Ellie awoke late the next morning. She stretched, luxuriating in the feel of her muscles moving, her toes and fingers flexing. Mac had brought her home, made sure she was all right and then left. Closing her eyes, she recalled how badly he’d wanted to kiss her—but they’d both been too shaken by the events to do much of anything besides say good-night.
Ellie pushed the covers aside and sat up. It was ten o’clock! She didn’t chastise herself for sleeping in—between the psychic attacks and the energy she’d spent, she’d needed a deep, long, healing sleep in order to recoup. She felt good and vital this morning.
Near eleven, the phone rang. Ellie picked it up.
“Hello?”
“Ellie, it’s Mac. How are you this morning?”
She relaxed against the wall, the phone cradled between her cheek and shoulder. “I’m fine, Major Stanford. Better than you could ever believe.”
“Good.” She heard the relief in Mac’s voice.
“How are you?”
“After a nightmare-filled sleep, I guess I’m okay.”
“Really?”
“My imagination was running away with me. I kept dreaming you were getting killed by that damned spirit.”
“I think you were just replaying all the fears you felt in that circle last night, that’s all.”
“For sure,” Mac grumbled. “Listen, I wanted to let you know that I’ve got a line on this William Treadwell, the man the entity accused of killing him.”
“Oh, yes?”
“The provost marshal found out that Treadwell was an officer at Luke in the mid-eighties. The PM’s office contacted him this morning—he lives in Casa Grande, a nearby town. They’re sending over an investigator to talk to him. I told them to ask him about Tim Olson. I don’t know if anything will come of it or not. But I thought you’d be interested.”
Ellie’s eyes widened. “I wonder if Treadwell will tell the truth. After everything that’s happened, he must know something about Tim Olson’s AWOL status.” She gripped the phone a bit tighter.
“I think you’re right, sweetheart. Anyway, the PM is reopening the investigation. It doesn’t guarantee that Treadwell will admit to anything. Even if he murdered Tim Olson, we might never know the whole story.”
“No,” Ellie murmured, loving the sound of Mac’s voice when he called her sweetheart. “But at least the spirit of Tim Olson has been released, and I know he’s in a far better place.”
“I wish you could be here today,” Mac said. “I’d swear that the hangar looks lighter, brighter.”
“I’m not surprised. When an entity is present, a gray film hangs over the area. You don’t realize it until it’s gone.”
With a chuckle, Mac said, “Well, I have to tell you, everyone seems to be a lot less tense this morning. I’ve got two of my birds in for maintenance. We’re using that corner, and everyone is fine. As a matter of fact, there’s been a lot of joking and laughing going on over there, and that’s kind of unusual.”
Ellie heard the awe in Mac’s voice. “On a subconscious level, your crew people must have sensed that entity’s presence.” She shivered. “If I had to work with it around, sucking up energy, I wouldn’t laugh or joke very much, either.”
Mac laughed indulgently. “You’ve made a believer out of me, Ms. O’Gentry.”
“Thank you, Major, but I don’t try to make believers out of anyone. It’s not my job. You believe because you had enough proof, that’s all.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Mac said lightly.
“Do you think you could get a few days off?” Ellie blurted out, a little nervous over her bold approach.
“Sure. Why?”
“Well, I’d like to take you to a very special place I go. It’s a sacred place, Mac, and I’d like to share it with you.”
“I’m game.”
“It means hiking,” she warned.
“I guess this eagle can take a walk.”
Ellie’s heart expanded with such love for Mac that the words lodged in her throat for a moment. “You truly are an eagle. Thank you for deigning to walk with us mere humans who are bound to Mother Earth.”
“I can probably free up a couple of days. Say, Thursday and Friday?”
“Good.”
“Where are you taking us?”
She smiled warmly. “That’s a surprise, Major Stanford. Just bring along a knapsack, hiking shoes and a hiking stick. Okay?”
“Okay, sweetheart. But really, all I need is you. You know that?”
Yes, she did, she truly did. Closing her eyes, she said, “Thursday can’t come soon enough, Mac.”
