by Unknown
“You had your head on straight. Nothing new there.” She laughed again, but her eyes were solemn. “I was the fool, believing that if we kissed that it would change things between us. Pretty lame, huh?”
“Zoey,” he murmured, his entire body tightening. She had been trying to change things between them? He never knew that. He’d just thought she was intoxicated … and utterly intoxicating. Much like now.
She whacked her forehead with the heel of her palm. “I should have known it was going to be like kissing my brother.”
Like kissing her brother? Whap! Kick to the ego.
Involuntarily, he curled his hands into fists. Here he’d been playing these romantic fantasies over in his head and Zoey was cutting him off at the knees. A brotherly kiss, huh? That’s not how he remembered it.
Maybe she recalled it that way because he hadn’t kissed her back. Hell, now he wished that he had kissed her back. What if he was to kiss her right now and wipe all that brotherly nonsense right out of her head? What would she say to that?
He lowered his head, his gaze hooked on that luscious, cherry-stem-tying little mouth. He was going to damn well do it. He was going to kiss her and rock her world.
“Ooh, look.” She pushed back from him and pointed up at a bright meteor streaking all the way across. “Shooting star.”
Relief and disappointment mixed inside him, and turned to a mess of complicated emotional goo. He wanted to kiss her, but he was also glad she moved before he’d pulled the trigger. He wasn’t sure he wanted to make that irrevocable step, at least not yet.
“Make a wish,” she insisted.
“I’m a scientist. I don’t believe in wishes.”
“C’mon, be unrealistic for once, make an exception.”
“Wishing on a body of matter falling into the earth’s atmosphere is not going to make my wish come true.”
“What is your wish?” she whispered.
“If I told you, it wouldn’t come true.”
“I thought you didn’t believe.”
“I don’t.”
“That’s too bad,” she said with a casual shrug, but her tone was heartbreakingly sad.
“What’s that?”
“You’re missing out on a lot of fun and wonder.”
He stared at her, torn between the urge to explore her fun-filled wonder world and the deep-seated fear that if he did so, it would be his world that got upended, not hers.
She reached up a trembling finger and started to run it down his cheek, but he shackled her wrist with his hand, stopping her in mid-stroke.
“Don’t.” The word came out far more abrupt than he intended. If she touched him, he’d come undone.
Her eyes rounded and she sucked in an audible deep breath. She stared at his fingers manacling her hand and then she did something that had him sucking in his own breath.
Zoey sank against him, dropped her cheek to his shoulder, and sighed softly. “How do you manage it?”
“Manage what?” he croaked, the feel of her against him more extraordinary than a rare archaeological find.
“To smell so clean at the end of the day. Like spray starch and soap.”
“Took a shower,” he said. “After you called and told me to come.”
Come.
Unfortunate word choice under the circumstances, especially since the word echoed out over the lake—come, come, come.
He gulped.
She lifted her head from his shoulder, met his eyes and with an enigmatic grin, rose up on her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek.
Jericho turned to stone. Literally. Every muscle—and he did mean every single one—hardened.
Her warm breath raised gooseflesh on the back of his neck and the scent of cherries teased his nose. He turned his head and stared straight into her eyes. All he’d have to do was lean forward just the tiniest bit and their mouths would be touching.
Hold on to your self-control.
But what man in his right mind could resist this? Resist her?
Don’t do something you’ll live to regret.
He went to fist his hands and that’s when he realized he still had hold of her wrist. His fingers sprang apart, releasing her.
“Look,” she said.
“What?” He blinked, still addled from the lingering imprint of her lips on his cheek.
She pointed at the sky as a meteor streaked by. “Last chance to make your dream come true.”
I WISH, I wish, I wish I had the courage to tell Jericho how I really felt.
That’s what Zoey wished for as she’d watched the star blaze across the sky. She lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, elbows bent to the sides, the back of her head cradled in her upturned palms, Eggy curled up sleeping in the center of her chest. His purring vibrations comforted her.
Why had she told Jericho that kissing him had been like kissing her brother? Why? Because she was scared. What if she’d admitted the truth that on that long-ago night, the simple brushing of their lips had rocked her world? Her skin tingled at the memory and she shuddered.
Eggy raised his head.
“Yeah, I’m nuts, but it’s okay. Go back to sleep.” She reached out to scratch the kitten behind his ears.
Eggy climbed higher and nestled under her chin. His purring vibrated her throat. She giggled. How fun he was. What had kept her from getting a pet before now?
Oh yeah, she’d been afraid a pet would curtail her freedom. Ha! She’d had Eggy for only one day and already her life felt lavishly enriched. Except there was the issue of what to do with the kitten when she went off to field school.
Hmm. She’d have to figure that out.
Tomorrow she had so much to do. Take Eggy to the vet to make sure he was healthy. Post messages about finding him. Study for final exams. And Jericho? What was she going to do about her growing feelings for him? Placing her tongue against the roof of her mouth, she rolled over, displacing Eggy. She tucked her knees to her chest and the kitten took the narrow space in between.
