Navajo's Woman

by Beverly Barton

  Andi woke with a start, tears streaming down her face and her body trembling with anger and fear. Her gaze focused on the man who held her shoulders and shook her gently.

  "Joe!" She rose from her reclining position and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, thank God, it was just a nightmare." With her mind still partially in that hellish dream state, she clung to Joe with all her might.

  "It's all right, Andrea, I'm here." Joe pressed his lips against her right temple, his breath warm on her face. "You're safe and I'm safe."

  "But it was so real," she said. "I can't believe that it was nothing more than a bad dream. I'm awake, but I feel as if what I saw and what I felt really happened." She pulled back, then grasped his face, her hands cupping his cheeks. "He shot you. Oh, Joe, he shot you in the back."

  Joe rubbed her neck, her shoulders and down her spine, his touch caressing, circling, soothing her. "Nobody shot me. I'm fine."

  "I know." She sighed deeply. "I know it was only a nightmare, but it was—"

  "You're worried about Russ and about what will hap­pen at the fair when he meets Jewel," Joe told her. "All those worries stirred up your subconscious mind and cre­ated that bad dream. And that's all it was, just a dream."

  "No! No, it was more than a dream." She tightened her hold on his face as she gazed into his eyes. "Don't you see—it was a premonition. I have them all the time. Odd feelings. Strange worries when something bad is about to happen." She released his face and clutched his shoulders. "But this is the first time I've ever dreamed about what is going to happen."

  "Andi, listen to yourself," Joe said. "You're talking nonsense."

  "It's not nonsense." She dug her fingers into his flesh. "You know that premonitions are possible, that visions can be real."

  "For a yataalii, yes, but not for—"

  “You can't go to the fair. Do you hear me? If you go to the fair and try to protect Russ, you'll get shot. . .in the back."

  "You're getting all upset for nothing."

  Joe took her in his arms and caressed her, slowly and sensuously. She shivered as pleasure mixed with the fear that had been tormenting her. He kissed her neck and nuzzled her shoulder. She sighed. While he delved his hands beneath the sheet to fondle her naked hips, he low­ered his head until his mouth could reach her breast.

  Realizing that he was trying to use seduction to take her mind off her nightmare, Andi forked her fingers through Joe's hair and clutched the back of his head. "I won't forget the dream," she told him. "I know it was a premonition. You can't go to the fair. You must let—"

  He sucked hard on her breast. She gasped as the sen­sations spiraled from her nipple to the very depths of her femininity.

  "Let's talk about the dream later," he murmured as he moved to her other breast to give it equal attention.

  "Mmm." She knew she was fighting a losing battle at the moment, she could not resist Joe's touch. But the war was yet to be won. After the loving, reality would return, and then she would make him listen to her and take her premonition as a real warning.

  Joe whipped back the covers, exposing their naked bod­ies. The moment she ran her hand over his chest, he dipped his fingers between her feminine folds and found her hot and wet and ready. She closed her thighs to cap­ture his hand, and when she did, he cupped her hip with his other hand and lifted her, nudging her until she rolled over on top of him.

  She pushed herself into a sitting position, straddling him. His sex pulsed against her, big and hard and de­manding. She leaned forward, offering him her breasts, and rubbed herself intimately over his arousal. He clutched her hips and repositioned her just enough to seek entrance into her body. She happily accommodated him, sliding over his erection and opening herself for his up­ward thrust. She settled around him, moaning with plea­sure at the fullness he created within her. Large, hot and throbbing. She ached with wanting.

  Joe waited. She understood that he was giving her the power to set the rhythm, to be the one in control. Like round ripe globes, her breasts dangled over his mouth, and he quickly took advantage of their nearness. While she sat astride him, loving the feel of him buried deep inside her, he began a tender assault on her breasts. Suckling greedily at one breast, he massaged the other nipple with his thumb and forefinger.

  Her femininity clenched tightly as quivers of arousal spread throughout her body, tapping along her nerve end­ings, tightening her muscles and melting her bones. While pleasure rippled through her, encouraging her to seek more, to demand all that was possible, Andi moved. Up and down. Up and down. She found her pressure point and rode it hard against Joe's erection.