“I know,” he rasped. “Until then, you rest and take it easy. You’ve earned it.”
“Well, what do you think?” Ellie asked as she and Mac stood in the forest of Oak Creek Canyon above Sedona. Mac was dressed in Levi’s, hiking boots, a red polo shirt and had a hiking stick in hand. “Is it as beautiful as I described?”
Mac smiled down at Ellie. Two days had been pure hell without her, and he was eager to spend the next four with her. She wore her hair in two long braids, and had a pale pink blouse and jeans on. The sunlight reflected off her hair and he longed to kiss her. “What I’m looking at is beautiful,” he confided in a low tone.
Coloring, Ellie laughed. They’d held hands the entire drive up from Phoenix. The kiss he’d given her earlier still lingered on her lips and burned hotly in her memory and heart. “We have another six miles to hike before we can pitch our tent. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving already!”
Grinning, Mac picked up his pack. “Then let’s get on with it, Ms. O’Gentry.” He shouldered it and arranged it in a comfortable position against his back. Ellie took the other pack, which contained most of the food for their four-day hiking trip. The scent of pine was thick and fragrant, the trail wide and dry. Nearby, Oak Creek wound in a meandering fashion along the red sandstone cliffs that had long ago been molded by the water’s flow.
The trail was wide, and Mac shortened his stride so that Ellie could keep abreast of him. Her eyes danced with delight, and her mouth was curved softly in a slight smile. He knew she was as happy to be here with him as he was to be with her.
“I think we deserve this,” he told her as they walked up a steep incline.
“Oh?”
“We’ve never really had the time we’ve needed to be with each other.”
“That dinner was pretty nice,” Ellie said, meeting his smile, absorbing his happiness.
“It was good,” Mac admitted, halting at the top to catch his breath. They were at sixty-five hundred feet; though he was used to flying and taking a lot of g’s, this was different. Ellie seemed unaffected by the altitude, but then, as she’d told him earlier, she hiked the west fork of this creek often. He could see why: the place was devoid of tourists. Its peace and quietness reminded him of a cathedral.
Ellie wanted to reach up and kiss Mac’s mouth, but held back. First she wanted to get them to the camping site she always chose, and then…well, whatever happened, happened. She saw the burning desire in his eyes and felt his need of her. It was a delicious feeling, being loved. The sensation was a new one to her, which made it even more wonderful.
“I have some good news about Treadwell,” Mac told her as they started down the incline.
Ellie looked at him. “What did they find out?”
“When the investigator went to talk to him, the man broke down and started crying.”
Ellie’s mouth dropped open. “Why?”
“Treadwell told the investigator that he’d gotten into a fight with Olson—he didn’t say over what—and they got into a shoving match with each other. Treadwell pushed Olson and he fell and hit his head against a desk. I guess it killed him instantly. Anyway, Treadwell owned up to everything. He buried Olson’s body out on the desert and let everyone think he had gone AWOL.” Mac shook his head. “I guess the poor guy was relieved when the investigator came to him. He had a lot of guilt over it.”
“How terrible,” Ellie murmured. “For Treadwell and Olson. Each of them has suffered.”
“For a long time,” Mac acknowledged. “Anyway, Treadwell is giving his full statement to the PM’s office today.”
“What will they do?”
“I don’t know. A court-martial. Maybe prison. He’s hired an attorney—there will be a trial—so we’ll just have to wait and see.” Mac gave her a look filled with pride. “If you hadn’t given me that information, none of this would have been resolved. I’m pretty impressed with you, lady. You and your talents.”
Ellie reached out and caught his hand. It was warm and dry, and his fingers curved around hers in a gentle squeeze. “I’ve got to believe that Tim Olson will know what has happened. Maybe now, he can truly rest in the spirit world.”
“I think Treadwell feels relieved, too, in an odd sort of way.”
“Justice is always served,” Ellie murmured, walking at his side. “We may not see it or be aware of it happening, but the scales of karma are always balanced out in the end.”
“I’ll be glad to fill my karma with you,” Mac teased.
