Chapter Three

"Step away from him. I have a gun pointed at you." Tess braced her feet apart, prepared to use the weapon.

The intruder slowly straightened, giving her a glimpse of his battered old navy blue ball cap. She sagged with relief. "Uncle Jack! You're not supposed to be here for two days. You just dropped me off in the parking area yesterday. You should have come up then with me."

Her uncle swung around, his bushy eyebrows slashing downward. "Miles from civilization and you still manage to find trouble."

"In this case, trouble came knocking." She eased the shotgun down and placed the weapon on the table. "And it looks like it could get worse." Snatching up her first aid kit and the water she had already purified, she approached Uncle Jack and gave him a hug. "I'm glad you're here."

"So am I."

Tess turned toward her patient. "He's got a fever."

"Yeah, I noticed. How did he get shot?"

"Good question. He doesn't know. He was on a cliff one second, the next tumbling over the edge. But after what I found at the spring—"

"What did you find?"

"A couple of cigarette butts and a set of footprints behind that big bush by the spring. I'd checked that area earlier and they weren't there then. Someone's after him, and he was watching the cabin. The trouble is, I don't know if I believe his story."

"Which is?"

"He says he's Shane Burkhart, but I didn't find a wallet or any kind of ID on him. So he could be anyone."

Her uncle again examined the man lying on the cot. "I thought I recognized him. He's Shane Burkhart. I saw his photo in the business section of the newspaper a few weeks back about a possible merger. What does he think?"

"He thought it was a hunter until I convinced him otherwise. He doesn't know who's after him." She moved to the side of the bunk and knelt. "I dropped the water jug in the doorway. Can you boil it for me? I have a feeling we may need it."

"Sure." He grabbed the container and unscrewed its cap as he made his way to the fireplace. "I'll put it on the fire then take a look around. See if I can follow the man's tracks."

"Be careful."

"Tessa, I'm always careful." Uncle Jack winked at her and left the cabin.

She turned her attention to Shane, relieved she didn't have to worry about who he was anymore. One less problem she had to deal with. Shane's groan brought her gaze to his face. He was covered in sweat, heat radiating off him.

"You can't die. I won't let you," Tess whispered.

Think. What more could she do in this primitive environment? Liquids and acetaminophen were all she had to fight a fever. Taking out the bottle of medicine, she mashed three tablets and put them into a cup of water. Somehow she had to get him to drink this.

Sitting on the edge of the cot, she lifted his dead weight, supporting him with one arm while holding the cup in the other hand. At least he wasn't delirious and fighting her. Thank you, Lord. I need all the help I can get.

"Come on, Shane. You need this." She prayed her words would reach into his fever-racked mind and make sense to him.

"Elena." He moaned and shook his head, pushing her hand away.

Elena? His wife? No, he'd shared he was a single parent. Then ex-wife or daughter? Girlfriend?

Shoving her curiosity to the background, Tess put the tin cup on the floor and tried to secure Shane more firmly against her. When he settled down, she picked up the drink and lifted it to his lips, forcing them open with its rim. At first the water dribbled out of his mouth, but finally, with a lot of gentle coercion and then dire threats of further bodily harm, she managed to get some down him. The front of his shirt and her arm were wet, but she estimated she'd gotten almost half of the doctored liquid in him. She could give him more acetaminophen in a few hours.

After examining the wounds again and finding to her relief that they weren't bleeding, she took a cloth, dipped it into the last of the purified water and bathed his face and neck. She refused to give into the fear building inside. She would not let him die. She would not.

"You listen up, Shane. You'll get well, hear me? You have to."

When Uncle Jack returned, a scowl lined his craggy features. "I didn't see any signs of his assailant." He gestured toward Shane. "The footprints I found at the spring led away from here. But I don't think we should let down our guard."

As much as she didn't like depending on anyone, Tess was glad to hear her uncle say "our guard."

She checked the pot on the fire, removed it and let the boiling water cool on the table. "Why did you come two days early?"

He shrugged. "Last spring we didn't get to spend as much time together as I wished. I'm getting old. I don't put off things like I used to so I told my buddies we would have to reschedule."

