Her Destiny

by Aimée Thurlo

  Gabriel muttered an oath. He’d have to go look for her. He crouched by the ground, studied the direction of the tracks, then returned to his Jeep. He’d cover ground faster that way.

  Gabriel drove slowly into the forest, remembering a time long ago when he’d gone to rescue his two younger brothers from a similar situation. He’d broken Lucas’s nose that time for taking good-natured Joshua along on a beer bust that had gone wrong. Not that Joshua needed his protection, even back then.

  Gabriel kept his eyes on the trail ahead, focusing on the present. Duty defined him, as did the badge he carried, and he had a job to do. The last thing he needed now was a flat tire, and between the rocks and the smoke, the area was as safe as a minefield.

  He’d been driving around for about an hour before he finally saw her. She’d climbed up onto a rock outcropping and was now trapped by a circle of burning brush and grass.

  LANIE STARED in horror at the thick sheets of smoke that engulfed the desert floor. How could everything have gone so wrong? It had been beautiful this morning, a perfect time for a hike, the temperature cool and pleasant, the air stirred by a gentle breeze.

  Then, within a half hour, everything had changed. The breeze had become a gust of wind, and smoke from several locations downhill had started filling up the canyons. An idyllic morning had suddenly turned into a nightmarish vision from Hell.

  Lanie wasted no time, hurrying back toward her camp, always moving away from the smoke. Then the fire jumped the narrow canyon she’d been crossing, forcing her to climb the rocky slope as fire quickly surrounded her.

  Smoke stung her eyes, her throat and lungs, making her cough despite the bandanna she’d tied over her nose and mouth. With each passing second, her thoughts were becoming more muddled, her mind encased in a fog as thick as the smoke encircling her.

  It was all too clear, however, that nothing but a miracle would save her now. Her heart felt leaden. She’d made so many mistakes in her life, but she’d still dared to dream. In the past few months, those dreams had been pushed deep inside her, but not discarded. With sorrow, she faced the possibility that they’d never have a chance to become real.

  She searched in desperation for a sign of hope. As a flicker of movement caught her attention, Lanie squinted, trying to focus. Swirling images swam before her.

  Suddenly she saw a figure cloaked in gray, running through the ring of fire. He was coming directly toward her.

  Wondering if she was hallucinating, she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the specter she’d seen braving the flames had reached her and was lifting her into his arms. He pressed her against his hard, muscled chest until she could hear his heart drumming fast and strong. His breath touched her cheek above the bandanna as he whispered something she couldn’t quite make out.

  Maybe it was all a wild, wonderful fantasy before death. Yet as the thought formed, his arms wrapped even tighter around her, and she knew he was real.

  Encircled by the flame-retardant blanket and her rescuer’s strong embrace, she surrendered to the dark oblivion that called gently to her.

  AWARENESS RETURNED slowly to Lanie. “Easy.” she heard a man’s deep voice say as he pulled down the bandanna she’d used to filter the air. “You passed out from the heat and smoke, but you’re okay now. Just don’t rush it.”

  Lanie’s vision was still hazy, and she blinked madly, trying to make out his face. She was resting against him, but she had neither the desire nor the will to move away from the strength and comfort of his arms. Slowly, like a photograph developing before her eyes, her vision cleared.

  Though streaked with sweat and ashes, the Navajo man who held her was devastatingly handsome. His hair was black, long enough to touch his shoulders. His eyes were like a moonless night that seemed to explode from within with a brilliance that made her breath catch in her throat

  “Good. You’re really with me now,” he murmured. “Stick around this time.” His smile was dazzling, filled with tender concern.

  The warmth of his breath touched her face like a lover’s caress. She moistened her dry lips with the tip of her tongue, and heard him draw in a breath.

  “You’re an irresistible temptation, woman. Forgive me for taking advantage of you,” he murmured.

  He leaned over, taking her mouth with his own. His lips moved over hers, barely touching, yet so persuasive she couldn’t help but respond.

