now, Kit. Move it. I’ve got you covered.”

She struggled to stand on the boulder, then leaped to the ground a few feet from him. Red scored her cheeks. She tried to steady herself as she landed, but instead stumbled. He caught her, shoving her behind him.

Although dusk eroded the daylight, he inspected the ground around the huge rock for any signs of more rattlers. Relief sighed from his lips when he saw nothing.

“Let’s get out of here.” With one eye on the boulder, he turned toward her.

“My backpack is over there with my water.” She gestured to the dirt not far from the massive stone she’d sat on.

“Too dangerous if more snakes are under that rock. We’re leaving it.”

“But my water! I haven’t had anything to drink in hours.”

He unhooked his canteen and thrust it into her hands. “Drink while you walk.”

He didn’t turn his back on the area until he was around the bend. Although the urge was strong, he would wait until they made it to their vehicles before giving her a piece of his mind.

Once they were ensconced beneath the towering cliffs on either side, night fully descended, and Hawke flicked on the flashlight.

“Walk behind me. Step where I step.” His command charged the air with his controlled terseness.

Although Kit couldn’t read his expression, she didn’t have to see it to know anger marked his every feature. “I only sat down on the rock to rest before heading back to the car. I didn’t know I was going to disturb a family of rattlesnakes. Believe me, if I had—”

“You may think this is the time to have a little chitchat, but I don’t.”

“But how did you know about me—”

“Kit, in case you haven’t figured it out, walking around out here during the day, let alone at night, isn’t always the safest thing to do. We’ll talk later. You wouldn’t want me to tell you what I think at the moment.” He took her hand and settled it on his shoulder, then set out again down the path.

Cold darkness closed in around Kit as she gripped Hawke and followed in his footsteps. His flashlight illuminated only the small space in front of him. Her imagination ran rampant with what might lie beyond the inky shroud surrounding them.

After her unfortunate encounter with the rattlers, she pictured them poised ready to strike at any second along the path. Her legs tingled, vying with the patches of burned skin she hadn’t managed to shade from the sun. Funny how a few hours ago she had been hot. Now she was chilled.

Exhausted, dehydrated, her head pounding against her skull, she put one foot in front of the other. If she had known what was going to happen, of course, she would never have hiked away from her car. At least while sitting on that rock, waiting for the snakes to slither away, she’d had time to think about this whole situation. She had to convince Hawke Lonechief to help her…somehow.

Then suddenly, in the midst of her fear and weariness, a thought took hold. She had to turn this over to the Lord. He would make it possible if it was meant to be. One of the hardest things she’d had to learn—was still learning—was to give control over to Him.

A movement to the left made Kit gasp and jump to the right. “What’s that?”

“Any number of animals.” Concealed in shadows, Hawke came to a stop and swung around toward her. “Probably a rabbit.”

“A rabbit I can handle.” She relaxed her rigid stance.

“Running from a predator.”

“Predator!” she squeaked.

“You sound worried now.”

Although she knew he couldn’t see her expression, she scrunched her mouth into a tight line of displeasure. “And you sound smug.”

“I guess some good came from this. Now you know what can happen if you go off by yourself.”

She had to convince him she was still serious about going to Desolation Canyon—with or without a guide. Otherwise she didn’t have a chance of convincing him to help her. The only good thing she saw from today’s incident was that Hawke had come after her. That gave her hope.