Sam flipped open his wallet to his ID and badge and rested his other hand on his weapon as he stalked up to the driver’s side of the truck.
Holding his badge in front of him and rapping on the hood of the vehicle, he approached the window. “Border Patrol. What’s your business out here?”
The window buzzed down, and a pair of luminous dark eyes caught him in their gaze. “Sam? Sam Cross?”
Sam gulped and his heart beat even faster than before as the beam of his flashlight played over the high cheekbones and full lips of the woman he’d loved beyond all reason.
Chapter Two
He growled. “Who is it? Who are you?”
He’d have to try harder than that to sound convincing.
“Oh, please.” She shaded her eyes against the intrusive glare of the flashlight. “You know damned well who it is, so get that light out of my face.”
He shifted the beam to the side so that it illuminated the ends of her silky ponytail. Bad move. His breath hitched in his throat as he recalled the way that hair had feathered across his bare skin.
“Jolene Nighthawk?”
“In the flesh, Sam.” She cut her engine and turned on the dome light in her truck. “What are you doing out here at this time of night?”
“I already asked you that question. It’s not safe.”
“It’s my land...indirectly.” She set her jaw, and her nostrils flared. “What could be safer?”
He shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked sand at her tire. “So, the Yaqui are going ahead with the casino development on the property. Is this your cousin Wade’s doing?”
“Wade and the others.” She lifted her shoulders. “The tribe put it to a vote, and the Desert Sun Casino won.”
“Were you just...surveying the land?” He flung an arm out to the side. “Planting a bomb?”
Jolene jerked her head, her dark eyes flashing. “What does that mean?”
“Just kidding.” He held up his hands. “I know you’re probably not too happy about the casino. Weren’t you trying to prove that any disruption of the land would impact the three-toed tree owl or something?”
She chuckled, and the low sultry sound did something to his insides. “There is no such thing as a three-toed tree owl. I think you mean the elf owl, so points for being close.”
He grinned like an idiot, just so damned happy to be in her presence again. “See, I was listening to your lectures.”
“Those were supposed to be conversations, not lectures. And no, the environmental study I ordered didn’t prove that the casino would disturb the elf owls’ habitat, as it’s farther west.” She gripped the steering wheel with both hands. “In the end, I had nothing.”
“That’s a good thing, isn’t it? I mean, that the construction site isn’t going to impact the desert critters.”
“It’s not going to affect them as much as it would have to for any alteration in the plans.”
“The casino will provide a lot of jobs and generate a lot of money for the tribe, right? I know Border Patrol is involved at some level because some of those new employees will be coming from the Yaqui tribe members in Mexico. The Yaqui governing body has already contacted us.” He felt the need to keep talking as Jolene stared at the desert over her steering wheel.
She whipped her head around, her eyes narrowed to slits. “Is that what you’re doing out here? Is that why you’re in Paradiso?”
Whoa. Had he become the enemy? Who was he kidding? He’d become the enemy the day he’d left her... The day she’d pushed him away.
“I... Something like that.” He didn’t have to give her all the gory details of his assignment.
She tapped the steering wheel with her long slender fingers. “At this time of night, you’re not going to get a very clear picture of the scope of the project, and ground-breaking doesn’t start for another two days. The equipment’s not even in place yet.”
“The rain stopped me from coming out before. I could’ve put it off until tomorrow, but...it called to me. The desert called to me, and I wanted to see the land before all the hubbub started.” Heat rushed from his chest to his face, and he gave thanks to the darkness for its concealment.
“Same.” She fired up the truck. “Are you going to be at the ground-breaking ceremony?”
“I’ll be there. You?”
“Of course.” She threw the truck in Reverse and backed up farther off the access road into the sand. “It’s my land.”
As she wheeled around him and his rental car, she put her hand out the window and yelled. “Watch out for singing sticks.”
Her words caused a chill to run up his spine. She was referring to the Yaqui legend about the boy who killed his brother and buried him in the desert. A small stick with a button on top grew out of the dead boy’s head where he was buried. When an old man driving his mules found the stick and grabbed it, the stick sang to him of the boy’s death.
The tires of Jolene’s truck squealed as they gained purchase on the access road, and Sam watched her taillights until his eyes watered and all he saw was a red blur.
He hopped back into his car and continued on his way. If only all the dead people he was searching for had sticks to mark their burial places.
TWO DAYS AFTER his encounter with Jolene, Sam slipped the green shirt of his Border Patrol uniform from its hanger and shook it out. He stuffed his arms in the sleeves and buttoned it to the collar.
It would be hot as blazes at the ground-breaking ceremony for the casino, but he’d be there in an official capacity and couldn’t exactly wear shorts and flip-flops. He didn’t care. The event would give him another opportunity to see Jolene.
He’d tried to catch sight of her around town, short of stalking her outside her house, but she’d been keeping a low profile. She could’ve been busy with her duties as