  He continued the attention to her breasts, his mouth moving with frenzied lust from one nipple to the other as he stroked her hips. Andi's body tightened around Joe's shaft, clasping him securely as the first waves of her cli­max washed over her. Then and only then did Joe join in the sexual movements. While she came apart in his arms, he intensified his thrusts until completion claimed her in a maelstrom of spasms. She cried out, gasping for air, thrilling from the indescribable pleasure. Her release trig­gered his, and Joe's big hands bit into the flesh of her hips and held her in place for the final series of fast, hard, repetitive lunges. He went dead still, groaning deep in his throat, and then trembled from head to toe.

  They clung to each other as the aftershocks of fulfill­ment flowed over them and slowly diminished, leaving them relaxed and sated. Andi's body meshed with Joe's as she lay atop him, her breathing slow and steady, her heartbeat matching his to perfection.

  Suddenly Joe's cell phone rang. He grumbled. Andi slipped to his side, allowing him to rise from the bed and search for his jeans. He found them where he'd left them the night before—tossed across the settee.

  He snatched the phone out of its holder and flipped it open. "Ornelas, here."

  “Joe, this is David Wolfe. Hunter and I have just ar­rived in Gallup and have taken a motel room. Do you want us to go straight to the hospital or meet you some­where else?"

  "No, I want you to go to Rehoboth McKinley right now," Joe said. "I've already cleared things with the lo­cal authorities. They're expecting you and Hunter. All you have to do is show them your identification. I want one of you with Eddie at all times. Break up the twenty-four hours any way you like."

  "Do we have clearance to stay in the room with your nephew?"

  “Yes, even when a doctor or a member of the medical staff is with him. Dr. Shull understands that you two are professionals who will in no way interfere with Eddie's medical treatment."

  "Then I'll see you at the hospital later today," Wolfe said.

  "Yeah. I'll be stopping by soon. Thanks, Wolfe. I'm glad you and Hunter are here to keep an eye on Eddie."

  Joe closed his phone and tossed it on top of his wrin­kled jeans, then went back to the bed and sat on the edge. Andi sat up, wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his naked back.

  "I take it that the Dundee agents have arrived in Gal­lup."

  "Yeah, now I won't have to worry about Eddie's safety. No way anybody's going to get to him except through Hunter and Wolfe. And believe me, that isn't go­ing to happen."

  "I wish Russ were half as safe." Andi sighed.

  Joe turned, lifted her into his arms and placed her on his lap. "We're going to make sure Russ is safe, too. My top priority is to bring your brother home and get him out of this mess he's in."

  She hugged Joe. "We're so lucky to have you to look out for us, to care about Russ. I love you for being the kind of man you are."

  He kissed her forehead. "You have no idea how much your opinion matters to me."

  "I didn't. Not before. But I think I do now."

  Jewel paced the floor in her bedroom. She felt trapped. Would she ever be free again? It had been bad enough before, when she had lived in fear that Russ or Eddie would show up on her doorstep and Bobby Yazzi's killer would be right behind them. But now—now that the po­lice knew the truth, that she had witnessed Bobby's mur­de
r, that she could identify LeCroy Lanza—her fear had grown.

  And since Lieutenant Benny Gishi had moved in with her family yesterday, posing as a relative, she had no sanctuary even in her own home. When the police officer had come to her parents and told them all about the night she had been with Russ Lapahie and Eddie Whitehorn, her mother had wept and her father had barely controlled his rage. But they had agreed with Lieutenant Gishi that the only way to keep their daughter safe was to help bring Russ in so that he and Jewel could testify against LeCroy Lanza and put him behind bars for the rest of his life. Once Russ was in custody, a warrant could be issued for Lanza's arrest.

  She hadn't wanted to take part in the ruse that was planned to bring Russ out into the open but when her father had said she would cooperate, she'd known she had no choice. They had been waiting more than twenty-four hours for Russ to call again. Every time the phone rang she nearly jumped out of her skin. She wasn't sure how good an actress she was. Would she be able to convince Russ that she was willing to meet him? Or would he im­mediately sense that she was part of a grand scheme to trap him?

