Navajo Justice

As her thoughts turned to her godmother, Laura began to worry. Elena was in her late sixties and had a weak heart. The last thing she needed was to come home to a disaster like this, and then be forced to spend the night in an unheated house. Lately, the nighttime temperatures had been in the low forties here in the desert. They’d have to find a motel.

“I’ve got to start cleaning up and making arrangements for a place to spend the night,” Laura said.

“I’m going to need a list and description of what’s missing first,” the officer said.

“I haven’t found anything missing yet,” she answered.

With obvious reluctance, Laura headed back to her office. It was here, where she created her stories, that the chaos the intruder had left behind bit into her heart the most. In this room, alone with the ghosts who peopled a writer’s imagination, she’d found peace. But now all there was in here was confusion. The sense that the dearest part of herself had been violated almost brought her to tears.

It would take days to get everything back in order. Thank goodness she’d just ended a project rather than being in the middle of one.

“Was this someone’s idea of a sick joke? They must have looked through every page in here,” Laura murmured, her spirits sagging.

“It appears that they were searching for something in particular, perhaps a letter or document,” Burke said. “Can you think of what that might have been?”

Hearing a familiar but frightened voice calling out from the front of the house, Laura spun around. “Oh, no! Elena’s back early.”

Laura rushed to intercept her godmother. She’d hoped to find a way to soften the blow before Elena returned. As Laura reached the front door, she saw her frozen there, terror and shock on her face.

“It’s all right,” Laura said gently. “No one’s been hurt. We can always replace things.”

Elena was a petite, well-rounded woman with an affable manner and an easy smile that made friends almost anywhere. Now she looked as if she’d just witnessed the death of a loved one.

“Someone broke into the house. In the process, they created this mess and even managed to break off the valve on the furnace,” Laura said calmly. “But the gas is turned off now, so it’s just a matter of cleaning up and repairing or replacing the furnace. And believe it or not, I haven’t discovered anything missing.”

“That’s a blessing. But without heat, how will we stay warm tonight?” Elena asked. “And just look at what they did to our beautiful home!”

“We’ll be fine. We can stay at a motel until everything is back to normal again. It’ll work out.”

“We’ll need someplace close, Laura. We’ll have to be here daily. We can’t just leave everything in the hands of repairmen,” she countered.

“The motels along the main highway aren’t too far away. We’ll make do.”

“I have an idea, ladies,” Burke interjected. “You know I bought the large three-bedroom next door, and it’s much too big for just me and my dog. Why don’t you both come stay with me until your house is repaired?”

Laura felt a prickle of excitement as she heard his offer. But, of course, it was out of the question. Sharing the home of a drop-dead-gorgeous guy was not her idea of a safe haven. Before she could say anything, however, Elena spoke.

“Such a nice offer! We accept,” she said, looking up at him with a smile. “Okay, Laura?”

Laura nearly choked. “Wait a sec.”

Seeing the police officer coming toward them, Burke turned to him. “Why don’t I go speak with the officer while you two talk things over?”

As soon as he’d moved out of earshot, Laura glowered at Elena, but the older woman beamed a wide smile.

“God always makes something good come out of even the worst of times,” she said. “That young man is single and very attractive. And with me there, he will behave. In the meantime, you two can get to know each other. Before long, you might find out that he’s perfect for you.”

“How can you say that? We don’t know a thing about him! I haven’t even figured out if Burke is his first or last name!”

“That’s one of the things you can ask him,” Elena replied, undaunted. “And we do know quite a bit about him. We know that he always dresses like a gentleman and that he pays attention to details. He heard Mr. Romero call me Doña Elena once, and ever since then he’s addressed me the same way. On a practical side, his offer means we can be close by to let repairmen in and out. I think we should take advantage of his hospitality.”

Seeing that Laura was still hesitant, she played her trump card. “And my heart…well, this has all been quite a shock. I’d like to stay close to home, because here is where I feel the most comfortable.”

Laura’s eyes narrowed. “Do you realize that you never mention your heart unless you want me to do something?” Seeing the crestfallen look on her godmother’s face, she laughed. “All right. You win. We’ll accept his offer.”

