"What kind of business did you have?" Brett asked.
"We grow many fruits for the market and mucho coffee on the mountain," Isabel answered. "But they take it all."
"They even took my school," Carmen said. "I taught children to dance. We had a wonderful time. But after the shootings, no one would send their children to my school anymore. I cannot blame them." She shook her head sadly. "And now we have nothing. Not Papa Julio. Not even my Thomas. iQuien sabe donde es?"
Annie gave Brett a defiant expression. "See? They fled for their lives. And now they need help. How can we refuse?" Her look was defiant.
Brett spread his hands and shrugged. "Sounds like you folks could be entitled to admittance into this country as refugees. Some legal methods need to be followed. I'll uh..." He sighed and glanced at Annie. "I'll see what I can do."
"And see about Thomas, too?" Annie asked quickly.
He nodded. "I'll try. No promises, though." He glanced down at the work in Isabel's lap. "That's very beautiful. It looks like some of the embroidery my grandmother used to do. I've never seen any like it since."
"Is very old style," Isabel said. "Colcha, it is called."
Brett leaned close and examined the piece. "Mi abuelita did this colcha embroidery. The Spanish settlers brought it to this country many years ago."
Both Isabel and Carmen responded warmly when Brett used the Spanish word for grandmother. As he talked with them about their homeland and questioned them about Thomas's circumstances and what the future might hold, they gradually lost their wariness of him. Annie was impressed with his appearance of genuine concern. She hoped he was as sincere as he sounded and that he would be able to help find Thomas.
When they left the little room in the shed, Brett and Annie didn't notice that someone was watching from behind the truck.
They walked quietly into the kitchen to discuss their next strategy. Annie wondered what was going through his mind, if he was sincere, if he could actually help them become legal refugees. If he would help them.
"Well, Brett, what do you think? Am I still subject to house arrest?"
He chuckled. "Not by me. Actually, it looks pretty good for you. And for them, too."
"You mean they can become legal refugees?"
"Maybe," he said thoughtfully. "Sounds like they've been unfairly victimized as large property owners in their country. They're educated. And good, ordinary citizens."
"It's true. But what really matters is that we can do something to help them," Annie protested angrily. "These women are individuals, people in need. Regardless of their heritage or their past, they deserve a chance."
"You're right, Annie. But everything that has happened to them probably happened because they had some wealth and property. That makes them even more vulnerable now, when they have nothing. It also increases their possibility of being categorized as refugees."
"I never thought of it that way." Annie looked at him sharply. "Then you won't turn them in? You'll help?"
"No, I won't turn them—or you—in. And I'll see what can be done to help."
"Oh, Brett!" She hugged him soundly. "I knew you would!"
He took her shoulders and pushed her back. "Now, hold on. I'm not guaranteeing anything. Sounds to me as though they might qualify, but what do I know about it? And, as for Thomas... as Carmen says, quien sabe? Who knows?"
Annie smiled hopefully. "I trust you to do what's right for them, Brett. I just know you'll be able to help." She pressed herself against him, breathing a sigh of relief and letting her love envelop them.
But after he left, her doubts returned. It had been too easy to convince him, she decided. He was too agreeable, too quickly. Could she really trust him?
There was another who did not trust Brett. Not completely. And when dusk covered the landscape with a gray veil, Diego shared his fears with the women. Later that night, under cover of darkness, the three slipped out of the shed. The two women clutched their meager belongings as they huddled together and disappeared into the black night.
The next morning was quiet as Annie puttered about the kitchen, making coffee and warming a bran muffin. She was hovering over her cup of steaming coffee, pinching raisins from the muffin and munching them, when she realized it was too quiet. She usually had company by now. Isabel and Carmen were regulars for breakfast nowadays. In fact, they generally had the coffee going and something prepared that Annie could nibble on by the time she arrived.
Annie found them pleasant company. She would certainly miss them when they left. She glanced at the clock. They were always here by now. Wondering if they were all right, she bolted from her chair to go check on them.
She ran across the yard and dashed into the little room adjoining the shed. The room was vacant. No signs of Isabel and Carmen; no traces of their habitation. Where in the world could they be at this hour of the morning?
Stunned and a little frightened by her discovery, she ran to find Diego. He was supposed to be checking on the Jonathan orchard today, so she and Feliz bounded into the truck and headed in that direction.
"Diego! Diego!" Annie called to him even before she turned off the engine. She spotted him halfway down the row, adjusting a sprinkler. She reached him, puffing breathlessly, "They're... gone! Isabel and... Carmen aren't in their room!"
"I know."
She pulled up short. "You know what?"
"That they left, seňorita," he answered calmly.
"You mean that they're gone for good?"
He nodded.
"You know that for sure? Why didn't you tell me?"
"They wanted their journey to be a secret."