“I can’t tell Jericho how I really feel,” she whispered to the Siamese. “He could end up being my instructor, and after that cautionary tale about him and Mallory, well, that was a downer. Besides, what if he doesn’t feel the same way? If I come right out and say the words and he doesn’t feel the same way, will our friendship survive?”
Eggy mewed.
“You’re right. I should keep my mouth shut. At least until I find out if he’s going to get the teaching job. Thanks so much. You’re the best sounding board.”
Okay, it was decided. Lips zipped. Maybe when she told him the truth later on, he wouldn’t hold that kiss-like-a-brother comment against her. That is, if she ever dared tell him at all.
“Eggy,” she whispered. “What in the heck is going on with us?”
Chapter 5
Cultural dating: The process of comparing objects archaeologists find with information they already have.
JERICHO’S stepgrandmother Junie Mae insisted that he stay with her until he heard back from Dr. Sinton about whether he got the job. While he wanted to spend time with her, he hesitated because she lived right next door to Zoey. Once upon a time, that would have been a plus, but now? After what passed between them at Chantilly’s, being near her was swiftly becoming a liability.
In the end, he hadn’t been able to resist, even though staying at a motel in Alpine would have been far more prudent. With nothing to do but wait to hear from Dr. Sinton and knowing he’d go nuts without something to keep him occupied, he repaired things around the house and in his stepgrandmother’s beauty salon—unstuck a drawer, replaced an electrical outlet, and painted the living room. By Friday, he’d already blown through all the chores Junie Mae dreamed up for him.
As for Zoey, he’d seen little of her since the night of Walker’s party, and he couldn’t shake the feeling she was avoiding him. While part of him was relieved, an equal part of him was disturbed by her absence. He knew she was studying for her final exams, but yesterday she’d turned him down w
hen he’d ask her if she wanted to grab dinner.
Was Zoey upset with him for some reason he knew nothing about? Should he force the issue to see if something was up? Nah. Let it ride. She couldn’t stay off by herself for long. It wasn’t in her nature.
But even Natalie commented on her sister’s suddenly overly industrious behavior when she peered over the backyard fence at Jericho on Friday morning. He was mending a cement crack in Junie Mae’s turtle pond to keep from pacing a hole in the floor as he waited on the call from Dr. Sinton.
“Is Zoey trying to prove some kind of point?” Natalie asked him. “Normally, she’s quite happy to skate by with B’s. Now she seems hell-bent on getting a 4.0.”
“Walker did issue her a challenge,” he pointed out.
“That’s never worked on her before.”
Jericho shrugged as if he hadn’t been asking himself these same questions. “Maybe this time she’s truly inspired to turn over a new leaf.”
Natalie looked skeptical, but didn’t say anything else about it. “How are your parents?”
“Good.”
“Are they still in China?”
He nodded. “They love it there. Their mission work gives them a true sense of purpose. I have to admire that.”
“They must be really proud of you getting your doctorate.”
“They are.” Too bad his parents hadn’t been able to leave their missionary work in China to see him graduate.
Why should this degree be any different?
He shook his head. No feeling sorry for himself. He was a lucky man and he’d made peace with his parents’ career choices a long time ago. Although when he was a little kid he’d had trouble understanding why those poor children in China were more important to them than he was. It wasn’t until years later that he’d learned the great risks his parents had taken as underground activists in a country that had banned Christian missionaries. They could have been imprisoned or worse. To take him with them could have endangered his life.
“Give them my best when you speak to them again,” Natalie said.
“Thank you, I will.”
Natalie went back inside the B&B and Jericho returned to his work on the pond.
After his folks went to Asia, leaving him with his grandpa Prufrock and Junie Mae, he’d felt displaced, homesick, and lonely, until someone told him—he couldn’t remember who it was now—that China was on the opposite side of the world from Cupid and that if you dug a deep tunnel straight down through the earth you’d come out there.
He’d been eight years old that summer, a quiet only child with a too-big vocabulary for his age. Grandpa Prufrock and Junie Mae had tried their best, but with Grandpa at work and Junie Mae running her hair salon out of the front of the house, for the large part of the day he hadn’t had anyone to talk to. After rambling around for two days, Jericho decided he was going to dig that hole to China and find his folks. He made the mistake of tackling the project in the noonday heat, and after a few minutes, sweat was streaming down his back and his head hurt from the brightness of the sun, but he kept on digging, desperate to be reunited with his mom and dad.
“Whatcha doin’?”
The sound of a kid’s voice caused him to stop and glance over his shoulder to see a pigtailed girl, in short pink coveralls, straddling the cedar fence.
“Digging a hole,” he’d mumbled.
“Canna help?”
Part of him wanted to tell her to buzz off, she was little more than a baby, after all, but the lonely part of him shrugged. “I don’t mind.”
She climbed down the fence and came over. She smelled like oranges and she had moss green eyes that seemed to take up most of her face. “Whatcha name?”
“Jericho.”
She wrinkled a tiny button nose dotted with freckles, tested out his name on her tongue. “Jerry-ee-co.”
“Jericho,” he corrected.
“I’m Zoey.”
“Hi.”
“How old are you?” she asked.
“Eight.”
She held up four fingers. “I’m this many.”
