Hearts Are Wild (26 page)

* * * * *

It’s none of your concern
.
Shain can come and go as he pleases.
He made it quite clear he wasn’t interested in a relationship, so who was she to anticipate more?

A damn fool, that’s what she was.

To think she’d really wanted to prove something to that man. Lily slapped her soaked bandana over the clothes line and rubbed her tired back.

Peter and Darrell had turned out to be a font of information. They both talked about the Red Bear with obvious pride, as did the other hands. Lily learned that the Red Bear was one of the most respected cattle and horse ranches in the state. Their stock was quality, with both horse and bovine garnering top dollar.

But Lily detected unease at other moments. It didn’t take a genius to figure out the ranch might be experiencing a financial crisis. There were lots of little clues. The weathered siding on both the house and the barn. A plumbing issue that she’d overheard Nhya ranting to Darrell about when she’d brought them out their lunch. Then there was the little matter of having not gotten their last paycheck. Lily knew Peter hadn’t meant for her to overhear that when she’d rounded the corner. She pretended not to have heard.

And as Lily splashed cool water on her face from the trough outside the house, she began to realize
why
Shain and Nhya had kept her on as a boarder, despite her abhorrent behavior at the bar. They needed cash. Nic and Bri
had
said something about the Red Bear being a new dude ranch. But Lily had thought surely there would have been other guests.

That she wouldn’t be the
only
one.

She sighed and dried her face on the towel hanging off the pump. Which is probably why Shain had given her that little speech this morning. That damn dare. And she’d fallen for it.

None of this is any of my business
.
Not their financial straits or the looters rooting up their land for native artifacts. Or the fact that the mere thought of Shain leaves me breathless with anticipation.

Even so, Lily kept thinking about the Oglala pieces inside the house, how beautiful and wild the ranch and its property was. And what a shame it would be for a family to lose such a home, such a history to thieves, whether it be a bank or looters.

“You’re welcome to use the shower inside, Lily.”

Lily turned at the sound of Nhya’s voice, reassured by the friendly smile on her stunning face. “Oh, I will later, believe you me.” Lily pushed straggles of hair away from her flushed cheeks. “It just that I can’t fathom the thought of walking up those stairs at the moment.”

Nhya smiled. “Come on. I’ve got a porch swing with your name on it.”

On the wide veranda surrounding the ranch, Lily eased her aching bones onto the padded swing and took the glass of iced tea offered. “I know I said it before but you have a beautiful home. Great employees, too.”

“Yes, we do,” Nhya replied with a nod, her gaze fastened on the bunk house. “And it’s my intention to see that things stay that way.”

Lily started at the underlying thread of warning in Nhya’s tone. “You think I’m somehow a threat to your ranch…to you?”

Nhya’s chocolate eyes pinned Lily where she sat. “Are you?”

A fluttering filled Lily’s abdomen and she swallowed around her sudden discomfort. “I’m going to be honest with you, Nhya. It wasn’t my idea to come here.” Lily took a deep breath and ran a hand through her now loose hair. “My cousins arranged everything.” She smiled wryly, her cheeks flushing pink. “They think I’m too uptight and they figured tossing me outside my comfort zone would loosen me up, so to speak.”

Lily’s confession earned her a puzzled look from Nhya. She hoped she hadn’t confused the poor girl even more but she’d felt a sudden intense need to be up front. Well, mostly up front. She liked Nhya, liked the Red Bear, and liked Sha—well, liked
parts
of him. They obviously had a lot going on with the ranch, and Lily had no intention of being a wrench in their works. She’d finish out her stay, they’d get their money and Lily would be happily on her way back to home soil.

“Well,” Nhya said, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “I’d say they succeeded, wouldn’t you?”

A laugh popped out and Lily’s face reddened even more as her thoughts zoomed back to her and Shain’s escapade four days ago in the glade. “Uh, well…yes, I guess they did.” Lily cleared her throat. “Seems as though I’ve been doing all sorts of things completely out of character.”

Nhya placed a cool hand on Lily’s arm. “When that happens, it’s usually your inner spirit exerting some pretty serious influence.” She dropped her hand and frowned. “Not that it’s any of my business.”

Lily appraised Nhya, a warmth building in her chest. “This is going to sound strange but I don’t mind hearing that from you. It’s as if…” Lily closed her eyes. “I don’t know. I feel comfortable with you, Nhya, secure. I wish I could say the same of your brother.” Opening her eyes, Lily cursed her loose tongue
. What is it about this girl that makes me want to spill my guts?