“Laura!” A male voice suddenly boomed out from near the front door.

Laura looked up and expelled her breath in a whoosh. “Not him again,” she said softly. “Ken Springer is the last person I want to see here now.”

The police officer who was packing away his fingerprint kit looked up and, seeing Laura’s expression, went to head off the new arrival.

As he approached, Ken flipped open his badge. “County arson investigator, Officer.”

“There’s no arson here, Ken,” Laura said, impatience tainting her tone. The tall, lanky lieutenant from the fire department wasn’t bad looking, but his cocky, self-absorbed attitude put Laura off. They had a brief history, one she never wanted to repeat.

“I just heard the report. Do you have any idea what that gas leak might have done to you if you’d flipped on the light? This is attempted arson as far as I’m concerned.”

“No. The gas leak was an accident. The break-in…” She shrugged.

Seeing Burke, Ken placed his arm over Laura’s shoulder.

Biting back her annoyance, Laura shrugged it off. “I’m very tired, Lieutenant Springer. If you have business here, then get on with it. Otherwise, please leave.”

Burke’s gaze locked with Ken’s. The fireman reached into his back pocket and once again flashed his ID. “And your business here is…?”

“Mine,” Laura said firmly.

Anger sharpened Ken’s features as he glanced at Laura. “You don’t need help from a civilian, Laura. I’ll handle this.”

“I want him here,” she said firmly. “Remember that you’re in my home.”

Ken held her gaze, a muscle in his jaw twitching. “I’m going to take a look around.”

As he strode off, Burke glanced at her. “Old boyfriend?”

“I went out with him twice—and that was two times too many.”

“But he’s never given up trying to make himself part of her life.” Elena shook her head sadly.

Burke nodded, but before he could comment, the police officer came up to Laura. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m leaving now. We’ll be increasing our patrols in this area, but stay alert and call us if you have any problems.” He reached into his pocket and handed her a card.

After the man left, Laura saw that Ken was still walking around the house, looking through her things. Annoyed, she strode up to him. “It’s not arson, Ken. Not even a match was lit in here. Perhaps you should go work on one of your cases.”

“How do you explain what’s happened?” he countered harshly.

Elena came up and joined them. “I didn’t mention this to the officer because it’s just speculation, but the break-in is more than likely the work of my brother-in-law,” she stated. “He’s been hoping to get his hands on the deed to a piece of property my husband left me, or the original will. He filed a lawsuit, but no hearing has been scheduled yet.”

Laura looked at Elena with dawning understanding. “You’re right. This would be something he’d do.”

“You shouldn’t have to put up with this from anyone,” Ken said. “Tell me where I can find him and I’ll go over and take care of this for you.”

“No, Ken, you won’t,” Laura said firmly. “I’ll handle this myself. I appreciate you coming by, but as you can see, this has nothing to do with the type of case you handle for the county.”

Ken looked at Burke, his expression venomous. “Then it looks like it’s time for us to go.”

“Burke, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to stay for a while. You can help us get things organized here,” Laura said, more to make a point than anything else.

“If you want—” Ken said.

“Ken, go,” she interrupted. “You’re working now. He’s not.”

“Unemployed?” Ken sneered.

The cold, level look that passed between the men made a shiver course up Laura’s spine.

“Call if you need me. This is my new cell number,” Ken said, handing Laura his card.

She took it, then set it down on a coffee table. “Goodbye, Ken.”

The tall fireman left wordlessly.

Laura exhaled softly as soon as Ken had gone. “Ken Springer is harmless, but he’s such a pain. I’ve tried to tell him I’m just not interested, but he keeps finding a reason to come around.”

“Nothing but a solid hit with a two-by-four deters a man of that kind,” Elena said.

Burke laughed. “Listen to your godmother,” he said, looking at Laura. “I think she’s right on target.”

His generous lips curved sensually when he smiled, and Laura felt a sudden jolt of awareness—the earthy kind that reminded her that he was all-male, and she a woman who enjoyed her femininity. She took a breath, trying to tone down her reaction to him for the sake of her own peace of mind.

