CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

September 28, 7:00 A.M.

Arizona

CASH’S BACKSIDE HURT already, and they had only been on the trail for two hours. He had grown up riding horses on his grandfather’s ranch in Montana, utilized camels in Egypt, and elephants in Thailand, but nothing had prepared him for a mule. Gertrude’s gait made an elephant seem like the luxury model of four-legged transportation.

Pete had never ridden anything rougher than a carousel at Coney Island, and Ian was desperately allergic to horses and any other animal even vaguely related, making them much more miserable, which Cash found sadistically consoling. Misery really did love company.

Diane and Olivia rode behind Benny and seemed to be suffering none of the ills of the three agents comprising the rear of the pack. When Diane turned and grinned at him, Cash gritted his teeth, smiled back, and forced his mule into a painful trot to catch up to the women, refusing to allow them to sense his discomfort.

“I forgot how much I love this place,” Diane said as Cash slowed Gertrude to a walk alongside.

He scanned the harsh environment and couldn’t quite visualize what Diane was getting all misty-eyed about. Dry dirt, rocks, scraggly shrubs, and intimidating cacti dotted the unforgiving landscape. A man could thirst to death here nearly as easy as he could in the deserts of Africa, die from a snake bite, or possibly even shoot himself from the tedium of this lonely place, Cash thought, struggling to find the beauty in the vast expanse.

“I know what you mean,” Olivia added. “This wide open space offers limitless freedom, solace, and peace. You can’t help but feel at one with nature and our ancestral spirits.”

Diane rolled her eyes. “Not quite what I was thinking. Sorry I brought it up.” She kicked her mule and trotted off to catch up to Benny.

Olivia nudged her ride up next to Cash and leaned over in her saddle.

“I just said that to ruffle her feathers,” Olivia grinned.

“Needling her is a lot of fun. In fact, I’ve kind of made tormenting her my hobby at work.”

Olivia laughed as she reached down and patted her mule’s neck. She could see why her sister liked Cash so much. He was charming and funny. His eyes peered into her soul, and when she talked, he made her feel like the only woman on the planet. He hung on her every word and seemed to care about what she said. Olivia tried to avoid men as handsome as Cash, since most were well aware of their appeal and usually used their assets to their advantage when it came to women. From what Diane had said earlier, she feared Cash was no exception. For some reason, she desperately wanted to be proven wrong, but until then, she’d try to keep her distance as much as possible. Unfortunately, she suspected resisting him would be easier said than done.

“I’d better check on Ian and Pete. Ian may need another antihistamine and neither man seems to be faring well with their mules,” Olivia said as she pulled back on the reins and stopped to wait.

She watched Cash’s broad shoulders sway to the rhythm of Gertrude’s gait, appreciating the view. His long muscular legs gripped the mule’s sides, keeping his tight butt firmly in the saddle. His brimmed hat sat cocked on his head and short curls of dark hair peeked out from underneath its slightly down-turned brim. A sigh escaped her lips before she forced herself to look away.

“How are you two doing?”

“Is it possible to bruise your bum?” Ian asked.

“I’d laugh, but I fear the action might hurt too much. My insides have been shaken up until I’m sure nothing is in the right place anymore. In fact, I think my bladder is in my throat, because I have to pee so bad I can taste it,” Pete added.

“Well stop and go,” Olivia replied.

“I’m waiting for the next rest area.”

“I assume you’re joking. Restrooms out here are a rise in the terrain or a tall clump of brush.”

Pete’s expression warned her he wasn’t kidding and she couldn’t suppress the giggles as she studied the comical pair. Ian sported rubber-toed black Converse high-tops in full view as his jeans rode halfway up his calf. A dude’s cowboy hat to ward off the sun during the ride, complete with chinstrap, and a western shirt with a yoke and snaps for buttons, completed his absurd outfit. Pete hadn’t even tried to cowboy up. His Hawaiian shirt stood out like a waterfall in the desert, and his Miami Dolphins cap clashed with the bright colors of his aloha wear. She was surprised when Cash didn’t explode. He shrugged Pete’s outfit off, stating no one would guess he was an agent dressed like that and would probably assume he was a tourist paying Benny to show him the reservation.

“Okay, Ian, stop and hold my mule, and Olivia keep riding and don’t look back, or I’ll get stage fright,” Pete replied as he pulled up hard on the bridle’s leather rein.

With one quick glance over her shoulder, Olivia saw Pete hobbling away from his mount, cursing and rubbing his rear with both hands. If so much wasn’t at stake, she would be enjoying herself. This was the first time she had experienced her sister’s world, and she found Diane’s colleagues delightful.

Olivia wanted to be closer to her sister and hoped working together might help bridge the gap that had grown between them ever since they graduated from high school and left home. For years, she waited patiently for the common ground they needed to rebuild their relationship. Fate supplied the opportunity, but then there was Cash. He figured into her future whether she wanted him to or not. She was unsure how or to what degree—would he serve as a catalyst to reunite the sisters or tear them further apart?