  A soft knock sounded on her door. She breathed deeply and said, "Come in."

  Her brother Leo entered carrying a tray of food. "You haven't eaten anything all day," he said. "You're wor­rying Mama. Try to eat just a little something. It will make you feel better."

  "I don't think I can eat a bite." She eyed the stew and the slice of cake, and knew if she ate anything, she would throw up.

  "Russ will call again, and you'll set up a date to meet him at the fair. When this Lanza guy shows up, the police will capture him." Leo placed the tray on her bed, then took her hands in his. "You're going to be okay, little sister. What you're doing is a brave thing, and your family is very proud of you."

  "I'm so scared. I'm afraid to sleep. I keep having these dreams about the night Bobby was killed. Sometimes Bobby turns into Russ and sometimes he turns into me. But every time, LeCroy Lanza is laughing as he kills us."

  Leo squeezed her hands. "Lanza will not be laughing when the police arrest him."

  The phone in the living room rang. Jewel tensed. Leo gripped her hands even tighter. She whimpered. Almost immediately her father appeared in the doorway.

  "Someone wishes to speak to you," Dan Begay said.

  "Is it—"

  Her father nodded. "It is a young man."

  Like a condemned prisonor taking that last walk from her cell to the place of execution, Jewel left her bedroom and shambled across the floor as if she had leg irons at­tached to her ankles. With a trembhng hand, she picked up the receiver from where her father had placed it on the table.

  "Hello?"

  "Jewel, don't hang up. Damn it, don't hang up!" "Russ, are you all right?"

  She heard a whoosh of air and knew he had released a pent-up breath.

  "I'm alive. But I've run out of money and I'm sleeping in a shack and I haven't eaten since yesterday."

  "I'm sorry that I hung up on you before, but I was afraid to talk to you."

  "I understand," he said. "Look, Jewel, have you heard anything about Eddie?"

  "Oh. Yes, yes, I have. He's going to be all right. He's still in the hospital, but they say he's in stable condition."

  "That's great. I sure messed up bad and nearly got my best friend killed."

  "Russ, I know that you need for me to tell the police about what happened at Bobby's that night, about how—''

  "Will you do it, Jewel? Will you really go to the police and tell them?"

  "I—I might." She had to make this sound convincing, had to make sure Russ believed her. "Before I agree to go to the police, I want to see you. I want to talk to you."

  "Yeah. Sure. You name the place. But it has to be somewhere I think is safe for me to show up."

  "I've been thinking about that and I have the perfect solution." Jewel clutched the phone until her knuckles ached from the tension. "The Navajo Nation Fair is going on in Window Rock this week. You know how crowded it will be. No one would notice us meeting in a crowd that large."

  "Good idea. When will you be there?"

  "My whole family is attending this year," she said. "My parents, Leo and I will leave for Window Rock in the morning. If you can meet me at the entrance to the arts and crafts building around noon, we can find some­place to go and talk. Just the two of us."

  "I'll meet you. And Jewel. . ."

  "Yes?"

  "Do you think you could bring me some food?" Russ laughed, and the sound was so hollow and sad that Jewel almost burst into tears.

  "I—" she swallowed her tears "—I'll bring you some mutton and fry bread."

  "With roasted green chilies. I'll dream about it to­night."

  "Russ?"

  "Yeah?"

  "Be very careful."

  "Thanks, Jewel. I'll see you tomorrow."

  "Okay. Yes. I'll meet you tomorrow. At noon."

  "I will be there." Russ paused, his breathing hard, as if he were trying to build up the nerve to say something. "Jewel, you wouldn't betray me, would you?"

  "Oh!" she gasped. I must say the right thing, she told herself. If I screw up. . . "I promise that I am on your side. I will prove it to you tomorrow."

  The dial tone hummed in her ear. She replaced the re­ceiver and turned to Lieutenant Gishi. "Everything is set. He's going to meet me at the entrance to the arts and crafts building at noon tomorrow."