Ellie laughed, her voice echoing softly through the pine. “That’s dharma, Mac—the good things in life that we deserve. Karma is the not-so-good stuff.” Her eyes danced with joy. “With you, I think it’s all good.”
“Well, we’re going to find out,” Mac warned her with a grin. “We’re both going to get exactly what we deserve.”
Two hours later, Mac stood on the bank of Oak Creek, marveling at the beauty of Ellie’s campsite. The sun was overhead, the light filtered, and the shadows cooled the heat to a palatable temperature. Oak Creek was wide here, a fine, gravel bottom, the water clear, the stones dancing with colors of white, blue, black and red; all washed down through the narrow canyon over aeons. He felt Ellie’s presence and turned his head to the left. They had just gotten the tent up, and all the equipment set out.
“How about a swim? I don’t know about you, but I’m dusty and sweaty.” She smiled.
“Swim?”
“Sure. Don’t eagles swim?”
Mac grinned and pulled his polo shirt over his head, hanging it on a nearby tree limb. “I do.”
Ellie gazed at Mac’s lean, hard body. His large, muscular chest was covered with a mat of fine, black hair. He was so beautiful. Did he realize that? He seemed so unaware of the effect of his maleness on her. As she stood looking up at him, his hair was tousled by the slight breeze, and the sunlight emphasized the good, strong bones of his face. It was time.
“I always swim here,” she told him. “Naked.”
Mac’s brows rose. “I didn’t bring a bathing suit, either.”
With a shrug, Ellie began to unbutton her blouse. “I know.” She gestured to the wide, serene creek. “This has always been a healing place for me, Mac. I wanted to bring you here because it was my way of saying that I was ready to heal from my past.”
Mac turned and captured her fingers with his. He smiled down at her, then continued to unbutton her blouse. Beneath it she was wearing a white T-shirt. “You helped me heal from mine, so I think the favor ought to be returned, don’t you?” His fingers barely grazed her skin as he eased the blouse from her shoulders. He placed the garment next to his shirt on the tree limb.
Ellie nodded. “I was so afraid you’d be like my ex-husband, Mac.”
“But I’m not him,” he whispered, settling his hands on her upper arms.
“I know that now.”
“I didn’t blame you, Ellie. We all have wounds. Some of them take longer to heal than others, that’s all.”
With a sigh, Ellie began to unbutton her jeans. “I just couldn’t believe a man like you existed, Mac. I was afraid to….”
He sat down on a smooth, red, sandstone rock. “I know you were.” He unlaced his hiking boots, then placed them, along with his thick white socks, on the creek bank. Across the creek rose a five-hundred-foot red sandstone wall, curved elegantly, the rock smooth and undulating. The red of the rock, the dappled clear water of the creek and Ellie’s soft voice were perfect for him.
If she was shy about undressing before him, she didn’t show it as she slipped out of her jeans and took off her T-shirt. She wore no bra, and he stared in appreciation at her full figure, her curved breasts, her less-than-thin waist and ample, rounded hips. She matched the beauty of the smooth sandstone cliffs across the creek.
With a slight smile hovering around her lips, Ellie tested the water with her toe. “Umm, it’s nice and warm.” She moved quickly into the creek and halfway across, slid into the depths and disappeared.
Mac watched, mesmerized by the naturalness of Ellie in her surroundings. Her hair was like a floating ebony banner behind her as she swam in lazy strokes, the dusky color of her skin complementing the dappled, sunlit water and rock. Divesting himself of the last of his clothes, he moved into the creek. The water was warm and beckoning, and he waded into the depths of the creek to join Ellie.
The water embraced him like a long-lost lover as he left the gravel shallows and began to swim toward Ellie. Towering pine trees stood on the banks, the breeze touching the tops of them. Somewhere a robin sang a melodic song as Mac struck out in long, sure strokes. The water was refreshing, a welcome change from the hot, dry heat. He felt the sweat and dust wash away, as if hands were skimming his entire body. It was a luxurious feeling, and Mac laughed out loud. He hadn’t skinny-dipped since he was a boy.
