Molding Clay (7 page)

tease, to a she-wolf, fighting ready in a heartbeat, to a wounded soul hiding behind a

façade of bravado, to a woman with passion strong enough to singe a man to the bone.

His problem was that every aspect of her was appealing. He found himself wanting

to know everything there was to know about her, to shield her from hurt and pain, and

to be the one to make her smile. How was it possible that a woman could have such a

strong effect in such a short span of time?

His brother Chase had once told him that Ana, Chase’s wife, had affected him that

way. That she walked into his life and the moment their eyes met he was a goner. Clay

took some comfort in that. If Chase, the consummate womanizer and confirmed

bachelor, could fall to a woman so easy, then Clay didn’t have to beat himself up over

falling for Rusty. But he sure as shit wasn’t ready to admit it to anyone.

He pulled to a stop in front of the bunkhouse and killed the engine. Rusty’s eyes

fluttered open and those violet orbs locked onto him. “We’re home,” she said in a sleeprough voice that made his cock pulse. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to crash out on you.”

“No worries,” he replied, thinking how he’d like to gather her up in his arms, take

her inside and have his fill of her.

Rusty smiled softly. “I appreciate you sticking up for me tonight.”

“From the looks of it, if I hadn’t, any one of thirty others would have. You have a lot

of friends.”

“Yeah, good people,” she replied. “But still, you stood up for me, and you hardly

even know me. For all you know Davis could be right about me.”

“Fancy, if that man was right, Ana and Clara would never have cooked up the deal

between the Circle R and Blackhawk Ranch. And even if that scum was right, no man

has the right to talk to a woman like that or to raise a hand to one.”

“Got a strong moral compass, don’t you, Mr. Russell?”

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“I’d like to think so, yes. And if you don’t mind, could we drop the Mr. Russell and

Miz Blackhawk?”

“You think we’re familiar enough to be on a first-name basis, Mr. Russell?”

Clay spoke without thinking. “Honey, I’ve already seen you naked, worked side by

side with you, been damn near burned alive with a kiss and fought for you. Not to

mention watching you wolf down enough food to feed three men. I think we’re

definitely ready to be on a first-name basis.”

Rusty regarded him thoughtfully for a few moments. “I agree…in part anyway. But

you got it wrong, Mr. Russell. You didn’t get burned. I did. Good night.”

With that she got out of the truck and headed for the bunkhouse. Only a couple of

minutes passed before she reappeared, the short skirt replaced by worn jeans and a long

woven poncho covering her from shoulders to mid-calf, belted at the waist. Clay

watched as Koda appeared out of the darkness. Rusty lay her hand on the wolf’s head

and for a minute they stood as still as statues. Then as one they turned and disappeared

into the darkness.

Clay climbed out of the truck, unsure whether he should follow them or just go into

the bunkhouse and turn in. In the end, he did the latter. If she’d wanted him with her

she would have let him know. Clearly, she needed time alone.

Which might be the healthiest thing for both of them right now because if she’d

stayed, he would have been hard-pressed to keep his hands off her. That thought

brought all kinds of delicious ideas to mind, and brought him to an almost immediate

erection. With a sigh, he went inside. No two ways about it. It was going to be a long

night.

* * * * *

Davy watched Rusty disappear into the woods. He was tempted to follow her but

that wasn’t part of his plan. After he’d convinced his family that his plan would work,

he and his brothers had headed to Blackhawk Ranch to start surveillance. They were

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Molding Clay

going to have to keep a close eye on things so they’d be ready to act at the first

opportunity.

Davy had been watching Rusty for a long time and knew her weakness. Her ranch

and her horses. The botched attempt at burning her out had hurt her but had not struck

close enough to her heart. Buildings could be rebuilt, replaced. But not flesh and bones.

The family agreed and they quickly agreed to set the plan into motion. Davy sent

Dennis and Donny to approach the ranch from the eastern border and take up positions

near the eastern pasture where there was quick access to the corral and stables.

He approached from the north where he could take a position in the woods with a

clear view of the main complex. Once he was certain Rusty and the slicker were asleep

he would signal his brothers on the walkie-talkies and they would move in.

Davy grinned and settled back, waiting for the lights to go out in the bunkhouse.

Rusty leaving was a stroke of luck he hadn’t counted on. With her gone, all he had to do

was wait for the Russell fellow to sack out.

* * * * *

For two hours Clay paced the floor. When she hadn’t returned at the end of that

time, his mind was made up. He grabbed a jacket and headed outside to find her.

From his hiding place in the woods, Davy saw the Russell fellow leave and head

into the woods. His luck was getting better all the time. Now not even his bumbling

brothers could screw up the plan. They had free access to the ranch.

From his months of watching Rusty, he was pretty certain that she wouldn’t return

before morning. Many a night she and that wolf of hers took to the woods, disappearing

like a mist into the landscape.

He’d tried tracking her but had never managed to discover where she went during

those nights. Right now, it didn’t matter.

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His brothers wouldn’t be happy but too bad. He’d wait for dawn to act. That way

everything would be fresh when she returned.

He grinned as he imagined the look on Rusty’s face when she discovered the gift he

and his brothers had planned for her. It so delighted him that he decided then and there

that after the deed was done he would return to his hiding place and wait for her return

so that he could see her reactions in person when she rose the next morning.

For a few minutes he indulged himself in a fantasy, of Rusty in his arms, looking up

at him adoringly as his savior when he implicated his family in the trouble that was

about to be visited on her. He imagined the sympathy he would receive from everyone

in the county when he stood up in court and recounted all the horrors his family had

visited on Rusty. He saw himself in tears as he recounted his valiant efforts to stop

them, and how, in the end, it had come down to him against them, and he’d acted only

in self-defense to protect his own life and Rusty’s.

