Tom laughed as if he was a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar and he was about to talk his way out of it. “Hey, I’ve never been shy about who I flirt with. I say if there’s no ring on her finger, there’s no rule against me showing … interest.”
“A ring, huh?” mumbled Brian who Maria thought was already asleep. “That’s never stopped you in the past.”
“Shut up.” Tom threw his shoe at Brian, who batted it away with his eyes still half closed. “I’m not the guy who had an affair with his marriage counselor.”
That comment seemed to wake Brian up completely. With a sound between irritation and anger, he barked, “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You should keep your big mouth shut when you …”
“Knock it off,” said Melissa. “Both of you. Maria doesn’t need to hear you two dig up past skeletons. Let’s have a nice rest around the campfire so we’re fresh for the hike tomorrow. It’s going to be pretty intense, isn’t it Derrick? Professor Lankin?”
The Superstition Mountain gurus Derrick and Rep. Lankin said nothing. They were the only ones who were actually asleep.
“What’s everyone talking about?” Rod approached with his arm full of logs.
“Nothing,” said Melissa in a terse voice. “We’re all headed off to sleep now.”
Rod built the fire up and slipped into his bag on the left side of Maria. He scooted closer and kissed her long and tenderly. “Tonight reminds me of the time we were out sleeping in the Moquith Mountains.”
Maria was painfully aware that Tom’s breathing was not that of someone who was sleeping. She was sure he was listening to every word.
“Me too.” But then Maria couldn’t stop herself from adding, “Except that Tara Crane, the Miss America of Kanab tourism, was there doing her best to seduce you.”
“Never even noticed her. I knew what I wanted.” Rod pulled his arm out of the confines of his sleeping bag and traced the outline of Maria’s ear. It sent shivers to her toes.
Maria turned to look at him. His face was the type that looked at home in the open wild next to a campfire. His mouth was set in a wide grin with straight white teeth that gleamed in the darkened backdrop of night. His strong nose that used to bother Maria now seemed like a perfect fit. Everything about him said “I am a man.”
And she liked it. She really, really liked it.
Raising herself onto her elbow, it was her turn to plant a rather long kiss onto his lips. “Hiking will be fun tomorrow. Sleep well.”
With that, she lay back down and told herself to ignore the barely audible snort coming from Tom’s sleeping bag.
CHAPTER TEN
In 1845 Don Miguel Peralta found something that made the risk [with the Apaches] well worth taking. Somewhere in that enormous snarl of jagged rocks, he hit the mother lode. It was a chimney lode—a wide vertical vein of pure gold encased in a rose-colored quartz shaft so deep that only the devil himself knew its true depth. The miners immediately began digging. Within a remarkably short time, they had loaded up all the gold their burros could carry. They hurriedly left the Superstitions [but] Peralta vowed to return.
“MYSTERIES & MIRACLES OF ARIZONA” BY JACK KUTZ. RHOMBUS PUBLISHING COMPANY, 1992, PAGE 20.
Maria woke up the next morning to the sea-water blue of Rod’s eyes. He was sitting up with a blanket over his shoulders, staring at her. Not in a creepy way. More like in a “would you like breakfast in bed?” sort of way.
“Hey,” croaked Maria. “What time is it?”
“Early.” Rod’s short hair looked the same as when he’d gone to sleep. Maria reached up in an attempt to smooth her own, which was probably everywhere. A night in a sleeping bag did that. It wasn’t like sleeping on her silk pillowcase at home, which was the one luxury she afforded herself since Tehran.
Not true. Food, clothes, and a bed also were luxuries compared to what she had lived through. But her silk pillowcase was by far the cherry on top.
“Can I get you some coffee?” Rod pointed to a metal pot sitting on a flat rock near the fire.
How long had he been up?
He must have sensed the question. “I didn’t sleep so great. I’ve been thinking.”
“Oh,” said Maria, cautiously. Why did that phrase scare her? “About what?”
“Us.”
A lump gathered at the base of Maria’s throat. Was that a good thing? Or bad? Could go either way.