Ellie grinned as Mac lunged for her. She dove, escaping him. The water was clear and she could see where she was swimming. The red, pink and white gravel shimmered below her as she kicked strongly toward the red sandstone cliff. She twisted and turned, sometimes feeling his hand grasp her ankle, but always managing to free herself. With a laugh, she surfaced. Mac had probably let her escape!
Joyfully, Ellie turned just as he swam up to her. His hair was slick and plastered against his skull; water dripped down his smiling face. This wasn’t the air force pilot, or the eagle. This was the man she loved with an intensity that frightened her. He treaded water and opened his arms to her. When she swam to him, the pleasant shock of their warm bodies meeting made her gasp. Mac’s arm moved around her waist and he drew her hard against him.
His mouth crushed hers in a wet, cool kiss that rapidly heated up. Ellie surrendered to his strength, to his hunger, and eagerly returned his molten kiss. She was wildly aware of his male length against her, sliding, touching and caressing her here and there. Finally, breaking the kiss, Mac swam with her to a more shallow area. Standing on the gravel bottom, he slid his arms around her shoulders.
“Now you’re caught,” he growled, and triumphantly claimed her full, waiting mouth. Ellie tasted like hot sunlight, sweet, fragrant pine and cool mountain water as his fingers tunneled through her wet, sleek hair. He tipped her head back just slightly, drowning in her lushness. This woman was part magic, part earth and all his. He would never get enough of her. As he lightly grazed the full crescent of her breast, he felt her tremble.
Without a word, Mac eased his mouth from her lips, smiled into her brown eyes shining with desire and picked her up. He had spotted a grassy bank that had escaped the dense shadow of the pine trees. It had just enough room for two people. The water dripped off him as he made his way to the bank and stepped up into the thick, soft grass. As he laid Ellie down, he marveled again at her natural beauty. Nothing had ever seemed so very right to Mac as this moment out of time with her. She placed her arms around his shoulders as he settled beside her, propped up on his elbow.
Ellie sighed as Mac’s mouth once again ravished her, teased her and promised so much to come. Her fingers sought out his broad chest, tangled in the wet curls, and she felt the thunderous beat of his heart against her palms. As his hand drifted down the side of her neck, he kissed her more deeply, the heat bubbling wildly between them. His fingers followed the crescent of her breast, and she moaned, wanting more, wanting him. Their bodies were still wet, still slick from the water, the grass a counterpoint in texture beneath her back. It was soft, tickling and giving.
The taste of Mac, his maleness, filled her senses as he kissed her hungrily, taking, giving and then taking again. A fiery rhythm ignited between them, her breath matching his own, the frantic need of her body matching his. He tightly gripped her shoulders, pulling her upward to meet him.
A cry of pleasure tore from Ellie’s lips as he sank swiftly, deeply, into her. The white-hot heat of sunlight had met and been encased in the cool, moist depths of her like the coolness of the water beside them. A shudder of pleasure rippled through her as he took her, established a wild, hungry rhythm born out of primal need and swept her off into a world of light, color and senses.
The ripple of the creek, the song of the robin, the whispering breeze through the pines and his hard, warm body taking her all conspired with her spinning, enriched senses. The texture of Mac’s taut skin, his masculine scent, the pressure of his mouth against hers competed with the sounds surrounding her. Each thrust, each movement heated her flesh, made it tingle, and created an awakening ache within her. She started to cry out like a wolf with her lifetime mate.
Sunlight danced with the breeze. Their breath mingled, moistened, became frantic and punctuated. Each powerful movement ignited a new sense of rising fulfillment deep within her. The eagle and the earth had met and now were one in a union of earth and sky. A cry began to tremble through Ellie as their bodies fused in that one, molten moment. It was a cry of such utter pleasure that all she could do was arch deeply into Mac’s arms, press herself against him and give herself to him in an act of surrender that brought tears to her closed eyes.