  Caught in a swirl of sensations, she felt a tremor ripple through her. He had sheltered her while they’d escaped die blaze, but in his arms, she was finding another kind of fire—one with the power to blaze a path to her soul.

  He drew away slowly. “I hope you won’t begrudge me that reward.”

  “Not at all.” Lanie took a deep breath and smiled. “But now the debt’s been paid. We’re even.”

  He laughed. “If you say so.”

  Lanie sat up, moving away from him as she looked around the unfamiliar room. “Who are you, and where am I?”

  “You’re safe and you’re in my town. I’m Sheriff Gabriel Blackhorse. Welcome to Four Winds.”

  Chapter Two

  Gabriel watched her appreciatively as she stood up, glad she hadn’t been injured. She was a strikingly beautiful woman. Her eyes were light brown, almost the color of brown sugar. A man could drown in the sultry warmth of that gaze. Her hair fell softly down her shoulders in a cascade of brown and gold that tempted him with its promise of softness and femininity.

  She looked around, taking in the empty infirmary. “What’s this place?”

  “My brother Lucas runs this first-aid station. He’s out on a call right now, though he did check you over before he left. He said you should take it easy for a while.”

  “I’m okay, really.” She walked slowly to the window and looked outside. “My car…my things?” she asked. “Did the fire destroy everything?”

  Her voice became so taut, he was suddenly very sure that she’d carried everything she owned in that car. What this beauty was doing on the road definitely intrigued him. “Your car and possessions are probably just fine. The fire got out of hand for a while, but the worst of it, at least where your car was parked, was the smoke.”

  “Is it safe to return now? Even my purse is back there.” He nodded. “If you’d like, I can drive you back. The forest service and the volunteer fire department have things under control now.”

  “I’d appreciate a ride, if you don’t mind.” Lanie looked down at her watch, and was surprised to see it was after noon already.

  “You know my name,” he said casually, “but I still don’t know yours.”

  She gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m Lanie Mathews.”

  “Were you on your way to Four Winds? You were camped just off the one road leading in and out of town. This place originally was the end of an old railway spur.”

  “No, I was just passing through this part of the state. I took the wrong road out of Santa Fe, but didn’t figure it out until late last night,” she answered. “If my car’s okay, I intend to be on my way shortly.”

  “Where to?”

  She paused. “East.”

  “Vacation?” he prodded.

  “Just traveling,” she answered with a shrug.

  A woman of mystery. Well, he couldn’t blame her. In fact, if anything, she fit right in around here. He should have been used to it. People in Four Winds always held back more than they shared about themselves.

  Gabriel walked outside with Lanie and saw her glance around in confusion. He knew what she was thinking. There were no buildings around, except for the one they stood before. Her gaze darted around the low, pinecovered hills on either side of the narrow valley.

  “Where’s the rest of the town?” she asked finally.

  “Main street is on a stretch of highway farther west. My brother chose this spot for the clinic because it’s so quiet.” Although Lanie was clearly making a valiant effort at conversation, Gabriel could feel her tension. As they got under way, she sat rigi
d, worry clouding her features.

  “What’s troubling you?” he asked.

  “My car is very important to me. If anything has happened to my transportation, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

  “Don’t worry. Four Winds is a hospitable town.”

  “I’m sure, but I have my own plans, and staying here for more than a day or two isn’t part of them.”

  “Why the rush?” Gabriel’s cop instinct was too sharply tuned to allow that comment to pass.

  Lanie glanced at him, then back out the window, allowing the silence to stretch. “I’m very grateful that you helped me out during the fire and took care of me until I woke up,” she said at last. “But what I choose to do with my life is my own business.”

  “Fine by me,” he answered with a shrug. Lanie Mathews sure wasn’t big on trusting people. Then again, he had to admit that wasn’t exactly a bad thing, not for a beautiful woman traveling alone. She’d be safer that way.

