Desert of the Damned (11 page)

The trail twisted up the mountain, around boulders and leveled to a grassy flat area where saguaro and mesquite were alternately placed like pieces on a chessboard.

Several tiny birds flitted in and out of the tangled brush and hopped along the reddish dirt.

“Up here is where I’ve found a number of the dead animals. Deer, raccoons, fox and those wild piglike animals called javelinas.”

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Sniffing the air again, she detected the faint odor of decay. She walked around the area, looking for evidence, and decided she didn’t want to see anything to spoil the scenery but this was what they were up there for. “We need to collect the freshest specimens,” she said with a somber tone. “Just tell me what animal the scat belongs to.”

He nodded then stared at her feet. “You didn’t wear bells on your boots.”

“What?”

“Bells. There are mountain lions up here, you know.”

She sucked in a breath. “Really.” She frowned. “So what are the bells for?”

“To scare them off.”

Amy narrowed her eyes at him, pointing at his boots. “You’re not wearing bells.”

“I don’t need them, I can run fast.”

“Right,” she said sarcastically. “Now about the animal droppings.”

He nodded and continued walking, searching on the ground. “Yes, coyote scat has bits of hair and juniper berries.”

“What about mountain lions?”

He considered for a moment. “Looks similar, a little larger. Hair, juniper berries and sometimes little bells.”

She punched him in the arm, laughing. “Cute.”

“Ow.”

“Is this the line you give all the visitors that come into the park?”

“The gullible ones.” He took a drink from his water bottle and continued up the trail.

“Now you’re calling me gullible?” she teased. Walking behind him, she got another nice view of toned body and powerful leg muscles. If she did more hiking maybe she’d get into better shape.

“No, just messing with you.” He glanced over his shoulder and gave her a wink.

“Most of the visitors get a laugh and are a little more cautious about the wildlife after that story. You’d be surprised how many hikers and campers approach wildlife like a raccoon or fox. They think they’re cute.”

“Well, they are but it’s common sense not to handle wild animals,” Amy said.

They walked along the trail a little farther and Jake stopped. “Deer. This is pretty fresh.”

Sliding off her backpack, she dug inside for a screw-cap container, a specimen bag, spatula and latex gloves. After slipping on the gloves, she labeled the container with the animal type, location and date and used the spatula to scoop a sample into the cup. She sealed it and placed the container and spatula in a Ziploc bag. Then placed that in another larger plastic bag. “All set. That makes six different animal types and fifteen specimens so far.” She stood and they continued up the trail. “Next time we go hiking I hope it’s to enjoy the scenery and not to collect animal scat,” she said in a teasing tone.

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He glanced over his shoulder and the look he gave her sent a thrill to the pit of her stomach. “Let me know. I’d be happy to show you a few trails with the best views.”

“That sounds great.” Was he being nice, treating her like any other tourist, or did he really want to spend time with her? She rolled her eyes to the crystal blue sky. Stop reading things into his words.

“Damn it.” Jake stopped abruptly and Amy almost ran into him.

“What is it?” She saw a brown mass of fur under a spiny, greenish yellow palo verde tree.

“Deer.” He pulled out a notebook and jotted a few notes. “That makes a dozen in two weeks,” he said as he rubbed his forehead.

“Did an animal get it?”

“Doesn’t look like it.” He studied the animal closer. “No visible marks, so it wasn’t attacked or shot.”

“You’re keeping a log of the animal deaths?”

“It’d break your heart if I read off the list. I’ve not seen anything like this before and I’ve worked in the park for ten years.” He left the deer behind and continued up the trail. No doubt predators would eventually get to it. “I can’t tell you what this park means for people around here, especially my grandfather,” he continued. “He’s lived here all his life. It’s a constant fight to protect the land.”

“The park wouldn’t close because of this, would it?”

A moment of anger flashed in his eyes, then he softened. “Not likely.” He frowned.

“Animals get sick and die but it’s rarely harmful to humans. Rumors of an unknown deadly disease might keep visitors away without the park closing. Understand what I’m saying?”

