by Karen Kelley
“I’d say there completely hidden.”
He smiled, then pushed back a tangle of brush. The steps were right there in front of me.
“They’ll be slippery,” he warned.
Was that a challenge? “Do you want me to go first to make sure it’s safe enough for you?”
He laughed. “Just follow me. If you get stuck, let me know.”
He turned and started up the steps. I was still trying to think of a comeback. Get stuck? Really? When he was far enough ahead of me, I began to climb. He was right about the rocks being slippery, but if I fell, I would only land in the water. It would embarrass the hell out of me, but it was doubtful that I would be hurt. Other than my pride, that is.
When I was almost to the top, he held out his hand. He was already standing on the ledge behind the waterfall. I didn’t need his hand, but I took it, and went the rest of the way. I thought he would let go when I was standing beside him, but he continued to hold it as I stepped behind the waterfall into a cave-like opening.
I looked beyond the curtain of water to the pool below, then farther to our campsite. Don had already gotten out of the water and was gathering wood for the fire tonight. Chris and Scotty were getting out as well. Jared and Rachel were still swimming. They were laughing and talking.
It was just me and Nash. Alone in the cave. I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “This is nice. Thank you for bringing me.” Even though I didn’t want to go just yet, I turned to leave.
“I haven’t shown you what I wanted you to see.”
My body began to tremble. Dark cave. We were the only two here. What exactly did he want me to see?
He tugged me closer. I couldn’t breathe. Then he stepped back. Now I was just confused as hell. Then he pointed to the wall, and actually did take my breath away. I stepped forward and lightly ran my hands over the ancient drawings. Men and women, animals, spears and arrows, warriors...and some kind of red dye covered what I was pretty sure was the ground. Then there were maidens with tears. Warriors with arrows in them.
“This is amazing,” I whispered, as if the ghost of spirits past might be disturbed by the sound of my voice. “And sad.”
“I know. I feel the same way. It’s as if we’ve stepped into the past. Can you imagine the people who probably camped in the exact same place where we’re camping tonight? Imagine what their life must have been like.”
“We say we’re more intelligent, but are we? Maybe they had it right, and we’re all wrong. Their life was so much simpler than ours, but they had everything they needed.”
“I believe the same way,” Nash said. “Can you imagine them living in this secluded place thousands of years ago? They would be surrounded by their family and friends. It’s cool enough they probably would’ve spent their summers here before moving farther south for the winter.”
“And apparently most of them died here.” I lightly ran my fingers over the weeping women, and the fallen warriors they cried over. I knew what it was like to lose my parents, so I understood what the women felt. Family was important.
I was curious. “Do you have family? I mean, brothers or sisters?”
“Two older brothers, one younger, and a gazillion cousins,” he said. “My parents spend a lot of their time traveling. In fact they just got back from a cruise. Most of us live in Texas, the Dallas area, but I have a cabin here in Colorado as well. I love Texas, and it will always be my true home, but there’s something to be said about the mountains here.”
I laughed. He wore a confused expression, so I explained. “I was thinking that very same thing earlier. I’ll never leave Texas, but I’d love to have a cabin in Colorado. It’s a beautiful state.”
“What about your family?” he asked.
I realized I had missed out on something growing up. “I have an aunt who never married. She’s always taken care of the family businesses. It’s what she loves. After my parents died, she raised me. I was kind of a handful back then.”
He slapped a hand over his heart. “No, not you.”
I frowned, wondering if he was being sarcastic. I think he was, but I continued. “It’s true. I even talked her into letting me go to public school. I’d been homeschooled or gone to a private school before that.”
He folded his arms in front of him and leaned against the wall. “Crossed to the other side of the tracks, did you?”
The arrogance of the man was unbelievable. I wanted to slap away his smug smile, but I shoved on his chest instead. Except he didn’t move. Instead, he pulled me into his arms and lowered his lips to mine. I struggled for all of one second, then gave in to the heat that was surrounding me. It seemed as if it had been a lifetime since he’d kissed me, but it had only been last night.
When he shoved the straps of my suit over my arms, I didn’t attempt to stop him. I wanted him as much as he wanted me. He caressed my breasts, tweaking the nipples. I arched toward him. I knew I was breaking my own vow, but maybe this was my time. Eric had kept me tied in knots. Right now, mind blowing sex was what I needed. A one night stand. I cupped his ass, pulling him nearer. His erection brushed against me. I wanted more.
Except he pushed me away. I was confused. Had he changed his mind? Please God, not now. I wanted him like I’d wanted no other man.
“I think we have company,” his voice was raspy as he fought for control. He pulled up the straps on my suit.
Company? Now? Every fiber of my being ached for more. I clamped my legs together. That only made it worse. I heard voices, though. Rachel and Jared. I quickly stepped away from Nash and moved closer to the curtain of water. When I held my hand toward it, cool water splashed me, but it didn’t cool the heat of my emotions.
“We were wondering where you two went,” Rachel said. “Oh, this is nice.”
“Petroglyphs.” Jared walked nearer, running his fingers lightly over the surface. “Wow, these are amazing.”
Rachel joined him at his side. “I wonder how long they’ve been here.”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Nash said.