“And—” Maria fumbled with the pony tail holder she’d slipped around her wrist before going to sleep. She gathered her thick dark hair in the back of her head and shoved it through the elastic band.
“And I think,” said Rod slowly, “we should go for a walk.”
Bad. It was most definitely bad.
Maria cleaned up in two minutes, including a minty-fresh teeth brushing. If she was about to get dumped, she wanted to be sure her breath didn’t stink.
“The sunrise will be the prettiest from over there.” Rod grabbed Maria’s elbow and led her in the direction he was looking.
An odd way to begin a break up.
In the pre-dawn light, the sky above the Superstition Mountains was alive with colors, blending and swirling with one another. It was a regal view, one that made Maria stop walking and gaze into the heavens.
“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” whispered Rod. His mouth lingered by her ear, sending goosebumps down her neck and arms.
He wrapped the blanket that had been over his shoulders around both of them, lessening the chill of the morning air. It made walking more difficult, but warmer. And closer. And, Maria admitted, nicer.
“I love this time of day,” Rod said. “It’s my absolute favorite. Everything looks more beautiful, including you.” He stopped walking, leaned in close to Maria, and grazed her cheek with his mouth. The stubble on his chin tickled her. She took a backward step and collided with a rock wall.
So, perhaps he wasn’t breaking up with her after all.
Rod placed his hands flat against the rock, trapping Maria in between his arms, giving her no way to escape. He didn’t say a word but confidently stared into her eyes.
The only time Maria had felt such an invasion of privacy was during her interrogations in Tehran. But this felt much, much different.
“I think the sunrise is that direction,” squeaked Maria, pointing behind Rod.
He didn’t turn his head. His gazed locked on her until at last he closed the distance between them. One hand gently cupped the side of her head while the other slipped in between her back and the rock, pulling her to him.
Morning was indeed a good time for him. He kissed her hungrily, like the dawning of the new day completely rested on his ability to make her want to melt into his arms.
Which she wanted to.
And did.
The chilly air tried to nip at their faces, but their combined breath chased it away. Time stopped. Even the sunrise seemed willing to wait for their embrace to finish.
Rod continued kissing Maria. First on her lips, then her forehead, and then on the tender spot right in front of her ear, which nearly sparked a martial arts self-defense move until she reminded herself she was safe with Rod. He was the kindest man she’d ever met.
He pressed his lips against hers again, more urgently, taking Maria’s breath away. What was going on? He wasn’t usually so … insistent.
Maria slid her mouth next to his cheek, giving herself the chance to breathe. “What’s gotten into you today?”
“Everything.” Rod didn’t pull away, but instead talked quietly into ear. “When I was watching you sleep earlier, I couldn’t stop asking myself how I got so lucky.” He took a deep breath. “Six years ago my heart broke in two. When Dakota left me I was … well, let’s just say it wasn’t pretty. I wasn’t sure I could have a relationship like that again. I think not knowing if she was still around … it made it tricky to get involved. Yesterday, when I learned Dakota was gone, it was a huge shock. I felt the sadness, betrayal, and confusion all over again.
I’m still feeling some of those things, but at the same time I feel a release. Like an enormous weight has been taken from me. I still have questions about what happened, but for the first time in a long while I feel … ready.”
“Ready for what?” Maria felt practically hypnotized by the closeness she felt to him.
“Ready for someone gorgeous.” He kissed her. “Smart.” Another kiss. “And strong to be an important part of my life.” He brushed her lips with his and then hovered a moment over them. Not touching, but teasing that he might.
His breathing was fast. Maria felt the air from his open mouth warm her face, making her want the moment to never end.
The sun tired at last of waiting for them. A brilliant ray of light shot from the horizon and spotlighted them by the rock. Maria slipped her arms around Rod and sensed his back muscles tighten and then relax in her hold. “Speaking of gorgeous, smart, and strong,” she said snuggled into his chest, “you’re rather amazing yourself. And considerate. You’re one of the most thoughtful people I know.”
