North Rim Delight

by Regina Duke

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  About the Author

  NORTH RIM DELIGHT

  by

  Regina Duke

  North Rim Delight

  Copyright © 2011 Linda White

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from Regina Duke.

  Published by Amazon KDP

  Seattle, WA

  Electronic KDP Edition: July, 2011

  This book is a work of fiction and all characters exist solely in the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Any references to places, events or locales are used in a fictitious manner.

  This book was formatted for Kindle and Nook by Sandra Edwards

  Cover design by Sandra Edwards. Images obtained from Romance Novel Covers and Fotolia.com.

  Acknowledgments

  I would like to thank Janet Maker, DVM for her technical advice, encouragement, and many years of devotion to the health of my dogs. Many thanks also to Stan and Judi Mund for advice on handguns, ammo, and CCWs. Any errors in this work lie solely with the author, not with her sources. And I also thank the ladies in my writers’ group for all their help and support.

  CHAPTER ONE

  HE PUSHED ME!

  Terri flew over the guard rail, headed for a tumble into the Grand Canyon.

  Somewhere in mid-air, adrenaline kicked in.

  It’s true, she thought. The world does slow to a crawl when you’re about to die.

  She saw the Canyon beyond the rim, its ochres, tans, and golds muted in the glare of the afternoon sun.

  I should be dying at sunset, she thought. That’s when the colors are most glorious.

  She saw the ground floating up to meet her. She was going to bounce. She would hit the rim and flop off into the Canyon. Not very graceful.

  As that thought whizzed by, her body retrieved the memory of a long forgotten gymnastics class. Tuck and roll. Muscle fiber and nerve endings worked together to twist her in the air. She put out her hands to meet the earth, and her body had every confidence that she would gather her legs beneath her and land like an athlete, agile and ready to spring back at her attacker.

  Unfortunately, her mind was not informed of the game plan. One hand was still clinging to her tote bag. It thumped the ground beneath her. At the very moment her feet were scheduled to perform their maneuver, panic choked her and ruined her timing. When her feet landed, they skidded sideways in the gravel and slid right over the edge.

  Ouch! That’s going to hurt, she thought as her bare legs scraped the rocks at the rim. Note to self. In the future, do not wear hiking shorts to a disaster.

  A part of her mind bubbled with hysterical laughter as she realized that the pain would be momentary. It would end at the bottom of the Canyon, a mile below.

  I dreamed about vacationing at the North Rim. I finally made it, and I’ve met a man worth loving. I am not ready to die!

  The outside world and her inner sense of time reconnected with a jolt. Her hands scrabbled for purchase, but she was sliding toward the abyss. Someone screamed. That should be me, she thought.

  It was.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Two days earlier…

  TERRI BAKER stuffed one more pair of shorts into her suitcase, then used a knee to squash the lid down so she could zip it up. Thank goodness it had wheels, although she only had to roll it to the car. She yanked the zipper when it snagged, and that was a mistake.

  “Oh, rats. Now the zipper’s busted. What else can possibly go wrong?” She stepped back, took a deep breath, and let it out in a whoosh. A glance in her dresser mirror told her she’d forgotten something else. “My hair!” She ran a hand through her A-line do. It was starting to look shaggy. “I missed my hair appointment. Oh, Reggie—” She caught herself. Reggie wasn’t there. She was alone in the house. All the more reason to make sure she followed through with this vacation. She had to get away.

  The phone rang for the third time that morning. Terri picked it up. “What now, Calin?” She tried to keep the impatience out of her voice.

  “I’m sorry, Terri. You know how Mondays are. One more question. Were you the last person to handle the Rosie Griffin file? It’s not in the drawer.”

  “Look in the folder where we put the clients who need special billing arrangements. It’s tucked behind that display for Science Diet.”

  “I thought everybody had to pay up front for services rendered.” Calin sounded rushed. Another voice in the background was talking to someone about titers and vaccinations.

  Terri fingered the busted zipper on her bag. “As a general rule, that’s true. But Dr. Kay makes exceptions for her oldest clients. They’ve been bringing their pets in for almost twenty-five years and some of them are on fixed incomes. But don’t take their word for it. Always check with Dr. Kay first.” Terri’s boss, Dr. Alice Kay, had a soft streak when it came to her most loyal customers. Calin wasn’t new to the job, but she didn’t know all the old timers yet. “Anything else?”

  Calin’s voice softened. “A friend of mine in rescue has a beautiful young German Shepherd dog who desperately needs a home with an experienced owner. You’d be perfect for this dog!”

  Terri sat heavily on top of her suitcase. “I know you mean well, Calin, but I’m just not ready. I don’t even have Reggie’s ashes yet.”

  “You mean, you haven’t picked them up yet,” said Calin gently. “The pet crematorium delivered them here this morning. We said you were out of town. They’ll be here waiting for you when you get back.”

  “Thanks.”

  “And no pressure, but maybe then you’ll feel like meeting this rescue. The original owners couldn’t pay for his surgery. A vet did it pro bono, then called GSD rescue. They took him in, but they’re desperate for foster homes.”

