Forsaken Canyon Read online

  “Visiting? I thought he’d always lived here.”

  “No. He went to college and law school at Yale. After he married Pamela, he became a junior partner in her father’s law firm in New York City. They came to New Mexico for a vacation, and on one of their hiking trips into the canyons northwest of here, Pamela fell from a cliff. Hawke only went back to New York to pack up his things.”

  “It would have been helpful if I’d known that before I approached him.” Kit closed the volume she’d been studying.

  “I was hoping it wouldn’t make a difference to Hawke. I thought the mention of the Lost City of Gold would prick his interest.”

  “No, more like his derision.”

  “Since the accident he hasn’t been the same. Evelyn doesn’t say much about it, but I know she’s worried about her son.”

  “And you’re worried about him, too?”

  “Yes, and he won’t let me help. He’s turned away from the Lord.”

  “It’s sad how some people feel they have to wade through their problems by themselves. No one has to do that.” She remembered in the parking lot, before he’d driven away, the glimpse of hurt in his dark eyes that she instinctively knew he would deny.

  “The Lord is always there for a person if he or she will only turn to Him.”

  “True, and something I’m glad I’ve done.” Kit checked her watch. “I have a class in an hour and still have to look over my notes.” Rising, she gathered up the books before her.

  Zach came to his feet. “What are you going to do now about going to the canyon?”

  “Find another guide. Because after looking over a map of the area, I know I can’t do it alone. You wouldn’t happen to know anyone else who could do the job?”

  “Not like Hawke. Sorry.”

  “I’ll find someone. I’m not going to let this stop me.”

  “I didn’t think it would, but be careful. That’s rough, isolated country.”

  “First your cousin warns me and now you. It’s just another canyon, not some evil place.”

  “I agree places aren’t evil, but people are. Be careful who you tell you’re looking for the Lost City of Gold. With Hawke you can be up front, but with others you shouldn’t.”

  Kit chuckled. “Zach Collier, I appreciate your concern, but I’ve been on my own now for a while. I know how to take care of myself.” She’d had to learn how to do that because there was no way she would ever become involved with another man. After Gregory’s murder, she’d decided she would have to be satisfied with being single. That was when she had come to the conclusion her career would be her life.

  He raised his hands, palms out. “My wife would be furious if I didn’t warn you.”

  “Tell Maggie hi for me, and let her know I’ll call her soon. See you.” She carried the stack of books to the counter.

  “Kit, did you find everything you were looking for today?” Samuel White, the research librarian who was always such a big help to her, pushed the books to the side.

  “Yes and no. There’s a part missing, but I haven’t figured out what yet. Just as soon as I do, I’ll have you do a search for me in the network. I know we don’t have it here.”

  “Just let me know, and I’ll find what you need.”

  “Thanks.”

  Another quick glance at her watch told her she would be late if she didn’t hurry. However, outside she couldn’t resist pausing for a few seconds and scanning the campus. A beautiful day. The bright sunlight lifted her spirits after the conversation with Zach, as though the Lord had orchestrated it just for her.

  Multicolored flowers bloomed in the gardens that greeted the students as they entered the library. Tall maple trees lined the long walk that led to its main entrance, offering a person a cool reprieve from the heat. She wished she had time to enjoy the perfect spring day, but she quickly headed toward the history building, not far from the library.

  Zach hadn’t given her much hope of convincing Hawke to be her guide, so she was left with only one option: to find another one. After class she had some thinking and planning to do.

  When she arrived at her office, she found Dr. Wes Stanford waiting by her door. “Good morning.”

  He smiled, his white teeth standing out against his tanned face. “I saw you from my window coming into the building. I thought this would be a good time for me to get that article you wanted me to read.”

  “Let me find it.” She unlocked her door and entered. “I brought it from home a few days ago after we talked about it.” She rummaged through the piles on her desk and discovered the copy at the bottom of one of them.

  “I’m always amazed at your resources.” Wes took it from her outstretched hand.

  Shrugging, she stepped back to allow more space between them. “I love researching and collect everything I can get my hands on that has to do with history, especially early-American history, before we were a country.”

  “I’d like to take you to lunch as a way of thanking you for all your help. How about after your ten-o’clock class today?”

  “You don’t have to do that, Wes. I’m glad to help you any way I can.” She leaned back against her desk, aware of her notes that she wanted to read over sitting behind her just waiting for her. But Wes was a friend and the newest history professor on staff. “After all, I’ve got a vested interest in your career since I was your graduate advisor. It’s good to see how well you’re doing.”

  “After that, I think I should scratch lunch plans and take you to dinner instead.” Wes moved closer.

  Sweat glazed her forehead and upper lip. He’d invaded her personal space, although there was at least a foot between them. But with the desk behind her, she had little room to maneuver away. She offered him a trembling smile. “I wish I could, but I’m swamped right now. Maybe another time.”

  “Sure.” He backed up, his grin wavering for a few seconds before he reinforced it.

  Kit inhaled a deep breath and relaxed her grip on the edge of her desk. When he left, she slipped into the chair nearby, her legs weak. Why hadn’t she seen his interest before? Maybe she was jumping to the wrong conclusion, and it was only appreciation for what she’d helped him with during the three years of their close association, first as a graduate student and now as a professor.