“Shain’s been going through a tough time lately.” Lily sensed the pain behind her words. “We all have, actually. And as strong as he is, things are wearing on him. And you—” Nhya gazed at Lily again, her eyes hinting at something Lily couldn’t quite put her finger on. “You’ve shaken big bro up a bit, I think.” She grinned. “Which, in my opinion, is a good thing.”

Relief washed through Lily. She couldn’t imagine why. Shain had made it obvious a relationship was the last thing on his mind. She chewed her lower lip and grasped for something to steer their conversation down a different path. “Uh, I hope you don’t think I’m prying but, when Shain and I were out earlier in the week, we stumbled upon an excavation site. Are you having problems with looters? I’ve had some experience in this area. Maybe there’s something I can do to help?”

Nhya went ramrod straight.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No.” Nhya raised a hand. “No, it’s fine that you did.” Her soft brown eyes fixed on Lily. “This entire incident has been infuriating. And after your find the other day, Shain, well, you saw him. He went ballistic. It makes us crazy that we can’t protect our land better, from those…” Nhya’s fists clenched and her jaw hardened as she swallowed the words she wanted to say. She flicked her long, straight hair back off her shoulder. “This all started before my parents’ plane crash. Of course we didn’t know that until afterward.”

Silence stretched and Lily knew Nhya was deciding how much to tell her.

Nhya leaned back in the swing, her fingers drumming on the painted wood. “Our mother and stepfather died in a crash a month ago but it wasn’t until Shain and I started going through the books that we realized the ranch was in a financial bind. And that wasn’t the only thing. There was a private collector who’d contacted Mom and Frank about doing some excavating on our land to look for a particular artifact he’d been researching. Of course they said no, which is when the trouble started.”

“Can I ask what this collector’s name is?”

A narrow gaze found Lily. “That’s just it. We don’t have a name, just a company, which turned out to be false. After Mom and Frank told him no, they started finding pieces of land torn up. In total these past five months, we’ve found ten separate areas,” Nhya said with a growl. “Six of them since the funeral four and a half weeks ago.”

Lily was quiet for moment, her mind ticking through various collectors, some of whom were known for not always being on the up and up. “Do you know what he’s looking for?”

Nhya’s shoulders tensed. “Maybe. Does it matter? These bastards have no right to it, whatever it is. This is
our
land. Our heritage.”

“You’re absolutely right.” Lily met Nhya’s unblinking stare. “But that won’t stop them from searching for it. Whatever it is, it must be something big. Pipes, beads, bags, pottery…none of those things would be worth the risk he’s taking.” Lily’s thoughts churned. “He’s looking for some sort of native holy grail.” She knew she’d hit the nail on the head when Nhya’s olive face paled.

“You don’t have to tell me, Nhya, but you need to realize that these types of characters are dangerous. And if you really do have this artifact, whatever it is, you need to take serious steps to protect it.”

Her gaze snapped back to Lily and Lily was taken aback by the cool determination in the young woman’s face. “What would you suggest?”

A tingle zagged up Lily’s spine and she took a moment to process all that had been said—and not said. “First, I’d file police reports if you haven’t already done so. Then I’d state very publicly that you’ve shipped this item off to whichever museum you think would best accommodate it.” Lily paused. “Even if you don’t.”

Nhya was still for a moment, her face raised to catch the last brilliant rays of sun. “Why should he believe that?”

“Or she.”

Lily’s words earned her a stunned look. “I—I never thought it could be a woman.”

“Oh, yes,” Lily said, her gaze straying to the beginnings of a spectacular Montana sunset. “Some of the most passionate treasure hunters are women.” Lily stared at Nhya. “As to why he or she will believe you. You show them the goods. Not them directly, but the local paper. Land yourself and the artifact on the news, and it becomes nearly untouchable. It makes it solid, real, and if it’s a native artifact, going public gives ownership to an entire nation of people who will want to follow its fate.”

Lily paused to sip her tea, the cool liquid washing away some of the dust. “Basically, you’re making the risk too dire. Illegal collectors don’t want to be noticed. They don’t want to raise flags.”

Her words seemed to hang in the air like lightning bugs, and Lily knew the young woman was dissecting her every word, motive and comment. Lily couldn’t blame her. In fact, she admired her for it. She was also burning with curiosity over what the artifact might be and whether or not Nhya and Shain actually had it in their possession. The researcher and curator in her was intensely interested, while her practical side warned her to keep her distance—for more reasons than one.

“I’ll think about what you said,” Nhya finally responded.

Lily simply nodded, more words feeling out of place under the fire-red sky.

Chapter Eight

“That’s it. Now tighten it one more notch. Rialda likes to hold her breath at the last minute.”