"I know, but I was in on their secret. I just can't believe they wouldn't tell me they were leaving. When did they leave?"
"Sometime in the night."
"Where did they go?"
"Quien sabe? Who knows?"
Annie was dumbfounded by the news. Isabel and Carmen had actually left to continue on their journey? "Thomas... Thomas came for them?"
"I do not know about him, seňorita."
"But, Diego, where would they go? I'm sure they wouldn't leave without him. Where has he been all this time?"
Diego shook his head and continued working on the sprinkler head.
Annie felt like crying. She took a few stumbling steps away, trying to adjust to the news. She reached for a branch near her head, absently caressing the tiny green apple growing there. Usually she was so thrilled with the current new crop that it grabbed all her attention. Today, though, she could think only of Isabel and Carmen. Where were they?
She turned back to the truck, crestfallen and disappointed. She told herself she had known all along the women would leave. But so suddenly? And without saying anything, not even... goodbye? She was hurt, dammit. Downright hurt.
Annie climbed back into the truck and started the engine. They were gone. And that was that. She should be relieved. No more hiding and worrying. No more tension when Brett was around...
At the intersection of the main road, rather than turning back to the house, something quite beyond her understanding compelled her to turn toward Brett's.
Frankly there was no one she would rather be with right now than him. Brett was her friend. Her friend and lover. He cared for her, she knew he did. Even though he had never declared anything so drastic as love, she felt that his affection for her was deep. He knew her darkest secret, that she had defied the law by hiding her refugees. He had met the women and knew her concern for them. She could talk to him, and he would understand her disappointment. She rushed to his porch and pounded on the door. It took him several minutes to open the door.
Brett blinked in the bright morning sunlight. He felt a welcoming flood of intimacy and warmth on seeing Annie. But even in his sleepy stupor, he recognized that she was like a firecracker, ready to explode.
"Hey, Annie. Come in."
"I hope I'm not too early." She could tell that she was. Obviously he had been in bed when she arrived. He
wore cutoff jeans, and nothing else. His broad, bare chest revealed the richly textured, tanned skin that she loved to touch. The fringed pant legs circled his muscular thighs, reminding her of the sexy way those legs felt clutching hers.
"Of course not. I'm always here for you."
"You were still in bed."
"I worked late last night. Caught another bunch bringing aliens in from Mexico."
"Sorry, Brett. I... I just wanted to talk."
"Are you all right, Annie?"
That was all she needed. The tears hovering near the surface spilled over and rolled down her cheeks.
And that was all Brett needed! Seeing Annie cry tore him apart. He wrapped her in his arms and cuddled her against his chest. Gently he led her into the living room. "What's wrong, Annie? Are you okay? Is Diego?" When she nodded mutely, he continued. "What about the women? The... uh, refugees?"
She sniffled and wiped the tears, shaking her head. "They're gone."
"Well, aren't you a little bit glad?"
"They didn't even say goodbye."
"Ungrateful people."
"No. That isn't like them. Not at all. I can't figure what happened."
"When did they leave?"
"Sometime in the night. They just didn't show up this morning."
"Did the husband arrive? What's his name? Thomas?"
"No. At least, I didn't know if he did."
"Did they say they were leaving? Or give some warning?"
"No. Nothing."
"Then how do you know they left? Maybe they just went for a walk."
"Their things are gone from their room. Cleared out completely. And when I asked Diego about them, he said they were gone. And they wanted to keep it a secret."
Brett shrugged. "Well, I can understand that."
"But I was a part of their secret. I risked a lot to help them. And to keep them hidden. The least they could do was to let me know when they were leaving." Her disappointment was evolving into anger. "Dammit, Brett, they could have said thanks, or... goodbye."
"Sounds reasonable. But maybe they were too afraid."
"Of what? Me?" She scoffed. "I'm the one who saved them. I'm the one who -" She slammed her palm down onto her thigh. "It just isn't like them to do this."
"Well, when I'm investigating something and someone says, 'it isn't like them to do this,' I look for further clues. Sometimes there are other reasons. But other times, there's trouble."
"You mean, foul play?" Annie's eyes rounded as she said the words. "Oh, Brett, you don't think—"
"No, I don't think anything yet. I'm just saying that there may be other circumstances. According to you, some things just don't figure with these two. Like leaving without saying goodbye."
She nodded emphatically. "Last weekend, when you and I went to Tucson and left them, we said our goodbyes, thinking there was a possibility that Thomas would come and want them to leave right away. But, I think that all three of us were hoping it wouldn't happen until I returned. That's why Carmen met me at the car with a hug. She was so happy to see me again."
"And it isn't like them to be ungrateful or—" he shrugged "—simply negligent?"
"Not at all! They have been grateful for every little thing I ever did for them. They were constantly thanking me in various ways by doing chores around the farm." Annie shook her head. "I can't imagine them leaving like this, even if Thomas came unexpectedly."