  The drive to the highway took them through Four Winds, and he couldn’t resist showing off his town. “Most of the buildings have been modernized, but we still take pride in our sense of history here. The post office dates back to the early 1800s. If you look, you can see we kept the hitching post, though kids are the only ones who ever ride up on horseback these days.”

  “The narrow cobblestone streets are unusual. And everything is so clean,” she said. “No litter. Anywhere.”

  “We’re proud of our town, and that’s one of the ways we show it.”

  “I like old adobe buildings. You don’t see real adobe much anymore, with those thick, low walls bordering the front of the properties.”

  “I’ve always liked those, too.”

  As they reached the main highway and headed toward her camp, he gave her a long sideways glance. “Have you done much camping before?”

  He saw her hesitate. The woman just wasn’t much on talking about herself.

  “I know what I’m doing,” she answered at last. “If you’re thinking that somehow I started the fire—”

  He shook his head. “Relax. I’m not accusing you of anything,” he interrupted. “I know you weren’t responsible. The forest service was burning away some underbrush near here to avoid a bigger fire later on, and things got out of hand.”

  His answer seemed to reassure her, but her wariness continued to pique his interest and curiosity. Though she didn’t seem afraid of him or of his badge, she was on the run from something, sure as anything.

  He mulled it over as he turned off the highway and traveled across a smoking, charred meadow that had been overrun by fire. It was strange how Four Winds seemed to draw people with more than a fair share of secrets. Of course, he could include himself in that assessment.

  Lanie leaned forward and gripped the dashboard of the Jeep as they approached her camp. “I got lucky! My car looks fine, and my tent wasn’t touched!”

  “Let’s go take a closer look.” He pulled to a stop and walked toward the camp with her.

  Her car and tent were covered with ashes and soot, but both were undamaged. As he stopped beside the sedan, he noted the tires were almost bald, and the paint was so dull and faded, even the soot and dust didn’t seem to matter much. It was a ten-year-old model that had seen a lot of miles.

  “I’ll be okay now,” she assured him. “Thanks for the lift.”

  For some crazy reason, he hated the idea of leaving Lanie now. He glanced at her car and found himself hoping it really was on its last legs, as its appearance certainly seemed to suggest. “Before I leave, why don’t you start up your car, just to make sure it’s working?”

  “If that car made it through the fire, it can handle anything. Don’t worry.” But she slipped behind the wheel and switched on the ignition. The car sputtered and almost caught a few times before the battery finally ran down.

  Gabriel hooked up jumper cables, and Lanie tried several more times. Finally she leaned back on the seat dejectedly. “I don’t understand. It was working before. The fire didn’t come close enough to it to do any damage, and it’s not like I parked it in the city where kids could have tampered with something.”

  “Let me see if I can figure out what’s wrong.” He checked the battery connections and a few other things, but there was nothing he could see to account for the car’s refusal to start. Finally he gave up, admitting to himself that even if it made him a dirt bag, he was glad she’d be sticking around. “I’ll get Charley out here for you. He runs the gas station in Four Winds. If he can’t start it, he can tow it into town and take care of it there.”

  “Towing’s expensive…” she said under her breath. “And I have a feeling that car repairs will be, too. But I don’t have a choice.”

  “Charley’s honest. He won’t take advantage of a stranger.”

  “All right. While you contact him, I’ll gather up my camping gear and put it in the car. I can’t just leave my stuff out here.”

  “Give me a minute, and I’ll help you break camp.”

  “No need.” She glanced at her tent. “I only unloaded a few personal things.”

  He followed her gaze and glanced at her tent. The memory of her soft lace bra and the lavender panties taunted him, making his body tense. He looked at the ground and focused his thoughts on business. “Suit yourself.”

  She took down the tent like an expert while he radioed into town for a tow truck. By the time he finished, she was already loading her car. Boxes filled with textbooks and what appeared to be lesson plans were crammed into the back, along with boxes marked Shoes and Clothes.