She didn’t think Rod could hold her any tighter, but he did.
“I want today over with so we can go home. These people were my friends, but I’ve moved on. I want to be with … you.” He laughed. “Wow, did that sound as co-dependent to you as it did to me? I didn’t mean it that way.”
Actually, it sounded wonderful to Maria. While she loved the outdoors and always looked for new adventures, she would have preferred this trip to be just her and Rod. Maybe it was the visit of Dakota’s ghost, or maybe there was something not quite right about Rod’s ex-classmates, but she was ready to go home too. The Superstition Mountains held many secrets, and Maria didn’t want to know any of them.
“Maria?” Rod undid the bun in the back of her hair, letting it fall around her shoulders. It was one of his favorite things to do.
Yes?”
“Do you remember the test you read to me during the drive down to Phoenix?”
“Uh … yeah.”
“One of the questions asked if I’d ever told you that I loved you.”
“… right …”
“And, well, I haven’t. But only because I was nervous about how you’d react.”
“Uh-huh.”
Maria’s gaze had drifted from Rod’s chiseled features to the hazy figure of Dakota, who had just decided to join them for their romantic sunrise moment. She was dressed in the same clothes as when Maria had seen her in Kanab—well-fitted brown hiking pants and a spandex exercise shirt. Her face was sad. So very, very sad. It made Maria wonder once again how her life had ended.
“Maria? Hey, Maria?”
“Uh, yeah?”
“Are you paying attention to me?” Rod’s voice was tight. “Do you know what I’m about to tell you?”
Maria’s eyes flitted between the image of Dakota’s ghost and Rod’s face. “Uh … kind of.”
“Kind of?” Rod repeated, slightly indignant.
“Maybe you should wait to tell me anything too personal until your ex-wife isn’t standing right behind you.” Maria jerked her eyes to the spot. Then whispering she added, “She really is pretty, but she has a bad habit of sneaking up on people.”
Rod spun around. “Here?” His voice was strained. “Where is she?”
“Two feet in front of you.”
Rod reached out and swatted. When his hands were about to make contact with Dakota, her shoulders and chest seemed to sink into another kind of dimension, leaving her legs and head clearly visible but her upper body in a haze.
“What the …” Maria had never seen Acalan do that before.
“I can’t see her.” Rod swiped again. “Are you sure she’s here? Like she’s a real ghost? Not one of your fake kind?”
“I know the difference between my hallucinations and a real ghost. Dakota is here.”
“I can’t see her.” Rod blinked hard.
“Huh,” said Maria. “I wonder why you can’t see her this time? Maybe it’s because I’m with you?”
“Talk to her.” Rod barked out the order. His face had turned a light red. Both of his hands fisted at his side.
Maria had never seen him so visibly upset.
“Ask her where she went. What happened to her. Why she left. Ask her—”
Maria put her hand on Rod’s arm. “Okay. Hold on. One question at a time.” She turned back to Dakota, who seemed confused. She didn’t seem comfortable as a ghost. Not like Acalan was. Of course, he’d been a ghost for hundreds of years longer.
“Dakota, where did you go when you left Rod?”
The ghost moved her head in the direction of Maria’s voice, but she made no attempt to answer.
“What’d she say?” demanded Rod.
“Nothing. She’s not answering. She looks really confused. I’m … I’m not sure she knows she’s a ghost.”
Someone cleared their throat in a loud, unnatural way.
Rod and Maria jerked their heads to see who was there.
Derrick was fully dressed, backpack on, ready to start his day. “Hey,” he said, looking at them very strangely. “Everyone’s eating breakfast at camp. Brian and I think we should head back to the main mountain range. We don’t want to be hiking too late today.”
“Okay, we’re coming.” Rod turned back to Maria and whispered, “Is she still there?”
Maria shook her head. Dakota had vanished.
“I should have warned you about Tom.” Melissa wiped her sweaty face with her shirt sleeve. She and Maria were at the tail end of the group. The males of the group, including the dog Clyde, were ahead by thirty yards or so, which had given the two women time to talk everything girl for the last hour.