It was a brilliant plan. All Davy had to do was work it, and soon he’d see his

dreams come true. He’d be shed of his miserable family and have the woman he loved

in his arms. And they would live happily ever after.

He wondered if Rusty had any idea just how lucky she was to have a man who was

willing to do anything for her happiness.

A sudden thought had Davy pulling out his cell phone to place a call. It took half a

dozen rings before the call was answered. A woman’s voice came on the line. “Hello?”

“Stella? Davy. Listen, sweetheart, I need a favor.”

“What kind of favor?” Stella asked in a suspicious tone.

“The kind that’s worth a hundred bucks.”

“I’m listening.”

Davy grinned. One thing in life held true. Everyone had a price.

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Chapter Seven

In silence, Rusty and Koda followed the nearly indecipherable trail that led along

the ridge of the mountain westward from the headwaters of Oconaluftee River and

deep into the Great Smoky Mountains. Moonlight filtered pure and silver through the

trees, casting shafts of light onto the leaf-and pine-needle-carpeted floor of the forest.

They emerged into a clearing and stopped. Below them lay a desolate valley. It was

rumored to be the hidden place,
Ataga’hi
, the enchanted lake or Gall place as it had

come to be known in the language of the white man.

Rusty stopped and sat. She’d not fasted but she could keep vigil this night and hope

that the lake would appear to her. Koda lay down beside her.
Believe,
he said before he

closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Rusty thought about
Ataga’hi
and the myth about it. In times past, before the People

surrendered their beliefs to that of the white man, all Cherokee knew that
Ataga’hi

existed. It was a place few had seen. The way to it was so difficult, so well hidden that

only the animals knew how to reach it. If a hunter should happen upon it by mistake,

he would know by the sound of thousands of wings as wild ducks flew around the lake.

But upon reaching the spot, he would not find a lake, only a dry, flat expanse, void

of grass or tree or flower, with no bird or animal to be seen.

Unless one sharpened their spiritual vision with fasting and praying and an allnight vigil, the lake would remain unseen. One would know whether they had

succeeded at the end of the night, for upon daybreak the lake would appear.

Rusty closed her eyes and sent a wish spiraling out into the Universe, a cry for help

and guidance, a plea that she see the path she should walk and the strength to walk it

with honor and dignity.

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Genetic memory swirled inside her, the Native American ancestry of her father

calling to her as strongly as that of her mother’s lineage. Generations dating back to the

beginning of time appeared in her mind, a swirl of faces and feelings and lives that

were both apart and part of her.

She felt the energy expand in her mind one brief moment before her mind exploded

with light. Then she was lost, with only her own fervent prayers echoing through the

vast emptiness.

Time passed unrecognized as Rusty gave herself to the spiral dance in her mind.

Night deepened, the world turned and the stars began to fade. Upon the first hint of

light from the breaking day, her eyes opened.

Joy leapt strong and vital within her. There before her was the lake, a wide and

extensive sheet of purple water, fed by springs that sprouted from the high cliffs that

surrounded the lake.

She marveled at the sight, watching as great flocks of birds appeared in the sky

above the lake. On the glassy surface of the water she could see the undulating ripples

from serpents gliding silently. Fish jumped and splashed.

A glossy black bear made his way to the water, a great gash in his side seeping

blood and infection. Rusty observed in silence as the animal submerged beneath the

violet depths of the water. When it rose and made its way to shore, the wound was

healed.

Your turn,
Koda spoke in her mind.

Rusty’s response was to rise and strip off her clothing. The soft carpet of grass and

leaves was cool to her feet as she made her way to the water’s edge. A gentle, cool

breeze kissed her skin, eliciting a mild shiver.

She stepped into the water and a current of warm energy ran up her leg. With slow,

steady steps she waded deeper into the water. Two long water moccasins swam by her,

one circling her body twice before it slid away.

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Molding Clay

Rusty sank beneath the surface. The water was clear and brilliant in the morning

sun. It was like sinking into light, being surrounded by liquid heaven. She sighed,

watching the bubbles float to the surface as she sank deeper, her eyes closing and body

going limp.

She lost track of time, immersed in the womb of the lake, protected and safe from

all harm from the outside world. The thought entered her mind that perhaps she would

not return to the world of man. Safer and more peaceful it would be to stay here.

No sooner had the thought appeared than Koda’s voice registered in her mind. “It

is not your time. Open your eyes. See your way, and embrace it. Your destiny awaits.”

Rusty opened her eyes and there in the water was her future. She could not see

what was to come, the joys or hardships that would befall her, but she knew that it was

time to let go of the past and look to the future she saw shining before her. She reached

toward the shimmering vision and suddenly reality returned.

No longer was she submerged beneath the surface of the enchanted lake. Now she

stood in the middle of a barren clearing, the morning sun bathing her.

* * * * *

Clay had been trained to track by his brother Chase, and this night the training

served him well, even if it did take him until nearly dawn to find her. He emerged from

a thick stand of trees just after dawn and looked down at the clearing below.

For a split second he thought he saw a shimmering purple lake with cascading falls

surrounding it and a multitude of animals on its shore. But in the next breath it was

gone.

And there stood Rusty, in the middle of the clearing, naked. Water ran in rivulets

down her skin from her wet hair, sparkling like gems on her tanned skin.

She turned and looked in his direction and Clay could have sworn that light shot

from her eyes like a lens flare. Clay gasped as their eyes locked. Something inside him