I stared down at our camp, and for a moment, the tents change to tepees. I could almost see the tribe as they went about their daily chores. Children playing games with a stick and some kind of ball. A shiver swept over me as the ground began to turn red. I blinked my eyes and once again and saw our tents. Strange how my eyes could play tricks, but for just a moment, I thought I’d seen the village. Crazy, I know.
“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m starting to get hungry,” I said, pasting a smile on my face. Maybe fate had stepped in to stop what I had been about to do. Did I really want a one night stand? A few minutes ago I would’ve said yes, now I wasn’t so sure. I only knew it would be in my best interest to keep my distance from the very hot and sexy, Nash Hayes.
Chapter 9
Nash
I knew what I was going to do the moment Makenna and I went into the cave, but I couldn’t stand not holding her one moment longer. Yeah I know, I was breaking my own rules. It wasn’t as if anyone was going to fire me. I was the boss, after all.
The lady was making me crazy. Absolutely bat shit, fucking crazy. At least by the time I got out of the water and headed toward camp, I had pulled myself together a little more. She’d felt something as well. I’d have to exercise more self-control until we got back to town, then I planned to have her in my bed.
We finished eating and cleaned our dishes, putting them away, then took a seat around the campfire. The nights were cooler, especially in the higher elevation. I didn’t feel cold at all, not when my gaze kept straying to Makenna. She’d changed back to her shorts and t-shirt. I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she ran her fingers through the long strands of her blonde hair. In the firelight, her hair was like a golden halo cast around her.
“When did you first find this place?” Jared asked.
I drew my attention back to the group when Don began to talk.
“There’s always been a tale of a land where the
Indians lived in peace and harmony with the animals. The animals were their guides in life. It’s said they came from another place far away, beyond the stars. Then in death, when humans crossed over to the spirit world, they would be there to guide them. The people grew grains to feed their family, and they had more than enough fish. One day, a young warrior argued with one of the animals and he killed it. When he tasted the meat, and showed his family how good it was, the animals were slaughtered and eaten. It’s said the Great Spirit in the sky became angry and cursed the place where the tribe had lived in peace.”
“They created a story on the wall in the cave,” Makenna said with awe. “They were happy, then something happened and everyone started dying.” She looked at Don. “Do you think this is that place?”
He shrugged. “Who knows, but I’ve always felt different every time I’ve been here. You’ll not find any fish in the water either. I’ve never seen any wildlife here. Who knows, maybe it’s still cursed.”
“It’s a beautiful place,” I told them. “I don’t believe in curses.”
Everyone agreed it was beautiful. Scotty and Chris began to tell about some of the legends in Wyoming and kept everyone enthralled until bedtime. I continued to sit in front of the fire, legs outstretched as I watched Makenna walk to her tent. She had a nice sway to her hips. Not overly exaggerated.
Look at me. I willed her to turn around before she went inside.
She pulled the flap back and leaned down.
Look at me.
As if she’d forgotten something, she straightened and looked back toward the camp, her gaze colliding with mine.
Yeah, my smile was smug.
She frowned, then went inside.
It was just a matter of time.
Great, I probably wouldn’t sleep worth a damn tonight. My dreams would be filled with Makenna’s naked body pressed against mine. If Jared and Rachel hadn’t interrupted us, I had a feeling I would already know what it felt like to make love to her. She’d definitely been willing.
As I stood and went to my tent, I knew I’d have to take it slow. For all of her stubbornness, I sensed vulnerability. Her ex must’ve really done a number on her.
I went inside my tent and stripped down to my briefs, then crawled into bed. Don and I planned to start early in the morning. I yawned and closed my eyes. As I began to doze off, I wondered what Makenna would dream about. Our kiss?
I chuckled. Yeah, she wanted me.
I was definitely courting disaster. I pulled the cover up and released a deep sigh. I’d never been so grateful for the beds Makenna had brought until right now. It was a hell of a lot better than a sleeping bag. I yawned and closed my eyes, knowing my dreams would be filled with Makenna.
I was in the stage of sleep where my whole body had relaxed when the first rumble shook the ground around me. Even though I was still half asleep, I knew something was terribly wrong.
I jerked awake.
It was still dark outside.
Another rumble rocked the ground.
I grabbed my shorts and pulled them on, then rushed out of the tent, scanning the area. A cloud of dust came barreling toward us. “Get to the water,” I yelled.
Everyone had come out of their tent to see what the crashing noise had been. As we hurried toward the water, I looked at Don. Like me, he’d pulled on his shorts but hadn’t bothered with a shirt.
“Rock slide?” I asked.
His face was grim, but he glanced at the others before he returned his gaze to mine. “It would seem so.”
I knew there was more to it that he wasn’t telling me. What did he know that the rest of us didn’t? Dread filled me. There was one way in and one way out, except I had a feeling our one way out was no longer an option.
Chapter 10
Makenna
I looked between Don and Nash. No one seemed to notice the silent exchange between them. I did, and I knew something was going on. There was more to this than met the eye.
“I think we all need to know what’s going on. We have that right,” I spoke to Nash and Don.
