years ago or that it was as grand as the story said. If it did, it probably would have been discovered.”
He folded his arms on the table and leaned forward. “Do you make it a habit to go around telling people you’re looking for the Lost City of Gold?”
“No,” she said with a chuckle. “They would think I was mad.”
“Are you?”
“No. Sorry to disappoint you. I’m perfectly sane. But I need a guide, and Zach said you were the best, that you helped him and Maggie last year with the Aztec codices. I trust Zach’s opinion.”
“So you trust me?”
“Yes.” Did she have a choice?
“You shouldn’t.” His almost-black gaze drilled into her. “If there is a City of Gold out there and you’re looking for it, I wouldn’t trust anyone. People do a lot of nasty things for money.”
“To put your mind at rest, I haven’t advertised the fact in the Albuquerque newspaper.”
“That’s comforting, because after what Zach, Maggie and I, to a lesser degree, went through last year because of the codices, I would hate to see that happen to you.”
She inclined her head. “I’m touched by your concern.”
“If something happened to you at Santa Maria Pueblo, I would have to deal with it. That’s my job, not being a tour guide.”
His use of the word tour stung Kit. “I wouldn’t require much of your time. And, of course, I would pay for that time. I estimate five or six days to confirm if the remains of the Spanish mission are what I’m looking for.”
For a few seconds any emotion in his expression disappeared. Then a relentlessness scored his features. Tension vibrated in the air as he drew himself up, his large presence commanding. “Where do you expect to find these ruins?”
“The ruins are the ones you found a few years ago in Desolation Canyon. Zach told me about it a month ago when we were working on some background information for the new exhibit at the museum.” As she spoke, his expression turned to fury, as though a storm had swept into the café. This didn’t bode well for what she wanted. “Can you give me a few days of your—”
“No. I can’t.” He surged to his feet and tossed down some dollars. “Goodbye, Dr. Sinclair.”
As he stalked to the exit, Kit held her hands over the lukewarm coffee, trying to draw any warmth she could from it, because the temperature in the restaurant had definitely dropped twenty degrees in the past minute.
Desolation Canyon was in such a remote part of the reservation that few people visited there, and not usually because they wanted to. But why had he reacted like that? Did he know something about the canyon she didn’t?
Making a quick decision, she hurriedly paid for her drink and followed him outside. She had to know what she was getting into, because if he wouldn’t guide her, she would have to find someone who would. This was too important and could be a huge boost to her career.
Kit caught him scrambling into his Jeep. “Mr. Lonechief,” she called out from across the small parking lot on the side of the café.
He glanced at her and slammed his door shut. The next thing she heard was the roar of the engine. Brazenly she shot out in front of his vehicle before he put it into Drive, and blocked his path. He scowled as she came around to his window, her hand at all times on his Jeep as if she would cling to it if he sped away.
“What’s the problem with Desolation Canyon?”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Besides being isolated, ruggedly harsh and not the latest tourist destination?”
“I know it won’t be an easy hike. But there’s something you aren’t telling me.”
He firmed his mouth into an even deeper frown. “Stay away from there.”
“Why?” She leaned toward him, her hands braced against his door.
A nerve in his jaw jerked. He stared forward for the longest moment, then muttered, “My wife died in that canyon. Now if you’ll excuse me, Dr. Sinclair, I’ve been up all night and need some sleep.” Hawke pointedly peered at her hands still on his Jeep door.
His revelation stunned her. It took a few seconds for a question to form in her mind. “How? What happened?”
Anger hardened his clenched jaw. He revved his engine.
“Will you at least recommend another guide?”
His expression blanked, leaving no indication of what he was thinking or feeling. “No.”
“You can’t be the only guide available!” She stepped back, because the scorch of his look convinced her not to try to stop him from leaving. She was only brave to a point.
“Stay away from there.” Hawke threw the black Jeep into Drive and screeched out of the parking lot.
Weary, she closed her eyes for a few seconds. When she opened them, his vehicle had vanished from her view. He must have broken a few laws getting away from her. If she weren’t so desperate for help, she would laugh about what just happened or cry at his revelation. But a couple of years ago she had determined emotions wouldn’t rule her life—ever again.
Her career was everything to her now. She was a researcher, more at home in a library surrounded by books, delving into the mysteries of the past. She couldn’t believe she had actually stood in front of his car to stop him from leaving. Woman of action had never been a description of her.
The lines and words on the map blurred together. Kit rubbed her eyes, but still her vision protested the hours spent researching in the college library. She wanted to make sure she knew all the history of Desolation Canyon and the best way into it. What she needed was a map with little dotted lines that led to the Spanish mission. The church was the key to the whereabouts of the City of Gold.
“Why am I not surprised to find you buried under a stack of books?” Dr. Zach Collier of the science department picked up a thick tome and read its title. “My, such a heavy topic about the climate conditions in the 1500s at such an early hour.”
“History of an area or time is more than people.”
“I imagine climate can have a huge impact on what happens through history. So how did the meeting with Hawke go yesterday?”
She frowned. “Not too well. He won’t be my guide.”
“I was afraid of that.” Zach slid into the chair across from her.
“Why didn’t you tell me his wife died in that canyon?”
Surprise widened Zach’s eyes. “He told you?”
“Yes. He didn’t know how else to get rid of me. What happened?”
“I don’t know much. I wasn’t living here at the time, and he won’t talk about it to anyone. Not even Evelyn will say anything. All I know is that it happened four years ago while he was home visiting