“Of course, Jake. Confidentiality applies to patients and clients. I can’t discuss this project with anyone outside the lab who isn’t working directly on this project.”

He sighed in obvious relief. “Good. Don’t need the media getting a hold of this.” He stood and continued up the trail.

After several hours, she had to admit watching how Jake moved with ease, confidence and pride up the trail was a hell of a lot more interesting than the breathtaking scenery. They had about all the specimens they needed for an initial study but she didn’t say anything, and she didn’t want the day to end.

As a park ranger, he probably knew every inch of these trails, had traveled them a hundred times and could name every plant and prickly thing they passed.

He’d been walking at a steady pace for the last hour and didn’t look out of breath.

Beads of sweat trickled down her back and between her breasts. Several times she wiped perspiration from her forehead with the back of her hand. He didn’t even look like he had broken out in a sweat, damn him.

Was this a race or something?

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“This is a little out of our way but I’d like to take you up on this one trail to show you the view. It’s…well, you’ve got to see it for yourself. Then we’ll stop for lunch.”

“Lunch sounds good,” she said, doing a poor job of not huffing and puffing. She really needed to get back into shape.

His face lit up as he glanced back at her. “You okay back there? Need a break?”

“No, I’m fine.” Her heart felt like it would burst out of her chest and her lungs ached but she didn’t want to admit it.

“Keep drinking water or you’ll get dehydrated.”

She took a swig of water and slipped the bottle back in its carrier and took a few deep breaths before speaking, hoping not to sound winded. “How far?” She resisted the urge to say, “Aren’t we there yet?”

“Not very.” Glancing back at her again, he slowed down and smiled. Maybe he finally realized she’d reached her physical limit but wouldn’t admit it. “It’s a little steep here. Give me your hand.” She took it and he half pulled her up the narrow path covered with loose fine gravel. Her boots slipped and he grabbed her by her waistband to keep her from going down to her knees.

“Thanks, I’m not much of a mountain goat,” she said, laughing.

“No worries, it’s a bad spot. The view is worth the climb.”

At the top, he released her and grinned like a boy with a new bicycle. “What do you think?”

She turned ‘round in a complete circle and whistled. “Oh my.” From this viewpoint she couldn’t see any houses or signs of civilization in any directions. “It’s like we stepped back into the Old West.”

He smiled. “So how long have you lived here? I can hear the slight Southern twang in your accent.”

“It slips out now and then. I moved here eight months ago when my company merged the labs.”

“Quite a change.”

“Arizona is not Florida.”

He must have noticed her hesitation because he asked, “You miss Florida, don’t you? Why did you leave?”

“I couldn’t find another job before my company offered the transfer, and the pay increase was good. I thought I’d give it a shot.”

He glanced back over his shoulder at her and the serious look he gave her sent a heat wave undulating through her body. Images came to mind of the two of them curled up naked on Dante’s Indian blanket making love in all the ways that Dante hadn’t. It had been so long since she felt a man filling her, thrusting inside her. Amy blinked the images away and sucked in a deep breath.

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“That must have been hard for you to move away from your friends and family. I’m sure you miss them.” He didn’t give her a chance to respond, just pointed to a large flat rock for her to sit on as he slipped off his backpack. “We can stop here.”

She wriggled out of her backpack, dropping it beside the rock. When she sat, she tried massaging the ache and stiffness from her fatigued muscles. She wondered if she would be able to get up after lunch. “Great, I’m getting hungry.”

“You’re going back,” he said, more as a statement, not a question.

If she was planning to leave Arizona why should she get interested in this man?

And why not tell him right off? “I’ve put in for a management position.” She glanced at him but saw no response. Just as well.

“I know I couldn’t leave the Sonora Desert,” he said, “not only for me but I keep and eye on my grandfather. He’ll never leave. Hope the job works out for you. You need to find a place you can call home.”

His words sent a little thrill through her. How long had it been since she met a man who cared anything about another’s well-being? And he was considering hers too?

