“Make me understand why this trip is so important to you that you’re willing to risk your life for some myth.”

  His clipped statement rivaled the nip in the air. Shivering, she hugged her arms to her chest. “It’s getting cold and this isn’t the place to have that conversation. Remember?” She could still imagine that rattlesnake’s mate stalking her escape.

  “Fine. Let’s go. We’re almost to your car, then we can have that conversation.”

  Not out here, if she had anything to say about it. She trudged behind him. Although the clouds raced across the face of the moon, for a brief few moments its rays bathed the end of the road, revealing his Jeep parked behind her car.

  A sigh escaped her. She’d made it back safely. She’d had her doubts a couple of hours ago when a crispness set in as the sun began its descent in the sky. Trapped, thirsty, with water within arm’s reach but unattainable, she’d curled up on the flat part of the boulder to retain what heat she had while she’d prayed for the rattlers to get tired and leave.

  Heat. She needed heat. At the beginning of Black Horse Pass she hurried forward, relieved that her keys were in her pocket, not her backpack. After digging them out, she unlocked her door and dived inside, trembling as she tried to start her car.

  Nothing.

  How could this be happening? With her teeth chattering, she tried again.

  “What’s wrong?” Hawke appeared in her open door, bending down to look inside.

  “I don’t know. It won’t start.”

  “Here. Let me try.”

  Kit clambered from the driver’s seat, and Hawke climbed in behind the steering wheel. He turned the key, then glanced down at the lighted dashboard.

  “I don’t know why I’m surprised. You don’t have any gas.”

  “Sure I do. That can’t be it.” She stretched in front of him to stare at the empty gas gauge in shock. “I filled up a few days ago and haven’t driven much. I don’t understand.” He was too close; she quickly jerked back.

  Removing the keys, he handed them to her, then pushed to his feet and slammed the door. “Well, there isn’t much we can do tonight. I’ll drive you back. You can see about your car tomorrow. It certainly isn’t going anywhere.”

  Still stunned, she stood by her Honda, watching him stride toward his Jeep. He settled himself behind his steering wheel, the interior light shining down on him. His vehicle beckoned with warmth and a way home.

  She proceeded forward, paused and glanced back. I should have had at least a third of a tank of gas. Yes, she had been focused on going into the canyon, so maybe she hadn’t had as much as she thought. Had she been so preoccupied that—She shook that thought from her head and continued toward Hawke’s Jeep.

  “I’m glad you decided to join me.” Hawke started his engine, then switched on his heater. “Since it’s late, it would be easier if you stayed at my ranch tonight. First thing tomorrow morning I can bring you out here with a can of gas. If that’s all you need, you can be on your way home. If it’s more, we’ll find that out.”

  “That sounds fine.” Kit remembered some of the stories Zach had told her about the time he and Maggie had stayed at Hawke’s ranch while deciphering the journal and map. This would give her more time to persuade Hawke to help her. “Why did you say if that’s all you need? Do you think it’s something else?”

  Hawke pulled out onto the dirt road. “You didn’t smell the gas?”

  “No. I didn’t notice anything.”

  “It wasn’t strong, but I definitely smelled it.”

  “Which means?”

  “Something else might be going on other than you not filling up.”

  His ominous tone momentarily wiped the fatigue from her mind as she sat up straight and stared at his strong profile, cast in shadows by the dashboard glow. “What happened to Ronald Hoffman? How did you know I was at Black Horse Pass?”

  “Ronald was in an accident on the way to meet you.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “No. I called the police. He might not make it. Someone forced him off the road.”

  “Forced him?”

  “A white truck was involved. Do you know anyone with a white truck?”

  “No. Why?”

  “He was coming to meet you when the incident happened. That’s suspicious, since you’re looking for the Lost City of Gold.”

  “But no one knew I was. This time I didn’t tell a soul.” She didn’t count Marcus because he’d found out too late, and besides, he would never do something like that. He barely listened to her when she discussed her theory. Eating healthy and exercising were his passions, not history and certainly nothing to do with nature.

