by DiAnn Mills
The whole story had fallen into place. But now I wouldn’t live to see justice served.
The car crept ahead. She opened her door, stepped out, and closed it with a wicked smirk.
“It makes more sense to shoot me and then let the car roll over the cliff.”
Victoria laughed. “I need only one more gunshot to make this plan work.”
She had thought of everything. I reached for the door handle.
The door opened and someone yanked me from the rolling vehicle. A few seconds later the car tumbled over the cliff, crashing in monumental bounces down the rock.
I whipped my attention to Nascha. I fell against him. Instantly, he pushed me to the rocky ground and gunfire pierced the air. In the early morning light, I saw blood spurt from his chest, and he slumped over me. I was pinned beneath him.
“Drop the gun,” Tahoma said. “Now, or I’ll shoot.”
My blessed Tahoma. Perhaps the other men were with him.
“Not while I have my gun aimed at Eva.” Victoria’s confidence shook me.
I stared at the ground. Nascha’s rifle was within my grasp, but I’d have to pull it from beneath him. He was dead, I knew it. One more reason Victoria had to be stopped.
Could Tahoma keep her occupied while I wrapped my fingers around the rifle barrel? I wanted to drown in hopelessness, but I refused to give in to the horror.
“Murdock’s men are right behind me,” he said. “We put the pieces together early this morning.”
“Liar. Murdock has no idea about my involvement.”
I inched my fingers toward the rifle barrel.
“Tell that to him. How are you going to explain all these bodies?” Tahoma said.
“Simple. The killer opened fire, and I survived.”
My fingers touched the metal.
“Now, now Victoria. Who would believe your story?”
“Oh, I don’t mind giving myself a small injury. I’ll recover nicely. Enough of this.”
Realizing an incredible amount of strength, I yanked the rifle from beneath Nascha’s limp body, aimed at Victoria, and squeezed the trigger. The crack echoed around me like an omen. Victoria’s eyes flew wide, and she fell backwards over the cliff to the same death she’d planned for me.
Blood rushed to my head, and nausea threatened to overcome me. I shoved aside the rifle and rose to my knees, grief-stricken over Victoria’s treachery and Nascha’s sacrifice. I touched his shoulder, the man who had saved my life. All I could think of was his and my father’s vow had been paid in full with his blood. Tahoma turned his father’s body over to feel for a pulse. He shook his head and closed his father’s eyes.
Tahoma took me into his arms, and we clung to each other. I buried my head in his chest, sobbing for all the useless deaths. Greed. Betrayal.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered. “It shouldn’t have ended like this. Not Nascha.”
“But it is how our fathers lived.” His words were broken by his own grief. “When you love someone, you give your life.”
“All these years I thought Victoria loved me. Instead she despised me…killed my parents…Grandfather…Pete…her brother, and your father.” I looked up into his face. “Did you suspect her?”
“Not until my father indicated she might have been behind the killings.”
“Such a wise man.” I felt numb. Thoughts of the past whirled through me like a spinning top that couldn’t be stopped.
“It’s over, sweetheart,” he whispered repeatedly. “No more running. You’re safe.”
I heard the engine of a vehicle moving closer. Those we loved and cared for were coming to our aid. I bent to touch Tahoma’s father’s face, and for that moment, I treasured the man as though he were my own father. For in truth, he was.
CHAPTER 51
We chose to postpone the wedding for four days in order to bury Tahoma’s father and for the sheriff to settle the murder cases. Mrs. Benally couldn’t attend the marriage ceremony, her grief overwhelming every aspect of her life. Tahoma and I understood her mixed feelings. She loved us, but she loved her husband more.
The morning of our special day bloomed bright and beautiful, just as Nascha and even Grandfather would have wanted it. We’d decided to have the ceremony outside, with a view of the high desert in every direction. I couldn’t help but sense my parents were looking down from heaven and were pleased with the legacy they’d left us. How very tragic that they had died because of the love they possessed for each other. And yet I sensed their blessings on the vows Tahoma and I were prepared to make.
I looped my arm with Mr. Murdock’s at the rear of a small crowd of friends. My mother’s wedding dress, that Victoria had brought, fit as though it had been designed for me. I touched the tiny pearl buttons around my neck and wondered if she had done the same on her wedding day. I’m sure when she married my father, she eagerly looked forward to her new life with visions of happiness and love. Just as I did now.
My Tahoma, my hero, took his place beside the pastor. My gentle warrior wore traditional Navajo dress: tan cotton pants, a concho belt, a blue shirt, and a cotton headband. He looked incredibly handsome. And there was Rex, standing alongside him as the best man. He wore a new shirt and jeans, and a wide grin.
Charlotte began “Wagner’s Bridal Chorus” on her magnificent piano, which had been carried outside for this occasion. My heart fluttered, and I stared into the face of my beloved. I loved this man with all my heart, and we hoped to bless others with what God had given us.
“Are you ready, Eva?” Mr. Murdock said.
“I am.” I smiled up into his face. “Thank you for giving me away.”
“My pleasure. I knew you two were destined to be together the moment I met Tahoma.”
“I think I did too.”
I began my walk toward the man of my dreams. His smile and the love in his eyes promised that whatever the future held, we’d face it together.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Eva had lived a sheltered life, but she’d experienced tragedy. Did anything prepare her for witnessing her grandfather’s murder?
How did you feel about Mr. Murdock?