"But you don't know for sure if he did? Or didn't?"
"No."
"That seems odd, too, since everyone, including you, has been so concerned about his welfare."
"They knew I cared about them and Thomas. And... the baby." She frowned. "You know, Brett, I don't know much about pregnant women and babies, but Carmen looked so weary lately. And she's pretty big. She could be further along than she claims. And I wonder... if she's all right."
He squeezed her hand. "Now, don't worry about her. I'm sure she's fine. You say that Diego is the only one who knows that they left?"
She nodded.
"Why would they let him know, and not you?"
"Well, he's been in on it from the start. He knew about them when they first hid in the mission ruins."
"Still, seems strange that he's the only one who knows."
They sat quietly for a few minutes. Then, their eyes met.
"Let's go talk with Diego," Brett suggested gently.
"You don't think he's involved in this, do you?"
"I don't know what to think at this point, Annie. But I'll bet we can get more answers from him than we now have. Give me a minute to change clothes."
Annie stood back quietly while Brett grilled Diego. But all he got from the old man was, "I don't know. No se."
"He's very clever," Brett admitted to Annie later as she prepared them a chicken sandwich for lunch. "But he's lying."
The plate clattered to the table from Annie's nervous hand. "Why would he do that?"
"I don't know. But I intend to find out."
Annie sat opposite him. "I can't believe Diego would lie to me."
"Maybe he did it out of fear for your safety."
"My safety? From what?"
"Well, the longer you kept them, the greater your risk of getting caught. Maybe he felt guilty for getting you involved."
"But why doesn't he just say so?"
"He doesn't want to admit anything. Like where they are right now."
"You think they're still around?"
"I think it's unlikely that Thomas showed up so suddenly, and they disappeared so quickly."
"So do I. But where could they be? Brett, you don't think Diego's done something with them, do you? Maybe hidden them somewhere else?" She shook her head as if to answer her own question. "That's ridiculous. Why would he do that?"
"You tell me. Was he overly protective of them?"
"Yes, sort of. In the beginning, he practically begged me to help them when Isabel was sick."
"Maybe he felt threatened by something."
She studied the sandwich before her. "The only thing I did was to introduce them to you."
He snapped his fingers. "That's it! He doesn't trust me on something so close to the arm of the law."
"Why, Brett, you've never given him any reason not to trust you."
"I haven't given him any reason to trust me. And for something like this, he would need proof that I could be trusted. I understand that reasoning."
"But why would he hurt me like this by taking them so suddenly?"
"He probably didn't think about that."
"What does he think I'm made of? Steel?"
"Frankly, darling," Brett said softly. "I don't think he considered your feelings here. Or he wouldn't have done it quite like this."
"So what are we going to do?"
Brett looked into her eyes. "We're going to find them."
"Oh, Brett—" She rose from the table and went to him. "I love you so much," she whispered as she wound her arms around his neck and squeezed him to her. "Thank you! Thank you for understanding how I feel. For caring!"
Brett's arms enfolded her, pressing her close to his body. Oh, yes, he understood. Annie had a way from the beginning of making him understand. And caring. Yes, he cared for this woman! Far too much. And far beyond his control.
Brett drove the 4-runner and Annie sat beside him quietly, hands pressed together in her lap. She was worried, but she trusted him. He could see that trust in her eyes. How could he betray them? Still, as he drove in search of the refugees, he figured he must be absolutely crazy.
No, not literally crazy. Just crazy about one beautiful lady in tight blue jeans with wild strawberry hair and green eyes that mesmerized him into doing her bidding. Eyes that he couldn't resist. Eyes that he couldn't disappoint.
"Where're we going?"
"I think I know where they might be. Or who might know where they are."
"Why are you doing this, Brett?"
"Beats me. It's absolutely crazy."
"Then,
don't. It would look very bad for you if someone knew what you were doing. You could even... lose your job. Please, let me search alone."
He took her hand and pressed it to his lips. "Can't do that, Annie. I just can't." Oh, how he wished he could. She was right. This was risky for him. And yet he hadn't even thought of it until she mentioned it. He could only think of the torment of the lady beside him. And what he could do to relieve that frown from her beautiful brow and those heavy sighs from her sensuous lips.
His lips played along her knuckles, kissing, silently promising that everything would be all right.
Annie leaned her shoulder against his. She had always been aware that Brett was strong, but now he was revealing even greater strength by risking everything for her. She would never forget it. Or him.
They turned into the parking lot of the familiar white frame building that housed Dr. Theresa's small clinic. Brett parked under the tree near the back door. "Wait here. I'll be right back."
"Dr. Theresa?"
"Shhh. Don't speculate. She may know something, that's all."
Under The Desert Moon (Desert Sky Series Book 2) Page 16