  She liked Wes; she saw the same appreciation for history as she had, but that was all she would ever feel toward any man—friendship. Discovering Gregory’s betrayal on top of dealing with his murder had nearly sent her over the edge. The Lord and her friends had managed to hold her together, but she didn’t want to go through that kind of loss ever again.

  She caught sight of her notes on her desk and stood. She still needed to reread them before her class. Afterward, she would tackle the problem of finding a guide.

  * * *

  A bright shaft of light slanted across Hawke’s desk at the police station. He finished the report and slapped the folder closed. Time to go home. He needed to check and see if his new ranch hand was working out. Anna was right, not that he would ever tell her. He should pay more attention to the family ranch and make sure his mother wasn’t burdened with too much work.

  He started to rise from his chair, but the phone ringing stopped him in midaction. He sank back down and snatched up the receiver. “Lonechief.”

  “Hawke—”

  He instantly recognized Zach’s voice and sat up straight, remembering whom his cousin had sent to him only a couple of days ago.

  “Maggie and I want you to come to dinner at our house before the dedication of the Collier/Somers Wing of the museum.”

  “I forgot about the dedication. It’s this Saturday night?”

  “Yes, in just two days. I’m glad I called to remind you. Is Evelyn coming?”

  “She wouldn’t miss it for the world, but Albert is bringing her.”

  “Albert Cloudwalker? Doesn’t he own the trading post by the highway into Albuquerque?”

  “Yes, and yes, Mama has been seeing him.”

  “Interesting.”

  There was a wealth of questions in that one word. “I’m glad she’s seeing someone finally.”

  A long pause, then, “I wish you would reconsider taking Kit to Desolation Canyon.”

  Hawke had known that Zach would approach him about this, but it didn’t make any difference. He wouldn’t go to the canyon again. He couldn’t. Not there. “What time is dinner?”

  “Six, since the dedication ceremony is at eight. And I get the point. No more talking about Kit and Desolation Canyon.”

  “I’ve always said you were the smart one in the family, that is, after your grandfather.”

  “I take that as a compliment. Red was exceptional.”

  “See you Saturday.” Hawke hung up, staring at the pool of sunlight warming his desk.

  A picture of a no-nonsense woman with long blond hair and blue eyes materialized in his mind. The determination he’d glimpsed in her worried him. He wouldn’t put it past her to try to find someone else to take her into the canyon. The only other person capable of doing that was his uncle. Thankfully Gus lived halfway between here and the canyon, and he rarely came into town. Even if he did, Hawke wasn’t concerned Gus would agree to guide the professor into that maze of ravines and mesas. His uncle was a hermit and hated to be around people. Gus only tolerated Hawke for short periods of time because he took him his supplies every couple of months. But everything he’d learned about the land was from his uncle.

  Tired, Hawke flattened his hands on his desktop and pushed himself to his feet. Even if she tried to find someone, she wouldn’t.

  He headed toward the door and left the station before something came up to keep him there. Yes, he worked a lot of hours, but he knew when he needed to sleep. With long strides he covered the distance to his Jeep quickly and climbed inside.

  As he pulled out of the parking space in front of the tribal police station, he peered both ways down the lengthy street that ran through the heart of the small town of San Angelo. His gaze lit upon a woman coming out of Anna’s café, and he braked. He watched Dr. Kit Sinclair stroll toward the red Honda parked in front.

  Almost as though his arms and legs had a mind of their own, he made a U-turn and drove toward the café.

  CHAPTER TWO

  I’m doing my job by discovering what she’s up to. If she does something foolish, I’m the one who will have to clean up the mess.

  Yeah, right, nothing else motivates you.

  Hawke ignored that little voice in his head and came to a halt a few feet from her car. The woman he wished he could ban from the pueblo wheeled around, her eyes growing round as he slipped from his Jeep.

  “I didn’t think I would see you again in San Angelo.” He hadn’t intended to fling a challenge in her face, but somehow his words came out that way.

  She stiffened, a white-knuckled grip on her black purse straps. “I didn’t think I had to ask your permission.”

  “What brings you out this way a second time?”

  She pinched her lips together and opened her car door. “Nothing that concerns you. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to get back to town.”

  He observed her driving away and decided to do a little investigating. Striding to the café’s entrance, he knew if anyone could tell him why Kit was in town it would be Anna.

  Inside, only a few tables held customers enjoying a late lunch. He scanned the large room and saw his cousin behind the counter, talking with Lester Running Bear, his long black hair hanging in a braid down his back. As Hawke moved toward Anna, the older man rose and turned toward him. A frown marred his craggy face.

  “See ya, Anna.” Avoiding the direct path to the exit, his head down, Lester circumvented Hawke.

  Hawke stopped at the long counter that ran the length of the café. “Has Lester been drinking? Is that why he’s dodging me?”

  “He was sober.” Anna began wiping down the laminated top, her gaze averted.

  “What aren’t you telling me?” Hawke settled onto a stool.