A man as confident as Burke surely knew the effect he had on women. He’d undoubtedly grown to accept it as natural—something that was as much a part of him as his broad shoulders and six-foot frame. The last thing she intended to do was feed his ego by letting him sense her reaction to him.

“Why don’t you both go through the house one last time and make a list of all the repairs that’ll have to be done? We’ll need it when we file the insurance claim,” Elena said.

“Good idea,” Laura answered.

“You should look at the back door,” Burke said to Laura. “That’s one of the first things you’ll need to get fixed.”

Laura went into the kitchen and studied the damage. The door frame had been splintered and the lock damaged by a vicious kick. A partial boot print was still on the door. This had clearly been the point of entry. “I never thought of that door as flimsy, but I’ll make sure I get a solid-core one now.”

They methodically checked out each room in the house, Laura adding to the list of things to do. As they worked, she was acutely aware of everything about the man beside her. She stole fleeting, furtive glances at him, taking in his square-cut jaw and his absolutely delicious mouth.

A guy like this is used to leaving a trail of brokenhearted women behind him. Be careful. Don’t add to the number.

The sun had sunk well below the horizon by the time they rejoined Elena in the living room. They’d been able to close the doors and windows and turn on the lights, but the house had grown decidedly chilly.

“It’s going to take awhile to get things back to normal,” Laura said with a sigh.

“Don’t be so pessimistic,” Elena chided. “Once we clear up the mess, everything will look one hundred percent better. We’ll have a claims adjuster come over tomorrow, then the repairmen can come to fix the heater, replace the door and put in better locks. The damaged furniture can go out to be repaired, or we can go shopping for some new pieces. Before you know it, we’ll be back at home and it’ll be like nothing happened.” Elena stood, wavered, then sat down heavily.

Seeing it, Laura felt her stomach fall. “Are you all right?” She should have expected this. The whole thing had been a total shock for Elena.

“I’m fine. It’s nothing. I just took my pills a little late today and I’m a little woozy.”

“Let’s just sit here for a bit then,” Laura said, watching her for signs of a serious problem with her heart.

Burke sat on an easy chair that had been slashed but not completely depleted of stuffing. He leaned back, projecting an ease that helped Elena relax. For several minutes he made small talk, discussing the neighborhood and the upcoming growing season. Elena bragged about Laura’s rose garden, promising to show him around in full daylight to point out the buds and new season’s growth.

Burke seemed interested in everything about them, though Laura couldn’t tell if it was genuine or if he was simply being charming and polite.

Finally, after the tension washed out of Elena and she had relaxed again, Burke turned the conversation back to business.

“Tell me about this brother-in-law of yours, Doña Elena,” he said, his voice calm but authoritative.

“He’s a difficult man,” she answered. “If he thought I kept that land deed here, or the will, that would explain all this,” she said, waving a hand around the room. “My brother-in-law has claimed that the tract of land I inherited should have gone to him because, originally, he was half owner. But he sold his share to my husband several years ago when he needed cash. My attorney, Ernest Martinez, says that Al has no further claim on the land. But Al has accused me of tampering with Diego’s will, saying that his brother had left the property to him.”

“After we received word that he’d filed a lawsuit, Elena started getting nasty calls at all hours of the night,” Laura added. “We finally got caller ID and started disconnecting the phone when we went to bed.”

Laura watched her godmother as she filled Burke in on a few more details. Burke had worked his magic on her and she was answering all his questions without becoming upset or excited.

Laura suppressed a sigh. There was no denying that Burke was attractive and charming. But something was warning her to be cautious, and she always trusted her intuition. Theirs was not a neighborhood that had known many break-ins, but he’d only been around a week, and now this. It was possible that he was totally innocent, but it was all working out too perfectly. He’d been there to help her; now he was offering two strangers his home. If this was all completely coincidental, she’d eat her shoe.

She had to start thinking in nonfiction terms, concentrating on facts only. If she didn’t do that, she had a feeling she’d end up with some major-league trouble—trouble that would no doubt answer to the name of Burke.

Chapter Three

Laura watched him carefully, trying to freeze out her hormones with a dose of logic, but it wasn’t quite working. It was hard to even think when he trained his pale brown eyes on her. Contrasting sharply with his dark copper skin, they were nothing short of mesmerizing.

