“You all right, Cutoffs?” Zane turned and called to her with genuine worry in his voice.
“Sorry.” She’d stopped in the middle of the road without realizing it. “I’ve never seen a view as magnificent and can’t imagine the privilege of living right in this spot. The jagged mountains against the bright blue sky take my breath. But it doesn’t stop at the dramatic horizon. The tree covered slopes fan out into meadows splattered a million shades of green so lush, I’d have to spend a fortune in paint to create all the shades.” She pointed to the far right of the ranch. “Your parent’s own that too?”
“Yup.”
“The deep indigo of the lake’s surface begs for stone skipping, provided someone teaches me how. I’ve never done it.” She smiled and he flashed a coy grin.
“I can do that.” His lips spread far enough to show teeth and deepen the indentations on either side of his mouth.
She liked having summoned his dimples with a simple gesture. “If I had my supplies with me, I’d stand right here every day for a month and do nothing but replicate this panorama. You probably don’t appreciate it, but I spent my entire life dreaming of travel. I wanted to explore European cities that teemed with culture and inspiration so strong I’d wear through a thousand tubes of paint. The American West hadn’t even been a ghost on that imaginary itinerary. Standing here, I wonder why not.”
“Yeah. It ain’t ugly.” He hooked his thumbs into his back pockets and ambled her way. “A local took a decent shot at painting it once. But he wasn’t as good as you.”
“I wish you’d stop that.”
“Wish all you want, Cutoffs.” He kicked the gravel with the toe of his boot and started walking again, a slow stroll that wouldn’t take them too far from the house. “Why can’t you take an innocent compliment?”
She didn’t want to answer. Looking at her with eyes the exact color of the sky behind him, it was easy to change the subject.
“No wonder you’re so damn tall. There’s nothing out here to hold you down.”
“Dad always said it was because I tried to touch the stars.” He glanced up. “You’ll see what I mean tonight. If you think all this blue is spectacular, wait until the sun sets.”
“I almost can’t breathe as it is,” she said, her eyes not above but on the jut of his upturned chin and the angle of his defined jaw.
“Can’t breathe? There’s nothing but air out here.” He filled his lungs, expanding his broad chest until she could see the outline of his pecs beneath his cotton shirt. “Clean and sweet.”
“I don’t know if I’d call it all sweet. Your horses do their share of polluting.”
“That’s not polluting. That’s nature. The way God intended.” Subtle as the breeze in her hair, he slipped his fingers between hers and clasped.
She swung their joined hands up. “You going to keep trying? Even after you agreed to my conditions?”
“Holding hands does not violate your conditions. It’s a safety precaution.”
“Safety?”
“Yeah. Easier to pull you back to the house after you step on a rattler.”
“Snakes?” She squeezed his hand and halted. “You’re kidding.”
His grin spread wide as the mountain range. “Only about dragging you back to the house. I’d carry you to keep the poison from spreading too fast.” He tugged her forward and recommenced their stroll. “No worries, Cutoffs. Snake bites out here are more rare than city slickers adapting to the west.”
“Wait. I’m a city slicker. You think I can’t adapt?”
“I think you could do anything you want, except take a compliment. Is it me? Or everyone?”
The man was as relentless as he was sexy.
She shrugged. “Don’t like anything false, I guess.”
“Compliments don’t have to be false.” His sights cut to her. “I’m not Savard. I’m not bullshitting in order to lead you into a trap.”
“That’s not it.” Delphine sighed, hoping he’d let it go.
“Then what is it?” When she didn’t answer, he reverted to his professorial self. “Because I’ve spent a considerable amount of time with you over the past couple of days, I’m going to take an educated guess. Since you’ve spent most of your life caring for your mother, you didn’t bond with anyone. No family other than a distant grandmother. No close friends. You probably made a few casual friends in school that hit the bricks after meeting your mom. They probably made fun of you and avoided you, as if they could catch crazy. So you don’t trust. Am I wrong?”
Chest aching more from his dead-on assessment than from the super clean air she’d hungrily inhaled, she shook her head.
“Don’t blame you. Many people are complete assholes. Especially when they’re young and looking to climb the high school social ladder. But you’re long past high school, Cutoffs. Wasn’t there anyone you trusted?” He paused and looked off into the distance at the lake. “Or loved?”
“Is this part of my training? Digging deep enough to wound?”
“In a manner of speaking. Strength in the face of adversity is vital to the process. You have that in spades, but since you don’t talk about your past, I can only assume you’ve walled it off.”
“The wall works.”