  “Fine. I’ll meet the dog after I get back, okay? But I can’t promise anything. I’m too heart sore right now.”

  “Of course. You go and enjoy your trip. Get a fresh perspective. I’ll see you when you get back. Bye.”

  Terri had been planning this trip to the Grand Canyon for months. She felt like she had never done anything by herself. Even when she moved to Reno to take the vet tech job she’d wanted so badly, she wasn’t really alone. Gavin, her boyfriend from college, had already started working in the Biggest Little City.

  Then she discovered that some people should never live near casinos, and Gavin was one of them. Within a year of her arrival, he had gone into terrible debt trying to win at the gaming tables. It sounded cliché, but it was sad. He had no control over his urge to gamble. If he couldn’t play the tables, he would spend hours at the grocery store, feeding quarters into the slot machines.

 
She made one last stop in the bathroom, then washed her hands and checked her reflection. The white tank top and yellow shorts had been chosen to keep her comfortable on her trip. Her skin was flawless, although she would have given anything to be tannable. Her common sense railed against tanning booths. She had invested in a quick spray tan that kept her from glowing in the dark, but any astute observer would know she was born pale. She sighed in exasperation at herself. Oh, well, she thought, we all want what we can’t have.

  The phone rang again. With a sound that was half groan and half laugh, Terri returned to the living room and answered it. “Calin, enough already. I said I’ll meet the dog when I get back.”

  “Hey, babe.” Gavin’s voice wiped the smile from her lips.

  “Gavin.” She felt the old stressors start twisting inside her. “What do you want?”

  “Don’t be that way, Terri. I heard about poor old Reggie. I just called to see how you’re doing.”

  Could it be true? Was he actually thinking about her feelings for once? Terri was cautious. “I’m fine. Friends at work are helping.”

  “I miss you, babe.”

  Terri made a disgusted noise. “No, you don’t. You miss my paycheck.”

  Gavin’s temper flared. “That’s not very nice.”

  His anger was almost comforting. It was proof that he hadn’t changed. It confirmed Terri’s opinion of him. He was still an unstable, violent ex-boyfriend with serious anger management issues.

  As if reading her thoughts, Gavin apologized. “I’m sorry.” He sounded sincere. “I’m trying to straighten out my life.”

  “Are you still working at the warehouse?”

  “Sure am. Got a promotion. Bought a new ride.”

  Unable to stop herself, Terri asked, “New new? Or used new?”

  “I don’t believe in paying all that money for new. Value drops by thousands when you drive it off the lot.”

  Terri smiled in spite of herself. It felt like she was talking to the old Gavin, the one she fell for before he discovered gambling and revealed his dark and angry side.

  “I’m working hard,” he said, “but I need a little help with the insurance, you know?”

  Terri rolled her eyes. “Here we go,” she said sarcastically.

  “No, babe, it’s not like that.”

  “Yeah, right. I am not giving you any money, Gavin. I don’t have any to give.”

  He turned on the persuasive voice. “Now Terri, we both know you’re lots better off than me. You bought that house free and clear with your inheritance. You don’t have to pay rent. You could help out a friend if you wanted to.”

  Anger sharpened Terri’s reply. “No, Gavin. No. Do you hear me? No, I will not give you money. Good-bye.”

  She didn’t hang up fast enough. He rushed on, more urgently now.

  “Don’t hang up! Look, okay, I’m still working, but I’m in a little trouble. More than a little.”

  “You are always getting into that kind of trouble,” said Terri. “If you owe the casinos, arrange a payment plan. You’ve done it before. And I’ve done it for you. That’s why I’m never helping you again.”

  “I paid the damn casinos,” said Gavin, his temper flaring once more. “I owe somebody else, somebody who doesn’t do payment plans. I’ve got three days. They’ll hurt me, Terri.”

  She winced. But experience was an excellent teacher. She refused to go back down that road with Gavin. “No. I can’t help you. I’m hanging up now.”

  “Wait! Terri, I’m scared. These guys are serious. You could take out an equity loan on your house. You know I’m good for it.”

  Terri’s stomach began to ache, and she was clenching her jaw again. Just like the old days. She thought of the long months of therapy she had undergone to learn to deal with Gavin. She remembered all the past bills she had taken on in an attempt to help him. She was finally out of debt, and here he came again. She pushed steel into her voice.

  “Gavin, I am not responsible for your bad choices. You are the last person I would ever loan money to again. You never pay anything back, not to me. I know what you did. You borrowed from a loan shark. You took twice as much as you owed the casino. Then you paid the casino debt and gambled away the rest of it.”

  “I had a queen-high straight! It wasn’t my fault.”

  “And the other guy had a king-high straight. I’ve heard it all before, remember? No money, Gavin. I am not giving you any money. Do not call me again. You are on your own.” This time she snapped her cell phone shut and ended the call.

  She took a deep breath and tried to exhale the tension spawned by Gavin’s request.