Tess sighed. "I came a week early. I should have waited, but I didn't want my boss to give me a long-term assignment and miss this good weather and healing time. There are only so many perfect weeks up here."

"It seems the Lord conspired for us to help this young man."

Tess dragged a chair to the bunk and sat. "I guess so, but I was really looking forward to peace and quiet. I get enough tension at work. I prefer my vacations to be relaxing."

"I know, Tessa." Her uncle clasped her shoulder. "I sometimes miss that life. Mine is too quiet."

She glanced toward him as he shuffled to the table and eased into the other chair. Tired lines cut deep into his tanned face. His blue eyes didn't hold the sparkle they usually did. Retirement wasn't treating him kindly. "Have you thought of doing something with your expertise? Look what you did for me."

He swept his arm down his body. "What? The NYPD didn't need my services any longer. I was forced to retire when I didn't want to. I'm only sixty-three."

"That's my point. You still have a lot of time to do whatever you want. You have a black belt in karate and knowledge in all kinds of ways to protect yourself. You were in law enforcement for forty years. Uncle Jack, you were a captain when you retired. You have lots of information and abilities stored up there." Tess pointed toward his head. "Do something with it besides playing chess and golf. You used to make fun of people who spent half their day at the golf course."

"I'm into bowling now. Golf and I didn't mix. Besides, it gets hot as—let's just say very hot here in Arizona."

"Go back to New York then. You have buddies there."

"Too cold in winter."

She laughed. Her uncle had grown up in Arizona and his heart had always been here, even during the years he'd lived in New York City. He'd been a grump during the winter months when the temperature got below freezing, but his late wife, Patricia, was a New Yorker through and through. She never wanted to leave Manhattan. "I was glad you lived in the city. I owe you so much."

"You're family. What's an uncle for if not to teach his niece how to defend herself?"

"Not all uncles can do that. When I was beat up and left for dead, I decided I wasn't ever going to be defenseless again, and you gave me a way to protect myself—and now others. I make a pretty good living out of all you taught me. I know I've told you thanks before, but I'm telling you again. You gave me a second chance." As she had Shane, at least she hoped.

Uncle Jack snorted and scanned the room. "Where's the coffee, girl?"

"I haven't fixed any since my guest arrived. I was kinda busy today."

"Well, I guess we better get a pot on because it may be a long night." He pushed to his feet and walked to the fireplace's mantle where the necessary items to prepare what he lived on most of the day were stored.

"Great. Your coffee is much better than mine. I was just waiting for you to show up."

He gave her another snort and finished the task, then took a seat at the table. "So what's your plan concerning our patient?"

Again the word our. Although her father was still alive, the very thought of him brought a chill washing through her. He had retired and now lived in a small town outside of Phoenix, but she hadn't seen him on her trips to visit Uncle Jack, and that was the way it would stay if she had anything to say about it. Her dad had bullied her verbally most of her life. As a teenager she'd been timid until a home invasion had left her badly hurt. That was when her uncle had shown up. He'd taken her back to live with him and Aunt Patricia in Manhattan. Her father had been glad to be rid of her.

"Earth to moon."

"Sorry. Just thinking about how much I love you." She knew that would fluster him, and he wouldn't probe too much into why she had been in deep thought. He was the dad she should have had, except her uncle was always trying to reconcile her and her biological father, his brother. But she'd lived under that man's iron rule for too long. Never again. "Tomorrow as soon as Shane is out of trouble, I'll be hiking down the mountain to get help."

"And leave me with him?"

"He won't bite, but our little friend by the spring might. Think you can baby-sit Shane for the day until I can get a helicopter to airlift him out of here? Maybe you can catch a ride home since you're such an old man."

The dare, she knew, would rile his temper. With a sharp look toward her, he grumbled something under his breath as he covered the short distance to the fireplace. The only thing Tess heard was "the things I do for you."

"Will you pour me some? It's gonna be a long night."

He poured the coffee and handed her the cup. "I'm going back outside to keep watch. Be useful."

"Don't drink too much coffee. One of us should get some sleep."

"Girl, it isn't going to be me. I don't sleep much anyway, and there's no way I would with someone after him. So I guess you'd better."