Her face a study of concentration, Lily yanked as hard as she could on the saddle’s leather strap, slipping the metal flange up. The mare blew out a heavy sigh and gave her a somber look. “Nice try, girl.” Dropping the stirrups in place, she patted the dappled mare’s neck and beamed at Darrell. “How’d I do?”

With a quick nod and a smile, Darrell flipped the reins over Rialda’s neck onto the pommel. “Not bad for a first time.” He motioned to Lily. “Up you go.”

Since Rialda was several hands shorter than Shain’s devilish beast, Lily mounted with ease and waited as Darrell adjusted the stirrups.

Shain.

Her gaze searched the yard for the hundredth time. No truck. It had been four days since her last encounter with Shain. She couldn’t imagine where he was, what he was doing.

With another woman, most likely. A man like Shain would have his pick.

The thought made Lily’s gut burn and her heart ache.

“Lily?”

Blinking, Lily looked down into Darrell’s lean face. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I asked if you were ready to try some range riding.”

Pushing Shain from her mind, Lily straightened and stared out at the open range. “Absolutely.”

Darrell instructed her to walk Rialda around the corral for a few minutes, letting them get accustomed to one another while he and two of the other hands finished saddling their mounts and packing up the supplies they’d need to spend the entire day out on the range.

They were going to check fence lines, the free roaming herd and, from the under-breath conversations, Lily suspected they’d be looking for signs of the looters as well. As she urged the gentle Rialda in a circle, Lily’s thoughts wandered. She and Nhya had spent the past four evenings chatting and looking at the wide expanse of stars that exploded across the Montana sky. Lily found Nhya so easy to talk to, confide in. Lily had talked about her life back in Bisbee, and in Tucson before that. About her distant father and her mother, who had died when she was only eight. She’d even related stories about her gorgeous cousins and her college days at Stanford with her best friend, Susan.

It was nice to look back and see that, despite the tragedies of her childhood, she’d had good times, made strong female connections and developed a solid love for history and the items that told the story of their past. She hoped that had come across to Nhya. Lily was disturbed by the thought that Shain and Nhya might still hold her in suspicion. Nhya’s behavior didn’t indicate that she did but the beautiful young woman maintained a level of reserve despite her warmth.

And deep worry.

Nhya took to looking out the window for Shain almost as often as Lily. And as Lily leaned down to pat Rialda’s neck, she found a coal of anger smoldering in her gut. Who did Shain think he was, making his sister worry like that? Didn’t she have enough to stress about?

When she saw him she’d give him a piece of her mind, attitude be damned. He needed to be here to support his sister. And if they
did
have that artifact somewhere on their property, be it in the house or secured somewhere else on the property, Nhya was at risk. They all were, actually.

A cool breeze rich with the perfume of sage, pine and mountain air stirred the wisps of golden hair that had already escaped the pins holding it up. Lily breathed deep and shivered as an electric tingle zagged down her spine. She’d felt that before, out in the glade with Shain near the dig, and again with Nhya as they’d talked about the artifact. It left Lily feeling dislocated, adrift, as if she were on the edge of something significant.

A sharp whistle shattered the moment and Lily twisted in the saddle to see Darrell waving from the gate. They were ready to go. With a cluck of her tongue, Rialda headed for the opening, her steps quickening when she realized they were on their way out.

“We’re going to start in the east pasture, Miss Whitman,” Darrell said, tipping his head her direction as Rialda trotted alongside his gray stallion.

“Sounds good,” Lily responded, trying to push thoughts of Shain, Nhya and the ranch’s issues out of her mind. The brief instant message chat that she’d had with Bri and Nic last night had done nothing to erase her unease. She had feelings for Shain. Feelings that had nothing to do with simply having a good time and being done with it at the end of the month. Sure, she was good at giving relationship advice to Bri but could she heed her own counsel?

Lily gazed over to where Shain’s truck was usually parked and frowned. Not likely.

Interrupting her frazzled thoughts, Darrell introduced the other two hands. “Luke and Curt have been here the past month helping us catch up on jobs before fall sets in.”

Lily gave them both warm smiles, which they returned. Luke and Curt looked similar enough to be brothers. Both had hair the color of raven’s wings and, while Curt’s was cropped short, Luke’s hung in a tight braid all the way to the middle of his back. With their high cheekbones and midnight eyes, the pair were striking in a dark, brooding way.

“Heeyaw,” cried Curt. He dug in his heels and his pale roan leapt forward, followed by Luke on his brown sugar pinto.

“Miss Whitman,” Darrell said, his pale blue gaze all business. “Just follow us and don’t ride any faster than you’re comfortable.”

Lily pushed the soft, tan wide-brimmed hat Nhya had given her low on her head. “Lead the way.”