  “How much more can go wrong in my life?” she said aloud, as if Reggie were there to listen. “Well, from now on, I’m taking charge. I’ve done just fine without Gavin. In fact, life is far less complicated without him.” She put her hands on her hips and glared at the suitcase. “I’ll go to the store and pick up my pictures, and while I’m there, I’ll buy a bungee cord to fasten around my suitcase. Then I’m off to the Canyon.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  THE JULY sun shone so brightly that Terri’s pale blue eyes demanded sun glasses. Without them, she squinted in pain. And it was hot. It was only nine in the morning, but it was already 70 degrees, and the weather man had predicted a high of 95. But her little car had air conditioning and a CD player, so she could shut out both the heat and the traffic noise. At that hour, there were plenty of spaces in the parking lot. Even so, some people still had to take up extra room. She shook her head ruefully on her way past the silver Mercedes that straddled the dividing line between spaces. Some people treated their cars better than they treated their pets or other people.

  She parked her gray Honda sedan and wondered if she should remove Reggie’s blanket from the back seat. No. Not yet. She wasn’t ready. She straightened two of the dog-paw magnets that decorated her trunk and headed inside.

  Once there, she found the bungee cord she needed, then went to the photo counter. There were only a handful of people shopping in the aisles, but there were three people ahead of her waiting for photos. By the time she got to the register, there were three more behind her. The man at the end of the line was vocal about his discontent.

  “Hey, lady, why don’t you call some help? You got a line here.”

  The teenager handling the photo counter was visibly flustered.

  Terri laid her photo receipt on the counter. She felt sorry for the girl. She smiled encouragement and said gently, “You’re doing fine. Just ignore him.”

  “Come on, come on,” grumbled the man. He jumped the line, slammed his palm on the counter, and shoved his own receipt at the girl.

  The embarrassed cashier took both receipts and fetched two orange and white envelopes. She slid one at Terri.

  “Thanks for waiting,” she said. “The other girl called in sick. I usually work the stock room.”

  “No problem.” Terri handed her a ten and ignored the rude man next to her.

  The girl handed back her change. She was already bracing to deal with the jerk who yelled at her.

  Terri tucked the envelope into her canvas tote bag, then headed for the parking lot. She was busy with the contents of her bag and wasn’t paying attention at the automatic doors, so she didn’t see the dark-haired, brown-eyed stranger until she bumped into his skin-tight white tee shirt.

  “Oh! My bag!” Her tote slipped out of her grasp, but before it could hit the ground, he swooped it up.

  “Sorry about that.” He had a voice that bordered on baritone and a smile that bordered on dangerous. Terri’s breath caught in her throat. She took her bag and clutched it to her chest, suddenly aware again of her missed hair appointment. The baritone was a sweet musical background to his sculpted muscles and golden tan.

  “Oh, no problem,” said Terri. She wished her heart would quit pounding. She’d just gotten rid of Gavin. She did not appreciate the response her body was having to this gorgeous hunk with a face like a young Ge
orge Clooney and a voice like silk.

  “My name’s Russ Camino. I hope I didn’t startle you.”

  “Terri Baker.” She grew irritated with herself. Why was she telling him her name? She was a free woman, on vacation, and she didn’t want any more complications in her life. “I’m sorry, I’m kind of in a hurry.” She gave him an apologetic glance and headed for her car.

  Once inside, she turned on the air conditioner, set her bag on the passenger seat, and then got out so she could open the trunk and wrap the bungee around her suitcase. It looked silly, but at least the lid would stay shut when she rolled it to her cabin at the North Rim.

  Feeling satisfied with her handling of that problem, she closed the trunk and got back in the car. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a flash of white near the automatic doors, but she couldn’t tell if Russ was looking at her unless she looked at him, and she refused to do that.

  “Okay, Reggie, I guess I’m weak. But I’m not going to give that man another glance.” She reached over and patted the bag with the photos in it. “I’ll look at you later. If I look now, I won’t feel like driving. Meanwhile, I’ve got a full tank of gas and reservations at the North Rim. I’ll spend tonight in Vegas, and then off to the Canyon tomorrow. And Russ Camino be damned.” But it was annoying that his name stuck in her mind like that. She frowned as she steered the car through the lot. It was just hormones, she thought. She was female and he was male. Oh, boy, was he male. Well, there were lots of men in the world, and she didn’t want to complicate her life with any of them.

  Russell Camino leaned against the wooden post and tried to keep an eye on both store exits at the same time, but his gaze kept straying to the car where Terri Baker was bending over the trunk of her car, fastening a bungee cord around something inside. She was wearing yellow shorts. They were modest enough, not the least provocative. But he couldn’t take his eyes off her smooth, shapely legs. Those athletic calves, those slender thighs, and that perfect nose over cupid-bow lips were a major distraction to his stake-out. He figured she could be wearing Amish garb and still look terrific. If he went over and talked to her, DaSilva might come out of the store and spot him. Or worse yet, he might drive off before Russ could get to his own car and give chase. He knew the man was up to no good. DaSilva was on Russ’s list of people to watch, and not because he was a current flight risk. In fact, at the moment there were no warrants out for DaSilva.