She took a long sip, relishing the scent and taste, strong and rich. Then she lifted her chin and stared at her uncle. "Not until his fever breaks. So I guess we'll both be up."

He retrieved the shotgun from the table and with his coffee headed outside, muttering something about how the patient better be worth all the trouble he was causing.

Tess chuckled when the door closed. Her uncle would have been the first person to help Shane. He was always rescuing people and animals. Since he had returned to the Phoenix area three years ago, he'd filled his house and barn with adopted pets. He'd told her the Lord had put him on this earth for that very reason.

She took another sip of her drink, then turned her attention to her patient. She surveyed Shane's tensed features, her fingers combing his dark, wet hair back from his face. Taking the cloth, she mopped away the sweat, only to have it coat his skin almost instantly again. The bond she'd felt earlier strengthened. She'd never forget this man—her stranger. Although she'd had other lives in her hands, protecting someone against a possible threat was nothing like nursing someone back to health. Shane was completely dependent on her. The feeling terrified her, but there was something different, too. Something she couldn't quite name.

After propping him halfway up against the pillow, she poured some water into a tin cup and tried to coax the liquid down his throat, using her fingertips to lightly massage the sides of his neck. His eyes blinked open.

"Come on, drink this," Tess whispered, her gaze locked with his fevered one. "I'm not going to let you dehydrate."

He took several swallows, and then he frowned and knocked the cup away. "I don't know you!" His voice rose louder with each word. His body stiffened.

Although some liquid spilled from the cup, Tess managed to save a little. "Shane, drink," she said in her most commanding tone.

She brought the cup to his lips, but his eyelids slid down and the tension siphoned from him. With the little water left, she got another few gulps down his throat between groans. Then she ran a cool cloth over his face. He batted at her arm, twisting away.

Afraid he would reopen his wounds, she held his limb against his side. "I will not let you die. I will not let you ruin my vacation."

His eyes popped open, and he looked straight through her. "Elena, you came back." A smile graced his lips for a few seconds before he surrendered to sleep.

Do I look like Elena?

Before she could ponder that question, she heard Shane mumbling, "Don't leave me. Rachel needs you."

Now Rachel? Who is that? The daughter?

More questions drenched her thoughts, all involving this man. She needed to get back to Dallas to her simple life where she knew the rules and her boundaries.

Lord, I need You to heal Shane. I've done all I can. Now he's in Your hands.

#

After Tess spent hours forcing water, some laced with acetaminophen, down Shane's throat, bathing his face with a cold cloth, and praying like crazy, his fever broke. She sat exhausted, her head dropping toward her chest. Fighting sleep, she jerked up and spied the pot on the fire. Coffee. She needed some if she was going to stay awake and get him the medical and police help he needed.

She headed for the fireplace and filled her mug. When she turned back toward Shane, his dull gaze captured hers. She went still, waiting to see if he was coherent and aware of his surroundings. He eased his eyelids closed for a moment, then looked at her again.

"Just checking I'm not dreaming," he said, swallowing hard. He lifted his hand and touched his chest. "I'm wet."

"It's a combination of sweat and water. You weren't always as willing to take your sips as I'd hoped."

"Is there someone else here? I thought I remembered seeing a man standing over me." His forehead creased as his gaze scanned the cabin. "I guess I dreamed that."

She shook her head. "My uncle is around somewhere. He comes in every once in a while to let me know that all's well outside."

Shane's attention strayed to an oblong window, set high near the ceiling for privacy. "It's night."

Tess cut the space between them, took a seat, and drank several sips of her coffee. After glancing at her watch, she said, "It's almost dawn."

"Your uncle's been outside all night?"

"Part of it."

"Why?"

"I found footprints by the spring. Somebody was watching the cabin yesterday."

"So he's been on guard?"

"Something like that." She smiled for the first time in hours. "Truthfully my uncle likes the solitude. When he's up here, he spends a good deal of time outside even at night." She was a lot like that, too.

Shane swiped his hand across his forehead. "So I'm not only indebted to you but now to your uncle as well."

"Don't make it sound like a dose of awful tasting medicine."

"I'm not used to depending on others."

Neither am I. Another link formed between them, deepening their bond.