Irritated with herself, Laura brought her thoughts back to what her madrina was saying. “My brother-in-law, Al, has always been a problem for my husband’s family. He never amounted to anything, because he’s lazy and always searching for the easy way out. Diego wouldn’t even allow him into our home for a long time because Al had started drinking heavily. After Diego passed away Al thought he’d get a windfall. Reality hit him hard. The man has never learned that the only thing that pays off with any certainty in this world is hard work and dedication.”

As a cold draft came in from the kitchen, where the damaged back door couldn’t be properly closed, Elena shivered and wrapped her shawl tighter around herself.

Noticing the gesture, Laura went to the closet and got her godmother’s winter coat. “We have to get going,” she told Burke. “Now that the sun has set, it’s going to get cold in here pretty fast.

“Madrina,” she continued, looking at Elena, “I wondered if you would enjoy a bed-and-breakfast. We really shouldn’t impose on our new neighbor.”

“It’s no imposition,” Burke assured them quickly. “It’ll be a pleasure.” Taking off his leather jacket, he placed it around Laura’s shoulders. “Let’s go to my house so Doña Elena can get settled in, then we can come back and get some of the things you’ll both need.”

Feeling the warmth of his jacket around her was like being embraced by this man, whose scent spoke of the wildness and freedom of the night. But it was all too distracting.

“You don’t have to give me your jacket,” she said, trying to pass it back to him. “You’ll freeze.” She felt like an idiot for not having taken out her own coat when she went to the closet for Elena’s.

“I’m fine. I’m bigger and tougher,” Burke answered playfully, placing it back over her shoulders.

He led the way to his home, a modern structure constructed in a classic Southwestern style known as Territorial. When he stepped around them to open the heavy wooden door, Laura noticed that he hadn’t bothered to lock it.

“Don’t you lock your doors?” she asked, aghast. “I know we don’t have many incidents—”

She stopped suddenly when a huge, shaggy beast came shooting across the brick foyer, plopping down at Burke’s feet when he called, “Sit!” The black-and-silver animal looked a lot like a cross between a giant German shepherd and a wolf.

“Holy saints!” Elena whispered. “I thought you said you had a dog.”

“That’s not a dog. That’s a bear,” Laura managed to gasp. “No wonder you’re not concerned about leaving your house unlocked.”

“He’s really friendly.” Burke took her hand in his own and held it out in front of the beast. Laura stopped breathing.

“Friend, Wolf.”

Wolf sniffed her hand. “See? Now he knows you,” Burke said.

The warmth of Burke’s hand intertwined with hers made a tingle spread all through her body. As his gaze fastened on hers, she saw that his eyes had darkened slightly, awareness and desire touching their depths. Everything feminine in her came suddenly and vibrantly alive.

Laura pulled her hand away and tore her eyes from his. Even casual contact between them held danger. Needing to distract herself, she crouched down and petted the dog.

“Shake hands with the lady,” Burke said.

Wolf held out his paw, then yawned as if the whole business was beneath him.

Laura laughed and took his paw. “Pleasure to meet you, Wolf.”

Elena crouched down and scratched him behind the ears until Wolf’s eyes closed and he made a contented sound.

“What a wonderful companion you have,” Elena said.

“My godmother adores dogs,” Laura said. “Her mastiff, Bruno, died last year right before she moved in with me. She’s been wanting to get another one, but she hasn’t convinced me yet.”

Once he knew they were at ease around Wolf, Burke showed them to a room down the hall. It was simply furnished, with a four-poster bed and a chest of drawers, yet the furniture, constructed of dark woods, suggested a discerning taste.

Exquisitely crafted antique Navajo rugs, woven in earth tones, adorned the walls. “Those are beautiful,” Elena said. “The one on the left in particular.”

He nodded, pleased she’d complimented it. “It’s what my people call a Yei rug. The tall slender figures are the Holy People and, in this case, they’re shown carrying yucca strips. That rug is made up of elements our medicine men depict in sandpaintings used for healing. We believe that the Holy People are said to restore health when properly appealed to.”

“So it’s a religious artifact?”