  “It may be nothing. Road rage is alive and well.”

  Although his voice and demeanor were casual, Kit wasn’t convinced Hawke thought it was nothing but road rage. But what else could it be? Their meeting had been a secret.

  * * *

  The Guardian adjusted the night-vision binoculars to follow the Jeep’s progress as it negotiated the bumpy road. When it disappeared around the bend, he brought them down.

  Good. Everything was working out just as he’d planned. It hadn’t taken him long to puncture her gas tank with a sharp rock, and obviously they had been gone long enough that it was drained empty, since the car hadn’t started. Now he was counting on Kit talking Hawke Lonechief into being her guide. Only the best for her. Anything less was unacceptable, because he took his job as her protector seriously.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “I’m not going to help her. I’m not.” Hawke’s voice hard and determined contrasted with his calm, even strokes as he brushed his favorite mare.

  But a picture of Kit curled up on the boulder flickered through his mind, taunting his resolve. Why did he feel like he should? Up until a couple of weeks ago, he hadn’t even known she existed. Then Zach had asked a favor of him—to listen to Kit and help her if he could.

  I can’t!

  Yes, you can, an inner voice countered immediately. Let it go. Move on. It’s been four years since Pamela died.

  He squeezed his eyes closed, drawing in one deep breath after another, the smells of the barn accosting him. The image of his wife’s face, the sheer terror on it as she lost her grip—

  No!

  His whole body shaking, he erased the vision from his mind.

  “Son?”

  His mother’s voice seemed far away, but when he blinked his eyes open, she stood only a few feet from him, worry in her expression. He looked down at the brush he’d dropped in the hay, then back up at her.

  “Are you all right?”

  “John Lighthorse has been doing a good job. I’m glad I hired him to help Roger.” He stooped and snatched up the tool to continue brushing Justice.

  “They’ve both been a big help to me.”

  “Is Kit taken care of?” he asked, unable to stay inside and listen to her discuss the canyon with his mother.

  “When I left the house, she was getting ready for bed. She wouldn’t admit it, but she was exhausted and I’m sure she was glad when I showed her to her bedroom.”

  “Yes, I imagine she was.” Kit, defiant, standing in front of him with a determination he rarely saw, popped into his mind and disturbed his own resolve. Her scent, with the faintest hint of lavender, invaded his thoughts and blotted out all other smells.

  “I gave her some salve for her sunburn. She’ll feel it tomorrow.”

  Cheeks red, Kit had practically fallen into his arms when she’d leaped off the boulder. Although fear had leaked into her gaze, she’d tried to appear brave, as though encountering a nest of rattlers was an everyday occurrence. “It was a good thing most of her was protected from the sun.”

  “Except part of her arms and face.”

  “You would think today would give her pause in her pursuit.”

  “But it hasn’t.”

  He twisted around and faced his mother. “What did she say to you?”

  “That she intends to find a guide and go to Desolation Canyon. She isn’t the type of person to give up on a dream.”

  “There isn’t anyone who…” He turned back and stroked the mare.

  “…who is as capable as you are to guide her?”

  “Right.”

  “Then don’t you think before she ends up hurt you should help her?”

  Justice’s reddish-brown coat reminded Hawke of the rocks that formed Desolation Canyon. He thought of the narrow pass she would have to traverse that could be bone-dry one minute and suddenly become a raging torrent from rains miles away. That was only one of the dangers she would face if she persisted in going through with her plan.

  “This is your opportunity to put Pamela to rest. Think about that, son. Good night.”

  His mother’s quiet footsteps moved away from him. He dropped his head against Justice’s side. Guilt wouldn’t allow him to let Pamela go.

  I would have to go to the one place I never want to see again. But what if something happens to Kit that I could prevent? If I help Kit, would that make up for Pamela’s dying because I let her down?