Did Dante care for her? He cared about his gratification. Amy was just as guilty. If she and Dante could’ve had a casual affair and still cared and respected each other she would’ve been fine but their encounters had become very shallow and crude. “Sounds like you and your grandfather are close.”

Jake nodded. He sanitized his hands with antibacterial gel, handed her the bottle and retrieved sandwiches from the pack. “My grandfather is quite a character. He lives by the old Indian ways.”

“What does that mean?”

“He’s part Navajo. He believes in spirits, the traditions, folklore and mythology of the Navajo Nation.”

“Are you Navajo?” She didn’t think he looked Navajo.

“No, I call him my grandfather though.” He stared at his sandwich and didn’t say more. Standing up, he excused himself for a call of nature break.

Jake walked several yards out of sight before stopping to relieve himself. Amy had been great all day. She’d kept up with his pace, been pleasant company, collected specimens with scientific professionalism and had seemed eager to learn about the different animals of concern in the study. She seemed as worried as he was about the animals, about the park and how this would impact the visitors.

Smiling to himself, he thought how he’d managed to keep the excursion on a professional level, although several times his mind wandered to what would’ve happened if they’d met under other circumstances and were hiking to enjoy each other’s company instead of working on a field project. He’d been pushing her at a steady pace too without a word of complaint from her.

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His grandfather always said he was too hard on his dates and that was why they never stuck around for long.

She wore little makeup which he liked. Most of the outdoorsy kind of women he met or dated went a bit too far with the natural end and never wore makeup or anything feminine. Not that women didn’t look sexy in jeans and tee shirts but he had a thing for women with nice legs. Shorts or skirts did it for him. Most guys liked women with huge breasts. Large or small, didn’t matter to him but if he had to make an assessment, he would say Amy’s breasts weren’t too large or small, just perfect. Nice, very nice. Best to keep his thoughts off her legs and breasts if he was going to get through the rest of the day.

Instead he remembered the gold hoop earrings she wore and a gold dolphin pendant that hung on a chain and swept her cleavage. She didn’t wear any perfume which was a good idea when walking in the woods since animals can detect scents at great distances.

He wondered if the Dante character was out of her life. And if so, when would be the appropriate time to ask her out? He hadn’t been out on a date since Alison left him.

If she hadn’t panicked, he might not have hurt her. Damn it, he wasn’t sure. He retained his human thoughts when he was in animal form but the animal instincts also prevailed. Did he dare risk getting close to someone again?

A surge of desire flowed southward and if he returned now, he would look very unprofessional.
Okay, Montag, cool your jets.
Bending over slightly, hands on hips, Jake took a few deep breaths to regain control.

Damn, she was hot.

He couldn’t determine if she was sending all kinds of take-it-slow signals. After all, she had a boyfriend, whether or not he was on the outs. He had the impression they weren’t on the best of terms at the moment. If the opportunity arose, he would see if she was available. After they dropped off the specimens—

“Jake! Jake!” Amy screamed from several yards away.

He felt the adrenaline rush as he tore off in Amy’s direction.

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Chapter Eight

By the time Jake reached Amy, she was holding a fist-sized rock in her hand, ready to throw it at the coyote that was perched on top of a boulder. The animal seemed to be facing her off, daring her to make a move.

“Jake!” Her eyes were wide with terror, her chest heaving with each breath.

He strode over to her, gently removing the weapon from her grip. “Easy. He won’t hurt you. You probably scared him. Tell me what happened.”

She turned and pointed at the coyote that had lowered his head and peered at Jake, still not moving. Why hadn’t the thing run away? Maybe he was hungry and smelled their food. “That coyote came after me.”

“What did he do?”

“It was in the bushes and jumped out at me.” She rubbed her face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scream. It startled me. I think it’s the same one that’s been around my house.”

He couldn’t help but smile at that. “Amy, there are lots of coyotes around here.”

She made a face and planted her hands on her hips. “But this one is missing part of his tail. I’m sure he’s the same one.”