“Wrong. What’s on the other side doesn’t go away because you want to be done with the past. Deep meditation and the subsequent hypnosis will vaporize that wall. If you’re not willing or capable of embracing the past and who you are as a result, the visions will overpower you.”
“Overpower me?” Zane never mentioned the possibility of failure, only erasing her gift. “What are you saying? Exactly?”
“Part of me believes spoon feeding you the truth would be kinder. But Dad thinks otherwise, and after I blew him off, I realized he’s right.” Zane stopped and turned her to face him. “I was going to wait until after dinner, but since…”
He trailed off, and she followed his line of sight just as she heard the crunch of rubber tire on gravel.
A pickup truck, black and lightly coated with dust, pulled past the house and headed straight toward them.
“Shit.”
She registered Zane’s quiet curse and felt the tension in his hand right before his fingers fell away.
The truck slowed to a stop and idled beside them. Elbow sticking out of the downed window, the man driving grinned at Zane with something Delphine could only describe as relief. Long ebony hair streaked with gray had been pulled off his perspiring face into a ponytail. A few age lines creased vertically in his deeply bronzed cheeks, and stars of crow’s feet crinkled at the corners of his twinkling brown eyes.
“It’s been too long, Hawk.” He extended his arm and clutched Zane’s hand in his.
“I’ve missed you, old man.” Zane leaned through the window, and they hugged.
The man wasn’t a godfather in name alone. Obviously, a strong bond had been forged between them, but it didn’t explain the rigidity she’d felt in Zane right before he pulled up.
“And this beautiful gal must be?”
“Delphine.” Zane motioned for her to come closer. “Meet George.”
She stepped closer, and Zane rested his hand at the small of her back.
“Pleased to meet you.” She reached out and shook with George. He held her fingers firmly and met her gaze.
“Likewise.” Though his eyes never left her face, she sensed him assessing her and wondered if the shaman possessed some mystical power to see into her heart. “I’m surprised you’re both awake. Transcontinental flights wipe me out, but then again, I’m not young anymore.”
“You know Mom. No sleep until normal hours.”
A throat cleared, far too deep for the child she’d expected to join them for supper. He leaned forward, gripping the dash with a long tapered hand. The toned muscles of his forearm flexed beneath flawlessly tanned skin.
Without question, the young man sitting shotgun was George’s son. Surprisingly, his black hair was styled in a short modern cut that required pomade to keep it in place, but his eyes, shiny as two chocolate drops, and the bowed shape of his mouth belonged to his handsome dad.
“Hey. Boone back at the house?”
“No. Not this trip.” Tone flat, he didn’t bother introducing her.
“Damn. I was hoping we’d go rafting. Maybe you and your friend would be interested?”
“Sounds fun, but we can’t.”
Seth finally angled around his father and reached out. “Seth, by the way.”
The pressure of Zane’s hand against her spine increased.
“Nice to meet you.” She took Seth fingers and, because of the awkward position, shook quickly.
“I hear we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.” He smiled, wide and friendly, and then winked. “Have to say, I’m not gonna mind.”
The fingers at her back flexed into a loose fist.
“Seth’s training too,” George explained quickly, batting his son’s arm out of his face with a sweep of his hand. “Finally.”
“Every life journey is different. You can’t make me feel guilty for taking my time, Pop.”
“It’s not about guilt. I’m glad you’re moving out.” He chuckled. “Why don’t you two hop into the back cab?” George hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “It’s tight for a cornstalk like you, but it beats walking, and I’m damn near starved.”
“It’s not that far,” Zane said. “We were—”
“Yes. Thank you,” she interrupted, concerned his mom was holding dinner. She opened the small back door. “After dinner. Like you said.” She smiled at him, hoping to ease away his frown.
It worked.
He climbed in behind her, angling so close to her face she could feel his soft hair against her cheek, and then he stretched his long legs out sideways in the cramped quarters.
The truck lurched forward, rocking Seth as he turned around to talk to them. “You gotta at least make time to hike up Quentin Lookout. Can’t go too late unless you want an overnighter.”
Overnighter? She studied the side of Zane’s face and noticed the hint of a smirk. Definitely some tension brewed between him and Seth.
“That’s an overnight no matter what time of day you start out.” He glanced over at her then, his mouth softening at the corners, and his clear blue eyes took on a dreamy haze. “Because you can’t bear to tear your eyes away from the view. From sunrise to sunset, it’s glorious, but for me the real show starts when the stars come out.” He shook his head. “Shame we won’t have time.”