  * * *

  The next morning Kit grazed her fingertips across her cheek and winced. Her face burned. If only she hadn’t taken off her hat and put it by her backpack, she wouldn’t be feeling and looking like one of the mesas when the sun hit it.

  As she headed for the bedroom door at Hawke’s house, she caught sight of herself in the mirror over the dresser. Good thing she wasn’t trying to impress anyone. Clearly pinkish red wasn’t her best color.

  Out in the hall she got a whiff of coffee brewing and the scent of bacon frying. It drew her toward the kitchen. When she entered, she found Evelyn at the stove removing the meat from the skillet.

  “Ah, I wondered when you would be up.” The older woman with her hair braided down her back and wearing a red, short-sleeved dress smiled at Kit. “I have to leave in half an hour for church, and I’d hoped to see you before I left.”

  “You should have wakened me.”

  “You needed your sleep.”

  Kit scanned the room. “Where’s Hawke?”

  “He went to the police station, but he’ll be back soon. He told me he was taking you to get your car this morning.”

  “Can I help you with anything?” Glancing at her watch, Kit noted the late hour. She rarely slept past seven, and it was nine already.

  “No, I’m almost finished. I’m making scrambled eggs. Help yourself to some coffee.”

  “Thanks.” Kit padded to the stove and poured herself some, then took a seat at the table before a place setting.

  “Did you sleep all right?”

  “Yes. Great. I must have really been tired. I rarely get more than five or six hours.” Usually because I wake up from my nightmare and can’t go back to sleep. But she wouldn’t go into that with anyone.

  With a glance out the window over the sink, Evelyn took the frying pan from the burner and approached Kit. “Hawke’s back. Tell me when.”

  Kit motioned for the older woman to stop after several spoonfuls of the egg dish. “Good. I hate to impose.”

  “I love having company. It can get lonely out here.”

  “Why don’t you move into town?”

  “This is my heritage. Hawke’s. The ranch has been in my family for over a hundred years. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

  As Evelyn put the plate of bacon on the table and sat, Hawke opened the back door and entered. His gaze locked with Kit’s, seizing her breath for a long moment before she looked away and concentrated on blessing her food.

  “I see I timed it perfectly. I’m starved.” He sauntered into the middle of the small kitchen.

  “I left some for you on the stove,” his mother said.

  “I’ll take you to go get your car after we eat. I brought some gas back to put in your tank.” After Hawke dished up his breakfast, he settled into the chair next to Kit.

  “Thanks. I’m anxious to get home and check on Mr. Hoffman. I hope he’s okay.”

  “I called the hospital where he was taken. He is in a coma.”

  Kit dropped her fork, and it clanged against the plate. “He is? I—”

  “That’s awful. Where did the wreck occur?” Evelyn patted Kit’s hand.

  “On Interstate 40. From what I understand from the highway patrol, they are pursuing it as a hit-and-run. They’re looking for the white truck, but the chances are slim they’ll discover who ran Hoffman’s car off the highway or why.” Hawke dug into his scrambled eggs.

  Shock still gripped Kit. “He may never regain consciousness.”

  “He might not.” Hawke took a long swallow of his coffee.

  “You think this may be connected to me?” Kit hugged her arms to her.

  “Until the driver is found, we’ll never know for sure why Hoffman was forced off the road. I did talk to one of his associates and the man was an aggressive driver.”

  “Then it could have been road rage. He might have cut someone off and made them angry.”

  Hawke nodded.

  “What are you going to do about finding a guide, Kit?” Evelyn took a drink of her coffee.

  Still stunned from the news, Kit lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “Start over, I guess.”

  “I’ll do it on one condition.” Hawke reached for a couple of pieces of bacon.

  “What?” Kit’s fingers curled around the napkin in her lap, not sure she had heard him correctly.

  “I’ll take you to Desolation Canyon if you get physically prepared.”

  “You mean go to a gym? Work out?”