“No, it’s not, but a sandpainting made to look like that, and done according to our ways, would be a religious object. This is just a wool rug, deliberately woven with a flaw—a thin line made from the center to the edge. That’s done as a tribute to Spider Woman, who taught our people the art of weaving.”

Elena studied everything in the room, from the beautiful handcrafted quilt on the bed to the small woven basket, made from grass coils and dyed yucca, that rested on the nightstand. “This is such a lovely room.”

“I thought you’d feel that way, so this one is for you,” Burke said. Then he glanced at Laura. “I think you’ll prefer the room across the hall.”

Laura followed him and saw another Southwest style room, in harmony with the rest of the house. This one had high ceilings composed of hand finished, stained logs, or vigas, and more modern milled lumber. The large bed in the middle had a hand carved headboard that was really an elaborate bookcase. She looked up at Burke quickly, wondering if he’d guessed what she did for a living.

“I met your godmother at the fence several times and she mentioned you loved books,” he said. “I thought you might appreciate this room, since there’s a light on the headboard for easy reading at night.” He demonstrated how to work the small, adjustable brass lamp.

“I do love books, that’s true,” she admitted, not quite willing to say anything more about her work at the moment. “I’m really amazed at what you’ve done here in such a short time. I expected to find a lot of unpacked boxes.”

“I hired people to help me move in and put things away so I wouldn’t miss any work. I don’t have a lot of possessions, and it didn’t take long.” Burke glanced at his watch. “And now, I’m going to have to get moving. I’m late for work.”

“What kind of work do you do?” Thinking about the way he’d seemed to know what to do in the aftermath of the break-in, she added, “Are you a cop?” If so, that would put a new slant on things.…”

“Something like that,” he answered, then whistled for Wolf. “You stay here with the ladies.” The dog sat, panting, but it looked for all the world as if he were grinning. “And try not to look so happy about it. You’re a guard dog, remember?”

“Is he trained for that kind of work?” Laura asked, suddenly apprehensive.

“Yes,” Burke said, then with a twinkle in his eye, quickly added, “He’s a danger to any crook who’d trip over him.”

Wolf made a low grumbling sound in protest.

“Sorry, Wolf. I should have told the ladies you were absolutely ferocious.”

The dog barked once and Laura laughed. “It’s as if he understands you.”

“With this dog, I truly never know,” Burke answered honestly. “The keys to my castle, madam.” He took her hand and placed the keys in her palm, but he didn’t let go right away.

Laura held her breath. The warmth of his touch seemed to travel through her, slipping around barriers she’d learned to put up between herself and the world.

“I’ll be back before you know it. You’re safe here,” he said, then released her.

As the words still resonated through her, Burke opened the front door.

“Your jacket,” she said quickly, and started to slip it off.

“Keep it on until you warm up. I have a good windbreaker in one of the saddlebags of my bike,” he said, then disappeared out the door.

A moment later, Laura heard him gunning the engine of his motorcycle. She went to the window to catch a final glimpse of him, and at that moment he glanced up, saw her and waved.

Cursing herself for letting him see that she’d been looking at him, she moved back into the center of the room.

“You see? He’s as charming as I told you he’d be,” Elena said softly.

“We still don’t know a thing about him, Elena. We have to be careful.”

“I’m very seldom wrong about people, hijita, you know that.”

Laura shook her head. “Yes, I do, but there’s something about him that makes me uneasy.”

“That’s only because he reminds you of things you’re missing from your life. Back in the days when you believed in love and were open to the possibilities, a man like Burke would have sparked your imagination, and your heart would have beat a little faster every time you saw him. But now…”

“I’ve had relationships before, but they didn’t work out. Once we mature, our hearts toughen up. We learn the hard way to avoid pain.”

“Life comes with joy and pain. You can’t avoid either, even if you try.” Elena paused, gathering her thoughts. “But these days, your work has become enough to make you happy, and that just shouldn’t be.”

“I’m very lucky to be able to make my living doing something that I love. If I don’t socialize much it’s because writing is very time-consuming. People think you get an idea for a book, then just sit down and type it out. But the truth is that the idea is just the beginning. The real work comes when you do draft after draft, until you practically know the book by heart.”