  “You’re a teacher?” he asked.

  “I used to be. I’m not anymore.”

  He noted there was a sad twist to her words, though herexpression had remained neutral. “What do you do nowadays?”

  “Any honest job that allows me to pick up enough cash to stay on the road.”

  Maybe it was that curious blend of vulnerability and toughness that drew him, or maybe he just knew what it. was like to go it alone. This woman stirred him, touching him on more levels than he would have thought possible. The way she looked into his eyes when she spoke, and the haunted look there, really tugged at him. And that meant big trouble unless he watched himself.

  “How long will it take Charley to drive out here?” Lanie asked, interrupting his thoughts.

  “About an hour, maybe a little longer. But if you have no place in particular to go, why are you in such a rush?” he asked, even though he thought he knew the answer. Her hurry was so much like a bilagáana. Anglos were always fighting the clock, even when there was no need.

  He saw her open her mouth as if to speak, then shut it. For that brief instant, the promise in her parted lips brought on the urge to kiss her again, to burst through that reserve of hers in the most primitive way of all. Cursing himself, he disciplined his thoughts. The time for them was already past. They’d shared an adventure and a moment. Now it was time to move on.

  “I’m going to turn official now and check out the area making sure everything’s okay and that there are no more stranded campers anywhere. Why don’t you come with me? I can take you into town as soon as I’m done, and you can meet Charley there.”

  She shook her head. “I’ll stay here. Thanks for everything, Sheriff, and good luck.” She extended her hand to him.

  It was a cool goodbye after their intimate kiss, but he took her hand, glad for the chance to touch her one last time. Her hand felt soft and small against his.

  “Take care of yourself.” He walked away, determined not to glance back. She didn’t want him here, and he would never push himself on anyone. The fact that he wanted to stay was enough of a danger sign. She appealed to him in such a strong way that it made him jittery. As he stepped inside his vehicle, he heard her soft voice one more time.

  “Goodbye, Gabriel.” Her whisper barely rose over the rustle of the wind as it sighed through the pines.

  Her voice echoed in his mind as he drove away, his gut in a kno
t. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had called his name in a voice as soft as that. He ran an exasperated hand through his hair. Brushing back the crazy emotions bouncing around inside of him, he kept his eyes on the road ahead.

  LANIE SAT DOWN on an old stump several feet away from her car. Back on that rocky outcropping, she’d prayed for a miracle. What she’d received was a flesh-and-blood man who was equal parts lightning, fire and magic all at once. What a devastating package! She closed her eyes, remembering his kiss, and pictured him here with her now. He was big and strong, yet so tender as his roughened palms touched her skin. His mouth was gentle over hers, leading her down a path of fire and velvety soft caresses. A long, delicious shiver traveled up her spine.

  She forced open her eyes. That was enough of that. A clear head. That’s what she needed now. She glanced at her car, wondering anew why it wouldn’t start. It seemed fate was against her. The darned thing had been just fine the evening before, and the fire hadn’t even come close to it!

  Here in the middle of nowhere, she wasn’t sure what she’d do if the repairs and the tow cost more than the one hundred dollars she had left. Not many jobs would be available in a small town like Four Winds.

  Time dragged, each minute increasing her irritation. She wanted—no, she needed—to keep moving. Where was that Charley?

  Two hours had passed when Lanie finally heard the sound of a vehicle approaching from the direction of the highway. A moment later, a black-and-white tow truck appeared. A man in his early forties, wearing dark blue, grease-stained overalls climbed out of the truck and smiled at her.

  “I’m Charley. You must be the lady Sheriff Blackhorse called about.”

  She nodded. “My name’s Lanie. I had to leave my car here because of the fire, and though it looks okay, for some strange reason it just won’t start.”

  “I’m the best mechanic around, don’t you worry. If anyone can get it going, I can.”

  “I don’t have a lot of money,” she warned.