“It’s okay.” Maria took a sip of water. “He caught me by surprise.”
Melissa nodded. “Tom especially likes women who are already taken. I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to defend him in court someday—he’s going to get himself into trouble. But I didn’t think he’d go after you. I thought he’d learned his lesson after what happened with Dakota.”
“Rod’s Dakota?” Maria was glad she was having this chat with Melissa. The woman was a wealth of information.
“Yes. Tom came on pretty strong to Dakota—on Rod’s wedding day of all times. Anyhow, nothing happened except that Rod punched him in the face. Which Tom deserved.”
“I would have liked to see that.” Maria smiled. Rod was typically such a gentleman.
Melissa laughed but then her face grew serious. “How long have you known Rod?”
“Not that long. About four months.” Though, Maria had to admit, this morning at sunrise it had felt like she’d known Rod forever. “Of course, we did go to high school together for a year—but it wasn’t like we dated or anything.”
“Rod has been through a lot,” said Melissa. “After Dakota’s disappearance the investigation was pretty bad. The news media was convinced it was Rod.” Melissa wiped her face again. It was a pushing one hundred degrees already. “I told him I’d be his defense lawyer, but in the end he was never charged.”
The image of Dakota interrupting Maria and Rod during their embrace that morning came back to Maria’s mind. Rod’s ex-wife had been haunting him long before her ghost actually showed up. He’d been living with the fear and confusion of her disappearance for years.
“I … I really don’t know that much of what happened. I saw a picture of her for the first time this week. She was beautiful.”
“Yes, she was beautiful … and quiet. And shifty. But that is my opinion. Rod hardly knew anything about her. They met and married while Rod was doing a legal clerkship in Apache Junction—a small town not far from the Superstition Mountains, actually. He was at a firm that was in the area temporarily, working on a land dispute of some sort. I never said this out loud to anyone else, but sometimes I wonder if Dakota showed up in Apache and charmed Rod for his money.”
“His money?” Maria stopped and looked at Melissa, open mouthed. “Rod had money?”
“Yes. And unless he lost the Thorton Empire betting millions in Vegas, I’m pretty sure Rod still has money.”
The Thorton Empire?
Somewhere deep inside her, Maria should have guessed Rod didn’t make enough money being a lawyer in Kanab to afford all of the cars he owned. Though, other than his obsession with automobiles, she would have never guessed he was loaded. His house was average. He didn’t dress that fancy. And he never talked about the stock market and things that most men who were into their investments talked about.
“You didn’t know about his money?” asked Melissa.
Maria forced a smile. “Nope.”
“Don’t feel bad,” said Melissa, as if she could read Maria’s thoughts. “I knew Rod for four years before figuring it out. You’d never know he was rich by the way he acts, well, except for his cars.”
“I know, right.” Maria felt a little better about her ignorance. “What is the Thorton Empire, anyway? Stocks? Bonds? Real estate?”
“Dead animals,” answered Melissa. “His grandfather started an animal rendering plant in the 1930s. The family has been wealthy ever since. They take something nobody else wants and turn it into gold.”
“Do I even want to know what an animal rendering plant is?” asked Maria.
Melissa laughed and took a sip of water. “Probably not. The way Rod explained it to me was they take dead animal carcasses, butcher scraps, even rancid grease from restaurants, and make it into dog food. Oh, and makeup.”
“Like blush and mascara and … ew … lipstick?”
“Yeah. Crazy, huh?”
No wonder Rod said he liked Maria best without makeup. He knew all the disgusting ingredients the stuff was made of. She promised herself she’d be buying non-animal based cosmetics from here on out.
“Nasty,” Maria concluded. “That’s not a glamorous way to become rich. Personally, I think a good stock portfolio would be easier.” Without meaning to, she reached up and started to pick her mascara off.
Paranormal Mystery Boxset Books 1-3: Legends of Treasure Page 33