“I dunno, Zane.” George flashed them a glance in the rearview. “Could be the perfect spot for training. Worked out well for you.”
“She’s never hiked, and it’s a long way up.”
Worked out well for Zane? If that was the place he’d lost his visions, she wanted to go.
“I can take whatever you dish out, Cowboy.” Butterflies stirred in the pit of her stomach. A little fear and a whole lot of I-hope-so swirled with them. He’d pegged it. She’d never hiked a day in her life. Never spent the night outside under the stars.
“It’s worth the effort if you’re up for it. But I warn you, once we’re up—we’re staying. No leaving before the sun rises.”
“You’re on.” And she meant it. She wouldn’t leave until she was cleansed of all her evils.
»»•««
Some women would claim it sexist that the menfolk abandoned her and Maria to clean up dinner, but Delphine was glad for it. In fact, she’d insisted Zane go outside with his dad and leave her to do kitchen chores. The Gideons had opened their home to her, the least she could do was handle a few dirty dishes. Best of all, Maria treated her like one of the family, snapping orders with a smile and telling funny stories about her boys.
When the last pot sat upturned on the drain, Maria poured two glasses of Chardonnay and ordered Delphine to follow her outside.
Double French doors opened onto a patio of gray stone pavers that encircled a brightly lit swimming pool at the far end of the house. An entertaining area complete with a matching stone barbeque sat nearest the kitchen doors. Another Rush Gideon design, she was sure. Though fancy, the elegance of his craftsmanship was in the way everything complemented the views, as if the mountains themselves pushed up this paradise from within.
All four men sat near the smoldering barbeque pit, sipping from longnecks and talking quietly. Their faces were too serious for Delphine’s liking. The hairs on the back of her neck bristled, and she rubbed a hand over them.
“Saved you a seat.” Zane waved her over where he flanked the low burning grill.
She eased into the chair beside him, probably another Rush original constructed from roughly hewn aspens with the arms and legs retaining their log shape. The second she lounged back with her glass of wine, she knew she’d be hard-pressed to get to her feet again.
“You didn’t have to help Mom, you know. I’d have done it.”
“Not a bother. I’ve always found the kitchen a healing place. And your mom’s a hoot.” She sipped from her glass and watched him turn a marshmallow on a two-pronged stick over the ebbing fire.
“We’ve got lots of healing places around here. Most without pots and pans.”
Her lids lolled heavily as she watched the fire lick against the silver-gray colored bricks. Someone poked the coals and hickory, sending a spurt of embers into the air. The tiny orange bursts seemed to ignite the stars.
Why on earth had Zane ever left home? She could understand wanting to experience the world, but to permanently trade in all this splendor for a bustling city or to abandon the nest of a loving family for a job that literally put him through Hell?
Zane laughed at something his father said, and she stole a glance his way. The epitome of happiness with one booted foot hooked onto the bottom board of his chair, he leaned toward the fire. The golden heat from the popping flames bronzed the strong planes of his face.
She stared. If she wouldn’t embarrass him or herself, she’d run upstairs and fetch her sketchpad. Commit his fine face and wide shoulders to paper.
Later. In private, she’d trust her memory to capture him.
Caught gawking, he turned toward her, grinned, and extended the two-pronged stick he’d been holding in his other hand. “Marshmallow?”
“We just finished dinner.” She sat up a little straighter. “And dessert.”
“It’s perfectly browned,” he said, wiggling the stick, intentionally trying to entice her. “And about to fall off. Take it. Quick.”
The gooey cube melted around the metal prong and slid, right into Delphine’s waiting palm. “Woot. That’s scorching.” Carefully, she grasped what remained of the crust between her fingers and popped the hot mess into her mouth.
“Pass me the bag.” He nodded toward Seth.
Seth lobbed it, and though Zane caught the bag, marshmallows spurted out of the opening in a fountain of white. “Smooth, Gideon.”
“You could’ve tied the top shut.”
“Hey, I folded it over, but your mutant hands squeezed it like a football.”
The puffs rolling over the pavers glowed brilliantly in the gentle firelight. More earthly stars that would go unnoticed anywhere else.
“Boys.” Maria slung her feet out and reclined in her chair. “I don’t care how it happened. In this heat, they’ll melt by mid-morning. You can clean those up now or scrub the sticky mess they’ll leave on my patio. Your choice.”
By the time his mom finished her admonishment, Zane was out of his chair, scooping up the marshmallows. “If we got a new dog, we wouldn’t have to clean them up.”
“Then you’d been cleaning up dog puke.” Maria grinned and sipped from her glass.