With a groan, Mac managed to keep most of his weight off Ellie. He felt her breasts touching his chest, her moist breath riffling against his cheek, and he smiled. He felt incredibly drained; it was as if someone had literally taken him apart and put him back together again. He lay weakly above her, drowning in the splendor of her fragrance, the warmth of her body and the sigh of her uneven breathing. He watched her flushed face, saw how pouty her lips had become in the aftermath of his hungry kisses. He knew he’d given her pleasure; they had shared themselves on a level he’d never before this moment realized existed.
Gently, Mac eased to one side. As Ellie’s lashes fluttered open, he was struck again by the golden beauty of her brown eyes. How beautiful Ellie was, how much a part of Mother Earth she was. He smiled. He was a part of the earth now, too, in a special and important way. Words were useless as he stared into Ellie’s smiling eyes. Mac felt such a living, breathing connection between them that he was in awe. Lightly, he skimmed her dry shoulder, caressed her breasts and allowed his hand to move downward, outlining her full hip.
“I think this eagle just got grounded.”
With a rippling laugh, Ellie placed her arm on his shoulder. How natural it was to feel this kind of intimacy with Mac. “No one cut your wings.”
“No.” Mac chuckled and leaned down, capturing her lips one more time. As he pulled his mouth away, he looked intently into her eyes. “You know, you’re like wine, Ellie. Sweet, fragrant wine. I can’t get enough of you, your taste, the feel of you.” He ran his hand gently across her flank.
Closing her eyes, Ellie smiled, satiated. “Me? I can’t stop touching you, kissing you….” And she couldn’t. How long they lay there on that sun-dappled bank, with the green grass beneath them, the earth cradling them and the creek singing, Ellie didn’t know. Their kisses were long, exploring, sweet and tender. With each caress, she absorbed the strength of him, and returned it to him with her own womanly strength.
Finally, as the sun began to dip behind the pines, they stirred out of each other’s arms. Mac got up and claimed their clothes. They dressed lazily. There was no hurry, just a sense of intimacy he never wanted to let go of. After Ellie slipped into a pair of moccasins she’d brought along, she came over to where he sat lacing up his hiking boots. She crouched down behind him, placed her arms around his torso and rested her head against his back.
“I love you,” she said.
Mac froze momentarily. He turned in one motion and brought Ellie between his thighs. She knelt before him, her hair loose, thick and dry.
“I’ve loved you from the start, sweetheart,” he told her. “I just didn’t realize it until about two weeks ago.” He placed a small kiss on her nose and watched her reaction. Ellie’s eyes widened with surprise, and then filled with tears. How easily she was touched! “A little while ago, Ellie, when I had you in my arms, I realized that this is what I’d been waiting for all my life. I was always unfulfilled, even though I’d achieved success as a fighter jock. Johanna couldn’t stop that hunger in me.” He kissed Ellie’s brow and eased back enough to hold her luminous gaze. “It’s gone, Ellie. I feel like a man who was given back his life, his dreams, with you in my arms. It might sound corny, but that’s how I feel.”
She shook her head and caressed his stubbled cheek. “No, it’s how I feel, too. As we made love with each other, I realized how Mother Earth was loved by Father Sky. I understood, for the first time,” she whispered in awe.
Mac nodded. “Chemistry might disagree with you about air and earth being compatible elements, but for us, they are.”
“And I was so afraid to admit to myself, much less you, that I had fallen in love with you, Mac. It just happened. I never expected it. I had given up on ever loving again, when you walked into my life.”
Wryly, he said, “Makes two of us, sweetheart. We both made mistakes, or at least poor choices.”
“You were wounded, but at least you had the courage to try again,” Ellie said, her voice strained. “I was too scared.”
Laughing, Mac said, “And here’s the lady who will go up against a malevolent spirit that could kill her before she blinked an eye.” He gave her a small shake. “You don’t know your own courage, Ellie, but I do, and that’s all that counts.”
She stared with wonder up into his smiling eyes. How lucky she was to have found this man, who accepted her fully—just the way she was. She was not a beauty, didn’t have a model’s body and had one of the most unusual life-styles a person could have. But he relished it—and her. He loved her without apology, and without conditions. Moving into his arms, Ellie framed his darkly tanned, lean face with her hands.
“I’ll love you forever, Mac. Forever….”