"You don't owe me a thing. When dawn breaks, I'll hike out of here while Uncle Jack watches over you. By evening, you should be enjoying a nice visit to a hospital."

Shane flinched. "Not something I'm looking forward to. I make a habit of avoiding hospitals."

"I don't think you can this time. Would you like anything to drink?"

He shook his head, but immediately winced at the action. "I forgot my head was split open."

The memories of the two times she'd suffered a concussion crept into her mind. She shoved them away before the doubts took hold. She wouldn't allow those doubts in her life anymore. "How could you forget that? I've had a concussion, and I know how painful it can be."

"My leg hurts even more." He studied her for a long moment. "You've had a concussion as well as a shotgun wound. I remember you telling me that." A shadow entered his eyes. "Your life is full of danger."

She stood and strode toward the door, purposefully ignoring his last statement. Her life before she'd become a bodyguard had been full of a different kind of peril—a peril that threatened the type of person she was. Not only had Uncle Jack and his wife taken her in as a teenager, but also they had taught her about the Lord. Through Him she'd gained an inner strength. "I hope your injuries won't keep you in the hospital long." Stepping outside, she surveyed the area and found her uncle sitting on an outcropping, as though announcing to whomever was watching that Shane had people protecting him. "Uncle Jack, you're a sitting duck."

"I'm fine. I can survey the area better up here."

Tess shook her head. Her uncle had once told her that the Lord looked out for him and he wouldn't die until God wanted him to join Him in heaven. "Shane's awake."

"Coherent?"

"Yep."

Her uncle swung around and came toward her. "Good. It should be dawn in another half an hour. Then you can boogie on down the mountain."

Although he'd tried to hide it behind a flippant comment, concern laced his statement. "What are you not saying?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I've just got that feeling I get when things aren't right. We don't know who we're dealing with, and that always bothers me."

Over the years she'd learned to respect her instinctive feelings. "I'm heading out as soon as it's light enough."

"Great. I'll fix some breakfast." He passed her at the door and went to the food supplies he'd brought. "I'll make some oatmeal and fry bacon. We have to eat it before it goes bad."

"Aren't you supposed to be watching your fat intake?" Tess asked, downing the last swig of her coffee before pouring another cup. Her uncle always brought items to the cabin like bacon even though it meant keeping it cold on the hike up the mountain. He told her once it was a luxury he insisted on having at least for a meal or two.

"Tessa—" Uncle Jack shook his head, tsking, "Tessa, I'm on vacation. Haven't you heard calories and fat content don't count then?"

"I missed that bulletin." She faced Shane, who had been following their bantering. "Would you like some water?"

"No, coffee. The smell is driving me crazy."

"Caffeine probably isn't the best thing for you at the moment. You need rest."

"Didn't you hear your uncle? When you're on vacation, it doesn't count what you eat and, as far as I'm concerned, drink." Slowly, he inched up to a half sitting position.

"Humph." She poured the last of the coffee into his mug, and then handed it to Shane.

As he lifted his drink to his lips, his hand shook, sloshing some of the liquid. He drew in a deep breath. "I think I dreamed about this last night."

"I suppose it's mostly water, so it shouldn't do too much harm."

"After a crack on my head and a gunshot wound, I think a cup of coffee is the least of my worries. Especially with someone out to kill me."

"Which brings me back to, who would want you dead? Any ideas?"

Shane sipped his drink, staring at the far wall. "I've got two competitors who don't play by the book and are ruthless in some of their practices, especially Anthony Revell. He lives in Phoenix. But the other, Mark Collins, isn't too far away—Los Angeles."

"Okay. How about people who have worked for you? Have you made anyone mad lately?"

"Four hundred people work at my office in Phoenix, not to mention the thousands worldwide. The odds are there are a few who aren't happy with me."

"Anyone threatened you?"

Shane cocked his head to the side, staring off into space for a long moment. "Six months ago, I personally fired one of my researchers. He was stealing information and selling it to the highest bidder."

"He could be the one. Who is he?"

"He's in Mexico. Fled prosecution and disappeared."

"When you get back to town, you need to have the police look into it. And get some protection until you know who shot you."