“Done it before. Wouldn’t mind.”
“I’m not ready to replace Boz,” Rush added, setting down his beer on the stone floor next to his chair. “He was too good a dog to replace so fast.”
Zane sat back down, the dirty marshmallows on top of the new, and tied the bag closed. “He wasn’t so much dog as your favorite son.”
His dad nodded. “True that. He listened when I spoke.”
“We listened, Dad. We just did the right thing instead.”
Everyone laughed, though she doubted Rush Gideon had ever steered his boys in the wrong direction.
“Delphine.” George leaned forward in his chair. “I hear you don’t have a clear connection with your spirit animal.”
“No. I don’t.” She hesitated, a little nervous to ask what was on her mind but then she spit it out. “Do I need a spirit animal? Maybe I’m not supposed to have one. Maybe that’s a sign I’m not meant to be an oracle.”
“There’s no doubt you’re an oracle. It’s a sign you’re afraid,” George said. “Fear is healthy, especially in our line of work. But too much fear will inhibit your ability to control the visions and cloud your progression.”
“I don’t want to control the visions,” she said firmly. “I don’t want to progress. I’m sorry if that disappoints you, but I want to be free.”
The shaman nodded thoughtfully. “We’re all about free will. Some have chosen to abandon their calling. But as I’m sure Zane told you, no one gets stripped of their blessing until the blessing is fully realized. That’s not a Hell Runner’s rule, but the nature of our gifts.”
“I may not have explained the rule quite that plainly.” Cowboy shot her a sorry-to-the-toes look. “I didn’t want to frighten you, so I couched the process a bit.”
Delphine shivered as if an Arctic breeze cut through the backyard. “So, my visions of Hell are going to intensify before I get better?”
“It’s not an illness, Del.” Rush gathered up the empty soldiers by sticking his fingers inside the long necks. “It’s an opportunity only a very small percentage of the population gets to experience. It will be like you’re really there, except in the safety of this plane.”
“Dad. Please.” Zane reached over and cupped her chin with upturned fingers so she had to stare him in the face. In the dim light, she couldn’t assess the look in his eyes, but she heard the empathy in his voice, felt the compassion in the way he held her face. “The visions will become all-encompassing. No lie. But you won’t do it alone.”
She shook her head, and he let go of her face.
“The less you fight the truth, the faster you’ll be free. Of everything.”
Everything. Including Cowboy.
She swallowed hard as if the truth needed to be pushed down her throat.
If only he wasn’t one of them.
If only she wasn’t cursed.
If only the way out wasn’t through fire and a pit of evil.
“Fine,” she said at last, hugging her body. “I’ll retake the test.”
“Forget the quiz,” George said. “We’ll do this old school. Tomorrow we go to Quentin Lookout. You’ll meditate in complete peace. Your spirit animal will come. You will obtain a greater understanding.”
She glanced at Zane, a billion wings fluttering inside of her. “An overnighter? That’s—”
“A long-ass hike,” Rush jumped in when she wanted to say exciting. “If you’re headed to the Lookout, you’ve got to start early in the morning.”
“Rush,” Maria chided. “They’ve only just got here.”
“This isn’t a visit, honey. Zane and Del have a job to do. Best they get down to it.”
He clanked the beer bottles dangling from his fingers. “I’ll put the gear together tonight.”
Maria stood. “Guess I’ll start packing food.” She pointed a finger and waggled it between them. “No more talk. Off to bed. Now.”
Exhausted and emotionally drained, Delphine had no strength to protest or ask questions. She had a lot of questions, like would George and Seth stay while she spent the night with Zane under the stars? She hoped so. The thought of alone time with Cowboy under a vast night sky elicited far too much excitement to be smart. She needed her wits more than his luscious lips connected to hers.
“Come on, Cutoffs. You’ve earned a good night’s sleep.” Zane extended a hand to her.
Instead of declining, she gripped his strong fingers and pushed to her feet. Knees shaky, she stumbled forward. He caught her around the waist and cinched her against his side. Had any man ever been more attentive? More forthright? More caring? Deep down, she knew he’d do anything in his power to protect her.
The question remained how much danger would find her and how much power did Cowboy possess?
Both George and Seth stood. “We should be going too. The moon doesn’t put in a long night. And you shouldn’t either.” He slapped Zane on the back. “We’ll pick you up in the morning. No later than five.”
“Five?” she asked no one in particular. “What time do I have to be ready?”
“Oh, Delphine,” Maria said with a motherly tsk. “You were ready the minute you stepped on that plane.”