the tribe to continue to walk in beauty.”
“How does that connect to my dad?”
“Your father handled some delicate matters for our tribe. The circumstances surrounding his death have raised some questions for us, and I was sent to provide any help you might need.”
She sat up abruptly. “Are you telling me that the tribe doesn’t think that what happened to Dad was just an accident?”
Jonas remained quiet for several long moments. “We have no proof to the contrary, but questions remain. For example, your father was the last person to see one of our people—a man who’s now missing. We believe he may have been in your dad’s car when it crashed.”
“You mean, somebody wandered off badly hurt and is out there somewhere?”
“A search was conducted the day and night following the accident, and is still going on, but there’s been no sign of him. He may have caught a ride along the highway—or not. So far, we have nothing to go on.”
“Who’s the missing man? Anyone I know?”
“The tribe has its own reasons for wanting to keep his identity a secret for now.”
“But the tribe thinks his disappearance might somehow be connected to what happened to Dad?”
“The timing and other factors fit,” Jonas said with a nod. “If we’re right, and your father’s death wasn’t an accident, you can use someone like me around. I’m here to offer my services.”
His unwavering gaze nearly tore her breath away, but she kept her wits about her. “I obviously need some form of security, but I can’t afford it right now. My funds are tied into the new construction. Dad and I were getting ready to build a vacation inn for people with special needs. But some of the funds we were expecting haven’t come in yet, so I’m living on a very tight budget.”
“No payment’s necessary. I’ve got you covered,” he said.
Seeing herself reflected in those intense dark eyes brought back a kaleidoscope of emotions that left her feeling weak at the knees. Sharing his sleeping bag…and what had happened next…had kept her from dying of hypothermia. But maybe what they’d shared hadn’t meant the same to him. For all she knew, he saw it as nothing more than an unusual one-nighter.
The fact was she didn’t know, and maybe it was better that way. She needed to take him at face value now and stop looking back. Five years was a very long time. Jonas didn’t have a ring on his finger, but he’d obviously gone on with his life.
“I can’t pay you, Jonas,” she said at last, “but I have something to offer. I’d be happy to search the property, talk to my neighbors and do whatever else you might need to find the missing man.”
“There’s balance in what you propose,” he said. “I accept your arrangement.”
“Is the missing man a vindicator like you?”
He shook his head. “His service to the tribe goes above and beyond what I do.”
“It would help if I could view a photo. I’d be happy to keep everything confidential.”
“I’ll see if I can get you one,” he said.
As she looked up at him, her heart skipped a beat. His face was chiseled and his expression as hard as steel—but it could be gentle, too, at the right moments. Though that was based on her memory of the past, she could see echoes of it in the coal-black eyes that held hers.
Jonas was a walking temptation, his body lean and hard. Judging from the way he could fight, he was also the most dangerous man she’d ever met. He was like a strong wind that swept away everything in its path. But she needed more in her life than another unforgettable adventure. Her future depended on every decision she made, or failed to make, now.
Wanting to put some distance between them, she began wiping down the counter, though it was perfectly clean.
“What’s on your mind? Are you already having second thoughts about our deal?” he pressed.
The fact that he could read her so easily startled her, but she rebounded quickly and did her best to cover. “If you’re right, I’m caught in something I just don’t understand, except that it seems connected to my dad and this place. But that’s not much to go on.” She swallowed hard. “I’m not a coward, but it’s hard to fight an enemy when you have no idea who that person is, and why he or she is after you.”
“That’s why I’m here—to equalize the odds.”
His voice was filled with an assurance and confidence that was contagious. “Welcome aboard then.” She smiled and reached out, offering to shake hands. Then, remembering Navajos didn’t believe in casual touch, she drew back. “Sorry.”
Jonas reached for her hand and shook it. “You and I are hardly strangers.”
A vivid image of her lying naked in his arms, their bodies pressed tightly together, flashed in her mind. The cold surrounding them had given way to heat….
“You and I will start fresh today,” she said firmly, mostly for her own benefit. “History is only for those who like to live in the past.” Yet even as she spoke, she found it impossible not to notice the strength he kept in check or the hardness of his calloused palm. Though her insides were doing somersaults, she gave him an easy smile.
“I’m here to do a job. And believe me when I tell you that I’m very good at what I do.” His voice was calm, yet had an unmistakable edge that caught her attention and held it. “You’ve never been safer.”
The timbre of his voice sent a thrill up her spine. Jonas was the stuff dreams were made of. Somewhere along the way, he’d also acquired a quiet confidence that enhanced everything about him, and teased her imagination.
Emily turned and poured herself another cup of coffee. She wasn’t just losing her sight, she was losing what was left of her mind. She had more problems now than she knew what to do with. The last thing she needed was another complication.
Jonas was a temporary ally—that was all. As experience had repeatedly taught her, wishes were only the fragile whispers of a lonely heart.
Chapter Two
Shortly after eight the following morning, Emily noticed a patrol car in the distance motoring slowly down the highway.
The deputies had told her last night when they’d come to take Jonas’s and her statements that they’d be increasing Jonas’s presence in the area.
Standing at the sink of the trailer, Emily watched the main house from the small window. Jonas had insisted on sleeping outside. He’d parked his truck in a spot that allowed him to keep watch on her trailer, the construction materials and the main house.
His presence reassured her even more than the added sheriff’s department deputies on patrol. Yet even so, she hadn’t been able to get much sleep last night. Thoughts and worries had chased each other in an endless circle.
The news that her father might have been murdered had turned her world upside down. No matter