Tahoma lived an unusual life for a Navajo. Did you feel he truly cared for his people?
Miss Arnold befriended Eva, but did you trust her?
Which one of the Monarch boys was your favorite? Why?
What motivated Eva to fit into her new life at Ghost Ranch?
In your opinion, what person at the Ghost Ranch was determined to betray Eva?
Have you ever known anyone like Nascha?
What were Eva’s finest qualities?
What were Eva’s weaknesses?
What were Tahoma’s strengths?
What were Tahoma’s weaknesses?
Eva became a Christian during a dangerous situation. Did you think she was sincere at the time?
Were you surprised when Eva accepted the job as a teacher on the Navajo Reservation?
Do you think Eva and Tahoma lived a happily-ever-after life? Why or why not?
AUTHOR BIO
Award-winning author DiAnn Mills launched her career in 1998 with the publication of her first book. Currently she has fifty books in print and has sold over 1.5 million copies.
DiAnn believes her readers should “Expect an Adventure.” She is a fiction writer who combines an adventuresome spirit with unforgettable characters to create action-packed novels.
Six of her titles have appeared on the CBA Bestseller List. Three of her books have won the distinction of Best Historical of the Year by Heartsong Presents. Five of her books have won placements through American Christian Fiction Writer’s Book of the Year Awards 2003 – 2008, and she is the recipient of the Inspirational Reader’s Choice award for 2005, 2007, and 2010. She was a Christy Award finalist in 2008 and a Christy Award winner in 2010.
DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Inspirational Writers Alive, Romance Writers of America’s Faith, Ho
pe and Love, and Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is also the Craftsman Mentor for Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writer’s Guild.
She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.
www.diannmills.com
When I Fall in Love
Romance with a Nostalgic Beat
Do you remember the song that was playing during your first kiss? Can you still sing the lyrics to the tune you and your first love called “our song”? If so, you are going to love Summerside’s When I Fall in Love™ fiction line. Each book in the When I Fall in Love ™ nostalgic romance line, set in the 1920s through the 1970s, will carry the title of a familiar love song and will feature new, original romance stories set in the era of its title song’s release.
Watch for the new When I Fall in Love ™ titles to release in 2011:
Baby, It’s Cold Outside BY SUSAN MAY WARREN
Five strangers with broken hearts, one raging blizzard. Will a warm fire and a string of Christmas lights provide the perfect remedy?
It’s been years since Edith Miller hosted the annual Snowflake, Minnesota, Christmas Extravaganza. After her son was killed in the war some five years ago, her Christmas spirit died along with him. So she is more than happy to loan all her Christmas decorations to Stella Hanson, the new teacher in town. After all, what does she have to celebrate? But when the blizzard of the decade traps Stella—and four other wanderers—in Edith’s home, Edith finds that by opening her door, she just might open her heart to a new reason celebrate Christmas.
Strangers in the Night BY PATRICIA RUSHFORD
All Abbie Campbell wants is to protect her daughter…and stay out of jail. But the handsome stranger with Frank Sinatra eyes seems determined to change everything.
Abbie Campbell has been running from the law for two years when Jake Connors, a friend of her parents, convinces her that it’s time to return home. Back in the beautiful northwest, Abbie works to turn the old lumber town of Cold Creek into an artist retreat. But falling in love isn’t the only challenge Abbie faces—the worst of which is a killer who seems determined to stop her at all costs.
Be on the lookout for future When I Fall in Love™ nostalgic romance titles by authors Deborah Raney, Anita Higman, and more.
American Tapestries™
HISTORICAL ROMANCE IN NEW FRONTIERS
New to release in 2011, American Tapestries™ is a line of historical romances that celebrates America’s history with heart-stirring love stories set across the expanse of her plains and prairies, coastlines and cities. Whether they helped build the industrial centers of the East Coast or forged new paths into the Western frontier, a diverse tapestry of immigrants and settlers flooded this Land of Opportunity in past centuries in pursuit of freedom and a brighter future. Behind each of these brave souls are the threads of a story begging to be told. Then, as now, the search for romance was a big part of the American dream. Summerside Press invites lovers of historical romance stories to fall in love with this line, and with America, all over again.
Don’t miss these American Tapestries™ inaugural titles!
The Wedding Kiss BY HANNAH ALEXANDER
A kiss can be life changing. When Keara and Elam Jensen share their first kiss on their wedding day, a marriage of convenience becomes much less convenient! It also becomes more than they expected when God shows them what He really has in store for their lives. Will their mysteriously injured visitor ruin their future, or will her influence—and her personal battle—draw them into deadly danger? Visit Eureka Springs, Arkansas, in 1901, and discover for yourself what excitement and romance await along the White River Hollow.
From This Day Forward BY MARGARET DALEY
Penniless, pregnant, and newly widowed immigrant Rachel Gordon doesn’t believe her situation could get any worse…until she meets her new neighbors.
Shortly after the War of 1812, Rachel and her husband set out from England for a plantation in South Carolina, which he had purchased sight unseen. However, while en route, Tom Gordon fell overboard and drowned, leaving Rachel, frightened and alone, to make a home for her and her newborn. Can a battle-scarred American physician who comes to her rescue also heal her wounded heart?
Watch for future Summerside Press historical romance titles by these great authors—DiAnn Mills, Vickie McDonough, Janice Hanna, Susan May Warren…and more!