Apache Nights by Sheri Whitefeather

that led to his property. “I expected you before now.”
    â€œWe never specified a time.” She glanced at his companions. Clyde stood patiently, and Bonnie danced around Joyce’s feet. She knelt to pet the wiener dog, then looked up at Kyle.
    He wore varying shades of denim and a battered fringe jacket reminiscent of the Vietnam War era. A slight breeze tousled his hair.
    â€œI fixed lunch,” he said.
    Her heart made a foolish flutter. This wasn’t the time to get girlish over him. Yesterday they’d agreed to spend some casual time together, but today she had an ulterior motive. “You cooked for me?”
    â€œI made sandwiches. For a picnic,” he added.
    â€œReally?” She hadn’t pegged him for the picnic type. “Where?”
    â€œIn the laser tag compound.”
    â€œThat sounds fun.” And it made her feel guilty, even if she knew she had the right to question him about his Warrior Society activities.
    They walked to his house, and he retrieved their late-day lunch. From there, they took his Jeep to the airplane hangar that supported the laser tag course. The dogs came with them.
    Once they went inside, Joyce marveled at the genius of the structure. The building was equipped with a variety of movie props and set changes, including lifelike audio tracks and devices that scented the air and altered the weather.
    She glanced up. At the moment, the painted sky was sunny and the temperature was warm.
    â€œI can make it rain,” Kyle said.
    â€œAt a picnic?”
    â€œWe could huddle in a cave.” He gestured to a stone path that led to a mountainlike formation.
    Indoor rain sounded sexy, but she wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. Sooner or later, she was going to ask him if he was involved in criminal activity, and a sunny day seemed safer somehow.
    â€œI’d prefer a dry picnic,” she said.
    He removed his jacket. “Then come with me.”
    She walked beside him with the dogs in tow. They crossed a small bridge and stopped in an area that was designed to look like a meadow. Faux flowers colored the grasslike ground, creating an alluring effect.
    Bonnie ran ahead of them, and Joyce laughed. Clyde was too macho to make mad dash for the fake foliage, but he watched his canine friend kick up her heels.
    Joyce and Kyle sat in the middle of the floral field. An electronic bird winged above their heads, and she admired its realistic flight.
    â€œThat’s part of the magic,” he told her.
    Strange magic, she thought. She knew he played war games here. “I’ll bet it’s booby-trapped.”
    â€œCould be.” He spread his jacket on the ground and setup their picnic, removing items from a duffel bag.
    He’d packed more than sandwiches. She noticed cheese and crackers, too. And containers filled with various fruits and salads. For their beverage, he’d brought bottled water.
    Joyce tasted her sandwich, a hearty roll with roast beef, avocado, tomato and lettuce. “This is good.”
    â€œJust because I hate to clean my kitchen doesn’t mean I can’t fix a halfway decent meal.” He scooped one of the salads onto a paper plate for her. “Try the pasta.”
    She took a bite, impressed by the raw vegetables and spicy Italian dressing he’d added to the curly noodles. “A man of many talents.”
    â€œThat’s me.” He leaned forward to kiss her, planting a chaste peck on her lips.
    She wanted to kiss him for real, but her guilt had kicked in again, so she pretended that she wasn’t craving more. Or that she wasn’t stalling, stopping herself from asking him about his Warrior Society.
    When he sat back, Bonnie climbed onto his lap. He petted the tiny pooch, then set her on her feet. As for Kyle’s feet, Joyce noticed that he was wearing his moccasins.
    She gestured with her fork. “Did someone make those for you?”
    â€œSomeone? Like who?”
    â€œA