  When the word came in from the Tribal Police that Russ had contacted Jewel and everything was set for noon tomorrow, Andi had become a hyperactive demon. She couldn't sit still, couldn't calm down, couldn't be pacified in any way. Finally Joe gave up and suggested they drive out to Blackwood Ranch for a visit. Going to see the new baby was the only thing Joe hadn't tried—it was a last resort. But he figured that if anything or anyone could take Andi's mind off the uncertain outcome of tomorrow's events, holding Mary Helene and playing with the other children might do the trick.

  Watching Andi now as she cuddled Mary Helene in her arms, Joe knew he'd done the right thing. The stress had begun to take a toll on Andi and on him. He had promised her that nothing bad would happen to Russ. He had every intention of keeping that vow, even if it meant laying his own life on the line. Once again he was a hero in Andi's eyes. She trusted him. He would rather die than ever lose her trust and have her look at him with anger and disdain.

  "I hate to break up this cuddle-fest," Joanna said. "But it's feeding time for my little girl."

  Andi kissed Mary Helene on the forehead, then handed her over to her mother and stood. "You're so lucky. You have everything that's important. A husband who wor­ships you and four fantastic children."

  Joanna glanced in Joe's direction, then looked at Andi and smiled. "You'll have everything that I do one of these days. You just wait and see."

  Joe looked away and caught J.T. staring right at him. He knew something was up, but J.T. didn't want to speak in front of the ladies.

  "I could use a walk after that big dinner Rita fixed for us," Joe said. "How about it, J.T., want to go with me?"

  "Yeah, I think I will." Before he left, J.T. wrapped his arm around Joanna, leaned over and planted a kiss on his daughter's cheek. "We'll be just outside if you need us."

  Joe had to avert his eyes. The look of love that passed between J.T. and Joanna was such an intensely private thing that he felt embarrassed and yet privileged to have witnessed it. Joe's gaze lifted and immediately connected with Andi's. His gut tightened. Was it love he saw in her eyes, or simply an illusion because love was what he wanted to see? Being around J.T. and Joanna certainly had a way of making a man think about what he did and didn't want for himself in the future.

  Do I want a wife and children? he asked himself. And the answer came to him immediately—a resounding yes. But could Andi be that wife, the mother of those children?

  J.T. nodded toward the foyer. “Ready?''

  "Yeah."

  The two men went outside. The September night air had
a bit of a nip to it. J.T. stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and leaned against the wrought-iron gate that separated the small private yard from the outer grounds.

  "You realize that everything has to go down perfectly for us to pull this off tomorrow without a hitch," J.T. said.

  "What are you trying to say to me?"

  "We all agree that you shouldn't go to the fair tomor­row," J.T. said.

  "Who's we?"

  “Bill Cummings and Sawyer McNamara from the FBI. We know you aren't Russ's favorite person, so—"

  "I'm going to be there," Joe said. "I'll stay out of the way, but if anything goes wrong, I'm coming in. I prom­ised Andi that I'd make sure nothing bad happens to her brother. Surely, you understand how I feel."

  "I understand that you're taking a risk by even being there. What if something does go wrong and you can't stop it? You've got an honest-to-God second chance with Andi, but if you're there tomorrow and things go badly, she might blame you. Are you willing to take that risk?"

  "I've promised her that I'll protect Russ. How can I keep that promise if I'm not there, taking responsibility for safeguarding his life?''

  "Let me take that responsibility," J.T. said. "I've al­ready asked Wolfe to be on hand to help me out, so there's no need—"

  "I'm going to the fair tomorrow with Andi. I don't like her being there, but she wants to go and I've accepted the fact that I can't stop her," Joe said. "Right before noon, I'll get out of the way and let you take over. But I'll be close by."

  J.T. grunted. "You and Andi should stay away and let us handle things."

  "I can't do that," Joe admitted. "And neither can Andi."

  LeCroy Lanza nursed the glass of whiskey, then lifted the tumbler to his lips and downed the last drops of the hundred-proof. He wouldn't be drinking any more tonight. He didn't want to wake with a hangover in the morning. Tomorrow his head had to be clear and his hand steady. He had a big job to do—eliminate the only two witnesses to Bobby Yazzi's murder.

  One of his loyal informants had called him with the news. There had been a girl with Russ Lapahie that night, just as LeCroy had first thought. Eddie Whitehorn hadn't witnessed the murder.