  “Not exactly. Give me at least a week to get you into better shape. I would prefer longer, but I can’t be gone too long from my job. I have some vacation time coming to me. I want you here at the ranch. You have to agree to do what I say.”

  She could get herself into shape without him watching over her every move. She opened her mouth to protest his high-handedness and suddenly realized she needed him a lot more than he needed her. She had to agree if she wanted him to guide her into Desolation Canyon.

  “Fine,” Kit muttered, not liking the conditions of their agreement already.

  “Good. We’ll get your car, then you can go get your things at your house, because we’ll start on your training this afternoon.”

  The gleam in his eyes unnerved her. What have I accepted?

  * * *

  “I’ll fill your tank, then we can be on our way.” Hawke pulled up to her red Honda, sitting undisturbed near the trailhead into Black Horse Pass.

  After he hopped out of his Jeep, Kit clambered down and looked around at the deserted terrain. A lone hawk flew above her in lazy circles in the clear blue sky. Suddenly the bird swooped down and plucked its prey from the ground. She turned away, not wanting to see what happened next.

  “This will get you to the highway and a filling station.” Hawke recapped her gas tank and stowed the gallon jug in the back of his vehicle. “When we get to the main road, I’ll follow you to the station to make sure you have enough to make it there.”

  Kit slipped in behind her steering wheel and started her engine. She released a sigh of relief when her car purred to life. The sound, though, confirmed she had let herself run out of gas. All she could do was chalk it up to being too preoccupied with her work to pay attention to the little details like a full tank of gas. But still, that wasn’t like her at all.

  She trailed behind Hawke’s Jeep as he headed toward the paved road that led to the highway. As her vehicle bumped over the ruts in the dirt, her tired body jarred with each jolt. Only a hundred yards from the asphalt pavement, her car died. She pounded her palm against the steering wheel.

  Hawke stopped ahead of her and climbed from his vehicle. His long strides chewed up the short distance between them while she tried turning over the engine. Nothing. Like last night. She shoved her door open and stood.

  “That should have been enough gas.” His eyebrows wrinkled together.

  Kneeling on the hard dirt, he examined her undercarriage. When he rolled to his feet, he stared at the road behind her Honda. His frown slashed deeper.

  “What’s wrong?” The faint odor of gasoline hung in the air, which immediately alerted Kit that she might not have forgotten to fill up.

  “You’ve been leaving a trail of gas. You’ve got a hole in your tank.”

  “How?” Kit stooped and inspected the area under her vehicle. A stronger scent of gas assailed her nostrils. A small pool of liquid collected on the dirt beneath her Honda.

  “I don’t understand how this would happen. My car isn’t that old.” When she stood, she dusted off her jeans.

  “I’m not sure, but I have a friend who can tow your Honda into town and take a look at it. We’ll have to leave it here. I’ll try to push it over to the side, so a car can get around it.”

  While she steered, Hawke rolled her vehicle a few feet to the shoulder of the road. After that, she joined him in his Jeep, and they finished the short distance to the paved highway that led to Interstate 40.

  “I’ll take you home to get some clothes and whatever else you need. When we get back to San Angelo, Bud might know what happened for sure.” He completed a call to his friend with the tow truck, then headed toward Albuquerque.

  “I guess one good thing came out of this. I’m not losing my mind. I did gas up after all.”

  “I’m glad you’re happy about something.”

  She examined the hard planes of his face, his jaw set in a firm line. “And you aren’t?”

  “I’m not gonna kid you.” He slanted a look toward her as he pulled out on the interstate highway. “I’m not happy that I’m escorting you to a canyon I think you have no business exploring.”

  “Then why—” She snapped her mouth closed. This was one time she didn’t need to appease her curiosity.

  “I’m doing it because if you went in and anything happened to you I would blame myself for not helping you. You’ve made it clear you’re going, one way or another. At least if I’m with you, I can protect you.”