Wow, she was just a baby. He should tell her to go away. He didn’t need a little kid underfoot.
“Whatcha doin’ here?” She waved at the house.
“I live here now,” he said gloomily.
Her wide eyes grew even wider and she grinned like that was the best news she’d ever heard. “Goody.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I love makin’ new friends.”
Jericho scowled. “We’re not friends.”
“Sure we are,” she said blithely. “Where is you mommy and daddy?”
“They went to China.”
“Where dat?”
“On the opposite side of the world.”
“Whadda they go there for?”
“To help kids.”
“How come they didn’t take you wid ’em?”
He shrugged, trying to pretend he didn’t care, but his stomach hurt. “I dunno.”
She pondered that a moment, then said very matter-of-factly, “My mommy and daddy are dead, but I don’t ’member them.”
That intrigued him. “How’d they die?”
“Big old plane crash. I was in the crash too, but I don’t ’member that neither. My big sista Natty got hurted in the crash too. She didn’t die but now she walks funny.” Zoey limped around the yard to demonstrate.
“That’s sad.”
“Yeah, but don’t tell her I tole you. She don’t like to talk ’bout it.”
Jericho nodded.
Zoey sank her hands on her hips, and studied his handiwork. “So ya diggin’ a hole.”
“Yep.”
“What for?”
“To get to China.”
“To find your mommy and daddy?”
“Yep.”
“Canna help ya dig?”
He didn’t much like the idea of her going to China with him. She might be company along the way, but what would he do with her when he got there? He shook his head. “Only got one shovel.”
“Oh, don’t worry ’bout that. My gram’s got plenty o’ shovels.”
Jericho examined the hole. He wasn’t making much progress. Might as well let her help for a while and then later he’d tell her she couldn’t come with him all the way to China.
They dug for three days, finding all kinds of artifacts; arrowheads, a cigar box with the bones of some small animal in it—that particularly fascinated Zoey and she made up stories about what the animal was and who’d buried it—three marbles, a plastic microwave dinner plate, two pennies, and a live scorpion that almost stung Zoey. When Junie Mae finally spied the huge crater in the back of the yard, she made them quit digging, but from that experience the seed of Jericho’s love for archaeology was planted.
He lived next door to the McClearys for the next four years until Grandpa Prufrock had gotten sick. His parents came home during that time, but he was shocked to realize he barely knew them. Six months later, they parked him with an aunt in Marfa and returned to the Orient.
That’s where they were today. Gansu Province this time. Crusaders. Now and forever. For better or worse, it’s who they were.
He glanced at his watch. Ten minutes past twelve. Dr. Sinton said that he’d let him know of the board’s decision before noon. Just to check and make sure he hadn’t missed a call, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and turned it on. No missed calls. No text messages. Ah damn.
Disappointment lodged in his belly. Well, that was that. Apparently he didn’t get the job. Now what?
Feeling numb, he cleaned the cement off the trowel and put away the supplies. That took a few more minutes and still no phone call.
Let go of hope. There’s no point torturing yourself. Accept what is and start making other plans.
“Hey there.” A soft, feminine voice broke through his reverie.
He turned to see Zoey coming through the backyard gate. She wore a short red flared skirt, cute ma
tching sandals that showcased exceptional legs, and a red and white striped tank top. He broke into a smile because she always made him smile even in the face of bad news, but then he noticed she was biting her bottom lip and her big green eyes were misty.
Immediately, he strode toward her, his protective instincts raising the hairs on his arms. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
She clamped her lips together, shook her head.
Alarm lit him up. “Zoey?”
“Eggy’s gone,” she whimpered.
Aw hell. He’d been scared something like this was going to happen. Take one defenseless kitten, mix with one well-meaning but ditzy young woman, and you had a recipe for an accident waiting to happen.
He slid his arms around her. “I’m so sorry, Zoe-Eyes. How’d he die?”
Zoey glowered, planted both palms against his chest, and shoved him backward. “Get off.”
Jericho stumbled. “Whoa, what is it?”
She folded her arms over her chest. “You thought I killed Eggy.”
“I didn’t say that.”
Her green eyes flared to the color of jade and she shifted her hands to her hips, arms akimbo. “You assumed he was dead.”
“You said Eggy was gone. It’s not an illogical assumption.”
“Because I’m such an airhead I can’t even keep a kitten alive,” she said flatly.
“You’re putting words in my mouth.”
“He’s not dead. I did not kill him.” She managed to look both forlorn and irritated at the same time.
Jericho’s heart contracted. Damn, he’d hurt her feelings again. “I jumped to conclusions. My bad.”
“Eggy’s owner reclaimed him. A woman and her seven-year-old daughter had come to visit her older son at Sul Ross and somehow the kitten got out of their car. They didn’t notice that Eggy was missing until they got all the way home to San Antonio. The son saw my posts in the campus newsletter and called me. I just dropped Eggy off at his dorm room. If he hadn’t seen the post when he did, they would have never known what happened to the kitten. This is his last semester at Sul Ross and he just finishing up his finals. He’s leaving Alpine for good next week.”
“Aw, you were within days of keeping Eggy. I’m sorry.”
She forced a smile, but her bottom lip trembled.