"You're the only bodyguard I know." While taking a sip, he watched her over the rim of the cup.

She felt the silent question. No, she couldn't guard Shane. This personal connection they had between them was exactly the kind of thing she tried to avoid with her clients. She needed a level of detachment to do her job. Tess barely knew him, but she already knew there was no way she could be objective. After sitting by his bed, struggling to save him, she'd forged a bond with him that could threaten her peace of mind if she allowed him in her life. "I don't think I'm the person for you. You have a security team at the company?"

"Yes."

"Ask your head guy. He should be able to find a person who would work for you."

"I'm a private person. I don't want a stranger guarding me. You aren't a stranger. And right now isn't the best time to let people know someone is after me. I'm in the middle of some delicate negotiations that could fall apart if they knew."

"Your life may depend on it." Even after she said that, from the doubt in his eyes, she wasn't sure if he would pursue her suggestion. She would talk to her uncle about trying to persuade Shane to get protection.

"Breakfast is ready." Uncle Jack brought the pot of oatmeal to the table.

Tess dished up some hot cereal with honey, minus the milk, for herself and Shane. She took him his bowl and assisted him so he could feed himself, then she went back and grabbed a couple of slices of bacon.

When she was finished with her breakfast, she quickly gathered her possessions and backpack for the hike. "I've got to get a move on it if you're to be rescued today. A helicopter would have trouble landing up here at night."

Shane set his spoon in his bowl. "You're going now? Will I see you later?"

"I'll make sure you get the help you need. Uncle Jack will take care of you until the rescuers arrive." She headed toward the door, hurrying before Shane asked another question she didn't want to answer.

She would make sure he was all right before she left, but she needed to cut her ties to him. She motioned for her uncle to follow her outside and waited by the door for him to join her.

During the long night, she'd contemplated what Shane's life was like. When she guarded a person, she made it her business to know all she could about her client. With him, she didn't know much, so she'd filled in the blank spaces. She'd often do that when she people watched. It helped her hone her skills, reading someone's body language—something she'd become quite good at. That had saved her life on several occasions. But in Shane's case, the spaces she'd filled in became more personal. She still couldn't shake the questions—who were Elena and Rachel? Probably his wife and daughter, but she wanted to know for sure.

The fact that she wanted to know bothered her.

"You aren't going to see him again?" Uncle Jack asked when he closed the door.

"I can't. You need to make sure he understands the gravity of his situation."

"Oh, I will. I have the whole day to work on him."

"Maybe you could even help him find someone to be his bodyguard."

"I'll do some checking when I get home."

"I'll be at your house until I can make arrangements to fly back to Dallas."

"I thought you had the week?"

Tess looked at the closed door and shook her head. "I think I'd better go now. I'll take your car, so you won't have to worry. Call me on my cell, and I'll come pick you up at the hospital."

Her uncle studied her. After a moment, she broke eye contact, but she realized it was useless. He knew her too well. "But you won't even go in to see him again?"

"No."

"Chicken." He dug his set of keys out of his jeans pocket and handed them to her.

"When it comes to relationships and men, yes, I am. Like you, I've seen the darker side of life with our jobs." She cared for Shane, and that was the problem. She waved and started toward the trail that led down the mountain.

#

Hours later near the bottom of the mountain, Tess paused and took her binoculars out to scan the area below where her uncle's car was parked. Another one was parked nearby—a black truck. Hunters? Hikers? Or a killer? Although there was only one decent trail that led to the cabin on this side of the mountain, and she hadn't encountered anyone on the path, the assailant might have gone another way. She would check the truck and get the license plate number before she left.

Finally, she neared the end of the trail. Uncle Jack's Jeep was in the lot thirty yards away, just around a bend. She hurried her pace as she turned on her cell phone. She'd tried several times on her hike down, but there hadn't been any reception. She probably would have to drive to the main highway–an hour's drive on a dirt road—before she'd get service.

She reached her uncle's Jeep and scanned the area for the black truck. It was gone. The hairs on her nape lifted. Something wasn't right. She inspected the ground where it had been parked and found cigarette butts littering the earth. The same brand of cigarettes as the ones found at the spring.