  She stopped her cleaning and looked him directly in the eye. “Lester’s going to be Kit Sinclair’s guide to Desolation Canyon.”

  He leaped to his feet and started for the door, then realized that the woman in question was probably halfway to the highway to Albuquerque. He came back to Anna. “Why didn’t you try to stop that?”

  “Because I didn’t know until after she left. Lester was just telling me.”

  “He can’t do that. He’s never sober long enough to show anyone anything.”

  “Then I suggest you give her a call and tell her that.”

  After the look she’d sent him out in the parking lot, he was sure that the second he identified himself she would slam down the phone. He would be in Albuquerque in two days for the dedication ceremony. He’d go see her then and make her listen to him. There was no way he would let Lester guide her anywhere.

  * * *

  Saturday evening Hawke rang Kit Sinclair’s bell. When no one answered, he pounded on the door. After a few minutes, he had to acknowledge she wasn’t home, which meant he would now have to make an extra trip into town to see her. Unless she was at the dedication tonight for the Collier/Somers Wing at the museum. She’d helped Zach with the exhibit, so hopefully Hawke would see her there and set her straight.

  Leaving the porch, he headed toward his Jeep in the driveway. If she wasn’t at the museum, he would stop by on the way back to the pueblo. He didn’t intend to stay late at the ceremony, anyway.

  “She’s already left,” said the distinguished-looking neighbor. Probably in his early forties, he held a hose, watering his plants, most of them cacti, along the border of his property with Kit’s.

  “Do you know if she’ll be back soon?” He could be a little late to Zach’s if it would save him a trip into Albuquerque another day.

  The man removed his hat, revealing thick, wavy blond hair. “I don’t think so. She said something about a function at the college. I can tell her you came by, Mr….”

  Hawke took the man’s outstretched hand and shook it. “Hawke Lonechief. I don’t think that’ll be necessary. We’re going to the same function. I’ll catch her there.” At least, he hoped they were, and he could put an end to the woman’s pipe dream once and for all. He definitely was going to have a word with Zach about putting such a foolish idea into Kit’s head.

  Since his cousin lived across town from Kit’s, Hawke had some time to plot his strategy. He really had no way of stopping anyone from going into that maze of canyons if that person was determined—like Kit—but he was sure going to try with her. He wondered if she even owned a pair of hiking boots. She had amateur written all over her face. Even if he hadn’t known exactly the hazards of the tangle of sheer cliffs, pockmarked land, treacherous escarpments that led to Desolation, not to mention the dangers in the canyon itself, he still would have discouraged her.

  He wished he’d discouraged Pamela. But his wife had wanted an adventure—something risky and challenging. And he’d agreed, wanting to please her after the fight they’d had about living in New York City.

  If only he had remembered what Gus had said about the canyon, with its blood-red walls when the sunlight struck it just right. If only—

  Hawke shoved the thought from his mind, along with the vision of his wife the last moment he’d seen her alive. Her smile would haunt him forever. As would her scream as she plunged down to the bottom of the jagged, rocky ravine below.

  Twenty minutes later he pulled in front of Zach’s house and noticed the red Honda sitting in the driveway. For a few seconds he considered leaving and grabbing dinner somewhere else before the ceremony. But he’d never run from a problem before, and this would be a good time to have that little conversation with the good professor.

  His long strides quickly chewed up the space between his Jeep and the porch. When Zach opened the front door to his knock, Hawke entered, surveying the entry hall and spacious room off to the side.

  “Where is she?” Hawke asked, stopping in the middle of the living area.

  “Who?”

  Amusement flickered in Zach’s eyes, producing a swell of anger in Hawke. “You know good and well who I’m talking about. Kit Sinclair.”

  “I’m right here.”

  The voice, husky for a woman, sounded behind him. Hawke pivoted toward her. She stood just inside the living room with a brown leather couch between them. “We need to talk about Lester Running Bear.”

  “I’ll leave you two alone.” Zach hurried toward the French doors that led out onto the deck.

  “No, we don’t,” Kit said when the click of the door closing announced they were by themselves. “Lester has agreed to be my guide. You wouldn’t, so it’s none of your business.”

  “It’s my business when you’re engaging a man who is rarely sober for longer than a day and can’t find his way out of a building with a well-lit exit sign.”

  Blinking, she looked away. When she reestablished eye contact with him, her neutral expression hid her earlier surprise. “You gave up that right when you turned me down.”

  “Have you talked to Lester today?”

  “What have you done?” She covered the few feet to the sofa and grasped its back.

  “Convinced him not to take you.”

  Glaring at him, Kit opened her mouth but snapped it closed before saying anything. She sucked in a soothing breath. “Do you make it a practice to interfere with someone’s life like that?”

  “Yes, when that someone ignores my advice.” He circled behind the sofa and stopped just two feet short of her.

  Kit plastered herself against the back of the couch, her gaze flittering from one side of him to the other. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but I’m going to that canyon with or without your help.”

  “Lady, there is no one else, so make it easy on yourself and give the idea up.”

  “You mean make it easy on you.” Lifting her chin, she stabbed him with a withering look. “I’ll find someone else, and if not, then I’ll go by myself.”

  “Then I’ll arrest you.”