Everyone quieted and turned to the two men for answers.
Nash nodded to Don. “She’s right. What do you know that we don’t?”
Don sighed deeply. “I couldn’t sleep. This place always does that to me. I walked a bit, then went back inside my tent. I was about to go back to bed when I heard a boom.”
“The rock slide,” Scotty said.
Don shook his head. “I used to work with dynamite. I know the sound of a stick going off when I hear it. The rock slide came next.”
“Dynamite?” Jared asked.
“You think it was deliberate?” Nash asked.
“Yes, I think it was deliberate,” Don said. “I’m going to check it out.”
“No,” Nash said. “Not until it gets light. I doubt they’ll do anything more tonight.”
“I think they accomplished what they set out to do,” Don said.
“But who would do such a thing?” Rachel looked at the group. “As far as I know, I don’t have any enemies. Neither did my husband.”
Jared shook his head. “I’m not high enough up the food chain to make a difference one way or the other. No enemies here.”
Scotty and Chris shook their heads.
I kept remembering the last words Eric said to me. How I couldn’t live without him. Was that a veiled threat? Had he meant he wouldn’t let me live without him? My gaze met Nash’s. I looked at the others, and hoped I wasn’t inadvertently the cause of all this.
I drew in a deep breath. “I’m not sure.” I told everyone. “Eric was pretty pissed off when I divorced him.” I shook my head. “I don’t think he would go to this length to get even.”
“I’ve made a few enemies,” Don said. “But I don’t think they would want me dead.”
Nash shook his head. “It might not be anyone who knows us at all. It could just be some asshole who decided to go into the middle of nowhere to play with dynamite.” He pulled out his phone. “No service. Not that I expected to have any here.”
As ridiculous as some idiot playing with dynamite sounded, I hoped Nash was right. I’d hate to think that Eric would stoop this low.
Nash convinced us to go back to our tents, telling us we wouldn’t be able to check how much damage there was to the entrance until it was light outside. He and Don would take turns standing watch in case something else happened. I was pretty sure none of us would get much sleep, but I did manage to doze. By the time the sun was peeking over the horizon, I was dressed and out of the tent. From the haggard looks of everyone, they hadn’t slept well either. We didn’t talk much as we sat around the campfire and drank our morning coffee.
When the sun was high enough, we started back the way we had come to assess the damage.
Nash surveyed the group when we were standing in front of the rock opening. “Only one of us needs to go in. It’s probably not going to be stable. I’ll check it out and let you know something as soon as possible.” Without waiting for anyone to respond, he disappeared.
My pulse began to beat erratically. What if more of the mountain caved in on top of him? We wouldn’t be able to do a damn thing to save him. I looked around at the others and knew they were thinking the same thing.
At least we didn’t have to worry too long. When Nash walked out of the opening, there was a grim expression on his face.
“How bad is it?” Don asked.
“It’s not good,” Nash said. “There’s no way we’ll be able to go back that way. The opening is completely closed off.”
Jared looked at Nash. “We can’t just move the rocks?”
Nash shook his head. “I’m afraid it would take us years to get through that.”
“What about the river?” Scotty asked. “We can follow that out.”
“We tried once,” Don said. “We had to turn around and come back. It was impassable.”
“We’ll have to wait for help,” I said. “There are people who know
we’ve gone hiking.”
“That could take weeks,” Nash said. “I’ve never told anyone about this place.”
“I haven’t either.” Don shook his head.
Chris paled. “Then they may never find us.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought everyone here. This is my fault,” Nash said.
“No,” Rachel said. “It’s the asshole’s fault who was playing with the dynamite.”
As we walked back toward the camp I glanced at the walls of the canyon that surrounded us. They were almost straight up. A mountain of sheer rock.
Don fixed more coffee.
“At least we can fish for food until someone does find us. Surely there has to be fish in the river. Maybe you just weren’t lucky,” Jared said.
“We’ve never caught any fish here.” Nash shoved his hands into his pockets as though he were trying not to hit something. “It’s as if all the fish disappeared.”
“The curse.” Chris looked as if he was about to be sick. “How long does it take someone to starve to death? I only brought enough food to last a few days.”
If Eric had something to do with this, then it was my fault. It didn’t matter that no one was blaming me. I blamed myself. I was the one who had to right the wrong. “I can climb out of here,” I told them.
“We could try the river again,” Scotty said as if I hadn’t spoken.
“I really don’t think that’s an option,” Nash told him, also ignoring me. “Don and I didn’t get very far the last time we tried, and it wasn’t that long ago.”
“Is there any way we can swim down the river?” Rachel asked.
“Not a chance,” Nash said.
Had they not heard a word I said? “I’m an experienced climber,” I repeated.
Nash wore a grim expression. “No way are we going to let you attempt to scale the mountain. Look at it. It would be a vertical climb. No one can get up it. One slip and you come crashing down. I won’t have that on my conscience. No, we’ll think of something else.”
“Without even hearing me out?” I held up my hands. “I know exactly what everyone’s thinking. I look soft. Well let me tell you, I’m not.” I grit my teeth. “I’m an experienced rock climber,” I repeated.